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Goran Mekić

Senior Backend Systems Engineer | DevOps Senior Engineer | Low-Latency & Distributed Systems | Rust, C++, Python

Senior backend systems engineer with 15+ years designing, optimizing, and operating high-performance distributed systems in production environments. Most recently owned performance and reliability for infrastructure managing 250+ PB of data at Axcient across multiple data centers.

Specializes in low-latency Rust and C++ systems, Linux production environments, and DevOps automation (Kubernetes, Terraform, AWS). Brings deep systems expertise - including kernel-level debugging, tracing, and storage internals - to bear on commercial backend and infrastructure challenges.

Particularly passionate about Rust as a language for building fast, reliable, and predictable systems, and about applying that systems thinking to audio AI - combining real-time signal processing, machine learning pipelines, and careful hardware/OS-level tuning to create expressive and performant audio tools. This passion drives ongoing work at the intersection of low-latency audio, DSP, intelligent signal processing, and artificial intelligence.

Strong believer in DevOps as a practice, not just a set of tools. Over the years I have automated provisioning, deployment, and operational workflows across bare-metal, virtualized, and cloud environments using Ansible, SaltStack, Terraform, Kubernetes, Docker, Jail, and CI/CD pipelines. I treat infrastructure as code, observability as a first-class concern, and reliable repeatable deployments as essential to keeping complex systems healthy at scale. Deeply versed in both FreeBSD and Linux as daily drivers for production infrastructure - from kernel-level debugging, tracing with DTrace, and jail/zone isolation to storage design with ZFS, network stack tuning, and building secure, stable server environments that stay maintainable over the long term.

Languages & Runtimes

• Rust: ●●●●●
• Python: ●●●●●
• JavaScript / TypeScript: ●●●●●
• FastAPI: ●●●●●
• REST APIs: ●●●●●
• Svelte: ●●●●●
• Flask: ●●●●○
• Django: ●●●●○
• React: ●●●●○
• C / C++: ●●●○○
• Go: ●●○○○

Systems & Administration

• Linux administration: ●●●●●
• Ansible/SaltStack/Puppet: ●●●●●
• FreeBSD / Unix internals: ●●●●●
• Docker / Jails: ●●●●●
• ZFS: ●●●●○
• Virtualization: ●●●●○
• AWS: ●●●●○
• Kubernetes: ●●●●○
• Terraform: ●●●●○

Low-Latency & Distributed Systems

• Distributed storage: ●●●●●
• Real-time processing: ●●●●●
• Systems optimization: ●●●●●
• High-throughput backends: ●●●●○

Observability & Debugging

• Production incident response: ●●●●●
• DTrace: ●●●●●
• Prometheus: ●●●●○
• Grafana: ●●●●○

SysIT | 2026

Business Development & Technical Consultant

• Advise organizations on aligning technology strategy with business objectives, with a focus on scalable and efficient systems
• Design and implement AI-driven solutions using tools such as Claude, ChatGPT, and Gemini to automate workflows and improve decision-making
• Architect, deploy, and manage containerized infrastructure using Kubernetes, ensuring reliability, scalability, and cost efficiency
• Develop and maintain infrastructure as code using Terraform to enable repeatable, secure, and automated environments
• Deliver high-performance systems development in Rust, including low-level and DSP-focused applications
• Perform kernel-level debugging and patching in FreeBSD environments to resolve complex system issues
• Analyze and optimize system and application performance using advanced tools such as DTrace
• Support engineering teams in improving development processes, reducing technical debt, and accelerating delivery cycles
• Partner with stakeholders to identify inefficiencies and implement technical solutions that streamline operations and improve product performance
• Planning and implementation of C++/Rust libraries and systems

Axcient | 2022 – 2025

Systems Architect / Backend Engineer

Owned performance, reliability, and scalability of large-scale distributed storage systems operating across multiple data centers.

