Yhensel Benítez

I'm a Senior Software Developer

About

A software developer with over 9 years of experience, specializing in backend development with PHP, Symfony, and databases like MySQL and MongoDB. I am passionate about building robust systems, writing clean code, and adhering to best practices in software architecture, including Domain-Driven Design (DDD) and automated testing. I thrive in agile environments and enjoy collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver scalable and maintainable solutions.

Senior Backend Developer.

Hi, I’m Yhensel! I'm a software engineer by day, and by night, you'll likely find me at a CrossFit session, spending time with friends, or walking my dog. I have a passion for solving complex problems and often create side projects to explore new ideas and push boundaries.

  • Birthday: 11 Dec 1989
  • City: Barcelona, Spain
  • Age: 36
  • Education: Degree in Computer Engineering

I approach my work with a positive attitude and strive to bring good energy to every project. Throughout my career, I've had the opportunity to contribute to exciting projects, helping them grow in a well-tested and maintainable manner. I enjoy sharing ideas and brainstorming with others to find the best solutions to challenges. Outside of work, I love meeting new people, learning from different perspectives, and embracing a life full of challenges and positive vibes.

AI-Assisted Workflow

In my commitment to continuous improvement and efficiency, I strategically leverage AI as a collaborative partner in my development workflow. I use AI-powered tools to perform initial code reviews, identify potential optimizations, and explore alternative implementations for complex problems. This approach not only accelerates the development cycle but also enhances code quality and maintainability, allowing me to focus on delivering robust, high-impact solutions.

AI Collaboration

Code Review

Optimization

Soft Skills

The personal attributes that enable me to interact effectively and harmoniously with other people.

  • Teamwork: Actively collaborate with cross-functional teams, fostering a positive and productive environment to achieve shared goals.
  • Oral Communication: Clearly articulate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders, facilitating effective discussions and understanding.
  • Friendly Personality: Maintain a positive and approachable demeanor, contributing to a harmonious team dynamic and open communication.
  • Negotiation: Effectively mediate discussions and find common ground, ensuring project alignment and successful outcomes.

Skills

A categorized overview of my technical strengths.

Languages

  • PHP
  • Python
  • JavaScript
  • HTML
  • CSS

Frameworks & Libraries

  • Symfony
  • Doctrine

Databases

  • MySQL
  • MongoDB

Tools & Technologies

  • Docker
  • RabbitMQ
  • AWS
  • Kubernetes
  • Git

Methodologies

  • Agile
  • Scrum
  • DDD
  • CQRS

Resume

Discover my professional journey, including the projects I’ve contributed to and the skills I’ve developed along the way.

Education

B.Sc. in Computer Science (4-year University Degree)

2025 - Present

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), Barcelona, Spain

B.Sc. in Computer Science (4-year University Degree) – Not ended

2013 - 2015

Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain

Grado Superior en Desarrollo de Aplicaciones Web (DAW) | Higher Education Certificate in Web Application Development | EQF Level 5

2013 - 2014

Stucom, Barcelona, Spain

Grado Superior en Administración de Sistemas en Red (ASIX) | Higher Education Certificate in Higher Education Certificate in Network Systems Administration | EQF Level 5

2010 - 2012

Salesians Sarrià, Barcelona, Spain

Professional Experience

Senior Developer

Dec. 2023 - Present

Stay, Madrid, Spain (Remote from Barcelona)

  • Designed, developed, and maintained backend services, ensuring clean architecture and consistency through DDD.
  • Integrated third-party systems and APIs, such as hotel chains for the 360 project, fast-booking features, loyalty programs, and Wallet integration.
  • Worked with data pipelines and synchronization processes, particularly with Tinybird for real-time analytics, handling dimension tables and optimized schemas.
  • Configured monitoring and observability using Grafana and logs (Loki/OpenSearch) to analyze system performance and set up alerts.
  • Collaborated on infrastructure in a Kubernetes + AWS environment, simulating services with LocalStack when needed.
  • Wrote and maintained tests with PHPUnit and Behat, using test patterns like Object Mother to ensure reliable API behavior.
  • Participated in refactoring legacy code, including Doctrine mappings and data model changes, and standardized API responses for better maintainability.
  • Investigated and proposed solutions for technical challenges, such as failure handling in data sync processes, schema evolution, and performance optimizations.

Senior Developer

Mar. 2023 - Dec. 2023

GoTrendier, Barcelona, Spain

As part of a 3-member team, I focused on search and product-related functionalities for a second-hand clothing platform with over 7 million products and approximately 2 million users across Mexico and Colombia.

  • Developed and maintained the search system and product-related features, ensuring scalability and performance for a platform with millions of products.
  • Built and managed a validation and moderation tool to ensure the quality and compliance of user-uploaded products.
  • Collaborated closely with the team to deliver features end-to-end, from requirement analysis to deployment.
  • Contributed to the stability, growth, and user experience of one of the leading second-hand fashion marketplaces in Latin America.

Mid-Senior Developer

2018 - 2023

Zinio, Barcelona, Spain

In a team of 3–5 people (2–4 developers + 1 PO), I was responsible for ingesting and processing magazines for the B2C business and major publishers like Meredith (People, InStyle, Fitness, Food&Wine).

  • Designed, developed, and maintained backend services, ensuring clean architecture and consistency through DDD.
  • Integrated third-party systems and APIs.
  • Wrote and maintained tests with PHPUnit and Behat, using test patterns like Object Mother to ensure reliable API behavior.
  • Maintained and supported a large legacy system used by staff and publishers while contributing to the design and development of a new microservices-based platform.
  • Implemented asynchronous communication between services using RabbitMQ to improve scalability and reliability.
  • Integrated observability and monitoring tools such as Kibana, CloudWatch, and Sentry, configuring metrics and alerts to ensure system stability and proactive incident response.
  • Collaborated with the Product Owner to analyze requirements, propose technical solutions, and estimate delivery effort based on value and complexity.
  • Delivered features end-to-end, from design and development to testing (unit, integration, acceptance) and deployment to production.

Junior Developer

2017 - 2018

Atabix, Barcelona, Spain

As a member of a 3-person team, I contributed to the complete redesign and development of an internal management tool for 2theloo, a company specializing in the management and maintenance of washrooms in large commercial areas. The web application handles store collections, employee management, and overall company billing.

Junior Developer

2016 - 2017

AT SISTEMAS, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain

Working remotely with a 3-month stay abroad, our team developed a bridge application to automate the transfer of reservations and room rates between different hotels managed by the client’s system. The tool processed information in SOAP format and mapped it to a JSON API, utilizing systems like RabbitMQ for queuing and Memcache for cache management.