Marco Santana

About

With over 25 years in software engineering, I have built a career spanning full-stack development, database architecture, cloud infrastructure, and technical leadership — from enterprise platforms at Microsoft Brazil to telemedicine systems, e-procurement SaaS, and machine-learning products at H2O.ai.

Today I design and ship production software across TypeScript, Dart, and Swift. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, I shipped a multi-tenant SaaS platform, a cross-platform music notation ecosystem (iPad + macOS App Store), a community directory for a Brazilian coastal village, and a developer feedback SDK.

I value pragmatic design, clean code, and work that makes a tangible difference.

Languages: Portuguese (native) · English (full professional) · Spanish (elementary)

Projects

Braxum

Multi-tenant SaaS platform with strong financial, SGA, and CRM modules. Full production system with role-based access control (5 roles), TOTP two-factor authentication, D3.js data visualization dashboards, drag-and-drop Kanban boards, vehicle inspection module with S3 uploads, and a 4-stage test pyramid. Dual-cloud Terraform infrastructure on AWS and GCP with Docker CI/CD.

Next.js 16 TypeScript PostgreSQL Drizzle D3.js Terraform Docker

Chordo

Cross-platform music notation ecosystem shipped to the iPad and macOS App Store. Renders ICLF chord sheets with syllable-precise alignment, features a dual-panel visual chord editor, voicing calculator, tag-based song organization, and instrument-aware rendering. Built on a custom music theory engine with key detection, Roman numeral analysis, and transposition.

Dart Flutter iPad macOS App Store

ICLF Standard

Inline Chorded Lyrics Format — an open plain-text specification for notating song lyrics with precisely positioned chords. Designed for human readability so musicians can open an .iclf file and play instantly. Supports syllable-precise chord alignment, extensible metadata directives, and accessibility for screen readers.

Specification CC BY 4.0

ICLF Parser

A Dart library that parses and validates ICLF files into structured data models. Classifies documents as valid, invalid, or recoverable — applying automatic corrections where possible. Includes a ChordMatcher for cross-ecosystem chord validation and a CLI for rendering chord sheets.

Dart Parsing CLI MIT

Music Theory

A Dart package and CLI providing programmatic access to music theory — notes, intervals, chords, instruments, voicing calculation, key detection, Roman numeral analysis, transposition, and capo suggestions. Serves as the theoretical foundation for the Chordo ecosystem.

Dart CLI Music Theory MIT

Ponta da Barra Info

Community directory for a coastal village in Laguna, SC, Brazil. Helps locals and tourists find service providers, transport schedules, and trails. Offline-first with bundled data, SQLite WASM for web, responsive hero carousel, and trilingual support (Portuguese, English, Spanish).

Flutter Cloudflare Pages SQLite WASM Multilingual

Experience

Jan 2025 – Present Santa Catarina, Brazil

Designing, building, and shipping production software across multiple platforms — web, mobile, and desktop. Offline-first architectures, internationalized interfaces, and thorough test coverage across unit, widget, integration, and end-to-end layers.

Braxum — Multi-tenant SaaS with strong financial, SGA, and CRM modules. Next.js 16, TypeScript, PostgreSQL, Drizzle ORM. RBAC with 5 roles, TOTP 2FA, D3.js dashboards, 4-stage test pyramid, Terraform on AWS and GCP, Docker CI/CD.
Chordo — Music notation ecosystem with open-source libraries. Designed the ICLF specification for plain-text chord sheets. Parser library, music theory engine (key detection, voicing calculator, transposition), and cross-platform Flutter app shipped to iPad and macOS App Store. 4 repositories.
Alpha Tester — Embeddable feedback SDK for web apps. Turborepo monorepo, Next.js ingest API, Stripe-model API keys, rate limiting, CORS.
Ponta da Barra Info — Community directory for a Brazilian coastal village. Flutter Web on Cloudflare Pages. Offline-first with SQLite WASM, multilingual (PT/EN/ES).

TypeScript Dart Next.js Flutter PostgreSQL D3.js Terraform Docker GitHub Actions AWS GCP Cloudflare

Apr 2024 – Dec 2024

Focused period after four years at H2O.ai. Designed the ICLF chord notation specification and built the first prototypes of the Chordo ecosystem — parser library, music theory engine, and cross-platform app.

May 2020 – Apr 2024 · 4 years Laguna, SC, Brazil

Built and maintained the user interface for H2O.ai's machine-learning platform in React and TypeScript. Developed shared component libraries, collaborated closely with design and backend teams, and contributed to internal developer tooling.

React TypeScript Storybook Fluent UI Go Buf.Build Adobe XD

Aug 2018 – Apr 2020 · 1 year 9 months Florianópolis, Brazil

Designed and implemented solutions for a North American e-procurement SaaS platform, progressing from senior engineer to team lead.

Technical Team Lead

Sep 2019 – Apr 2020

Led the team designing and implementing Dynamic Form Build Generation, WAND Taxonomy, and AWS Lambda/Gateway services. Onboarded new developers, provided day-to-day technical support to the team, and led grooming and planning meetings.

Senior Full Stack Engineer

Aug 2018 – Sep 2019

Designed and implemented solutions with Dynamic Form Build Generation, WAND Taxonomy, and AWS Lambda/Gateway services.

AWS Lambda API Gateway Node.js React

Mar 2018 – Sep 2018 · 7 months Florianópolis, Brazil

Built web applications for the civil engineering and construction industry.

