Miguel Enes
AI & Platform Engineering Leader · Founder, illuma.law · Operator, luminous-giant.com
Erhvervserfaring
6 markets across Asia and Europe · PCI-DSS payments · Alipay/Ant during the Alibaba acquisition · Zero-downtime rewrites at XING · 30% infrastructure cost cut at Bamilo
Om mig
Jeg leder AI- og platformsteknik for teams, der bygger produktionssystemer eller ansætter en senior teknisk leder. I over 17 år på seks markeder har jeg bygget betalings- og markedspladsplatforme, ansat eller mentoreret over 100 ingeniører, gjort ML-udrulninger 40 % hurtigere, reduceret produktionshændelser med 35 % og cloudinfrastrukturens omkostninger med 30 %. Nu bygger jeg juridisk AI hos illuma.law og kundeejede systemer gennem luminous-giant.com.
Udvalgt arbejde
- illuma.lawLegal AI · illuma.law
- luminous-giant.comPortugal consultancy · luminous-giant.com
- portoforyou.comPorto concierge · portoforyou.com
Arbejdserfaring
CEO & Founder hos illuma.law
I founded illuma.law to build legal AI for evidence and matter workflow. I engineered custom Python agent systems, automated document triage, and led data pipelines for precision case evaluation.
- Programmed Python agents to retrieve, parse, and summarize legal documents from internal databases.
- Developed a rule-based and machine learning pipeline to classify and tag case documents, halving manual review effort.
- Architected the platform's full stack using Python (FastAPI, spaCy, PostgreSQL) for data ingestion, NLP processing, and API delivery.
Consultant hos luminous-giant.com
I operate luminous-giant.com, a Portugal consultancy that ships web applications, infrastructure, and AI the client owns. I work with media and enterprise clients on systems they can run.
- Built and maintained backend services for Portuguese clients using Laravel and Rust, handling system uptime and feature development.
- Managed infrastructure, content workflows, and deployment processes for a network of media sites, automating publishing pipelines.
- Developed Python scripts that integrate large language models to perform data extraction and automate repetitive tasks.
- Created automation tools that reduce manual steps in deployment and operations, shortening cycle times.
- Developed user-facing features using ExtJS and jQuery, integrating with Laravel and Rust backend APIs to deliver seamless client experiences.
- Modernized legacy frontend codebases by refactoring jQuery-based interactions into modular components, improving maintainability and reducing technical debt.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to bridge frontend and backend systems, ensuring consistent data flow and user interface reliability.
Founder hos portoforyou.com
I founded portoforyou.com, a founder-led Porto concierge. We design private stays covering hotels, transfers, tables, and Douro days, then stay reachable while guests are here.
- Built and operate portoforyou.com as a multilingual concierge and experiences marketplace.
- Plan founder-led stays for couples, families, and small private groups with vetted local suppliers.
- Ship booking, itinerary, and content workflows on a static Astro site with Stripe checkout.
Chief Technology Officer hos Of Them All
I led platform architecture and AI automation for an early-stage startup. I built an AI audio mixing engine that combines FFmpeg 8 and Gemini, automating audio mixing with a repeatable workflow.
- Architected AI agent systems using Gemini, Prism, and Vizra ADK to automate content workflows at scale
- Built an AI audio mixing engine with FFmpeg 8, Gemini, and vector RAG — a repeatable audio mixing workflow
- Designed microservices infrastructure with Docker and GitHub Actions CI/CD
- Introduced automated testing and code review processes that increased delivery velocity without losing stability
Engineering Team Lead hos MIR Insight
I led the Platform team through the modernization of machine learning infrastructure. I containerized ML pipelines and rebuilt the delivery workflow.
- Built automated CI/CD pipelines with Docker and GitHub Actions, cutting deployment time by 40%
- Containerized all ML pipelines for horizontal scalability across the platform
- Revamped the SDLC with automated testing and code reviews, reducing production incidents by 35%
- Transitioned the team to agile delivery, improving sprint velocity and release predictability
Self Employed hos Plugin.services | developer.com.pt
I design and build AI-driven automation plugins and custom software solutions for Shopify merchants.
