Christoph (Dipl. Inform. (fh)) Thodte-Architect, Business Analyst, Developer
Check rate
Experience
Backend Software Developer (Java)
German Football Association (DFB) e. V.
- Client: Prime Force Group GmbH
Technologies used: Java 25, Spring Boot 4, MapStruct, JSpecify, PostgreSQL, Redis, Liquibase, REST/OpenAPI, Apache Kafka, Apache Solr, OpenID Connect via IronGate/Keycloak, SAP Customer Data Cloud, JUnit, Testcontainers, Karate, Playwright, GitLab monorepo with CI/CD, Jenkins, JFrog Artifactory, FluxCD, Docker, Kubernetes on Azure, OpenTelemetry, arc42, Jira, Confluence
The Team Management Center is the new central platform of the DFB for planning, managing, and carrying out team activities for the national teams - from squad selection and training camps to communication with players, clubs, and legal guardians. The platform is designed for multi-tenancy for the DFB and regional associations; player, club, and master data are intentionally not copied, but connected at runtime via the DFBnet APIs.
I have been involved in the project continuously since the architecture and concept phase (Sprint 0) and work in a distributed Scrum team in two-week sprints. In addition to implementation, my focus is on architecture alignment, connecting the DFBnet interfaces, as well as code reviews and test automation as quality assurance in the team.
Focus areas:
- Development and implementation of the multi-tenancy concept (tenant model for the DFB and regional associations), including data model, access layer, and Liquibase migrations.
- Design of the person service and the search concept based on Apache Solr.
- Integration of the DFBnet APIs (player, person, and club search, club data), including authentication and synchronous master data synchronization.
- Hardening the integration through resilience patterns: separate read timeouts for each search path, correction of circuit breaker counting, limiting parallel requests, and a club cache to reduce load on the external system.
- Development of self-service endpoints for players (own activities, activity details, games), including an access concept for participants, as well as person documents and file uploads.
- Standardization of API design: OpenAPI annotations, nullability model via a custom ModelConverter, JSpecify migration of the DTOs, and documented API guidelines.
- Build and maintenance of Karate-based API and integration tests, integration tests with Testcontainers, test guidelines, and bug triage from the integration and reference environments.
- Code reviews via merge requests, architecture documentation according to arc42, and architecture decisions (ADRs) in Confluence.
- Automated deployment to the integration and reference environments, analysis of login and OIDC issues in combination with IronGate.
Status: ongoing - as of 08/2026 in Sprint 17, around 940 person hours worked; testable delivery to the integration environment every two weeks.
Architect
VW FS AG
Certification
05/2024 Adobe Certified Master Sites Architect
04/2022 Adobe Sign Essentials
11/2018 Adobe Certified Expert AEM Dev/Ops Engineer
02/2018 Certified Professional for Software Architecture
07/2017 ACE AEM Architect
07/2017 Adobe Certified Expert – Adobe Experience Manager Form Developer
10/2007 Computer Science degree (Diploma)
AEMaaCS - Migration
Frameworks: AEMaaCS, AEM Assets, DynamicMedia
As part of the transition from AEM on-premise to AEM as a Cloud Service, I support the DEV and OPS teams in identifying relevant topics.
In cooperation with the Technical Account Manager (TAM), I work on elaborating authentication and authorization concepts to meet the specific requirements of a cloud application at VWFS.
Additionally, I provide technical expertise to assist in implementing the necessary tasks.
A key aspect of the migration involves managing AEM Assets and Dynamic Media.
For AEM Assets, I oversee the migration and optimization of existing assets such as images, videos, and documents to ensure seamless integration with the cloud environment.
Regarding Dynamic Media, I handle the integration and configuration of features that enable dynamic image and video delivery across multiple channels.
This includes ensuring high-performance media delivery, particularly for global markets, and creating renditions tailored to various device requirements, such as adaptive image sizes.
To ensure a successful migration, I develop a dedicated AEM test concept to guarantee code quality and product stability.
I also contribute to the setup of the CI/CD pipeline within AEM Cloud Manager, automating build and deployment processes.
Content migration is another critical task, involving the transfer of existing content to the cloud while optimizing it for better performance and ensuring proper indexing for search functionalities.
