STEPHEN OPOKU DAMOAH
Accra,Ghana
Summary
Results-driven Software Engineer with expertise in PHP/Laravel, Symfony, and CodeIgniter. Experienced in designing RESTful APIs, implementing GraphQL, and developing microservices with a focus on event-driven architecture. Proficient in MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Redis, alongside front-end technologies like Vue.js 3 and React. Skilled in cloud and DevOps practices using AWS, Docker, and CI/CD, and specialising in telephony solutions with Twilio.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Chief Technology Officer (Part-Time)
VDL Fulfilment Limited
Accra, Ghana
2022.01 - 2026.06
- Sole architect and technical lead for multi-vendor warehouse & order management SaaS platform, serving e-commerce operators across West Africa.
- Designed 24-state order lifecycle using Laravel + Spatie Model States, encoding real-world fulfillment transitions (received → sorted → dispatched → out-for-delivery → delivered / returned) with guarded, auditable state transitions.
- Built multi-tenant inventory engine with per-vendor stock isolation, real-time stock-level events via Laravel Broadcasting (Pusher), and automated low-stock alerts.
- Implemented background job pipelines with Laravel Horizon (Redis-backed queues) for shipment status sync, carrier webhooks, and PDF label generation — processing 5,000+ jobs/day with zero downtime.
- Exposed versioned RESTful API (Laravel Sanctum token auth) consumed by mobile apps and third-party logistics partners; documented with OpenAPI/Swagger.
- Delivered end-to-end observability using Laravel Telescope in staging and Pulse dashboards in production — reduced MTTR by 60%.
- Adopted AI-assisted coding (JetBrains Junie & GitHub Copilot) to auto-generate boilerplate, test stubs, and migration scripts, cutting feature development cycles by ~30%.
Senior Software Engineer (Full-Stack)
Farmerline Limited
2021.01 - 2025.06
- Senior engineer on an agri-tech platform supporting 500,000+ smallholder farmers across 8 African countries.
- Led backend architecture of a supply-chain API suite in Laravel, integrating USSD, SMS, and voice channels via Twilio & Plivo — enabling off-smartphone access for rural farmers.
- Built a GIS-enabled farm-mapping module using PostGIS + Laravel + Mapbox GL, replacing manual field surveys; reduced data-collection time by 45%.
- Engineered multi-channel IVR systems with FreePBX + SIP, routing advisory calls in 6 local languages with real-time analytics dashboards.
- Optimised critical Eloquent queries (eager loading, covering indexes, query caching with Redis) — reduced average API response time from 1.8 s to 210 ms.
- Introduced PHPUnit feature tests and Pest unit tests with CI/CD on GitHub Actions, raising test coverage from 18% to 74%.
- Leveraged OpenAI Codex to accelerate geospatial data-transformation scripts, cutting Python processing pipeline dev time by 40%.
Lead Software Engineer
Bewsys Limited
2019.01 - 2021.01
- Led a team of 6 engineers delivering enterprise MIS platforms for international development organisations.
- Architected a national data-collection MIS for UNDP Ghana using Laravel + PostgreSQL, processing sensitive government records for 50+ districts with role-based access (Spatie Permissions).
- Delivered a UNICEF supply-chain visibility platform with real-time shipment tracking, Laravel Nova admin dashboards, and automated reporting exports (Excel/PDF).
- Built a World Bank beneficiary-management system with offline-first sync (service workers + Laravel queued reconciliation), supporting field agents in zero-connectivity environments.
- Enforced SOLID principles, code review gates, and Git-flow branching; reduced production bug rate by 55% year-on-year.
Software Engineer — Mobile & Web
Bewsys Limited
2017.01 - 2019.01
- Built offline-first mobile data-collection apps (Cordova + Laravel backend APIs) for NGO field operations.
- Integrated third-party REST APIs (payment gateways, SMS providers) and designed webhook listeners for real-time event processing.
- Developed reusable Laravel packages (service providers + config-driven adapters) for SMS and push-notification providers — later adopted across 4 company projects.
Associate Software Engineer
Bewsys Limited
2016.01 - 2017.01
- Developed backend PHP solutions and maintained mobile application during national service rotation.
- Facilitated production deployments on Linux servers, authored database migration scripts, and resolved P1 production incidents to ensure system stability.
Education
BSc. - Computer Engineering
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST)
Ghana 2012.01 - 2016.01
Skills
- API architecture design
- Laravel ecosystem expertise
- Database optimisation techniques
- Front-End: Vuejs 3 (Composition API, Pinia), React, Inertiajs, Alpinejs, Livewire, JavaScript ES6, TypeScript
- Cloud and DevOps management
- AI Integration Strategy
- Spatial Data Management
- Team leadership
- Communication Strategy
KEY PROJECTS & ACHIEVEMENTS
- Multi-Vendor Fulfilment SaaS (VDL) Laravel 11
- Spatie Model States
- Redis / Horizon
- REST API
- Laravel Pulse
- Docker End-to-end warehouse OS with 24-state order lifecycle, multi-tenant inventory, real-time Broadcasting, and AI-generated test coverage., Agricultural Advisory Platform (Farmerline) Laravel
- PostGIS
- Twilio
- FreePBX
- Mapbox GL
- React 500k+ farmer reach across 8 countries; GIS farm mapping, multilingual IVR, USSD advisory channel, and sub-250ms API responses after optimisation., UNDP National MIS (Ghana) Laravel
- PostgreSQL
- Spatie Permissions
- Laravel Nova Secure, role-governed data platform for 50+ government districts; full audit trail, PDF/Excel export pipelines., UNICEF Supply-Chain Tracker Laravel
- Vue.js
- Webhooks
- PDF generation Real-time shipment visibility portal with automated stakeholder reports and Nova admin dashboard for programme officers., World Bank Beneficiary Manager Laravel
- Offline sync
- Service Workers
- Queues Offline-first field app with conflict-resolution queue, ensuring data integrity in zero-connectivity regions.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Languages / Runtimes: PHP (Advanced), JavaScript (Advanced), Python (Intermediate), SQL (Advanced)
- Work Authorisation: Open to fully remote, hybrid, or relocation — EU, UK, Canada, UAE, and beyond
- AI Tooling: JetBrains Junie, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor — daily-driver for TDD generation, code review, and refactoring
- Human Languages: English (Native/Full Professional)
Timeline
Chief Technology Officer (Part-Time)
VDL Fulfilment Limited
2022.01 - 2026.06
Senior Software Engineer (Full-Stack)
Farmerline Limited
2021.01 - 2025.06
Lead Software Engineer
Bewsys Limited
2019.01 - 2021.01
Software Engineer — Mobile & Web
Bewsys Limited
2017.01 - 2019.01
Associate Software Engineer
Bewsys Limited
2016.01 - 2017.01
BSc. - Computer Engineering
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST)
2012.01 - 2016.01