Software Engineer  ·  Technical Analysis

Ned
Telfer

Remote  ·  Open to Vienna

I am a backend software engineer with four years of professional experience at Sky UK, where I worked on distributed systems, microservices architecture, and large-scale infrastructure migration. My work required as much analytical and cross-functional thinking as it did engineering — scoping change, assessing risk, and coordinating across infrastructure, security, and delivery teams.

I am now looking to move into technical analysis roles, where I can apply that same systems thinking to bridging the gap between technical teams and business stakeholders.

I hold a BSc (Hons) in Neuroscience from the University of Nottingham, and entered the industry via the QA Ltd Software Engineering Bootcamp and the Sparta Global C# programme — through which I was placed at Sky as a consultant before Sky bought me out of the contract to bring me on as a permanent employee.

Analysis & Process

  • Systems & impact analysis
  • Technical documentation
  • Requirements gathering
  • Change management
  • Root cause investigation
  • Risk assessment
  • Agile / Scrum

Languages & Frameworks

  • Java & Spring Boot
  • C# & .NET / ASP.NET Core
  • SQL & PL/SQL
  • JavaScript
  • Apache Camel
  • Entity Framework

Infrastructure & DevOps

  • Kubernetes & Helm
  • Docker
  • AWS
  • CI/CD (TeamCity, Jenkins, Octopus Deploy)
  • PowerShell & Bash
  • Vault Secrets Operator

Data & Messaging

  • Apache Kafka & Kafka Connect
  • Event-driven architecture
  • CouchbaseDB
  • Oracle & MS SQL Server
  • Prometheus monitoring
  • SQL query optimisation

Sky UK

Jul 2022 – 2025
Remote

Software Developer

CP Rights Platform — content protection & rights management

Worked on the backend platform responsible for managing content rights across Sky's streaming and broadcast services. The role combined hands-on engineering with substantial analytical work — scoping migrations, assessing risk across interconnected services, authoring change documentation, and coordinating delivery across platform, infrastructure, and security teams.

  • Helped lead the transition from a monolithic Oracle database to a distributed architecture using Kafka Connect CDC, Spring Java microservices, and CouchbaseDB — significantly improving scalability and performance.
  • Implemented Kafka-based event streaming for real-time data processing and integration between disparate systems.
  • Led technical analysis and migration planning for 8+ microservices to Sky's CloudGrid private cloud, assessing dependencies, surface-area risks, and rollout sequencing.
  • Owned formal change requests for production deployments, including impact assessments and rollback procedures reviewed by infrastructure and security stakeholders.
  • Assessed and executed framework migrations from Spring Boot 2 to 3 and Apache Camel 3 to 4, identifying breaking changes and namespace conflicts before they reached production.
  • Designed and implemented a Prometheus metrics labelling strategy across the platform, improving observability and enabling more accurate monitoring and alerting.
  • Enhanced CI/CD pipelines by integrating new services using PowerShell and Octopus Deploy, improving deployment automation and reliability.
  • Led the integration of third-party vendor services from testing through production release, coordinating across teams to ensure robust connections.
  • Optimised database performance through SQL query analysis across Oracle and MS SQL Server.
Java Spring Boot Kafka CouchbaseDB Kubernetes Docker Apache Camel Prometheus Octopus Deploy Oracle Change Management

Sparta Global / Sky

Feb 2022 – Jul 2022
Remote & Osterley

Software Developer — Trainee & Consultant

Sparta Global training programme, placed at Sky UK

Completed an intensive 8-week software development programme with Sparta Global before transitioning into a consultant role at Sky. Performed well enough as a consultant to be hired by Sky as a permanent employee after five months.

  • Completed training covering C#, OOP, TDD, Design Patterns, Agile, SQL, and full-stack development.
  • Built training projects including REST APIs with ASP.NET Core and Entity Framework.
  • Transitioned directly into Sky's CP Rights platform team as a consultant, delivering against production requirements from the outset.
C# ASP.NET Core Entity Framework TDD SQL Agile

Distributed Data Architecture

Led the transition from a monolithic Oracle database to a distributed architecture using Kafka Connect CDC, Spring Java microservices, and CouchbaseDB. Involved extensive upfront analysis of data flows, dependencies, and migration risk before any code was written.

Kafka Connect Spring Boot CouchbaseDB Oracle

Event-Streaming Platform

Implemented a Kafka-based event streaming solution for real-time data processing across Sky's rights management systems, enabling seamless integration between disparate services.

Kafka Event-Driven Java

API Gateway Implementation

Designed and deployed API gateway services to manage routing, authentication, and rate limiting across the microservices estate.

API Design Microservices Spring Boot

CloudGrid Migration Programme

Scoped and led the migration of 8+ microservices to Sky's CloudGrid private cloud infrastructure. Authored change requests, assessed cross-service dependencies, and coordinated approval across platform and security stakeholders.

Kubernetes Helm Change Management CloudGrid

CI/CD Pipeline Enhancement

Extended Sky's deployment pipeline to support new services using PowerShell and Octopus Deploy, improving deployment automation and reducing manual release overhead.

Octopus Deploy PowerShell TeamCity Jenkins

Third-Party Vendor Integration

Led the integration of third-party vendor services from testing through production, defining integration requirements, coordinating with external parties, and ensuring reliable connections across environments.

API Integration Testing Stakeholder Coordination

Sparta Global

Feb 2022 – Jul 2022
Remote

C# Developer Training

Structured 8-week programme in C#, OOP, TDD, Design Patterns, Agile, SQL, and full-stack development using ASP.NET Core and Entity Framework. Led to a consultant placement at Sky UK.

QA Ltd

Oct 2021 – Jan 2022
Remote

Bootcamp in Software Engineering

Intensive full-stack software engineering programme covering core development principles, version control, testing, and agile working practices. Primarily Java-focused.

University of Nottingham

Sep 2016 – Jun 2020

BSc (Hons) Neuroscience

Developed strong foundations in analytical thinking, experimental design, and working with complex interconnected systems. The degree required rigorous data interpretation and the ability to communicate technical findings clearly to non-specialist audiences.

Email nedtelfer@gmail.com Phone +44 7984 772981 LinkedIn linked.in/ned GitHub github.com/ned