Peter Kolbe

Solution Architect & Full Stack Developer

With over 7 years of professional experience as a Solution Architect and a couple more as Full Stack Developer, I focus on delivering software that solves real business problems — not just what IT thinks might be useful.

As an architect and lead developer in the banking sector, I’ve successfully transformed existing software monoliths into modular monoliths and microservices. I have also defined and implemented development guidelines, libraries, and standards for entire client organizations, enabling internal teams to adopt consistent, scalable, and future-proof practices.

As a backend developer, my journey spans from the classic Java Enterprise Edition (JEE) 5/6 with IBM WebSphere 8, through to modern Spring Boot 3 with GitHub Actions and Kubernetes running in Microsoft Azure. My development approach is always grounded in Domain-Driven Design, complemented by Layered or Hexagonal Architecture depending on project complexity.

As a frontend developer, my experience goes back to PlayFramework 1, Ruby on Rails 3, and early JavaScript libraries like jQuery and Dojo. I have led multiple client projects using IBM Business Automation Workflow 8 (with and without IS Financial) in JavaScript, a small engagement with Angular 2, and many large and small-scale projects with React 16+ and TypeScript.

Skills

Solution Architecture

  • Business Process Management
  • Domain Driven Design
  • CQRS
  • C4 Architecture Modelling
  • Microservices
  • Moduliths
  • System Integration
  • API Management
  • REST
  • OpenAPI
  • Cloud Events
  • Cloud Computing

Backend Development

  • Java
  • Spring Boot
  • Jakarta EE
  • Node
  • Javascript
  • Typescript
  • NextJS
  • Camunda BPM
  • IBM BAW
  • Azure Cloud
  • IBM Cloud
  • Github Actions
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Helm
  • ArgoCD
  • SQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • NoSQL
  • MongoDB
  • CosmosDB
  • Flyway
  • Liquibase

Frontend Development

  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • NextJS
  • Angular
  • Playwright
  • Jest
  • Vitest
  • HTML
  • CSS

Languages

German

Native

English

Fluent

Work

Freelancer

Solution Architect & Full Stack Developer
– Present
Frankfurt am Main

As an architect and lead developer in the banking sector, I modernized enterprise process landscapes by designing and optimizing business processes, transforming legacy monoliths into modular monoliths and microservices, and defining and implementing organization-wide development guidelines, libraries, and standards—enabling internal teams to adopt consistent, scalable, and future-proof practices.

  • Business Process Management, API Management, System Integration

  • Domain Driven Design, CQRS, Hexagonal Architecture

  • Java, Spring Boot, Jakarta EE

  • JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Angular

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow, IBM WebSphere (Application Server, Liberty)

IBM

Full Stack Developer
Berlin

Implemented customer projects as BPM analyst and developer in the finance sector, delivering process automation solutions based on BPMN and IBM Business Automation Workflow, as well as system integrations using Java and IBM WebSphere.

  • Java, Jakarta EE

  • IBM WebSphere (Application Server, Liberty)

  • Web Development (Javascript, HTML, CSS)

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow, BPMN

BASF

Product Owner
Berlin

Led two global BPM projects as Product Owner — one in the finance sector and another in raw material master data management. Also led smaller projects in finance, HR, and knowledge management within the Berlin office.

  • Project Management

  • Business Process Management (BPM, BPMN)

  • Web Development (Javascript, HTML, CSS)

Technische Universität Berlin

Student Tutor
Berlin, Germany

Taught courses in fundamentals of computer science, software modeling, and model-driven software development; supervised software engineering projects and internships using Scrum (on-site).

  • Fundamentals of Computer Science (Java)

  • Software Modeling & Model-Driven Software Development (UML, BPMN)

  • Supervision of software engineering projects and internships (Eclipse, EML, GEF, Java)

  • Applied Scrum in student projects (Scrum)

Deutsche Telekom AG

Intern — Business Analysis
Germany

Conducted a study on content delivery networks (CDNs), evaluating provider software and business models to inform strategic decisions at Deutsche Telekom.

  • Evaluated CDN provider offerings, architectures and capabilities

  • Analyzed pricing and business models

  • Prepared findings and recommendations for stakeholders

Projects

Translation API and Web Components

Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Web App, API

Designed and built a customer-wide Translation Facade API together with reusable web components for text and file translation in banking. The components integrate exclusively via the facade, which abstracts DeepL and Azure behind a stable, versioned contract—keeping the frontend decoupled and allowing seamless provider swaps.

  • Java
  • Spring Boot
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Web Components
  • DeepL
  • Azure
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Github Actions

SWIFT Payment Pre-Validation Web Component

Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Web App

Developed a reusable frontend web component integrating the SWIFT Payment Pre-Validation API to verify account details, beneficiary information, and routing data in real-time. Enabled banks to reduce failed payments and processing costs by providing instant validation at the point of initiation.

