Profile
Data Architect and Engineer with multiple years of Azure Databricks project work and deep Python/SQL expertise. Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional (2024) and Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate, DP-700 (2026). Helped build a Databricks-native research platform supplying historical data and features to financial analysts, built pipelines for a custom marketing-data exchange, and designed customer delivery of exchange data on Microsoft Fabric. Use Delta Lake, PySpark/Spark SQL and Medallion Architecture (bronze, silver, gold) to make data reusable for analytics and machine learning. Unity Catalog access control, data quality and monitoring are central to my work with business and technical stakeholders. Keen to apply this experience to trustworthy healthcare analytics and operational decisions; freelancing since 2019, with Azure cloud experience since 2017.
Languages
- German (C2)
- English
- Bosnian
- Croatian
- Serbian
Freelance Projects
Data architect
Customer-facing exchange-data product on Microsoft Fabric 03.2026 - 07.2026 Client: Large financial institutionDesigned aspects of a customer-facing exchange-data delivery product on Microsoft Fabric, intended to make financial market data available to external customers. Planned workspace distribution across applications and environments, including ownership and capacity assignment. Assessed requirements for high-volume Spark processing (an estimated 200,000 job submissions per day), including Livy API limits, queueing, capacity and monitoring. Clarified open architecture questions with application teams and Microsoft; the work focused on design rather than a deployed implementation.
Data engineer and architect
Databricks research Data Product for financial analysts 10.2024 - present Client: Large financial institutionLed key workstreams in migrating a legacy warehouse to a Databricks-native research data product: governed historical financial datasets and features used directly by analysts for analytics and machine learning, without a custom UI. Architected a bitemporal Feature Store and security identifier mapping for point-in-time analysis. Built and optimized Delta Lake ETL/ELT pipelines processing billions of records with Unity Catalog, Delta Live Tables and bronze/silver/gold Medallion layers. Applied encryption, masking and role-based access controls; implemented monitoring and data-quality checks to support reliable reuse of the data. Automated deployments using GitHub Actions and the Databricks SDK. Aligned the target architecture with senior stakeholders and business priorities.
Data architect
Marketing-data exchange platform architecture 04.2024 - 02.2025 Client:
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Defined the target architecture for a custom-developed marketing-data exchange that ingests marketing data for exchange and downstream reporting. Designed its end-to-end Databricks ingestion and Unity Catalog governance; assessed Azure SQL Server and Delta Lake options, including Delta Sharing, column masking, row-level security and access management. Delivered a Microsoft Fabric Lakehouse/Warehouse and Data Factory proof-of-concept to compare approaches. Translated business requirements into governed data flows and worked with stakeholders on technical trade-offs.
Data engineer and lead developer
Databricks pipelines for marketing-data exchange 06.2023 - 04.2024 Client: &
Built the ingestion and ELT pipelines behind a custom marketing-data exchange, bringing data from cloud storage, REST APIs and BigQuery into governed flows for exchange and reporting. Applied Unity Catalog for access governance and used Azure SQL Server for storage. Replaced initial Azure Synapse orchestration with Databricks Workflows and deployed workflow and cluster configuration through Databricks Asset Bundles. Improved pipeline reliability with monitoring and alerting; aligned the product's data flows with stakeholders and reporting requirements.
Data architect and engineer
Microsoft collaboration on designing a system for multiple Data Catalog integration 07.2022 - 06.2023 Client:
This project involved the integration of various data catalogs, including Acryl (based on DataHub), Microsoft Purview, and custom catalogs sourced from databases, into a unified system — Microsoft Purview. The tasks included synchronizing entities, glossaries, and term hierarchies from external catalogs using the underlying Apache Atlas API. The solution was designed to be event-driven, leveraging Azure Event Hub and Azure Service Bus. The orchestration was implemented using Azure Durable Functions. Azure Table Storage was employed as the state store. Served as the architectural point of contact, running stakeholder workshops and aligning multiple teams on integration patterns and governance expectations.
Data engineer
Improving a Databricks based solution 01.2022 - 07.2022 Client:
Utilized the Enterprise Data Lake Platform to prepare data for the Data Science Platform. The primary data sources were SAP systems, which provided significant daily data volumes. Pipeline orchestration was managed through a custom solution implemented in SQL Server, responsible for state management of jobs, tasks and records.
API developer
Blueprint for API Development: Standardizing Processes with FastAPI and Azure Services 11.2021 - 01.2022 Client:
I designed a comprehensive blueprint for API development utilizing FastAPI and Azure services, which has been adopted by multiple teams within the organization. This blueprint standardizes the creation and deployment processes for APIs, thereby improving development efficiency and ensuring consistency across various projects. Tools used are Azure API Management, Azure App Services and FastAPI.
Data Engineer
Creating a Delta Lake and Master data management platform 02.2020 - 12.2021 Client:
The project involved the harmonization of data to establish master data, the creation of a data lake, and the development of data pipelines utilizing Data Factory. Data processing tasks are handled using Databricks, while Azure DevOps is employed for the deployment of both pipelines and databases. Additionally, SQL Server is utilized to enhance analytics performance, providing improved integration with PowerBI. Also, managed the migration of projects from MS Azure DL1 to DL2. My role involved both development and design work, ensuring efficient data storage and access. Drove architecture decisions in close collaboration with stakeholders, shaping the roadmap and sequencing delivery to meet business goals.
Application Developer and Data engineer
Creating a knowledge management platform 10.2019 - 02.2020 Client:
Implemented a robust internal knowledge management system leveraging Django and Azure Cognitive Search, which facilitated efficient information retrieval and enhanced organizational knowledge sharing. Utilized Docker for containerization and GitLab CI/CD for streamlined deployment. Additionally, employed Bash scripting for automation tasks. Designed the application architecture in close collaboration with stakeholders, turning discovery sessions into a scalable, maintainable platform design.
Employment
Senior Consultant
Promantis GmbH 04.2018 - 12.2019Was the Senior Consultant for Data questions at Promantis. Worked only for one client - E.ON. My focus was on Data Engineering and application development. Once the data was in the Data Lake there was a need for different platforms to be created in order to make that data most accessible for internal users. Those users were Data Science teams as well as the management.
System developer and Architect
Cognotekt GmbH 05.2017 - 04.2018As a senior back-end developer, I developed and maintained core applications for AI-based services in the insurance industry. My role involved writing new modules and integrating them into existing C++ applications. I also prototyped a recommender system in Python using Frequent Items Mining, contributing to improved customer recommendation strategies.
Senior Developer
Syniverse 03.2016 - 05.2017At Syniverse, I focused on enhancing legacy code for Fraud Detection and Revenue Assurance software. I led technical efforts on a project for Roshan Telecom, using C++ and Oracle SQL/PLSQL. This project earned industry awards for its successful implementation.
Systems Applications Developer
E.Solutions GmbH 03.2013 - 03.2016I developed system applications for Audi/Volkswagen's MMI products, focusing on modules for device updates. Working in C++ on the QNX operating system, my contributions ensured the reliability and performance of software used in millions of VW group vehicles.
Developer and System Designer
ZIRA 10.2008 - 02.2013At ZIRA, I worked on both rating and billing systems, developing core applications and modules. I significantly contributed to the fraud detection system, specifically the Profiling Engine, which was successfully deployed in major telecom companies.
Formal Education
Diploma in Mathematics and Computer Science
University of Sarajevo, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Mathematics 2003 - 2009High School Diploma
Gymnasium Marko Marulic, Tomislavgrad 1999 - 2003Certificates
01.2026
Microsoft Fabric Data Engineer Associate (DP-700)
07.2024
Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional