Hiring profile

Hands-on builder with CTO-level impact

I am Leonard Daume. Today I build product systems in which agents work from the problem through production, plus harnesses for developer teams. Behind that are my Cognitive Informatics studies, product sense, hands-on engineering, and operational delivery. That matters in contexts where product, technology, team, and operations have to work together: from 0→1 platforms to remotely scaling 100+ developers.

Software craft has been my path from the start. The origin is concrete: as a child, I was influenced by a first-generation Chaos Computer Club member who later became something close to a mentor around the C64, BASIC, text adventures, and early PCs. Then came computer science classes at Laborschule, first websites and a webshop in 1998/1999, and Java at Westfalenkolleg. That is why I still think about product, code, and operations as one system.

Leonard Daume

What this page makes visible

This page shows where I become productive early and how hands-on depth, product judgment, technical leadership, and CTO-level responsibility work together.

Talk about a role

Proof

CTO-level impact under scaling pressure

Shaped technical direction, team structure, and delivery systems for a scaling organization, including remotely scaling 100+ developers without adding another coordination layer.

Proof

AI foundation and daily practice

Cognitive Informatics studies spanning AI, ML, robotics, and multi-agent systems, plus productive daily LLM use since February 2023 and predominantly agent-based implementation since late 2025.

Proof

Hands-on through operations

Product, architecture, code, monorepos, queue orchestration, observability, IaC, and operational platform work stay connected in one profile.

Proof

Context breadth with a clear throughline

Repeated exposure to 0→1, rebuild, and scaling contexts. Useful when new environments need to be understood and made productive quickly.

Technical origin

First the working stance, then the professional proof.

This is about the origin: why I learned early to understand, build, and operate systems myself. The professional proof follows in the career context, timeline, and skills sections.

Early CCC influence

Technology entered my life as something you understand and build yourself, not as something you passively consume. That was shaped by a first-generation Chaos Computer Club member who later became something close to a mentor for computers, systems, and programming.

1992: BASIC and text adventures on a C64

With C64 BASIC, text adventures, and early PCs, early fascination turned into practical software work. That is where the thread of logic, system understanding, and building things myself begins.

Early 90s: Laborschule, DOS, Windows 3.11

Because of the university connection, computer science was available unusually early. That is where DOS, Windows 3.11, and the first more systematic programming exercises came in.

1998/1999 to 2002: web, webshop, Java

By the late 90s I was already building websites and running a webshop. In 2002, Java at Westfalenkolleg added a more formal software foundation. The builder thread has stayed intact ever since.

Hiring context

Many contexts, one clear line

If you are reviewing my CV, you will see several intense product and engineering contexts. The common thread is exposure to the whole system: 0→1 work, rebuilds, scaling, advisory, and hands-on delivery.

That matters for full-time hiring: I quickly understand how product logic, technical reality, team structure, and operations interact. That reduces ramp-up and increases the chance of durable impact over years.

For fractional or transformation work, the same range matters because unclear systems rarely have a single-point problem. I bring patterns that have worked in real teams without forcing every new context into an old template.

Experience

Experience that proves range

The timeline shows AI and ML judgment, delivery maturity, leadership effectiveness, and hands-on range.

09/2026 - 11/2026

Director Agentic AI

OH-SO Digital GmbH

Full-time

As Director Agentic AI, I work where client problems, product ideas, and technical reality meet. I carry technical responsibility across client projects, remain hands-on, and make recurring lessons useful to others.

07/2025 - 08/2026

Chief Technology Officer (Hands-on)

Livable Places GmbH

Full-time

Hands-on CTO work in an AI-native proptech startup: monorepo with Nuxt, Hono, Bun, BullMQ flows, and Redis locking, bare-metal platform with IaC and observability, plus product and architecture steering for geo/census services and an office-risk product line.

09/2023 - 06/2025

Chief Technology Officer

WPS MANAGEMENT GMBH // wescale

Full-time

As CTO, sharpened team structure, delivery systems, and technical direction for a scaling organization, including remotely scaling 100+ developers without adding another coordination layer.

06/2023 - 12/2023

Freelance Fullstack Developer & Consultant

LGE Energy Berlin GmbH // Zenstrom

Freelance

Combined consulting and implementation for a tailored website and portal solution instead of splitting concept and build into separate worlds.

Responsibility arc

QYRAGY GmbH

Full-time responsibility, new phase, and follow-up support in one context.

2 cases07/2020 - 11/2023Full-timeFreelance

Cases in this context

05/2023 - 11/2023Fractional CTO Advisory for Smartjobr 07/2020 - 04/2023Hands-on CTO & Chief Product Owner for AI Matching Platform

Responsibility arc

Mondosano GmbH

Full-time responsibility, new phase, and follow-up support in one context.

2 cases01/2018 - 11/2020Full-timeFreelance

Cases in this context

07/2020 - 11/2020Freelance Engineering Support at Mondosano 01/2018 - 06/2020Hands-on CTO for Health SaaS

09/2016 - 01/2018

Big data under real load

SISTRIX GmbH

Full-time

Handled even larger data volumes than before, with a focus on pipelines, scaling, and what it takes to keep systems calm under real load.

04/2016 - 08/2016

Java Team Lead & Project Manager

USU AG | Business Solutions

Full-time

Led the technical concept and implementation of a portal project across multiple participating companies and deliberately moved collaboration toward more agile ways of working through Scrum introduction, visible work, and iterative delivery.

Responsibility arc

SEOlytics GmbH

Multiple phases in one context: expanded role, shifted responsibility, sustained impact.

3 cases11/2013 - 03/2016Full-time

Cases in this context

05/2015 - 03/2016Head of Development at SEOlytics 11/2014 - 05/2015Scrum Master & Backend Delivery at SEOlytics 11/2013 - 10/2014SEO Backend Development with Big Data

05/2013 - 10/2013

Java EE development for a real estate portal

Immonet GmbH // Axel Springer AG

Full-time

Product and engineering work in a larger portal context with Java EE, agile development, and Scrum. Useful precisely because of the contrast to later startup and transformation work.

Responsibility arc

dtms GmbH

One system context with multiple responsibility areas.

8 cases03/2012 - 04/2013Full-time

Cases in this context

02/2012 - 04/2013Enterprise Java MDM Component 12/2012iOS Backend Reengineering 07/2012 - 11/2012Mobile Device Management System 06/2012SMS-Email Integration System 06/2012SMS Processing Cluster Architecture 05/2012SMS Processing Reengineering with 17x Throughput 04/2012RESTful iOS Backend Development 03/2012Enterprise Java Configuration UI

10/2010 - 02/2012

Learning infrastructure the hard way

Computacenter

Freelance

As a freelancer, I helped plan, build, and operate Telefonica Germany's data center. That was where it became obvious that software without operational reality is only half the job.

04/2009 - 11/2009

Early iPhone product work

Self-employed

Published a multi-touch game in the early App Store era. An early sign that I tend to work with new platforms instead of just watching them.

2008

First enterprise project

Synaxon AG

Co-developed a portal for correcting product descriptions in a university partnership. This was where learning turned into real team, product, and system work.

2008

Agile engineering starts to make sense

A master's course on process models showed me early that delivery is not a side effect of good engineering. It is a system you can design.

2002

Java on the second educational path

At Westfalenkolleg, I learned Java and moved my software foundation onto a much more systematic footing.

1998 - 1999

First websites and a webshop of my own

Self-employed

By the late 90s, I was already building websites and running a webshop. Not as a school exercise, but as an early sign that product, technology, and operations only make sense to me as one system.

1992

BASIC, text adventures, first programs of my own

On a C64, I wrote my first BASIC programs and text adventures. That early path was supported by a first-generation Chaos Computer Club member who became something close to a mentor for computers, systems, and programming.

