Michael Kohler

Lead Software Engineer

Software Engineer with a passion for Web Standards and DevOps

Eager to learn

Even though I have more than a decade of experience with Software Engineering I'm always eager to learn more to increase my knowledge.

Motivated

With my volunteer work for Mozilla I'm very passionate about the Open Web and Software Engineering in general. Head over to the dedicated Open Source page to see many of my contributions.

Personal Info

Name:
Michael Kohler
Place:
Berlin, Germany
originally from Bern, Switzerland
eMail:
me@michaelkohler.info
Languages (fluent):
German, English

Skills

Programming Languages:
TypeScript/JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Rust, Python, Lua, Bash
DevOps:
Pipelines/Actions, Docker, Kubernetes, Grafana, Prometheus, GitLab, Ansible, Metrics
Databases:
MySQL, DynamoDB, InfluxDB, MongoDB
IoT:
WebThings, Z-Wave, Device Management, Firmware Management, MQTT
Methodologies:
Scrum, Pair Programming, TDD, Feature Flags, Code Quality, Cost Analysis, Monitoring
Product:
Requirement Engineering, Release Management, Backlog Refinement, Sprint Planning, Retros, Analytics
Management:
Mentoring, Conflict Resolution, Personal Development

Experience

  • 01/2021 - now

    Klarna Bank AB

    Lead Engineer, Card Experience (React Native, TypeScript, Node.js)

    • Improve Card Experience

  • Engineering Manager, Card Management Experience (React Native, TypeScript, Node.js, several AWS products including AWS Glue)

    • Responsible for the Card overview and detail screens for the Klarna Card, such as Card Details, PIN and Settings
    • Responsible for the Digital Wallet frontend integrations, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay provisioning flows
    • Lead engineers from multiple teams to implement the Klarna Card Monthly Fee in one project team

  • Senior Engineer, Klarna Card Payment Methods / Card Management (React Native, TypeScript, Node.js)

    • Implementing and maintaining different Payment Methods for the Klarna Card depending on the market
    • Improvements and expansion of the Pre-Purchase Financing offer for the Klarna Card
    • Market expansion for the Klarna Card
    • Leading Team Ceremonies such as refinements and retrospectives
    • Tech Lead role on new projects, mostly for technical discovery
    • On-boarding new members of the team
    • Helping others with personal development and mentorship
    • Regular knowledge sharing with other team members

  • 04/2008 - now

    Volunteer @ Mozilla Foundation

    Developer, Community Builder

    Head over to the dedicated Open Source page to see many of my contributions.

    • Mozilla Rep from 2012 to 2023 - served on the Reps Council and was a Reps Leadership Peer
    • Maintained the Common Voice Sentence Collector (Node.js, React, MySQL) until 2023 (now part of the platform) and maintaining Sentence Extractor (Rust)
    • Implemented several GitHub Actions to automate processes for Common Voice
    • Created several volunteer campaign websites to boost volunteer involvement
    • Contributions to Firefox (Testing, Coding)
    • Contributions to Firefox OS (Testing, Coding, Evangelism, Apps)
    • Contributions to Webmaker (Teaching), also in combination with Firefox OS
    • Built communities in Switzerland, Germany and Austria

  • 11/2016 - 12/2020

    Control4 (NEEO until 2019)

    Senior Software Development Engineer

    • Implementation of NEEO Remote - Hub, App, Cloud (including Firmware upgrade delivery)
    • Integration of Z-Wave devices into NEEO (including certification)
    • Integration of the Neeo Remote into the Control4 system (Node.js)
    • Bugfixes on the Control4 remote driver (Lua)
    • Feature Flags implementation and Release Management processes, tools and pipelines
    • Improvements to Automated Test Infrastructure (Python, Ansible, GitLab)
    • Implementation of Metrics Tracking and Dashboards (Node.js, SQL, Grafana)
    • Continuous improvement of development environment
    • Mentoring other team members

  • 04/2015 - 10/2016

    NETCASE GmbH

    Web Developer

    • Created several smaller websites (Vanilla JS, Sails.js)
    • Worked on a larger product management tool (Node.js, Loopback, AngularJS)

  • 08/2010 - 02/2015

    Swisscom Banking Provider AG (Entris Banking AG until 2014)

    Application Developer, 2nd-Level-Support Document Output Management

    • Worked on a large project to migrate the core banking platform of several banks
    • Responsible for the Document Output System used to print customer documents
    • Improvements and adjustments to documents and wizard (C#, VBA, Office)
    • Requirement engineering and project management for the Document Output System