Ruslan Kholyavkin
San Francisco,California
Summary
Accomplished Software Quality Engineer with extensive expertise in architecting testing strategies for both monolithic and microservice enterprise ecosystems. Proven track record of delivering robust software solutions across the entire product lifecycle, from stealth-mode startups to global corporations. Adept at navigating complex technical landscapes with precision, analytical depth, and a relentless focus on elevating product quality and operational efficiency.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
ENGINEER.IV.SOFTWARE/QA ENGINEERING
Cisco Systems, Inc.
04.2011 - 01.2026
- Orchestrate end-to-end testing across System, Integration, Performance, Security, and API layers to ensure robust enterprise functionality and RBAC compliance.
- Advocate for QA best practices by continuously refining test strategies within Agile frameworks to enhance product quality and delivery speed
- Identify, track, and resolve complex system defects, performing deep-dive root cause analysis to eliminate technical weaknesses
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to identify edge cases and technical risks, moving beyond traditional QA to ensure system stability.
- Detect system bottlenecks and misconfigurations by executing scalable load profiles and monitoring resource utilization against massive datasets.
- Pinpoint production performance issues, mentor in-house product support to collect accurate information required for initial estimate and analysis during customer escalations
- Pinpoint critical production issues and mentor support teams on accurate data collection for rapid analysis and resolution.
- Deploy and configure complex endpoints and integration adapters, including JDBC (SQL/Oracle), secure HTTP/HTTPS, and message brokers (Kafka, AMQP).
- Provide actionable recommendations to UX leads and Product Managers to optimize software usability, performance, and security.
- Serve as a hands-on tester for multi-domain orchestrators, automating repeatable interactions across diverse, high-scale systems.
- : Drive clear communication across internal and external product teams to bridge gaps and ensure seamless solution delivery.
Performance Test Engineer
Newscale, Inc
11.2003 - 04.2011
- Orchestrated performance testing across diverse deployment topologies to define software/hardware limits and optimize system configurations.
- Engineered comprehensive performance test plans by analyzing production data, aligning QA strategy with global market expansion goals.
- Evaluated system behavior under heavy user loads, analyzing the impact on SQL queries and indexing for large-scale production databases.
- Spearheaded performance-critical upgrades for deployments exceeding 1TB of customer data, ensuring strict adherence to minimal downtime windows.
- Validated and maintained system stability for a global user base exceeding 2 million active users across multiple enterprise deployments.
- Conducted deep-level root cause analysis in production and staging environments to pinpoint and resolve critical performance bottlenecks.
- Partnered with lead architects and developers to implement configuration changes that significantly improved product scalability and resilience.
- Managed dedicated performance labs featuring full-scale Oracle and MS SQL Server environments.
- Systematically tracked defects and provided developers with specialized test data and additional validation to accelerate the resolution of complex architectural issues.
SQA Engineer
NewChannel,Inc
02.2002 - 07.2003
- Led comprehensive test cycles and defect lifecycle management within Waterfall environments, ensuring the high-quality delivery of enterprise applications through rigorous functional and integration testing. Established standardized testing procedures by authoring detailed test plans and acting as a primary liaison between engineering and product teams to align technical output with business requirements.
SQA Engineer
Niku Corporation
03.1999 - 12.2001
- Architected a centralized test automation framework and cross-project script libraries to standardize quality strategies across the organization. Additionally, streamlined the release lifecycle by validating complex deployment guides and integrating diagnostic tools to enhance overall QA efficiency.
Education
High School Diploma -
City School #7
Ukraine , Korosten 05.1990
Skills
- Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS (Amazon CLI, EKS), Kubernetes (kubectl, k9s, stern), VMWare
- Databases & Data Management: MongoDB, Redis, Oracle, MS SQL Server, MySQL
- DevOps & CI/CD: Jenkins, Git, GitHub, Bitbucket
- Performance & Load Testing: Apache JMeter (JMeter Plugins), HP Load Runner (Load Runner Diagnostics)
- Observability & Monitoring: Grafana, Datadog, Amazon CloudWatch, OS built-in tools
- Diagnostics & Analysis: JMAP, JSTACK, Visual VM, JDK Mission Control, Eclipse Memory Analyzer
- API & Security: Postman, JSON (Schema, Path), TLS/SSL, JWT Authentication, RBAC, Cisco XDR
- Application Servers: Jboss Wildfly, Oracle WebLogic, IIS, Apache
- Message Brokers: RabbitMQ, Apache Kafka
- SDLC & Project Management: Agile/Scrum, Waterfall, Cisco Secure Development Lifecycle, Jira
- Modern AI Tools: Cursor
Timeline
ENGINEER.IV.SOFTWARE/QA ENGINEERING
Cisco Systems, Inc.
04.2011 - 01.2026
Performance Test Engineer
Newscale, Inc
11.2003 - 04.2011
SQA Engineer
NewChannel,Inc
02.2002 - 07.2003
SQA Engineer
Niku Corporation
03.1999 - 12.2001
High School Diploma -
City School #7