PAULO GONÇALVESFront-End Engineer
Originally from Vila Nova de Gaia, Porto, Portugal.
With over 20 years of professional experience, I am currently a Principal Engineer at Porto Tech Center - Jumia, building scalable, high-performance web applications and exploring how AI can create more intuitive digital experiences.
I lead front-end architecture, shape technical direction, and champion best practices across teams. My work combines modern frameworks, thoughtful tooling, AI-assisted workflows, and a relentless focus on performance and user experience.
I thrive on turning complex engineering challenges into robust, user-centric solutions, working closely with design, engineering, and product teams to deliver lasting impact.
Professional Experience
Jumia Porto Tech Center
12 years
Principal Engineer
Oct 2022 – Present · 4 years 1 month
Porto, Portugal
Specialized in AI-powered software engineering, leveraging AI-assisted tools and workflows (Copilot, Claude, Gemini) to accelerate delivery, elevate code quality, and drive modern architecture decisions across the full development lifecycle, from cod...
Specialized in AI-powered software engineering, leveraging AI-assisted tools and workflows (Copilot, Claude, Gemini) to accelerate delivery, elevate code quality, and drive modern architecture decisions across the full development lifecycle, from code generation to automated testing and AI integration into products. Delivers scalable, high-performance applications across SPA, SSR, and CSR architectures, with strong focus on accessibility (A11y), SEO, and modern styling systems (SCSS, CSS-in-JS, TailwindCSS, shadcn-ui, Radix UI). Deep expertise in JavaScript (ES6+), TypeScript, React 19, Next.js 15, and Preact, with skilled state and data management using Zustand, TanStack (Query, Router, Table), React Hook Form, and Zod. Designs modular architectures with Module Federation, Turborepo, Vite, and Webpack, complemented by backend integration using Express.js, PostgreSQL, and Prisma ORM. Ensures reliability through testing and QA increasingly enhanced by AI for test generation and triage, using Jest, Testing Library, Playwright, Lighthouse, and Axe. Maintains strict code quality standards with ESLint, Prettier, Husky, and automated dependency management via Renovate and Dependabot. Implements observability and monitoring with Sentry, Grafana, New Relic, and OpenSearch. Automates CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Jenkins, and Docker, validating cross-browser compatibility with BrowserStack. Integrates analytics and ad-tech ecosystems with components, including GA4, GTM, AdManager, MoEngage, Mirakl Ads, Google Ads, and Sprinklr. Enhances user experience with Recharts, Storybook, and SVG sprites, supported by efficient workflows in VSCode, JetBrains, and Linux (Ubuntu). Demonstrated ability to deliver modern, modular, and performant platforms with a strong focus on accessibility, resilience, and scalability, driving the strategic adoption of AI as a key enabler of productivity and innovation.
Engineering Manager / Lead Front-End Engineer
Sep 2021 – Oct 2022 · 1 year 2 months
Porto, Portugal
Led engineering teams across Jumia Mall — managed a full-stack team (1 FE + 2 BE + 2 Android + 1 iOS + 2 QAA + 1 PO) and a front-end team (4 FE + 1 QAE + 1 PO). Drove technical execution, code quality, and delivery timelines.
Lead Front-End Engineer
Jun 2020 – Aug 2021 · 1 year 3 months
Portugal
Lead Front-End Engineer for Jumia Mall. Architected front-end solutions, established best practices, and mentored junior engineers while delivering e-commerce features at scale.
Web Engineer (Senior Front-End Engineer)
Apr 2016 – Jun 2020 · 4 years 3 months
Porto, Portugal
Front-end and back-end development of e-commerce solutions for desktop and mobile (including Opera Mini). Built micro-services clients, Jumia Blog, and Jumia Group website. Worked with JavaScript, ECMAScript 5/6, AngularJS (1/2/4), React, Redux, Pr...
Front-end and back-end development of e-commerce solutions for desktop and mobile (including Opera Mini). Built micro-services clients, Jumia Blog, and Jumia Group website. Worked with JavaScript, ECMAScript 5/6, AngularJS (1/2/4), React, Redux, Preact, SSR, Webpack, PWA, Service Workers, AMP, SASS, BEM, Node, Gulp, PHP, MySQL, and Docker.
Senior Front-End Developer
Nov 2014 – Apr 2016 · 1 year 6 months
Porto, Portugal
E-commerce solutions - front-end development for desktop and mobile foundation. Built with Node, Gulp, HTML5, SASS, BEM, JavaScript, jQuery, Ext JS, PHP, MySQL, and Solr.
Rocket Internet GmbH
2 years 6 months
Advanced Developer
Jun 2012 – Nov 2014 · 2 years 6 months
E-commerce solutions - front-end and back-end development. Worked with PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, jQuery, Ext JS, Zend Framework, Yii Framework, Solr, Nginx, Apache2, Memcache, and RabbitMQ.
Myone - Comunicação Multimédia
3 years 8 months
Multimedia Engineer
Oct 2008 – May 2012 · 3 years 8 months
Vila Nova de Gaia
Back-end and front-end development (PHP, MySQL, JSON, AJAX, JavaScript, jQuery, XML, CSS3, HTML5, Flash ActionScript 3.0). UI/UX design (Adobe Photoshop, Fireworks, Illustrator, Flash, Corel Draw). Project management.
Medula - Design de Comunicação
1 year 1 month
Web Designer | New Media Developer
Sep 2007 – Sep 2008 · 1 year 1 month
Vila Nova de Gaia
PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, AS3 developer. Interface and web designer. Project management.
Freelance
3 years 8 months
Freelance Web Developer/Designer
Jan 2004 – Aug 2007 · 3 years 8 months
Freelance web development and design projects. Full-stack development, client communication, and project delivery.
Core Competences
ℹ️ For more details, please visit my LinkedIn profile.