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Marcelo ZapataSoftware Engineer
Marcelo ZapataXIV · alias for independent creative work

Software engineer · Publix. This page summarizes selected engineering work, original music, and related projects.

ProjectsExperienceMusic
Green Machine · research & automationTennis · RallyAudio · GATEKPT
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Experience

Software Engineer,
Publix.

Selected enterprise outcomes—verification, modernization, analytics, low-code, compliance, mentorship—organized by delivery phase.

  1. 2023 — present·full-time

    Software Engineer·Publix

    Enterprise software engineer across warehouse control modernization, deterministic QA automation, analytics platforms, regulated operations, and mentorship—with ownership expanding as foundational programs mature.

    • 2023–2024 · Lead QA for a multimillion-dollar conveyor / warehouse control software modernization delivered on a predominantly C# stack. Produced Playwright coverage the wider team adopted, routed suites through CI/CD, and guarded secrets via Azure Key Vault.
    • 2023–2024 · Implemented automated PDF test evidence tying screenshots and timestamps to what was exercised, attributable to pipelines and whoever triggered the validation—reducing ambiguity for release stakeholders.
    • 2025 · Data lake modernization connecting legacy warehouse systems to governed lake pipelines with explicit quality checks against faulty ingestion. Implemented Snowflake and Databricks processing patterns plus Power BI reports built on semantic models for consistent dashboards.
    • 2025 · Shipped sensitive on-site Power Apps experiences with full lifecycle ownership—integrations eliminated hundreds of hours of manual reconciliation—and consulted in facilities when solution fit depended on firsthand workflow detail.
    • 2025 · Composed Power Automate flows alongside APIs for logistics file handling so downstream vendors receive deterministic alerts whenever warehouse ingestion or reconciliation defects appear upstream.
    • 2025 · Lead support engineer for regulated controlled-substances software and file balance / adjustment monitoring spanning 40+ warehouses across Florida and adjacent regions.
    • Mentorship · Partnered across varied engineering depths to standardize disciplined AI-assisted development, layered testing strategies, pipelines, and prose documentation—guided by educator-trained habits of respectful knowledge transfer.
    • 2026 · After stabilization of analytics delivery, prioritized modernization of longstanding warehouse batch jobs—incrementally reconstructing foundational services through AI-assisted specification work (narrow slices, explicit acceptance criteria, regression discipline) while carrying broader accountability for warehouse-facing software.
    • C#
    • Azure
    • Playwright
    • Azure Key Vault
    • Snowflake
    • Databricks
    • Power BI
    • Power Apps
    • Power Automate
    • REST APIs
    • CI/CD
    Warehouses in scope
    40+
    Regulated workloads
    Yes
    Span
    2023→
Projects · the core

Three systems,
one operator.

Audio, markets, motion. Each project is a different lens on the same idea of building disciplined, immersive software outside the day job.

Systems · Lab

Engineering as
a creative practice.

A working summary of the technical surface area I keep sharp. Each card is something I’ve shipped, prototyped, or rebuilt from scratch — usually more than once.

Repositories shipped
12+
Languages in rotation
7
Active systems
3
Build cadence
nightly

DevOps mindset

Reproducible environments, scripted setup, CI as a first-class citizen.

Systems architecture

Designing for boundaries, contracts, and observability over premature cleverness.

Automation

Removing repetitive friction so creative bandwidth survives the week.

Modern frontend

React, Next.js, R3F, motion design — UI built like a product, not a deck.

Trading systems research

Probabilistic dashboards, volatility surfaces, macro-aware analytics.

Audio software

Web Audio + DAW integration experiments around assistant-driven workflows.

Rapid prototyping

Throwaway versions are the cheapest tool for clarity. Ship one, learn, redo.

Product instinct

I obsess over micro-interactions — the small details are the product.

architecture · projects-as-modules
v0.1
XIV_OS · shell
GATEKPT · audio
GREEN MACHINE · markets
RALLY · game
About

Marcelo Zapata
Software engineer.

Full-time software engineer at Publix. Outside formal role: independent work in software for music, markets, and games. Creative releases are sometimes credited as XIV.

The same standard applies to internal systems and personal projects: correct behavior first, maintainability second, presentation last.

Side work includes Green Machine—a discipline-first stack unifying automated markets research with risk-aware orchestration—as well as audio tooling (GATEKPT) and a tennis game concept (Rally). Music on this site is original composition.

focus areas
  • TypeScript · React · Next.js
  • Python · data pipelines
  • Markets & analytics
  • Audio & creative tools
  • Game prototypes

Systems & product

Reliable internals, clear boundaries, and interfaces people can trust.

Craft

Thoughtful UX on top of solid engineering — especially where tools get heavy use.

Music

Original composition,
Marcelo Zapata.

Music here is written and produced by Marcelo Zapata. It is separate from engineering work; the site uses it only as optional atmosphere.

original workcomposer & producer · M. Zapata

credit

Ambient audio on this site — including the piece titled XIV Ambiant — was composed, arranged, and recorded by Marcelo Zapata (Site score · Logic Pro). Used as optional ambient audio on this portfolio (Sound control, lower left).

Instrumentation is primarily guitar and bass, with occasional synthesizer for texture. Work is tracked in Logic; mixing favors restraint and clarity over spectacle.

waveform · illustrative
  • 01XIV Ambiantamb.—

Instrumentation

Electric and acoustic guitar, four-string bass, modest pedal work, and synthesizer where a part truly needs it.

Recording

Private facility, conservative monitoring levels, and edits that preserve performance rather than over-correcting it.

Use of work

This portfolio does not imply licensing for third-party use. For permission to use a recording, contact Marcelo directly.