HEADFull-time09/2026 - 11/2026
Director Agentic AI(OH-SO Digital GmbH)
As Director Agentic AI, I work where client problems, product ideas, and technical reality meet. I carry technical responsibility across client projects, remain hands-on, and make recurring lessons useful to others.
Full-time07/2025 - 08/2026
Chief Technology Officer (Hands-on)(Livable Places GmbH)
Hands-on CTO work in an AI-native proptech startup: monorepo with Nuxt, Hono, Bun, BullMQ flows, and Redis locking, bare-metal platform with IaC and observability, plus product and architecture steering for geo/census services and an office-risk product line.
Full-time09/2023 - 06/2025
Chief Technology Officer(WPS MANAGEMENT GMBH // wescale)
As CTO, sharpened team structure, delivery systems, and technical direction for a scaling organization, including remotely scaling 100+ developers without adding another coordination layer.
Freelance06/2023 - 12/2023
Freelance Fullstack Developer & Consultant(LGE Energy Berlin GmbH // Zenstrom)
Combined consulting and implementation for a tailored website and portal solution instead of splitting concept and build into separate worlds.
Responsibility arc
QYRAGY GmbH
Full-time responsibility, new phase, and follow-up support in one context.
2 cases07/2020 - 11/2023Full-timeFreelance
Cases in this context
05/2023 - 11/2023Fractional CTO Advisory for SmartjobrFreelance 07/2020 - 04/2023Hands-on CTO & Chief Product Owner for AI Matching PlatformFull-time
Responsibility arc
Mondosano GmbH
Full-time responsibility, new phase, and follow-up support in one context.
2 cases01/2018 - 11/2020Full-timeFreelance
Cases in this context
07/2020 - 11/2020Freelance Engineering Support at MondosanoFreelance 01/2018 - 06/2020Hands-on CTO for Health SaaSFull-time
Full-time09/2016 - 01/2018
Big data under real load(SISTRIX GmbH)
Handled even larger data volumes than before, with a focus on pipelines, scaling, and what it takes to keep systems calm under real load.
Full-time04/2016 - 08/2016
Java Team Lead & Project Manager(USU AG | Business Solutions)
Led the technical concept and implementation of a portal project across multiple participating companies and deliberately moved collaboration toward more agile ways of working through Scrum introduction, visible work, and iterative delivery.
Responsibility arc
SEOlytics GmbH
Multiple phases in one context: expanded role, shifted responsibility, sustained impact.
3 cases11/2013 - 03/2016Full-time
Cases in this context
05/2015 - 03/2016Head of Development at SEOlyticsFull-time 11/2014 - 05/2015Scrum Master & Backend Delivery at SEOlyticsFull-time 11/2013 - 10/2014SEO Backend Development with Big DataFull-time
Full-time05/2013 - 10/2013
Java EE development for a real estate portal(Immonet GmbH // Axel Springer AG)
Product and engineering work in a larger portal context with Java EE, agile development, and Scrum. Useful precisely because of the contrast to later startup and transformation work.
Responsibility arc
dtms GmbH
One system context with multiple responsibility areas.
8 cases03/2012 - 04/2013Full-time
Cases in this context
02/2012 - 04/2013Enterprise Java MDM ComponentFull-time 12/2012iOS Backend ReengineeringFull-time 07/2012 - 11/2012Mobile Device Management SystemFull-time 06/2012SMS-Email Integration SystemFull-time
4 more cases in the project overview
Freelance10/2010 - 02/2012
Learning infrastructure the hard way(Computacenter)
As a freelancer, I helped plan, build, and operate Telefonica Germany's data center. That was where it became obvious that software without operational reality is only half the job.
Self-employed04/2009 - 11/2009
Early iPhone product work
Published a multi-touch game in the early App Store era. An early sign that I tend to work with new platforms instead of just watching them.
2008
First enterprise project(Synaxon AG)
Co-developed a portal for correcting product descriptions in a university partnership. This was where learning turned into real team, product, and system work.
2008
Agile engineering starts to make sense
A master's course on process models showed me early that delivery is not a side effect of good engineering. It is a system you can design.
2002
Java on the second educational path
At Westfalenkolleg, I learned Java and moved my software foundation onto a much more systematic footing.
Self-employed1998 - 1999
First websites and a webshop of my own
By the late 90s, I was already building websites and running a webshop. Not as a school exercise, but as an early sign that product, technology, and operations only make sense to me as one system.
1992
BASIC, text adventures, first programs of my own
On a C64, I wrote my first BASIC programs and text adventures. That early path was supported by a first-generation Chaos Computer Club member who became something close to a mentor for computers, systems, and programming.

Interactive route

Optional to play, without breaking the reading flow.