Performance analysis plays a vital role, especially in optimizing load times and overall system performance, with a specific focus on the delivery of assets and dynamic media.
Lastly, I set up and optimize a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to ensure fast and secure global content delivery.
Solutions-Designer, Architect, Developer
DFB
Frameworks: Spring Boot, OAuth2, Angular
Requirements analysis (creation of user stories), application design, unit tests, and code reviews for a portal that enables football teams to take part in competitions within the DFB. A nearshore team was guided to implement the individual work packages with Spring Boot.
Architect, Developer
Eurowings
- AEM Developing
- Frameworks: AEM 6.5 (on premise), Java
- I was responsible for the maintenance and ongoing development of an existing Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) system, ensuring its stability, performance, and adaptability to evolving business requirements.
- My work involved both troubleshooting and enhancing the system to support new features and functionality.
- Designed and implemented custom AEM components to meet specific business needs using Sling Models and HTL (HTML Template Language).
- Developed and integrated new interfaces to connect AEM with external systems and services, such as RESTful APIs and third-party applications.
- Focused on improving the overall code quality by identifying and implementing missing test cases leveraging JUnit and Mockito.
- Conducted performance analysis and made necessary adjustments to ensure that the AEM system operated efficiently under varying workloads.
- Proactively identified and resolved issues within the AEM system, addressing bugs and enhancing existing functionality.
- Worked closely with cross-functional teams, including front-end developers, QA testers, and stakeholders, to gather requirements.
- Documented all changes and new developments for long-term maintainability.
Architect/Developer
KfW
- AEM Forms consulting
- Frameworks: AEM 6.3 - 6.5 / AEM Forms, PDF, AF, Java
- Maintenance and development of new forms (PDF/AF) and processes.
Developer, Architect
BASF
- AEM Development
- Frameworks: AEM 5.6 / 6.3 - 6.5 / AEM Sites, AEM MSM, Spring Boot, Spring Security, AWS, Adobe CloudManager, Java, Junit, Mockito
- As an AEM Backend Developer, I was responsible for the comprehensive refactoring of the internet platform based on a multi-tenant architecture.
- Conducted an in-depth analysis of over 10 industry-specific websites to identify platform-specific requirements and align them with the new multi-tenant architecture.
- Designed and implemented structural changes to the backend to support scalability and managed critical upgrade tasks.
- Designed and developed Sling Models to map data from the JCR to Java objects.
- Implemented reusable and modular OSGi services and components for content processing and external API integrations.
- Built and configured custom workflows for content publishing, approval processes, and automated asset management.
- Leveraged AEM Servlets and Event Handlers to handle custom business logic.
- Migrated and optimized existing assets into the AEM Assets library and integrated Dynamic Media.
- Utilized AEM Multi-Site Manager (MSM) to streamline the management of content across multiple sites.
- Integrated external systems including SAP Hybris, SolR Search, and external job portals.
- Planned and executed a large-scale content migration from the legacy system using custom tools and scripts.
- Designed and implemented tools using Spring Boot and AWS, including a redirect management tool and a link-checking utility.
- Conducted performance analysis and fine-tuned AEM instances and configured Dispatcher caching.
- Partnered with customer departments to gather and analyze business requirements and translate them into technical solutions.
- Set up and optimized the CI/CD pipeline in the AEM environment.
Architect, Developer
Fraunhofer Gesellschaft
- AEM Forms Development
- Techniques: AEM Forms 6.2
- Development of components and interfaces to backend systems.
Architect, Business Analyst, Developer
Deutsche Telekom
- Solutions Designer/Developer for HR apps
- Frameworks: Java, Spring Boot, Cloud technologies, Digital Signatures, FE frameworks, OAuth2
- Requirements gathering and communication with the departments, resulting in the development and definition of epics/stories and work preparation for near-shore colleagues (Safe process model).
- Tests, deployment, and code reviews of the delivered work packages.
- Developer for Spring Boot applications with integration work packages for various interfaces such as SAP, middleware, printing center, DHL, and others.
- Implementation using the agile Kanban process model.
- Test-driven development.
- Artifacts were deployed and developed in Telekom's own cloud using Kubernetes and Helm.
Consultant
BASF
- AEM Content Consulting
- Techniques: AEM 6.0
- Consulting on content and content restructuring as well as content migration.