• Drove system-level performance improvements across infrastructure managing 250+ PB of data
• Investigated and resolved critical production issues involving distributed coordination, storage systems, and compute interactions
• Performed deep analysis of system behavior using tracing tools (DTrace) and monitoring systems
• Built automation for managing infrastructure across hundreds of machines using SaltStack
• Improved observability using Prometheus and Grafana, enabling faster diagnosis of production issues
• Partnered with engineering teams to improve system architecture and operational reliability
• Maintained internal C/C++/Rust tools

Bakson LTD | 2025

Led the modernization of OSS deployment pipelines and infrastructure management through Terraform, Kubernetes, and proactive technical guidance.

• Contributed to variety of OSS projects in different programming languages
• Worked with a variety of teams to maintain high standards of quality across OSS projects
• Collaborated with software developers, system administrators, and IT staff to streamline development and deployment workflows
• Set up and maintenance cloud infrastructure required to run specific OSS projects
• Designed, implemented, and managed CI/CD pipelines for efficient software delivery
• Mentored junior team members and provide technical guidance
• Administered kubernetes cluster
• Maintained terraform code

Fourity | 2021 – 2022

Led design and implementation of backend and distributed systems across multiple projects.

• Architected scalable backend systems with focus on performance, resilience, and maintainability
• Designed distributed system components and infrastructure automation strategies
• Delivered systems capable of handling high-load environments with minimal operational overhead
• Provided technical leadership and guided engineering decisions across teams
• Senior Backend Engineer

Cala Health | 2018

Worked on a regulated medical platform requiring high reliability, performance, and secure data handling.

• Designed and developed backend services supporting real-time, data-intensive medical workflows
• Built and maintained REST APIs used across internal systems and external integrations
• Improved system performance through profiling and optimization of backend services
• Contributed to architecture decisions around scalability, fault tolerance, and system reliability
• Implemented secure data handling aligned with medical and privacy requirements
• Collaborated with product, research, and clinical teams to deliver reliable system behavior
• Debugged production issues with focus on stability and predictable performance under load
• Integrated AWS services (S3, Cognito) for secure storage, authentication, and scalability

Firebird Networks Pulsar | 2018 - 2019

Sole architect and developer of a network gear configuration automation tool.

• Designed and implemented a scalable Ansible-based automation solution for network gear
• Built a React frontend with WebSockets/Socket.IO for real-time monitoring and control
• Developed a robust Flask backend API for network management
• Managed the full software development lifecycle from requirements to deployment

GeoSolutions | 2017

Developed a custom monitoring solution for GeoNode, an open-source geospatial data platform.

• Designed and implemented a Django/Python monitoring system for GeoNode performance and user engagement
• Built interactive data visualizations with React and D3.js
• Delivered actionable insights that improved client user experience

Photoslurp | 2015 - 2016

Full-stack developer on a platform for collecting, exchanging, and managing media rights.

• Built frontend features with Bootstrap, jQuery, Backbone.js, and Underscore
• Developed Django/Python backend for media data, permissions, and rights workflows
• Designed secure, scalable RESTful APIs for media rights requests
• Implemented Celery, Redis, and RabbitMQ for asynchronous task processing
• Automated deployment with Ansible and maintained PostgreSQL database

fSD | 2015

Implemented DevOps practices for a PHP/EmberJS ERP system development team.

• Automated server provisioning, configuration, and deployment with Ansible
• Managed consistent virtualized development environments using Vagrant
• Built CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins for automated testing and deployment
• Improved reliability and security across development, staging, and production

Reciprocity Labs | 2014 - 2015

Backend developer focused on SAML authentication, expanding to full-stack delivery.

• Led SAML-based SSO implementation integrated with multiple identity providers
• Built secure RESTful APIs using Python/Flask for authentication and application logic
• Advised on server hardening, encryption, ACLs, and security best practices
• Automated provisioning and deployment with Vagrant and Ansible
• Optimized MySQL schema and queries for scalability

Lambda Solutions | 2014 - 2014

System Administrator for Moodle and Totara LMS hosting solutions.