The route is an optional format for people who want to explore the career path interactively. The hiring signal still stays readable in the timeline, context, and skills sections without requiring interaction.

A small game instead of a static timeline.

Career Circuit

Collect each career checkpoint in sequence. The route only begins once you launch the run.

WASD / arrow keys or drag inside the stage

Mission

Start the run through every stop.

Collect each career checkpoint in sequence. The route only begins once you launch the run.

20 checkpointsWASD / arrow keys or drag inside the stage

Agentic foundation

Agentic product and software development with a technical foundation.

University of Bielefeld · Cognitive Informatics

My studies still shape my daily practice. Cognitive Informatics, machine learning, neural networks, and multi-agent systems still form the foundation for judging AI and ML in a systems context.

Today that becomes a clear working context: agents inside the product and across the full value stream, from triage and product clarification through development and verification to operations and learning. LLM workflows, agent skills, multi-agent research, and data and ML methods are mapped to real user value, model boundaries, and decision quality.

Core lens

Thinking about cognition, learning, perception, decision logic, and technical systems together.

Practical relevance

Helps treat agents as a product and systems question with explicit boundaries, sound context, and legible accountability.

Explore the agentic working model

Maturity before tool depth

AI, product, team, and delivery as one system

The technical deep dive follows after this. First comes the view of proven responsibility across product, engineering, leadership, and operations.

Proven responsibility

Product, team, and operations at a glance.

The signal is responsibility for product logic, technical direction, teams, delivery, operations, and the consequences of real decisions.

AI-native systems craft

AI treated as an agentic operating model: cognitive foundations, agent workflows, ML methods, artifact learning, and accountable delivery.

10.4y context years9 contexts

Cognitive science, ML, NLP
Agent skills, plugins, LLM workflows
AI-native SDLC, rules, artifacts

Product maturity

Product logic, prioritization, feedback loops, and 0→1 work treated together with architecture and delivery.

16.1y context years13 contexts

CTO & Chief Product Owner
Product model through operations
PMF, impact, and learning loops

Leadership maturity

Leadership as system work: direction, ownership, team building, coaching, and decisions that help teams carry responsibility.

11.4y context years7 contexts

15 teams / 100+ developers
Hiring and team building
Coaching, review culture, ownership

Delivery and operational maturity

Delivery, shift-left quality, security, and operations as part of architecture: CI/CD, agile testing, DevSecOps, observability, SRE, and you-build-it-you-run-it.

18.3y context years15 contexts

CI/CD, IaC, and quality gates
Agile testing, DevSecOps, DORA
SRE, observability, operations

Ways of working and engineering culture

Delivery that holds up day to day

Agile practices are mapped to team ownership, short feedback loops, technical quality, and reliable product flow.

Ownership and flow

Teams get clear direction, visible work, small batches, and ownership for outcomes.

Agile Coaching
Agile Development
Kanban
Lean Development
Delivery ownership
Scrum
Team Collaboration

Quality and operations

Delivery maturity means built-in quality, agile testing, DevSecOps, CI/CD, reviews, and SRE are part of the system.

CI/CD
Code Review
DevSecOps
Documentation
Agile testing
SRE
Test-Driven Development

Product learning and systems thinking

Strategic direction, learning iterations, and ownership create delivery, product evolution, and innovation.

Technical deep dive

Core technical competencies

The deep dive shows the system areas that matter now: AI/LLM, backend and data services, cloud scale, SQL/NoSQL, messaging, CI/CD pipelines, frontend, and quality. The signal is the combination of current practice, model judgment, and long-running production responsibility.

Decision signals

Current in practice, rarely combined, durable over time

Relevant in 2026

Active, market-relevant technologies for modern product and platform work.

Platform Operations & Observability
15.7y in 13 contexts
Active
NoSQL / Search / Graph
15.0y in 10 contexts
Active
Cloud Scaling & Microservices
15.1y in 11 contexts
Active
JavaScript
16.4y in 13 contexts
Active
SQL / Relational Databases
15.8y in 11 contexts
Active
CI/CD Pipelines
16.4y in 12 contexts
Active
TypeScript
10.5y in 8 contexts
Active
Python
6.7y in 4 contexts
Active

Rare depth

Niche production experience that differentiates quickly in hiring contexts.