  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Nginx
  • SWIFT Payment Pre-Validation API
  • Azure
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Github Actions

Dashboard-Driven Employee Workspace Portal

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Web App, Portal

Migrated a commercial portal solution to a modular, dashboard-driven employee workspace portal built with web components. Delivered runtime-configurable modules that either handle lightweight tasks directly in the portal or deep-link into case-centric applications; customer-context dashboards bundle relevant modules as the daily entry point for internal users.

  • Java
  • Spring Boot
  • PostgreSQL
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Web Components
  • Azure
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Github Actions

Enterprise-wide Customer Search Solution

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Web App, API

Identified and prioritized recurring customer needs; designed, provided, and maintained APIs and reusable web components for customer lookups and data retrieval, eliminating redundant implementations and achieving organization-wide adoption.

  • Java
  • Spring Boot
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Web Components
  • CosmosDB
  • SOAP
  • REST
  • Azure
  • Docker
  • Kubernetes
  • Github Actions

Blue Prints & Common Libraries for Web Application Development

Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Web App, Libraries

Contributed to common libraries and an application blueprint to accelerate custom web application development.

  • Java
  • Spring Boot
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Web Components

Authentication and Authorization Standards

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Solution Design, API, Web App, Libraries

Designed a company-wide authentication and authorization standard to meet modern security requirements and enable scalable integration; provided backend and frontend libraries to centralize complexity.

  • OAuth 2.0
  • OpenID Connect
  • MS Entra ID
  • TypeScript
  • React
  • Github Actions
  • Azure

Migration of Credit Analysis and Decision Protocol Lifecycle

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Major public-sector financial institution
Web App, Workflow, API

Migrated the credit protocol lifecycle monolith to modern moduliths and microservices; designed the overall architecture and implemented key components.

  • Moduliths
  • Microservices
  • Domain-Driven Design
  • CQRS
  • Hexagonal Architecture
  • API Management
  • OpenAPI 3.0
  • Java
  • Spring Boot
  • TypeScript
  • React

Digitalization of Deal Flow

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Specialized European commercial real estate bank
Web App, Workflow, API

Transformed the paper-based credit protocol lifecycle into a fully digital, end-to-end process. Defined the domain model using Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and implemented BPMN workflows in IBM Business Automation Workflow (BAW) covering intake, market analysis, approval, and contract management. Built Java integrations on IBM WebSphere Application Server and delivered automated, compliant long-term archiving—generating PDFs with Eclipse BIRT and storing them in DOXIS.

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow
  • IBM Cloud
  • JavaScript
  • Java
  • Jakarta EE

Electronic Process Control

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Specialized European commercial real estate bank
Web App, Workflow

Orchestrated end-to-end workflows for investments, account opening, and large-scale contract mailings with return handling. Built two-stage validation (first-level checks and four-eyes review) with SLA-based escalations and reminders, event-driven archiving via a downstream service, KYC onboarding and periodic re-verification, and GDPR housekeeping (one-year retention, automated deletion). Supported cover letters, framework agreements, and account-opening reminders.

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow
  • IBM Cloud
  • Java
  • Jakarta EE
  • JavaScript
  • Apache Kafka

Cloud User Management

Lead Frontend Developer at Specialized European commercial real estate bank
Web App

Built and operated a cloud-based application providing user and group management for IBM Business Automation Workflow apps, leveraging IBM Cloud and BAW REST APIs—at a time when no official UIs existed—thereby necessitating a custom frontend.

  • Angular 2
  • JavaScript
  • IBM Cloud

Digitalization of Asset Valuation Process

Solution Architect and Lead Full Stack Developer at Specialized European commercial real estate bank
Web App, Workflow

Developed a web application with an integrated BPM process for asset valuation.

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow
  • JavaScript

Business Rule–Based Task Assignments

Developer at Major German Bank
Web App, Workflow

Optimized electronic collateral protocol processes with case-based task assignments driven by dynamic business rules.

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow
  • IBM Operational Decision Manager
  • JavaScript

Archiving of Electronic Credit Protocols

Backend Developer at Major German Bank
Web App, Workflow

Supported and implemented the extraction and long-term archiving of credit protocols by analyzing and preparing data structures, defining interfaces with the document-generation provider (DocFamily), building Java integrations on IBM WebSphere Application Server, and implementing the archiving workflow in IBM Business Automation Workflow (BAW).

  • Java
  • Jakarta EE
  • IBM WebSphere Application Server
  • IBM WebSphere Liberty
  • IBM Business Automation Workflow
  • JavaScript
  • DocFamily

Digitalization of Collateral Management Process

Developer at Major German Bank
Web App, Workflow

Digitalization of the end-to-end collateral management process, enabling creation of new collateral and updates to existing collateral, with seamless integration to the host-based core inventory system.

  • IBM Business Automation Workflow
  • JavaScript

Education

Interests

Music

  • Guitar
  • Music Production