• Deployed and configured highly available, scalable Moodle and Totara environments
• Automated server provisioning and configuration with Ansible
• Managed AWS infrastructure (EC2, S3, RDS) for cost-effective scalability
• Implemented monitoring with Nagios and Zabbix for proactive issue detection
• Hardened servers, configured SSL/TLS, and designed backup/disaster recovery strategies

Secent LLC | 2013 - 2014

Team Lead and Senior Developer for a reverse proxy and SSO solution at a major utility.

• Led development of a configurable reverse proxy and SSO solution using Django/Python
• Integrated SimpleSAMLphp and built custom RESTful APIs for secure, high-volume authentication
• Enforced SSL/TLS, access controls, and conducted regular security audits
• Automated server deployment with Ansible and managed PostgreSQL databases
• Coordinated the development team and collaborated with DevOps and network security teams
• Built automated build, test, and packaging pipelines for aerospace software using Jenkins, VMware, and Git

Saturized | 2011 - 2013

Infrastructure engineer responsible for reliability, performance, and security.

• Planned capacity, allocated storage, and designed backup and disaster recovery strategies
• Monitored system health with Munin, Icinga, and Zabbix; tuned performance and resolved bottlenecks
• Hardened systems, managed firewalls, and maintained compliance with security standards
• Administered web, file, and firewall servers using Puppet for configuration management
• Managed QEmu/Libvirt virtualization and Gerrit/Git source control

DDOR | 2006 - 2011

Solaris/Linux system administrator for business-critical infrastructure.

• Administered Solaris and Linux servers across a wide range of applications
• Managed enterprise storage (EMC Clariion, Fujitsu Eternus DX440) and VMware ESXi virtualization
• Implemented backup, disaster recovery, performance tuning, and capacity planning
• Configured firewalls, security patches, and monitoring with Monit and Munin
• Automated server configuration with Puppet and supported Oracle APP and Tomcat

Home Invest | 2006 - 2006

Implemented and maintained core network services for the organization.

• Installed and maintained Mail (Postfix/Dovecot), DHCP, DNS (Bind), and Samba Domain Controller
• Administered Linux systems and applied timely security updates and patches
• Configured IPTables firewall rules to secure internal and external communications
• Created system documentation and knowledge transfer materials

Maolan - Real-Time Audio Processing Platform (Rust) | 2018

Designed and built a high-performance audio processing system focused on low-latency workloads.

• Architected a modular audio processing engine in Rust with emphasis on performance and extensibility
• Implemented real-time processing pipelines with strict latency constraints
• Optimized system behavior across Linux environments through deep OS-level tuning
• Integrated multiple audio backends and drivers for stable and efficient processing
• Worked at OS and hardware interaction level to minimize processing overhead
• Distributed Communications Infrastructure

Freenit - Highly automatable WEB framework | 2017

Freenit is a framework for automating modern web application development. The goal is to automate the repetitive parts of product development so you can focus on implementation details that matter. A common workflow is to build UI in the designer, save it as .json, version that file in git, and export the result as Svelte code. The exported code is intended to be pixel-accurate and easy to reshape for your application.

• A visual designer to speed up UI and design work
• Frontend tooling based on Svelte
• Backend tooling based on FastAPI

Tilda Center | 2015

Tilda Center is a hackerspace and educational hub focused on modern technologies and open-source tools. I co-founded the center to bridge the gap between affordable, high-quality education and cutting-edge technology. I am responsible for leading technical research, teaching, and system administration.

• Developed and delivered training in Python/Flask/FastAPI, React/Redux/Svelte, HTML/CSS, electronics, and audio production.
• Managed IT infrastructure, including Linux/FreeBSD systems, ZFS, PF, and automation using Ansible.
• Led research initiatives on FreeBSD kernel development, DSP/RT Rust/C++ environments, and audio/music systems.
• Designed and implemented internal systems for virtualized environments and efficient resource management using CBSD/Reggae.

Communications Server | 2018

Designed and automated deployment of production-grade communication systems.