Platform Operations & Observability
15.7y in 13 contexts
Active
NoSQL / Search / Graph
15.0y in 10 contexts
Active
Messaging & Event Streaming
15.1y in 9 contexts
ArangoDB
11.9y in 6 contexts
Docker Swarm
9.8y in 5 contexts
Scala
6.8y in 3 contexts

Durable foundations

Languages and platforms that also receive framework-derived experience.

Cloud Scaling & Microservices
15.1y in 11 contexts
Active
JavaScript
16.4y in 13 contexts
Active
SQL / Relational Databases
15.8y in 11 contexts
Active
CI/CD Pipelines
16.4y in 12 contexts
Active
TypeScript
10.5y in 8 contexts
Active
Python
6.7y in 4 contexts
Active
Java
11.9y in 8 contexts
Machine Learning
7.0y in 3 contexts

Market-relevant core

AI-native services, cloud scale, data, and delivery systems

AI/LLM/ML

AI/ML, LLM workflows, and agentic operating models connect method depth with product-adjacent delivery.

LLM WorkflowsMCPClaude CodeCodex

LLM Workflows

Relevant in 2026

Active nowsolid

Overall years: 3.3y
Contexts: 3

Claude Code

Relevant in 2026

Active nowdeveloping

Overall years: 1.6y
Contexts: 2

Backend & Data Services

Languages, frameworks, APIs, microservices, and data-adjacent services carry scalable product logic.

TypeScriptJavaPlay FrameworkAkka

JavaScript

Durable foundationsRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 16.4y
Contexts: 13

TypeScript

Durable foundationsRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 10.5y
Contexts: 8

Python

Durable foundationsRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 6.7y
Contexts: 4

Cloud & Platform Engineering

Cloud scale, microservices, platform operations, and observability show up as one connected system capability.

AWSGCPDocker SwarmPlatform Operations & Observability

Platform Operations & Observability

Rare depthRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 15.7y
Contexts: 13

Cloud Scaling & Microservices

Durable foundationsRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 15.1y
Contexts: 11

CI/CD & Delivery Pipelines

Jenkins, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, and Woodpecker are bundled into one delivery capability.

CI/CD PipelinesJenkinsGitHub ActionsGitLab CI

CI/CD Pipelines

Durable foundationsRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 16.4y
Contexts: 12

Databases & Storage

Persistence breadth across SQL, relational databases, NoSQL, search, graph, cache, and storage.

SQLCachingNoSQL / Search / GraphPostgreSQL

NoSQL / Search / Graph

Rare depthRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 15.0y
Contexts: 10

SQL / Relational Databases

Durable foundationsRelevant in 2026

Active nowproven

Overall years: 15.8y
Contexts: 11

Proven breadth

Up to eight prioritized skills per system area

Prioritized by proven duration, context breadth, and current relevance. Additional proven technologies remain discoverable in project evidence and search.

AI/LLM/ML

Machine LearningNatural Language Processing (NLP)LLM WorkflowsLLM-assisted DevelopmentMCP

Machine Learning
7.0y in 3 contexts
Natural Language Processing (NLP)
7.0y in 3 contexts
LLM Workflows
Active
3.3y in 3 contexts
LLM-assisted Development
Active
4.9y in 7 contexts
MCP
3.0y in 2 contexts
Agent Skills
Active
1.4y in 2 contexts
Claude Code
Active
1.6y in 2 contexts
Codex
Active
1.6y in 2 contexts

Backend & Data Services

JavaTypeScriptPythonREST APIsNode.js

Java
11.9y in 8 contexts
TypeScript
Active
10.5y in 8 contexts
Python
Active
6.7y in 4 contexts
REST APIs
16.0y in 11 contexts
Node.js
9.4y in 5 contexts
Play Framework
6.8y in 3 contexts
Akka
6.8y in 3 contexts
Spring Boot
5.9y in 3 contexts

Data Engineering & Analytics

Data EngineeringGraph Data ModelingConversion AnalyticsBig Data ProcessingGeoJSON

