Nathan Kebede Backend/Platform Engineer

I work on distributed backend systems with a focus on reliability, observability, and production operations. At AWS, I contributed to S3 metering systems by building a pre-production environment, implementing scheduling and debugging capabilities, and improving operational workflows and incident response.

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About

Backend software engineer with focus on distributed systems and operational reliability

Backend / platform engineer focused on distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and operational reliability. I work on backend systems with an emphasis on how they behave in production—how they are deployed, observed, and debugged when things go wrong. My interests are in building systems that are reliable, understandable, and resilient under real-world conditions.

At Amazon Web Services (S3), I contributed to metering systems by building a pre-production stage for a core service, implementing job scheduling logic, and improving debugging and operational workflows. I participated in on-call rotations and worked on reducing operational overhead through better tooling and observability.

Previously at A2SV, I built backend APIs for AI-powered platforms using Python and FastAPI, integrating LLMs and supporting growth from 110 to 1,700 users.

Technical Stack

Java, Kotlin, Python
AWS (Lambda, S3, IAM, SQS)
PostgreSQL, Docker, REST APIs

Location

Berlin, Germany
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Focus Areas

Distributed Systems
Cloud Architecture
System Design Tradeoffs

Projects

Personal project demonstrating distributed systems understanding

Simple MQ

Kotlin Spring Boot PostgreSQL Docker Terraform Grafana

SQS-inspired message queue built with Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, and Docker. Features at-least-once delivery, visibility timeouts, and DLQ routing with real-time Grafana monitoring. Built to understand distributed systems tradeoffs and operational concerns.

Key Implementation Details

  • PostgreSQL with SKIP LOCKED for concurrent consumers
  • Poll-time DLQ routing vs background workers
  • Composite index strategy for query performance
  • Free-tier infrastructure with Terraform
View on GitHub

Live Monitoring

Real-time monitoring dashboard implemented with Grafana and Prometheus. Tracks the four golden signals of observability: latency (message processing times), traffic (messages/second), errors (failed operations), and saturation (queue depth, resource utilization).

Provides operational insights into system performance, queue health, and consumer behavior for proactive issue detection and capacity planning.

Open Dashboard

Experience

Backend engineering roles in distributed systems and cloud infrastructure

Dec 2024 - May 2025

Software Dev Engineer

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Berlin, Germany · On-site

S3 Express One Zone Metering
  • Built Pre-Production stage for microservice in metering workflow
  • Authored design documents detailing system flow and service integration
  • Implemented core features in Java and Kotlin with comprehensive unit tests
  • Implemented job scheduling logic for approval workflows
  • Owned complete service lifecycle including operational support and incident response
Operational Improvements
  • Participated in on-call responsibilities for S3 XOZ metering and S3 Intelligent-Tiering
  • Helped reduce operational workload through automation and process improvements
Object Cleanup Lambda
  • Designed and implemented Lambda functionality to remove stale canary objects
  • Directly contributed to reduced operational overhead
Debug Mode Implementation
  • Implemented debug mode in main metering calculation component with critical logging
Oct 2023 - Sept 2024

Backend Developer

Africa to Silicon Valley (A2SV)

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

AI Platform Backend Engineering
  • Built backend APIs using Python and FastAPI for AI-powered chat platform
  • Integrated multiple LLMs: GPT-4, Gemini, Claude, Mistral, LLaMA
  • Implemented image generation models: DALL-E 3, Stable Diffusion, Gemini Pro Vision
  • Developed RAG pipelines using LangChain for document retrieval
  • Scaled platform from 110 to 1700 users through backend optimizations
Technical Implementation
  • RESTful API design and implementation with FastAPI
  • Database optimization for concurrent user growth
  • Docker containerization for development and deployment
  • Collaboration with front-end and mobile teams for API integration

Skills

Technical expertise across backend engineering and distributed systems

Backend Development

REST APIs
FastAPI
Microservices
System Design
API Design

Programming Languages

Java
Kotlin
Python
SQL

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS Services
Lambda
S3
IAM
SQS

Distributed Systems

Message Queues
Concurrency
System Architecture
Scalability
Reliability

Databases & Storage

PostgreSQL
MySQL
Database Design

DevOps & Tools

Docker
Terraform
CI/CD
Git

Contact

Backend engineering opportunities and distributed systems discussions

Get in Touch

Open to backend engineering roles, distributed systems challenges, and platform engineering opportunities. Focus on production systems, scalability, and operational reliability.

Email

nathanzelalem100@gmail.com

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/nathanzk

GitHub

github.com/NathanZK

Location

Berlin, Germany / Addis Ababa, Ethiopia