- Built AI-powered plugins for Shopify, using Polaris for UI elements and Laravel for backend logic.
- Implemented features that improved user experience and enhanced client performance metrics.
- Configured integrations to meet specific client requirements, ensuring system compatibility.
- Designed AI-driven automation tools that allowed merchants to manage their Shopify stores with minimal manual intervention, streamlining daily operations.
- Implemented intelligent workflows using Laravel and Polaris that automatically handled inventory updates, order processing, and customer communications.
- Leveraged machine learning algorithms to analyze store data and provide actionable insights, enabling clients to make data-driven decisions.
Software Engineering Team Lead hos NEW WORK SE
I led platform and native engineering teams through business-critical transformation at XING. I managed up to 15 direct reports across backend, platform, iOS, and Android.
- Guided teams through large-scale data migrations and complete product rewrites with zero customer-facing downtime
- Led the platform team in architecting scalable microservices handling millions of user interactions
- Hired native mobile engineers globally and relocated them to EU offices
- Mentored high-performers into technical leads and engineering managers
- Aligned technical strategy with product leadership and ensured GDPR compliance
Co-Founder & CTO hos iMotorbike
I co-founded iMotorbike and built the entire technical foundation for a motorcycle marketplace in Southeast Asia. I shaped the platform from MVP through Series A.
- Secured $300,000 seed funding and $100K from AWS Startups at MVP launch
- Architected a scalable microservices platform that became the primary driver for a $2.6M Series A round
- Designed PCI-DSS compliant payment and checkout systems handling millions of transactions
- Implemented horizontal scaling infrastructure supporting 100x growth without performance loss
- Hired and onboarded the founding engineering team
- Collaborated with the CEO on product strategy, market positioning, and investor relations
Chief Technology Officer hos Bamilo
I led engineering for Iran's largest e-commerce marketplace. I owned the platform organization across five teams and moved the stack toward horizontal scaling.
- Oversaw QA, frontend, platform, logistics, and mobile (iOS/Android) teams
- Reduced cloud infrastructure costs by 30% by replacing proprietary tools with open-source alternatives
- Achieved horizontal scalability and automated deployment for peak traffic
- Set up 24/7 support teams for uninterrupted service
- Improved financial transparency across the engineering department
Software Engineering Manager hos Lazada Group
I led Lazada's regional payments and checkout teams while the platform processed millions of daily transactions across Southeast Asia. I drove PCI-DSS compliance and the Alipay integration during the Alibaba acquisition.
- Managed multiple engineering teams across payments, checkout, and e-commerce infrastructure
- Drove the technical integration of Alipay (Ant Financial) during the Alibaba Group acquisition
- Led the PCI-DSS compliance process for the regional payment platform
- Acted as the bridge between product and engineering across payments, fraud, compliance, and logistics teams
- Hired engineers and coached the payments team through rapid scale
Software Engineering Team Lead hos Lazada Group
I led engineering delivery for Lazada payments and checkout during my transition from contributor to team lead.
- Led multiple development teams building online payment and checkout solutions for the regional platform
- Turned product requirements into technical specifications and coordinated cross-department integrations
- Kept PCI-DSS delivery on track across payment integrations
- Oversaw hiring, appraisals, and coaching for the engineering team
Senior Software Engineer hos Lazada Group
I moved from Portugal to Vietnam to build Lazada's payments stack. I delivered checkout and discount integrations while mentoring the local engineering team.
- Built payment, checkout, and discount system integrations for the regional e-commerce platform
- Transferred engineering best practices from Portugal to the Vietnam team
- Mentored junior engineers on secure payment implementation and code quality
Software Engineer hos Rocket Internet SE
I built checkout and payment integrations for Rocket Internet ventures. I also contributed to a mobile API reused across the portfolio.
- Developed online checkout and payment system integrations for multiple venture launches
- Contributed to the core development of a mobile API adopted by hundreds of startups worldwide
Co-Founder, Musical Director hos Saigon Soul Pool Party
I co-founded Saigon Soul, a weekly pool party at the New World Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. I built the tech and ran the marketing.
