One company.
Four roles.
Still hands-on.
Self-taught developer turned Engineering Manager — 13 years at Rakuten France. Not because of comfort: because the scope kept expanding. From bug triage to leading a platform that handles 5 000 support messages a day, reduced response time below 18 hours, and saved €20K/month with a single architectural decision.
The Journey
An atypical path. Each role earned, not assigned.
Customer Support Agent
Joined Rakuten France on the front line — processing claims, handling disputes, de-escalating users. Discovered the product from the inside: what ops teams actually need, where the friction is, what "time-to-resolution" means when it's your name on the ticket. Started learning to code nights and weekends: books, evening courses, anything that could automate the repetitive.
"Assimile rapidement et fait des propositions d'amélioration." — Manager, 2014
Developer (self-taught)
Took ownership of bug triage and escalation for back-office users. Built BI reports, Chrome Extension features, keyword and taxonomy tooling. Full multi-environment version management: QA → Beta → Prod. Became the go-to technical reference for the whole ops team — while still spending personal time learning with books and courses outside of work hours.
"Il donne de son temps personnel pour se perfectionner — il lit des ouvrages techniques chez lui, suit des cours du soir. Il prend des initiatives en développant des fonctions utiles pour tout le monde." — Manager, 2015
Lead Developer
Weekly Chrome Extension releases with full multi-env version management. 2020: 35 releases shipped, 200+ internal requests handled. Led first partner integrations (Zendesk, AfterShip). Architected the Firebase → PHP/Symfony + SQL migration. Became the undisputed technical reference — attending architecture meetings, challenging decisions, writing the roadmap.
"Samuel est reconnu comme étant le leader technique de l'équipe, c'est un fait indéniable." — Manager, 2016
"Encore une excellente année — plus que jamais leader de l'équipe technique." — Manager, 2019
Engineering Manager (hands-on)
Built a team from zero: 1 PM, 2 developers, 1 apprentice. Full ownership of roadmap, discovery, delivery, and run. Scope: ~70 ADV agents, ~5K messages/day, omnichannel platform — Zendesk (via API), Axialys, AfterShip, Libella, PayPal, Sendbird, CM.com. Introduced TypeScript, Docker, GitHub Actions, Prometheus/Grafana, self-hosted n8n with custom nodes, local LLMs (Ollama + Claude).
Org context: Part of the UserCare leadership team (Director · Head of Payment · Head of Customer Ops · me). Independent of the central CTO org but represented at CTO-level tech committee. Full autonomy on stack, hiring, and roadmap decisions.
"Samuel est une vraie référence technique dans toute l'entreprise sur les sujets tech user care." — Manager, 2022
"Samuel est un pilier de notre équipe. Les projets livrés ont un impact important sur la qualité et le coût de nos opérations." — Manager, 2024
Impact by the Numbers
Outcomes, not activities.
processed daily
time (DMT)
target achieved
(build vs buy)
shipped in 2025
recruited & grown
How I think
Three decisions that show the reasoning, not just the outcome.
Build vs Buy — €20K/month saved
Business decisionContext
80–100 agents needed access to a case management tool. Full Zendesk rollout: ~€200/license/month. Total: €16–20K/month for a tool that didn't fit our 3-party marketplace model (buyer, seller, operator all in the same ticket).
Decision
Buy one Zendesk license. Use Zendesk's API as the backend engine. Build a custom front-end on top — tailored to our omnichannel flows, multi-service context (e-commerce, cashback, logistics, affiliate), and C2C/B2C split.
Outcome
€20K/month saved. A tool that actually fits how the team works. Full control over UX and data. Zendesk power (routing, SLAs, macros) without Zendesk pricing at scale.
A project that derailed — and how it changed how I manage
Honest accountWhat happened
First large automation project, junior team, no prior reference. We didn't iterate enough on sub-components. The team lost motivation, made more errors, stopped reading tasks carefully. One dev pushed to production unilaterally — and when it worked, it was his win; when it broke, it was my fault for "not watching".
What I changed
Mandatory weekly syncs for everyone. All PRs required, no exceptions. Copilot added to the review flow. AI agents on Notion for production monitoring and post-prod follow-up. Systematic scoping gate: every project validated by me before entering "to develop" — with explicit challenges on why, for whom, what privacy implications.
What I learned
A junior team needs a system, not just autonomy. The failure wasn't technical — it was structural. I fixed the structure. And this is now the operating model the team runs on.
13 years, one company — why it's a strength
ContextThe question I get: "Isn't 13 years in the same place a red flag?" Here's the honest answer: I had 4 different jobs at Rakuten — ops agent, self-taught developer, lead dev, EM — each earned, not promoted by default. The scope doubled every few years. I chose to stay because there was always more to build. When the scope stops expanding, I stop growing. And that's exactly why I'm looking for what's next.
