Hi, my name is
Rafael Mendes.
I build things.
01. About me
With over 6 years of experience in the software industry, including as a Product Manager and UI/UX Designer, I have developed a deep understanding of the entire product lifecycle and the ability to lead teams of varying sizes. I have a customer-focused approach and an agile mindset, allowing me to quickly deliver minimum viable products and exceed expectations.
As a full-stack developer, I bring a wealth of experience and a passion for problem-solving to the table. My love for coding has led me to explore new and innovative solutions. I am confident in my abilities and eager to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible.
You'll usually find me by my computer building apps, creating functional 3D Prints and getting involved with random projects.
03. My Skillset
TypeScript
React
Next.js
React Native
Tailwind CSS
Node.js
GraphQL
Apollo Federation
PostgreSQL
Redis
Docker
Kubernetes
Terraform
AWS
GCP
Grafana
Sentry
Jest
Git
CI/CD
02.Where I've Worked
Senior Full Stack Engineer @ LUSH Digital
2023 - Present
Led a team of 5 engineers while designing and optimising high-traffic systems handling 1200+ req/s with 99.9%+ uptime.
- ▹Provided technical direction, ran 1-on-1s, and conducted performance reviews while staying hands-on with architecture and code.
- ▹Designed and optimised high-traffic systems with advanced caching, load balancing, and multi-region deployments (AWS ECS, GCP GKE).
- ▹Architected GraphQL supergraphs with Apollo Federation and event-driven backends (Pub/Sub, BullMQ), enabling modular API design across multiple teams.
- ▹Delivered £250k+ in annual cost savings through infrastructure optimisation, runtime benchmarking (Node.js, Bun, Hono), and resource-tuned Kubernetes clusters.
- ▹Built end-to-end observability with Sentry, Grafana/Prometheus, and GCP Monitoring; established CI/CD pipelines enabling a weekly release cadence.
- ▹Managed PostgreSQL databases with Drizzle ORM — schema design, query optimisation, indexing strategies, and zero-downtime migrations.
Full Stack Developer @ LUSH Digital
2022 - 2023
Built and shipped web applications using Next.js, React 18, and TypeScript serving global markets with full internationalisation support.
- ▹Developed internal shop management tools that streamlined day-to-day retail operations across multiple regions.
- ▹Created Edge workers for Lush.com URL routing, improving site performance and SEO.
- ▹Designed PostgreSQL schemas with performance-focused indexing; established Jest/RTL testing patterns adopted across the frontend team.
- ▹Mentored junior developers on React best practices and component composition patterns.
Technical Product & Engineering Manager @ Selected Group
2019 - 2022
Led up to 15 engineers across an 11-product portfolio — introduced code sprints, code reviews, and shape-up methodologies that accelerated delivery.
- ▹Took over a stagnant consumer app, rebuilt the engineering team, and shipped resident-facing tools that increased user activity by 420%.
- ▹Architected a cross-platform integration that drove a 285% increase in B2B sales.
- ▹Built and trained a UI/UX design function from scratch, directly improving sprint velocity and product quality.
- ▹Ran customer discovery interviews and translated pain points into prioritised engineering roadmaps.
Technical Business Development Manager @ Diliviri.com
2018 - 2019
Led a team of engineers building fleet dispatching software for food & retail companies; signed 25+ businesses at launch.
- ▹Redirected the company from physical logistics to a pure-software product, improving driver efficiency by 45%.
04. Projects I've built
SAM - Native
Native counterpart of a web application build with React Native, made with a focus on performance and speed.
- React Native
- Expo
- Apollo
- Tailwind
05. What's Next?
Get in Touch
I'm currently open to new opportunities, my inbox is always open. Whether you have a question or just want to say hi, I'll do my best to get back to you.
Say Hello