About me

I am an engineering leader with a passion for developing people and products. With many years of experience leading development teams, I see my primary role as empowering my team and paving their way to success.

I thrive at the intersection of technology and organization. I support teams in building efficient workflows and guide projects from concept to completion. In doing so, I prioritize an environment based on transparency, fairness, and harmonious collaboration. By actively coaching, mentoring, and removing obstacles, I create the conditions for every team member to grow and, together, develop the best possible solutions.

Here you can learn more about me and my work.

Résumé

Download Résumé in English Download Résumé in German

Experience

  1. VP Tech | sofatutor

    2025 — present

    Leading the tech organization at sofatutor and revolutionizing the digital learning landscape.

  2. Engineering Manager | Facebook (Meta)

    2022 — 2025

    Led a 13-person team for identity theft detection. Increased team satisfaction from 20% to 92% and significantly increased team productivity.

  3. Senior Engineering Manager | Spotify

    2018 — 2022

    Managed 30 developers and 5 EMs for the "Car Thing" hardware product, from concept to launch. Established team health initiatives and supported recruiting.

  4. Senior Engineering Manager | Klarna

    2018 — 2018

    Served as interim lead for two teams, built a new high-security infrastructure team, and developed a developer self-service portal on AWS.

  5. Senior Manager IT Due Diligence & Data | ProSiebenSat.1

    2015 — 2017

    Led over 40 M&A reviews, served as Interim CTO at The ADEX GmbH, and led the technical development of the "Addressable TV" project.

  6. Head of Development & IT | wywy

    2012 — 2015

    Built and led an international team of 15 developers, architected a second-screen app, and introduced robust on-call and self-healing systems.

  7. Lead Developer and Technical Director | Travian Games GmbH

    2009 — 2012

    Lead developer in the Tools team, introduced Scrum, and oversaw the launch of "Remanum". Later as Technical Director provided technical leadership for 25+ developers.

  8. Senior and Lead Developer - Stahlgruber GmbH

    2002 — 2008

    Led the project to transform the terminal-based ERP system to a browser-based solution and later replaced it with a Linux based system.

  9. IT Specialist for Software Engineering - Wessels & Müller

    1998 — 2002

    Developed mainframe-based logistics applications.

Education

  1. IT Specialist for Application Development (Fachinformatiker)

    Wessels & Müller AG | 1998 — 2001

    Completed a formal German apprenticeship, combining work experience and vocational training in software development.

  2. Abitur (University-Entrance Diploma)

    Goethe-Gymnasium Ibbenbüren | 1989 — 1998

    Successfully completed the highest level of German secondary school education, qualifying for university admission.

My Skills

  • Engineering Leadership
    90%
  • Tech Strategy & Architecture
    85%
  • Product Development
    80%
  • Agile Methodologies
    75%

Languages

  • German
    100%
  • English
    90%
  • Swedish
    50%

Imprint (Legal Notice)

Information according to § 5 TMG (German Telemedia Act)

René Bruns
Schmid-Wirt-Weg 2
82284 Grafrath
Germany

Contact

Phone: +49 171 6419658
Email: rene@renebruns.de

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Data Controller
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René Bruns
Schmid-Wirt-Weg 2
82284 Grafrath, Germany
Email: rene@renebruns.de
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