Key Achievements
What was actually built — and the business impact behind it.
Team Built from Zero
8 devs + 3 PMs recruited over 13 years
Ran every hiring process myself: sourcing, technical assessment, offer. Managed underperformance including one dismissal process. One former PM grew into Head of User Care, reporting to the Director.
"Business impact: the team went from 1 solo developer to a structured 4-person unit with clear ownership and engineering standards."
Omnichannel CRM — homemade
~70 agents · 5K messages/day · €20K/mo saved
Custom case management platform on top of Zendesk API. Handles multi-channel requests (WhatsApp, phone, Facebook, Instagram, X, internal tools), multi-service context (e-commerce, cashback, 3PL, affiliate), and C2C/B2C flows in a single interface.
"Business impact: 80+ agents served at 1/80th the cost of full Zendesk licensing."
Shipping & Payments Domain
RFN · AdValorem · PayPal · Klarna · Colissimo
Integrated Rakuten Fulfilment Network (RFN): inbound/outbound flows, inventory, AdValorem insurance on claims. Integrated PayPal and Klarna dispute/claims workflows via API — including direct refunds via process-out. Automated Colissimo billing reconciliation.
"Domain knowledge: 3PL logistics + payment reconciliation ops, rare combination in engineering profiles."
n8n Automation Platform
Self-hosted · custom nodes · ops-grade
Self-hosted n8n with custom-built nodes for internal APIs. Transformed recurring manual ops (status checks, claim routing, bot responses, Trustpilot replies) into configurable workflows maintainable by non-devs.
"Business impact: months of dev time replaced by configurable workflows. Enables the ops team to iterate without engineering."
AI/LLM in Production
Ollama · Claude · n8n · privacy-first
Local LLM (Ollama) integrated into operational workflows via n8n: automated Trustpilot responses, knowledge extraction, post-production monitoring via AI agents on Notion. Data anonymization enforced after a privacy incident caught in scoping review.
"LLMs as operational infrastructure — not demos. With real privacy constraints applied."
Engineering Modernization
PHP/Firebase → TypeScript/Docker/CI-CD
Full stack migration over 3 years: Firebase → SQL, PHP → Node.js/TypeScript, manual deploys → GitHub Actions, no monitoring → Prometheus/Grafana. Each step gradual, measurable, and reversible. 100% test coverage on all new modules.
"Business impact: from ad-hoc releases to weekly cadence with rollback capability and full observability."
What managers said
Verbatim from annual performance reviews — 2015 to 2024.
Il donne de son temps personnel pour se perfectionner — il lit des ouvrages techniques chez lui, suit des cours du soir. Il prend des initiatives en développant des fonctions utiles pour tout le monde.
Manager · 2015 Annual ReviewSamuel est reconnu comme étant le leader technique de l'équipe, c'est un fait indéniable. Tout le monde lui remonte les besoins ou se tourne vers lui quand il y a une question technique. Ses améliorations ont fait grimper la productivité de toute l'équipe.
Manager · 2016 Annual ReviewEncore une excellente année pour Samuel, les résultats sont de nouveau au rendez-vous. Il est aujourd'hui et plus que jamais leader de l'équipe technique — aussi bien par son implication que sa capacité à cadrer les améliorations et la supervision technique.
Manager · 2019 Annual ReviewUn excellent recrutement. Encore une excellente année — Samuel a pris une autre dimension en 2021. Les product owners sont satisfaits du travail effectué par l'équipe technique.
Manager · 2021 Annual Review (Grade BB)Samuel est une personne très autonome qui intervient sur une multitude de sujets avec efficacité. C'est une vraie référence technique dans toute l'entreprise sur les sujets tech user care. Participation au tech committee — une visibilité en tant que feature team au sein de la société.
Manager · 2022 Annual ReviewSamuel est un pilier de notre équipe par sa connaissance des outils, techniques, opérations. Les projets livrés ont un impact important sur la qualité et le coût de nos opérations. L'intégration de n8n a permis d'automatiser des workflows entiers — sans n8n, le développement de ces automatisations aurait pris des mois.
Manager · 2024 Annual ReviewStack Evolution
Tools adopted as ownership and complexity grew — not as trends.
Performance Track Record
Consistent ratings over 6+ years. Reached BBB (top performer tier) in 2022.
Rakuten internal scale: B → BB → BBB → A → AA. BBB = top performer tier.
The scope stopped expanding.
Time to find the next one.
I'm looking for a role where the problem is real, the team wants to grow, and "nothing is impossible" isn't just a tagline. Engineering Manager, Product Engineering Lead, hands-on — whatever the title, the job is the same: build the right thing and make the team better.