Payam Najafizadeh

Software engineer and founder of AvaCode solutions consultancy.
Picture of Payam

Contact details

Links

Profile

Backend Developer with a specialized focus on Python and the architecture of scalable data schemas and robust backend systems. Currently lead-developing an Open Source Django-based email learning platform, where I handle end-to-end system design and implementation. I am professionally driven to apply my technical expertise to sectors such as healthcare, sustainability, and education. Based in Dubai, I offer a remote-first workflow with the flexibility to travel internationally for on-site sprints or team alignment without visa-related delays.

Employment History

AvaCode Solutions, Founder and Lead Engineer

Dec 2025 - Present

  • Creating a Django-based open source library to make email-driven education more accessible and user-friendly.
  • Building essential features like course administration APIs, lesson editors, and automated delivery logic to enhance user experience.
  • Guiding the project's technical direction, documentation, and community guidelines to ensure smooth collaboration and development.

Python Developer Consultant, Brite Payments, Stockholm (Remote work from Dubai)

Fom Nov 2023

  • Contribute to the development of critical payment integrations while serving as release owner, collaborating with QA and engineering to transition approved features into production seamlessly.
  • Key contributor to the backend modernization, transitioning legacy Python 2 systems to modern, asynchronous Python 3 microservices using FastAPI while actively shaping design patterns and microservices strategy.
  • Implement Domain-Driven Design and Hexagonal Architecture to improve code maintainability and system adaptability, leveraging GCP native services like Datastore and Cloud Run for robust backend operations.

Technical Solution Consultant, Nogaam Book Publishing

May 2023 — June 2023

  • Modernized legacy Django infrastructure by upgrading the framework and dependencies to latest stable versions, ensuring system security and performance.
  • Implemented Renovate to automate dependency management, establishing a sustainable process for continuous updates and technical debt reduction.
  • Containerized application services using Docker, facilitating a successful migration from a single-instance architecture to Google Cloud Run, optimizing cloud architecture for scalability and high availability, resulting in a more cost-effective and resilient GCP infrastructure

Software Engineer, Klarna, Stockholm

October 2017 — May 2023

  • Developed and maintained microservices for internal GUI platforms and unified API interfaces, using Java Spring and Python Django to support customer operations.
  • Contributed to the design of a unified API and event stream interface, standardizing internal product integrations and reducing system complexity.
  • Supported the migration of microservices from on-premise servers to AWS, establishing secure data pipelines and third-party integrations.
  • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to design data schemas for API services and event streams, ensuring data consistency across distributed systems.
  • Managed AWS resources using Terraform and conducted disaster recovery and performance tests to ensure the reliability of business-critical services

Backend Web Developer at Small Media, London

March 2014 — June 2017

  • Led the migration of multiple legacy Drupal and WordPress websites to Django, successfully modernizing the company’s web architecture to improve security and system performance.
  • Architected and developed reliable APIs using Python and PostgreSQL, enabling high-performance data communication between backend services and front-end applications.
  • Served as the primary backend developer for an e-learning platform, utilizing PHP and MySQL to build a custom engine for delivering educational content via an email-based interface.
  • Managed the deployment and hosting of web applications using AWS cloud services, ensuring high availability and scalable data management.
  • Defined backend standards and data schemas, overseeing the transition from PHP-based CMS systems to a unified Python/ Django ecosystem.

Web and Multimedia Designer at Paat Shargh Technology, Kerman /Tehran

August 2007 — December 2013

  • Built a custom e-learning platform using PHP and MySQL, with a backend engine for automated email workflows.
  • Created a scalable content delivery system to manage a large library of courses and handle high-volume communications.
  • Optimized database schemas for efficient tracking of user progress and reliable delivery of educational materials over several years.

Education

Bachelor of Engineering - BE, Construction Engineering, Azad University (IAU), Kerman

June 2003 — June 2008

Big Data and Social Analytics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology / Online Course

November 2016 — December 2016

Credential: https://www.credential.net/cb6a28a3-247c-4e6a-b7a1-4a2a298ef692#gs.r7vggs

The icons utilized in this document have been sourced from heroicons.com