Hi, I'm Raphael.

I started as a software engineer in Brazil, writing Java for internal systems and public sector projects. Over time I moved into engineering leadership, first as a tech lead, then as an engineering manager, then as a director and VP. I've built and run teams from a handful of engineers to organizations of ninety or more, across Brazil, Portugal, and the US.

Along the way I noticed the same pattern everywhere I worked. The best engineering teams are not the ones with the fanciest stack. They are the ones who understand the business, ask why, and act like partners instead of order takers. That belief shapes how I build and lead teams today.

I also love hiring and developing people. Over the last five years I have coached more than two hundred tech professionals, from individual contributors to executives, helping them get the roles they deserve. In 2024 I published The Engineering Leadership Playbook with Apress, putting that experience into a practical guide for other leaders.

I'm still a builder at heart. I write code, ship small tools, and publish open source packages on GitHub and npm. Outside of work, I'm a father and I run on coffee.