Node.js MongoDB Angular

May 2015 – Mar 2018 · ~3 years Florianópolis, Brazil

Architected and developed a progressive web application for telemedicine. Managed multi-cloud infrastructure spanning IBM SoftLayer, AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Supported hiring and onboarding of technical staff.

ASP.NET Web API Entity Framework SQL Server AngularJS AWS Azure Google Cloud

May 2014 – May 2015 Laguna, Brazil

Co-founded and built a surf-related web platform from the ground up.

Node.js MongoDB PHP AWS NGINX

Oct 2014 – Feb 2015

Designed and built web solutions using WordPress, AWS, PHP, Node.js, and AngularJS.

Jan 2014 – Jun 2014

Migrated GIS features from Flash/ActionScript to JavaScript. Built Google Maps V3 integration for geospatial data visualization.

JavaScript Google Maps V3

Oct 2010 – Mar 2014

Freelance role focused on feature development, database performance optimization, and rewriting complex data routines.

Nov 2008 – Sep 2010 Florianópolis, Brazil

Led architecture and development of NFSe (electronic invoice) and time-clock systems. Mentored developers, conducted technical interviews, and served as interim engineering manager.

Jun 2007 – Oct 2008 Joinville, Brazil

Built a web-based GPS tracking system with real-time Google Maps integration for public transit monitoring.

ASP.NET SQL Server Google Maps

Apr 2008 – Jun 2008 Joinville, Brazil

Taught a 200-hour Microsoft .NET course covering C#, ASP.NET, and ORM fundamentals. Achieved 100% positive student feedback.

1998 – 2004 · 6 years São Paulo, Brazil

Six years at Microsoft spanning four roles, progressing from technical evangelism to innovation center management.

Innovation Center Program Manager

2002 – 2004

Selected and mentored top-performing students to build .NET applications. Managed innovation centers across six Brazilian cities: São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Curitiba, Porto Alegre, Recife, and Fortaleza.

Account Technical Specialist

2001 – 2002

Engaged with IT departments at assigned accounts, identified sales opportunities through technology assessment, and served as a liaison between support and technical teams.

Applications Engineer

1999 – 2001

Created training materials for the Microsoft Partners Channel. Supported line-of-business application development across enterprise verticals.

Seminar Group Member

1998 – 1999

Developed scenarios and delivered seminars on Microsoft technology nationwide.

Skills

Languages

TypeScript Dart Swift JavaScript C# / .NET Go SQL HTML / CSS

Frameworks & Platforms

Next.js React Flutter SwiftUI Node.js watchOS D3.js Drizzle ORM

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS Google Cloud Cloudflare Terraform Docker GitHub Actions Linux NGINX

Data & Databases

PostgreSQL SQLite SQL Server MongoDB Redis GRDB Data Modeling

Architecture & Practices

System Architecture API Design P2P / CRDTs Offline-First Multi-Tenancy Technical Leadership Test Pyramids

Recommendations

Marco is an exceptional professional with deep knowledge and remarkable technical command. He possesses the rare ability to convey complex ideas with clarity, making him an outstanding communicator and collaborator. His work is consistently of the highest quality, and his commitment to excellence is evident in everything he does. I wholeheartedly recommend Marco for any team looking for a talented, dedicated, and thoughtful engineer.

Claudio Fernando Maciel

CTO, Brokerme

I had the pleasure of working with Marco at Microsoft Brazil. He is a focused, hard-working professional with deep expertise across databases, web development, and software architecture. Marco is always eager to learn and share knowledge, and he brings a rare combination of technical skill and genuine teamwork. Any organization would benefit from his contributions.

Rob Ranches

BI Architect / Data Scientist, Bausch Health

Marco is an extraordinary professional with solid expertise in software development and architecture. He approaches every project with diligence, creativity, and a genuine desire to deliver the best possible solution. His ability to work across technologies and lead teams makes him an invaluable asset. I highly recommend him.

Jean Paulo da Silva Ramos

CEO, Ecovilas

Volunteer Work

SOS Gravatá

Creator, Developer & Maintainer

Oct 2013 – 2020

Environmental protection initiative that successfully defended coastal ecosystems and aquifer areas in the Gravatá region of Santa Catarina from unauthorized construction. Built and maintained the project's web presence, community outreach tools, and coordinated public awareness campaigns. The campaign achieved its goal — the construction was permanently stopped.

Sustainable Homesteading

Homesteader & Environmental Steward

2022 – Present · 4+ years

Four years of hands-on sustainable land management in the Atlantic Forest region of Santa Catarina. Practicing polyculture, permaculture, and agro-pasture-forest integration. Planting and nurturing native trees, caring for fruit and native sprouts with community donations, and active forest protection. Zero trees cut down, zero chemical inputs used. Learning and applying regenerative agriculture principles to restore and protect local biodiversity.

Education

FECAP — Fundação Escola de Comércio Álvares Penteado

Data Processing Technology

1993 – 1995

Certifications

Designing Desktop Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0

Exam 70-176

Designing Distributed Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0

Exam 70-175

Collaborative Solutions with MS Outlook 2000 / Exchange Server 5.5

Exam 70-105

About

Projects

Braxum

Chordo

ICLF Standard

ICLF Parser

Music Theory

Ponta da Barra Info

Experience

Independent Software Engineer

Independent Study & Prototyping

H2O.ai

BairesDev

Softplan

Portal Telemedicina

Guru das Ondas

Fresh Media

Geogrid Maps

Intersena

Cetil Sistemas

Imagem Tecnologia

SOCIESC

Microsoft Brasil