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Philipp Tolstych – Software Architect based in Hamburg Hamburg · Freelancer & Software Architect

Think architecture.Build systems.Lead teams.

With over 15 years of experience in software architecture, cloud technologies, and technical leadership, I help companies build scalable systems – as a freelancer or in a permanent role.

Discover services

Services

What I bring to the table

Software Architecture & Development

I design and build scalable backend systems built to grow. From API design and domain-driven design to event-driven architecture and microservices – with a focus on maintainability and longevity.

PythonJavaTypeScriptPostgreSQLKafkaDockerKubernetes

Cloud Architecture & AI

Cloud-native architectures on AWS, GCP, and Azure. Infrastructure as Code with Terraform, MLOps pipelines, and LLM integration. I bring AI workflows from idea to production.

AWSGCPAzureTerraformClaude CodeOpenAI API

Tech Leadership & CTO-as-a-Service

Building and leading engineering teams, establishing engineering processes and technical strategy. As CTO, CIO, or interim tech lead, I bring structure to complex organisations.

ScrumOKRsArchitecture ReviewTeam BuildingHiring

Career

Professional Career

15+ years. Architecture. Leadership. Impact.

  1. 09/2025 – present Current

    Head of IT & Member of Management Board

    hundt consult GmbH · Hamburg

    • Responsibility for the entire IT division of a leading, manufacturer-independent consultancy for building conveyor technology (150 specialists, 13 locations, 65,000+ installations)
    • Building and modernising IT infrastructure
    • Expanding IoT and software solutions in the area of Predictive Maintenance
    • Strategic development of the company as part of the management board
    IoTPredictive MaintenanceCloudAI/MLIT Strategy
  2. 02/2021 – 08/2025

    Senior Vice President Operations / Business Unit Lead NewBiz

    Thinkport GmbH · Hamburg / Frankfurt a.M.

    • Establishing and leading the Hamburg office; co-designing company strategy
    • Responsibility for sales, delivery and operations; building business processes and financial controlling
    • Technical project lead for cloud and architecture projects (OBI, Deutsche Börse, Deutsche Bank)
    AWSAzureGCPKubernetesKafkaTerraformJavaPython
  3. 10/2020 – 01/2021

    Senior Software Architect

    TRINITY Management Systems GmbH · Frankfurt a.M.

    • Architecture design for microservice systems in the financial sector
    • Design and development of a payment module with SWIFT and EBICS integration
    • Introduction of agile processes and multi-tenant architecture
    Java 11Spring BootSpring CloudPostgreSQLApache Pulsar
  4. 05/2015 – 09/2020

    Multi-Solution System Architect / Principal Java Developer

    pro!vision GmbH · Frankfurt a.M.

    • Technical project lead and architecture design for microservice and ECM systems
    • Integration and extension of Adobe Experience Cloud (Analytics, Target, Campaign)
    JavaSpring BootReactAngularOSGiApache Sling
  5. 06/2014 – 04/2015

    IT Consultant & Java Developer

    msg systems AG · Frankfurt a.M.

    • Architecture design and development of an EAI layer (OSGi, Apache Camel)
    • Design of a fully automated deployment pipeline with Jenkins and Puppet
    JavaOSGiApache CamelJenkinsPuppet
  6. 02/2008 – 06/2014

    Java Software Developer

    Mercateo AG · Leipzig

    • Development of supplier registration, shop systems and archiving systems
    • Building a test framework (Selenium) and introducing an OCR solution
    JavaApache WicketHibernateSeleniumPython
  7. 10/2010 – 09/2017

    M.Sc. Information Management

    Anhalt University of Applied Sciences · Köthen

  8. 10/2004 – 09/2010

    B.Sc. Information Management

    Anhalt University of Applied Sciences · Köthen

Get in touch

Portfolio

Selected Work

Cloud Architecture

From Monolith to Event-Driven Architecture

One of Germany's largest DIY chains struggled with a grown, monolithic inventory system – inflexible, hard to scale, release-critical. Design and implementation of a distributed EDA on AWS and Kubernetes, with Kafka and Solace as the message backbone. Domains were gradually extracted from the monolith.

AWSKubernetesKafkaSolaceJavaArgoCD
Software Architecture

Smart Contracting on Kafka

A distributed infrastructure was built for Deutsche Börse to map smart contracts. The core: an orchestrated Kafka system driven by Camunda as a process engine. Complex contract logic and state transitions are mapped reliably, traceably, and scalably.

KafkaCamundaJavaKubernetesSpring Boot
Cloud Architecture

Data Centre Out, Cloud In

A German financial institution wanted to fully migrate its legacy data centre to the cloud – securely, regulatory-compliant, future-proof. Architecture, security, network and landing zone concepts were created, along with a container-based landing zone in Azure.

AzureAKSTerraformKubernetesRancher
Cloud Architecture

M&A Processes – Digital, Secure, Scalable

A leading auditing firm needed a tailored platform for complex M&A processes. Design and development of a cloud-native application with modular architecture, secure data storage, and role-based access control.

AWSJavaSpring BootDockerKubernetesOAuth2
Software Architecture

Unified Digital Experience – Adobe Stack

Integration and extension of the Adobe Experience Cloud into a coherent platform – Analytics, Target, Campaign, and Audience Manager – complemented by custom AEM components for multiple digital marketing companies.

Adobe AEMJavaSpringOSGiReactAngular
DevOps & Architecture

System Integration & Automated Deployments

A company with a heterogeneous system landscape had no consistent integration strategy. Built an EAI layer using OSGi and Apache Camel, plus a fully automated deployment pipeline with Jenkins and Puppet.

JavaOSGiApache CamelJenkinsPuppetSpring Batch

Contact

Let's build something great.

For freelance enquiries or simply a professional exchange – I look forward to hearing from you.

Hamburg, Germany