Backend Developer
Denkwerk
- Dev in CQ5 / AEM 6.0
- Techniques: CQ 5.6 (Java, OSGI, Sling, Components), AEM 6.0
- Web service integration as client and server.
- UI development (components, design, template) according to agency requirements and the related backend development (OSGI), localizations.
Developer
AJILA / CSCS
- Development of a business trip process
- Technologies: Adobe LC ES 4, Java, AngularJS, Spring, PDF form, XSD
- Creation of an LC process and a leading web application for applying for business trips.
Architect, Developer
COOP
- Development of a quiz tool in AEM Forms
- Technologies: AEM Forms 6.1, AEM Sites 6.1
- UI development (components, design, template) based on agency specifications and the related backend development (OSGI).
- Maintenance since 09/2016.
Developer
Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein / Baltic Sea Region
- Form development
- Technologies: LiveCycle Designer ES 4
- UI development with GWT and backend development with Spring for an economic simulation for teaching.
Developer
Finanz Informatik
- Development of form tests
- Technologies: Adobe LiveCycle, iText, Spring
- Complete project implementation of a system for regression testing of PDF forms in the financial sector.
Developer
Ajila
- GWT development
- Technologies: GWT 2.7 / Spring 4
- UI development with GWT and backend development with Spring for an economic simulation for teaching.
Developer
Kanton Aargau / AJILA
- PoC “EasyStip”
- Technologies: AEM 6.1 Forms, AEM Sites
- Created a PoC for capturing application data for a scholarship with connection to external interfaces, using AEM frontend development (components, design, template) and backend development.
Architect, Developer
Finanz Informatik (FI), German savings banks
- Automated form tests
- Technologies: Java, XML, Spring, iText, LiveCycle ES4, SOAP, Apache FOP
- Requirements gathering and preparation of specifications for automated form tests.
- Data entry, texts, and metadata are compared, evaluated, and stored.
- Output of reports as PDF.
- Maintenance and support.
Product Owner, Architect, Developer
City of Wiesbaden, insurance for railway officials
- Form management
- Technologies: Java, OSGI bundles, Apache Sling, XML, Spring, PDF forms, HTTP, iText
- Created a portal for managing forms based on open source AEM.
- The portal can deliver forms as well as receive and process returned data.
- Open architecture for custom extensions.
- Maintenance, further development, and cloud hosting.
Architect; Developer
Wüstenrot & Württembergische
- Development of forms and signatures
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Java (OSGI), Apache Felix, CQ5/AEM6, Adobe Experience Manager, LiveCycle Designer, electronic signatures
- Consulting and design of a newly set up forms system, including form design, form management, interfaces, and system integration.
- Extensive form development.
- Maintenance.
Developer
Finanz Informatik (FI), German savings banks
- XML tool development for forms
- Technologies: Java, SWT, XML, Google Guice, Maven
- Developed various XML tools to compare XML-based form descriptions and integrate them automatically into the FI environment.
- Maintenance and further development.
Developer
Berliner Wasserwerke
- PDF/A generation as a service
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES PDF Generator, Java (ImageMagick, XML), PDF/A
- Provision of a server-side PDF generation service with interfaces for various systems as clients.
- Consideration of PDF/A specifics and adjustment of the conversion according to customer requirements.
- Ongoing maintenance and consulting.
Consultant
Bundesagentur für Arbeit
- PDF consulting
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Java (GWT, Spring, JSP, REST, http, MySQL, JPA, jbpm), LiveCycle Designer, electronic signatures, Maven, Tomcat, SOAP
- Consulting on the creation of accessible documents.
- Support with form issues.
- Tool development for checking the validity of form versions.
- Requirement-based consulting and development.
Developer
Landwirtschaftl. Rentenbank, Frankfurt
- Generation of PDF documents
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Java (Spring, JSP, http, MySQL, JPA, jbpm), electronic signatures, Maven, Tomcat
- Development of an application for converting personalized documents for the board and supervisory board in a batch process.
- Use of Excel and Word files as input data.
- Batch conversion and individual encryption with certificates.
- Ongoing maintenance.
Developer
Finanz Informatik (FI), dt. Sparkassen
- Form development
- Technologies: Adobe LiveCycle Designer, XML, JavaScript, LiveCycle ES
- Design of forms and document templates according to FI-CI.
