Software Engineer, Critical Systems, Distributed Backends, Computational Mechanics
I build backend systems where reliability is part of the feature.
I’m Erik Rodriguez, a Brazilian software engineer at Banco do Brasil. I work on critical transactional systems, including the bank-wide credit limit platform, and on modernization efforts that move business flows from the mainframe into cloud services. More recently, that has also included practical AI work inside software delivery: building agents and skills, exploring LangChain4j and RAG patterns, and helping teammates use these tools without dropping engineering discipline.
This site is where I keep the longer version: projects, research, writing, and the details behind the bullet points.
Current Work
Most of my day-to-day work is backend engineering under real operational constraints: Java and Quarkus services, REST and gRPC APIs, Kafka, integration-heavy workflows, relational databases, Redis, Kubernetes, OpenShift, and production support when the timing is bad and the margin for error is small.
That mix is what keeps me interested. The technical depth matters, but so does the collaborative part: turning messy situations into shared understanding and helping a team move without unnecessary drama.
How I Work
I like working in teams where clarity is treated as part of the craft. I try to communicate plainly, listen carefully, and keep discussions grounded in tradeoffs instead of ego.
A lot of engineering comes down to discernment: what needs precision right now, what can wait, and how to help colleagues move with confidence. I care about that part as much as the code itself.
Background
Before software became my main job, I trained as a mechanical engineer and completed a master’s in computational mechanics at UFRGS. That background still shapes how I think: start with a model, make assumptions explicit, and test the awkward cases instead of hand-waving through them.
It also left me with a healthy respect for failure modes. I like systems that are understandable, instrumented, and honest about their constraints.
Outside Work
Outside work I spend time with my cats, listen to jazz, play role-playing games, cook, practice saxophone, and try to become less embarrassing at chess.