Rafael Macedo

Frontend Engineer focused on building products with extra attention to detail

Lisbon, Portugal, WET

RM

About

Senior Frontend Engineer with 8+ years of expertise in architecting and scaling high-impact web applications from conception to launch. Specialized in the modern JavaScript ecosystem (TypeScript, React, Node.js, GraphQL). Proven leader in guiding cross-functional teams and cultivating a culture of engineering excellence. Experienced in remote collaboration with global distributed teams. Dedicated contributor to open-source communities and committed to continuous technical evolution.

Published Articles

A comprehensive comparison of React and Vue, covering key criteria for choosing the right framework, similarities, differences, and dealing with frequent updates to help developers make an educated decision.
Vue.js
React
Frontend Architecture
Comparison
Explores the rise of low-code and no-code platforms, their benefits, drawbacks, and use cases, providing an overview of how these tools bridge the gap between demand for software and developer supply.
Low-Code
No-Code
Rapid Prototyping
Visual Development

Work Experience

Alokai logoAlokai
Remote

2021 - Present

Senior Software Engineer

Architected and delivered the comprehensive integration between Vue Storefront and Elastic Path, establishing a seamless e-commerce ecosystem. Engineered a robust abstraction layer using composables, significantly reducing code complexity and accelerating developer velocity. Spearheaded the technical collaboration with the Elastic Path engineering team, resolving critical bottlenecks to ensure a smooth launch. Served as the primary technical liaison, facilitating efficient data synchronization strategies. Led the end-to-end project lifecycle, managing stakeholder expectations and enforcing rigorous Agile practices to guarantee high-quality delivery.
Vue.js
Nuxt.js
TypeScript
GraphQL
Tailwind CSS
Node.js

Farfetch logoFarfetch
On Site

2018 - 2021

Senior Software Engineer

Spearheaded the design and implementation of scalable UI components in React, driving consistency across the platform. Optimized application performance and stability by integrating Sentry and New Relic, resulting in reduced downtime and faster load times. Leveraged data-driven insights to refine frontend architecture and enhance user engagement. Expanded the internal UI library for the A/B Testing tool, promoting code reusability and design uniformity. Championed best practices in code quality, including comprehensive testing and adherence to DRY principles, within a fast-paced Kanban environment.
React
Redux
TypeScript
Node.js
Jest

Biometrid logoBiometrid
Hybrid

2018 - 2019

Senior Software Engineer

Engineered a JavaScript-based Biometric SDK, enabling third-party developers to seamlessly verify user identities. Established a rigorous testing framework using Jest and Cypress, elevating code reliability and maintainability. Implemented Agile workflows to streamline feature delivery and enhance team collaboration.
JavaScript
HTML/CSS
Unit Testing
Jest
Cypress

Alter Solutions
On Site

2016 - 2018

Software Engineer

Designed and deployed two mission-critical full-stack applications for a major international client using Laravel and AngularJS. Architected a high-performance backend processing system utilizing Redis queues to handle CPU-intensive workloads. Implemented real-time data synchronization with WebSockets and engineered robust data storage solutions using MySQL and CouchDB. Championed Test Driven Development (TDD) practices to maintain superior code quality and reliability. Modernized the development infrastructure by integrating Webpack and Yarn, significantly improving build times and developer efficiency.
Laravel
AngularJS
Vue.js
MySQL
Redis

Education

Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa

2014 - 2018
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Skills

✍️ Languages

TypeScript
JavaScript
HTML/CSS
Sass/SCSS

🚀 Frontend Frameworks

React
Next.js
Remix
Vue.js
Nuxt.js

📦 State Management & Data Fetching

TanStack Query
Redux
Zustand
Pinia
Apollo GraphQL
tRPC

🎨 UI & Styling

Tailwind CSS
Framer Motion
Radix UI
Shadcn/UI
Storybook
Styled Components

⚙️ Backend & Data

Node.js
GraphQL
Prisma
PostgreSQL
Laravel

🛠️ Tools & Testing

Vite
Vitest
Jest
Playwright
Cypress
Git
Docker

🧠 Concepts

Internationalization (i18n)
CI/CD
GitHub Actions
Performance Optimization
Accessibility (A11y)
Design Patterns
SEO