- Implementation of form logic with JavaScript.
- Creation of data population with XML.
- Consulting on the implementation, maintenance, and further development of a complex form system.
Developer
Haus der Bayrischen Wirtschaft, Bay. Umweltministerium, Berliner Wasserwerke
- PDF printer
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Java (GWT, Spring, JMS, REST, http, MySQL, JPA, jbpm), LiveCycle Designer, electronic signatures, Maven, Tomcat
- Development of a PDF printer for generating PDF from PostScript with Adobe LiveCycle.
- Implementation of special requirements such as templates, security features, and facsimile.
Developer
Lonex
- Development of an HTML5 app
- Technologies: HTML 5, Android, iOS, Adobe Phonegapp, Java (iText, Tomcat, REST), Adobe LiveCycle Designer
- Creation of PDF and HTML5 forms for filling in and retrieval through an app.
Architect, Developer
Gerichte Thüringen
- electronic incoming mail processes
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES PDF Generator, Java (Spring, JMS, REST, http, MySQL, JPA), electronic signatures, Maven, Tomcat, PDF/A, barcodes, SOAP
- Consulting on the design of an electronic incoming mail system (fax, paper, PDF) with archiving.
- Implementation of subcomponents such as PDF/A generation, barcode labels and transfer notes.
- Interface integration into specialist systems.
- Ongoing consulting and further development.
- Maintenance.
Developer
SMA
- Electronic signature processes and PDF generation
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES PDF Generator, PDF forms, signatures, web applications (Spring, Tomcat, JSP, JPA, HTML5), digital signatures, Excel macro, iText, SOAP
- Implementation of signature processes with PDFs.
- Provision of a PDF conversion system with a web application for PDF editing.
- Batch PDF generation from Excel tables and signing.
- Support and maintenance.
Consultant
Vattenfall Europe
- Correspondence creation
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Adobe Correspondence Management, LiveCycle Designer, XML, CQ5
- Consulting and partial implementation of requirements for integrating the Adobe product.
Developer
SMA, Federal Administrative Court, Berlin Waterworks
- Monitoring tool for conversion jobs
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Java (GWT, Spring, JMS, http, MySQL, JPA), Maven, Tomcat
- Development of a system for tracking conversion jobs with status details.
- Provision of analysis and filtering options through the interface.
Developer
StudiVZ
- Portal redesign
- Technologies: Java (GWT, REST, HTML5, JavaScript)
- Worked in the team on the redesign of the StudiVZ portal.
- Implemented the user interface with GWT and connected the backend systems.
Developer
Federal Administrative Court
- PDF generation and interfaces
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES PDF Generator, Java (Spring, JMS, ImageMagick, iText), web services (SOAP)
- Provided an interface for specialist systems for PDF generation (GO§A, VIS).
- Checked incoming documents and adjusted the conversion.
- Ongoing maintenance and consulting.
Adobe Product Support
Comparex
- Supported the helpdesk in answering customer questions about Adobe products (third-level support).
- Analysis, consulting, and communication with the vendor.
Architect, Developer
Saxony-Anhalt Public Transport Company
- Electronic application processing
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES, Java (GWT, Spring, JMS, REST, http, MySQL, JPA, jbpm), LiveCycle Designer, electronic signatures, Maven, Tomcat, Apache FOP, XSLT, XML, Alfresco, Sharepoint
- Developed a complex application process from incoming mail to issuing decisions with a workflow system.
- Used PDF forms, signatures, and XML.
- Web applications based on GWT-Spring.
- Ongoing development and maintenance using different DMS systems.
Consultant
Lidl, Fresenius, AIF, Federal Office for Freight Transport, Ministry of the Environment (Bavaria)
- LiveCycle and PDF consulting
- Technologies: LiveCycle ES
- Consulting on PDF and Adobe LiveCycle.
- Installation of LiveCycle systems as well as consulting on systems and architecture.
- Presales consulting on behalf of Comparex, Leipzig.
- Training sessions and workshops.
Developer
Siemens
- Form development
- Technologies: LiveCycle Designer, XML
- Form development for Siemens employees with a large data base.
- Conversion from Excel to XML for static filling of the forms.
Industry experience
See where this freelancer has spent most of their professional time.