• Built distributed systems for mail, DNS, chat, and directory services
• Designed high-availability configurations with redundancy and failover mechanisms
• Automated infrastructure using Ansible and container-like isolation
• Improved reliability and operational efficiency through automation and system design

CBSD/Reggae/ClonOS - Virtualization & Orchestration | 2017

Worked on tooling for managing large-scale virtualized environments.

• Developed orchestration tools for multi-node infrastructure
• Implemented parallel build and deployment systems for jails and virtual machines
• Optimized resource utilization and system performance in multi-tenant environments
• Improved scalability and operational efficiency of virtualization workflows
• Storage & System Optimization Work

Drumgizmo | 2017

DrumGizmo is an open-source, multichannel drum plugin and stand-alone application for music production.

• Contributed to the FreeBSD OSS audio driver backend and ported the software to FreeBSD.
• Maintained FreeBSD ports for seamless integration with the system.

One Love | 2014

One Love is a decentralized management platform for data centers using Docker and cloud technologies. As a full-stack developer, I’ve contributed to both frontend and backend development.

• Designed and developed the frontend using React, Redux, and Webpack to ensure seamless user experience.
• Developed backend services using Flask, ZeroMQ, and REST APIs for high-performance, scalable communication.
• Managed deployment pipelines on AWS, DigitalOcean, and other cloud platforms, with a focus on automation and efficiency.

• Owned performance and reliability for distributed systems managing 250+ PB across multiple data centers
• Diagnosed and resolved complex production issues including deadlocks, race conditions, and cross-layer performance degradation
• Built and optimized low-latency processing systems in Rust and C++ for real-time environments
• Designed backend and infrastructure systems that scale across hundreds of nodes with high availability
• Improved observability and debugging capabilities using DTrace, Prometheus, and Grafana
• Consistently trusted with production-critical systems where failure has significant operational impact

• C++ lectures in Serbian
• DaFED #61 – Kako automatizacija procesa pomaže u razvoju sigurnijih aplikacija → Presented how process automation improves application security and reduces human error in development workflows
• FOSDEM 2023 – Reggae: cool way of managing jails/VMs on FreeBSD → Introduced Reggae as a tool for managing FreeBSD jails and virtual machines, focusing on scalable development environments
• EuroBSD 2022 – FreeBSD audio in amateur and professional setups → Explored FreeBSD-based audio workflows across hobbyist and professional use cases, including system configuration and performance
• FOSDEM 2021 – Managing virtual resources with CBSD, and beyond → Demonstrated advanced resource management and orchestration using CBSD for virtualization on FreeBSD
• BSides Ljubljana 2019 – How Did We Teach (Ourselves) Security → Shared practical approaches to self-learning and teaching cybersecurity within community-driven environments
• FOSDEM 2019 – FreeBSD in Audio Studio → Presented real-world usage of FreeBSD in audio production environments, covering stability and performance considerations
• BSides Ljubljana 2018 – Modern and Secure DevOps on FreeBSD → Covered secure DevOps practices using FreeBSD, including isolation, automation, and system hardening
• FOSDEM 2018 – CBSD Isolation Manager → Introduced CBSD as a solution for lightweight virtualization and system isolation on FreeBSD
• BalCCon 2016 – FLOSS Way of Funding a Hackerspace → Discussed sustainable funding models for open-source communities and hackerspaces
• BalCCon 2015 – What is Hackerspace → Introduced the concept, structure, and community impact of hackerspaces

Master of Science in Business Information Technology

Faculty of Sciences, University Of Novi Sad

Studying all aspect of IT including Computer Networks, Software Engineering, Data Structures and Algorithms, E-business and Artificial Intelligence

Electronics Technician

The electricity & electronics middle school “Mihajlo Pupin” Novi Sad

Mihajlo Pupin Novi Sad Eletronics Middle School Designing and building of electrical circuits, including simple digital boards and fixing all non-SMP low voltage devices, scheme and PCB design, primarily for audio devices.