Backend Software Engineer
I build reliable backend systems for financial products and integration-heavy platforms.
I work primarily with Java and Spring Boot, building APIs, transaction workflows, integrations and backend services that need to behave predictably in production. My background also includes substantial PHP/Laravel work, and I use React and TypeScript when broader product ownership is needed.
Leonard Ekenekiso
Backend Software Engineer
Current focus
Building and maintaining Java/Spring Boot services, financial integrations and transaction-heavy backend systems, while applying the same engineering principles to agentic and LLM-backed applications.
What I work on
Backend work across applications, integrations and production systems.
Most of my work sits around business logic, APIs, databases, integrations and the things required to keep a backend predictable in production.
Backend Systems
Designing and building APIs, application services, persistence layers and business workflows for production systems.
Financial & Transactional Systems
Backend services involving payments, banking integrations, credit workflows and transaction processing where correctness and traceability matter.
Integrations & Reliability
Connecting systems to external services while accounting for retries, duplicate requests, background processing, failure handling and operational recovery.
Applied AI
Integrating LLM and agentic capabilities into backend applications with persistent state, controlled execution and conventional application architecture around them.
Selected work
Systems and products I’ve worked on.
Some professional systems are private, so the case studies focus on the problem, my contribution and the engineering decisions without exposing confidential implementation details.
Delivered AI Backend · Java / Spring Boot
GlobalPath
A delivered AI-backed global mobility backend built with Java and Spring Boot. The backend is live while the product UI continues to be developed.
Credit & Risk Platform · PHP / Laravel
Credense
A multi-tenant credit and risk platform that brings together credit-bureau data, borrower information, loan history and configurable lending rules into a structured decision workflow.
Reference Architecture · Java / Applied AI
AI Learn
A Java/Spring Boot reference application that treats AI conversations as durable backend workflows instead of transient model calls.
Engineering approach
I prefer backend systems that are easy to reason about when things go wrong.
Clear boundaries, explicit failure paths, sensible persistence and enough observability to understand what is happening in production.
Make failure explicit
External services fail, requests get repeated and background jobs stop midway. Account for those cases as part of the design.
Protect important state
Transactional and business-critical data needs clear ownership, validation and predictable state changes.
Keep boundaries useful
Use architectural boundaries when they make a system easier to understand, test and change.
Leave systems operable
Logs, metrics, audit trails and traceable workflows are part of building the system, not an afterthought.
Currently building
Projects and systems that are actively taking shape.
Credense
A multi-tenant credit and risk platform that brings together credit-bureau data, borrower information, loan history and configurable lending rules into a structured decision workflow.
Experience
Backend engineering across financial systems, integrations and product platforms.
Nov 2025 — Present
Backend Engineer
Airvend · Lagos, Nigeria
Build and maintain production backend services with Java and Spring Boot for consumer and merchant-facing financial and value-added-service products.
- Build and extend Java/Spring Boot services and REST APIs used by production applications.
- Work on transaction-oriented business workflows and integrations with internal and external service providers.
- Use JPA/Hibernate and relational databases across persistent business workflows.
- Investigate production issues and improve validation, error handling, security and service reliability.
Apr 2024 — Nov 2025
Software Engineering Team Lead
Boctrust Microfinance Bank · Lagos, Nigeria
Worked across software engineering, banking integrations and production technology operations in a regulated financial environment.
- Worked on integrations involving BankOne, NIBSS NDD, NIP, EasyPay and BVN consent flows.
- Contributed to transaction workflows, API integrations and operational support for lending and payment services.
- Investigated production issues across application, database, infrastructure and third-party integration layers.
- Helped secure a ₦15M eTranzact waiver through technical and vendor coordination.
Jul 2023 — Apr 2024
Backend Developer
Scnip Technology · Abuja, Nigeria
Worked full-time on Java/Spring Boot backend systems, building APIs, business logic and integrations for production applications.
- Built and maintained backend services using Java and Spring Boot.
- Designed REST APIs and persistence workflows with JPA/Hibernate and relational databases.
- Integrated backend services with external platforms and third-party APIs.
- Contributed to validation, authentication, testing and backend maintainability.
Jan 2023 — Mar 2024
Software Engineering Team Lead
Harde Business School · Lagos, Nigeria
Led development and maintenance of an existing education platform, working primarily within a legacy PHP/Laravel codebase while delivering new features and keeping the system stable.
- Maintained and extended a legacy PHP/Laravel application used for learning and business operations.
- Delivered backend features, APIs and database changes while working through existing technical debt incrementally.
- Coordinated technical work across the development team, including implementation decisions and code reviews.
Jul 2022 — Jan 2023
Full Stack Developer
Harde Business School · Lagos, Nigeria
Built and extended application features across the PHP/Laravel backend and web interfaces for internal business and learning workflows.
- Built backend functionality for authentication, reporting, staff portals and internal workflows.
- Designed APIs and database-backed features using PHP, Laravel and MySQL.
- Supported deployments, maintenance and production issue resolution.
Oct 2018 — Dec 2024
Contract Full Stack Developer
Pensuh Innovation · Anambra, Nigeria
Built and maintained a multi-tenant school operations platform spanning enrolment, attendance, academic records, assessments and tuition payments.
- Built reusable PHP/Laravel modules and multi-tenant application workflows.
- Worked with MySQL on relational data modelling and application persistence.
- Integrated online payments and cloud-backed storage for institutional workflows.
About
Backend engineering is the common thread across the systems I build.
I’m a backend software engineer focused on Java/Spring Boot and production backend systems. Much of my recent work has involved financial products, integrations and transaction-heavy applications.
I also have a strong PHP/Laravel background and work with React and TypeScript when a product requires broader ownership. More recently, I’ve been working with LangChain4j and agentic systems from a backend-engineering perspective.
Outside work, I enjoy gaming, especially arcade and adventure games.
Background
Education and the tools I use most often.
Education
B.Tech, Electrical / Electronic Engineering
Rivers State University of Science and Technology · 2019
Certification
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
Microsoft · 2022
Primary
Backend & Data
Infrastructure
Supporting
Applied AI
Applied AI in practice
Ask about my engineering work.
The assistant is grounded only in published case studies, experience, principles and technical writing, and links answers back to supporting evidence.
Contact
Have a backend problem worth solving?
I’m interested in backend engineering roles involving Java, Spring Boot, financial systems, integrations and platform engineering. I’m also open to selected PHP/Laravel work where my earlier backend depth is useful.
Email: u.ekenekiso@ugbanawaji.com
Location: Lagos, Nigeria