Experienced in Information Technology, Government and Administration, Banking and Finance, Telecommunication, Utilities, and Chemical.
Business area experience
See which departments and functions this freelancer has contributed to most.
Experienced in Information Technology, Product Development, Customer Service, Human Resources, Marketing, and Quality Assurance.
Summary
I am a graduate computer scientist, an iSAQB-certified software architect, and have been working as a Java developer for over 15 years. My focus is on backend applications with Java and Spring Boot: service-oriented architectures, connecting external systems via REST and Kafka, and securing implementations through automated tests.
At the moment, I am developing the Team Management Center (TMC) for the German Football Association, the central platform for team activities of the national teams. There I am responsible for multi-tenancy, the connection to the DFBnet interfaces, and the API design standards based on Java 25, Spring Boot 4, and Spring Modulith.
I work in a test-driven way with JUnit, Testcontainers, and Karate, and I see code reviews as a fixed part of daily work. Through my experience in automation and standardization of processes, I design complex systems efficiently: GitLab, Docker, CI/CD pipelines, and running systems in cloud environments such as Kubernetes are part of my everyday work.
In addition, I bring many years of experience in Enterprise Content Management (Adobe Experience Manager) as well as in working with PDF technologies and digital signatures.
My ability to identify complex problems and develop effective solutions, combined with my reliability and my willingness to always go the extra mile, help me complete projects successfully and promote team success.
Customers and colleagues appreciate my communicative, cooperative, empathetic, and solution-oriented way of working.
Skills
Specialization
Software Architect
Developer
Enterprise Architect
Industries
Technology
Finance
Public Sector
Technologies
Java 25 / Spring Boot 4
Kafka / Rest / Openapi
Kubernetes / Gitlab
Languages
Education
Graduate Computer Scientist (University of Applied Sciences) · Computer Science
Certifications & licenses
Adobe Certified Master – AEM Sites Architect
adobe.com
Adobe Sign Essentials
adobe.com
Adobe Certified Expert AEM Dev/Ops Engineer
adobe.com
Ace AEM Architect
Adobe Certified Expert – Adobe Experience Manager Form Developer
Statistics
Experience
Global experience
Expertise
Qualifications
Profile
Frequently asked questions
Have questions? Find more information here.
Christoph is based in Magdeburg, Germany.
Christoph speaks the following languages: German (Native), English (Advanced).
Christoph has at least 18 years of experience. During this time, Christoph has worked in at least 13 different roles and for 34 different companies. The average length of individual experience is 1 year and 6 months. Note that Christoph may not have shared all experience and actually has more experience.
Based on recent experience, Christoph would be well-suited for roles such as: Backend Software Developer (Java), Architect, Solutions-Designer, Architect, Developer.
Christoph's most recent position is Backend Software Developer (Java) at German Football Association (DFB) e. V..
In recent years, Christoph has worked for German Football Association (DFB) e. V., VW FS AG, DFB, Eurowings, and KfW.
Christoph is most experienced in industries like Information Technology, Government and Administration, and Banking and Finance. Christoph also has some experience in Telecommunication, Utilities, and Chemical.
Christoph is most experienced in business areas like Information Technology, Product Development, and Customer Service. Christoph also has some experience in Human Resources, Marketing, and Quality Assurance.
Christoph has recently worked in industries like Government and Administration, Information Technology, and Banking and Finance.
Christoph has recently worked in business areas like Information Technology, Customer Service, and Product Development.
Christoph holds a Bachelor in Computer Science.
Christoph has 6 certificates. Among them, these include: Adobe Certified Master – AEM Sites Architect, Adobe Sign Essentials, and Adobe Certified Expert AEM Dev/Ops Engineer.
Christoph is immediately available full-time for suitable projects.
Daily rate distribution
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Average rates for similar positions
Rates are based on recent contracts and do not include FRATCH margin.
The average daily rate is the mean of all daily rates from recent contracts of comparable freelancers on our platform.
The median daily rate is the middle value of all daily rates — half of comparable freelancers charge less, half charge more. Unlike the average, it is barely affected by outliers.
Calculated based on our freelancers’ daily rates as of 7 Sep 2026. Actual rates may vary depending on seniority level, experience, skill specialization, project complexity, and engagement length.
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