Data Engineering
5.0y in 3 contexts
Graph Data Modeling
11.9y in 6 contexts
Conversion Analytics
7.5y in 3 contexts
Big Data Processing
3.8y in 2 contexts
GeoJSON
4.1y in 2 contexts
Data Enrichment Pipelines
2.4y in 1 context
Search Analytics
2.4y in 1 context
XPath
3.8y in 2 contexts

Databases & Storage

SQLCachingNoSQL / Search / GraphPostgreSQLArangoDB

SQL
Active
15.8y in 11 contexts
Caching
10.3y in 5 contexts
NoSQL / Search / Graph
Active
15.0y in 10 contexts
PostgreSQL
Active
7.3y in 5 contexts
ArangoDB
11.9y in 6 contexts
MongoDB
5.5y in 4 contexts
MySQL
8.5y in 5 contexts
Database Systems
Active
15.8y in 11 contexts

Messaging & Event Streaming

Asynchronous ProcessingMessage Queues & Pub/SubEvent-Driven ArchitectureAWS SQSGoogle Pub/Sub

Asynchronous Processing
15.1y in 9 contexts
Message Queues & Pub/Sub
12.2y in 8 contexts
Event-Driven Architecture
12.2y in 8 contexts
AWS SQS
3.4y in 1 context
Google Pub/Sub
1.8y in 1 context
BullMQ
1.2y in 1 context
JMS
2.4y in 1 context
Webhooks
2.9y in 1 context

Cloud & Platform Engineering

AWSGCPDockerDocker SwarmKubernetes

AWS
10.6y in 6 contexts
GCP
1.8y in 1 context
Docker
Active
10.7y in 8 contexts
Docker Swarm
9.8y in 5 contexts
Kubernetes
1.8y in 1 context
GKE
1.8y in 1 context
Platform Operations & Observability
Active
15.7y in 13 contexts
Cloud Scaling & Microservices
Active
15.1y in 11 contexts

CI/CD & Delivery Pipelines

CI/CD PipelinesJenkinsGitHub ActionsGitLab CIDrone CI

CI/CD Pipelines
Active
16.4y in 12 contexts
Jenkins
5.5y in 3 contexts
GitHub Actions
Active
1.8y in 3 contexts
GitLab CI
1.8y in 1 context
Drone CI
3.4y in 1 context
CircleCI
2.9y in 1 context
Woodpecker CI
0.6y in 1 context
SonarQube
1.8y in 1 context

Frontend

ReactVue.jsNext.jsTailwind CSSAstro

React
Active
7.3y in 5 contexts
Vue.js
5.9y in 3 contexts
Next.js
3.4y in 1 context
Tailwind CSS
Active
7.6y in 7 contexts
Astro
0.6y in 1 context
PWA
4.0y in 2 contexts
Nuxt
Active
1.4y in 2 contexts
CSS
4.2y in 2 contexts

Mobile & Native Apps

iOSAndroid SDKPush NotificationsObjective-CApple Push Notifications

iOS
4.9y in 3 contexts
Android SDK
3.4y in 1 context
Push Notifications
4.3y in 2 contexts
Objective-C
1.5y in 2 contexts
Apple Push Notifications
4.3y in 2 contexts
Web Push Notifications
3.4y in 1 context
Android Push Notifications
3.4y in 1 context
Xcode
0.8y in 1 context

Agile Testing/Quality

Test-Driven DevelopmentTest Automation & E2E QualityCypressPlaywrightVitest

Test-Driven Development
Active
16.7y in 13 contexts
Test Automation & E2E Quality
Active
16.9y in 14 contexts
Cypress
9.9y in 5 contexts
Playwright
Active
1.7y in 3 contexts
Vitest
Active
2.0y in 3 contexts
JUnit
2.9y in 2 contexts
Mockito
4.3y in 3 contexts
Selenium
4.0y in 4 contexts

Tooling

GitMavenSBTVitepnpm

Git
14.3y in 9 contexts
Maven
10.8y in 7 contexts
SBT
6.8y in 3 contexts
Vite
4.2y in 4 contexts
pnpm
1.2y in 1 context
Turborepo
1.2y in 1 context
n8n
8.3y in 6 contexts
Zapier
2.9y in 1 context

Next step

For a long-term role or collaboration, we can assess the context together directly.

I reply personally with a clear view of the value I could add and the next useful step.

Discuss the hiring context