- Grew the event into one of Saigon's iconic electronic music gatherings, ranked 2nd among top places to visit
- Designed and built the online ticketing system and live streaming service
- Ran online marketing: website, social media, and email campaigns
- Selected and managed artists, handling music direction and event production
Web Programmer hos PCW
I started as a PHP web programmer building custom websites for small businesses in Portugal.
- Designed and built custom websites for small and medium enterprises across Portugal
- Handled full-stack delivery: client requirements, front-end implementation, and backend development
Open source
- ollama-routerRust/Axum proxy: one Ollama URL across a mixed CPU/GPU fleet.
- healthcheck-aiLaravel: AI-provider failover, embedding, and agent health checks.
- threads-mcp-serverMCP server exposing public Threads data tools.
- github-self-hosted-runnersEphemeral Swarm runners: one job, then self-destruct.
- doctranslateLayout-aware PDF translation (fork).
Also: Saigon Soul Pool Party — Co-founded a weekly Saigon pool party: built the tech, ran the marketing.
Priser
- Super Hero of Engineering · 2016
- AWS Startups $100K · 2017
Uddannelse
Studies toward a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.), degree not completed i Computer Software Engineering
Associate's Degree (AAS) i Software Development
Færdigheder
Applied AI & Agents
Backend & Languages
Infrastructure & Delivery
Data & Search
Leadership
Domains
Sprog
Certificeringer
Referencer
“For the last almost 4 years, I had the pleasure to work with Miguel. The first half of this time he reported directly to me. Miguel is a passionate, people-oriented and hands-on engineering manager with an entrepreneurial mindset. I could always rely on him solving every problem I threw at him. He proactively and successfully developed his team and successfully delivered while continuously bringing smart tech and business ideas to the table. If you seek a smart, loyal and resourceful engineering manager, I strongly recommend to have a look at him.”
“Having worked 10 years ago and again hiring Miguel to work closely with me for the past 4 years tells a lot about how much trust and respect I have for him. Miguel Enes has a very entrepreneurial mindset that always sets him to find solutions and to move organisations forward. He does that relying on his profound and complete tech knowledge and on-hands experience, leading by example/execution and supporting his team along the way. I highly recommend him as an autonomous, energiser, tech-savvy and delivery oriented Engineering Manager.”
“Miguel is one of the most engaged, caring engineers I ever had the pleasure of working with. He had the most in-depth knowledge about Lazada's payment infrastructure of anyone at the company and the ability to quickly evaluate ideas and push them forward. The payments team at Lazada is highly respected and extremely productive thanks to all the work Miguel has done over the years.”
“I had chance to work in payment team together with Miguel for more than 1 year. Firstly he has great mindset of analytic and critical thinking, quickly catch issues and propose solutions immediately. With the insane negotiation skills for dealing with business guys, he can turn the worst situation into favorable one in a blink of an eye. He always covers teammates from pressure of higher managers or business; and make sure every people in the team feel comfortable as working. Moreover, thanks to his good sense of humour and friendliness, the team is always full of laughs and positive atmosphere.”
“I had the chance to work with Miguel at Lazada from its founding until its acquisition. We were together part of the first employees of the Lazada Tech Hub. Miguel was one of the key engineer in one of the most sensitive part of e-commerce platform: Checkout and payment. He played an important role in building it to a scalable, robust and secured level. He integrated multiple payment methods across the entire region and was the go to person for any issues related to this area of the product. On top of his professional skills, he is a nice and funny person. The sound of his massive, old school keyboard will resonate forever in the office!”
“Miguel was an effective and supportive CTO. I enjoyed working for nine-month at Bamilo. Thanks to his supervision, I learned practically everything I know now about software architecture and microservice development. He had a powerful combination of expert knowledge and innate leadership abilities. His outgoing yet firm approach to handling conflicts in the team is worthy to be praised. I recommend Miguel as a CTO who can not only increase the technical growth of team members but also, promote the personal and professional growth of them.”