Alvaro Enrique Ruano

Technology Director | Guatemala City, Guatemala

Technology Director with 15+ years leading engineering organizations across enterprise SaaS, regulated industries, and banking. Engineering degree, Master of Finance, and MBA — a combination that bridges technical depth with financial rigor and business strategy.

Proven record scaling cloud-native platforms on AWS and Azure, directing teams from startup to enterprise scale, and representing technology at the C-suite level. Experienced in multi-tenant B2B SaaS architecture, DevOps transformation, and engineering budget ownership.

Core technical expertise in cloud infrastructure, AWS serverless development, TypeScript/Node.js, software architecture, CI/CD automation, and enterprise platforms, with additional experience in C#/.NET environments.

Experience

Director of Engineering

Relish
January 2022 – Present
Lead technology strategy and execution for a multi-tenant enterprise procurement SaaS platform, overseeing software engineering, DevOps, architecture, and QA. Report to the CTO; also served as interim VP of Engineering (February – December 2024), reporting directly to the CEO during a critical growth period.

  • Scaled engineering organization through critical growth phases; established architectural standards and development practices for multi-tenant SaaS expansion
  • Drove cloud infrastructure cost optimization with direct impact on operational margins
  • Implemented CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and observability practices across cloud environments
  • Managed vendor relationships, engineering budget, and cross-functional alignment with Product, InfoSec, and Customer Support
Technical Environment: Multi-tenant SaaS architecture, cloud infrastructure, JavaScript/TypeScript, CI/CD, automated testing, observability, vendor integrations
January 2022 – Present

Software Engineering Manager

Conduent
February 2017 – January 2022
Led a team of 14 developers and QA specialists on a mission-critical Workers Compensation SaaS platform, with full accountability for delivery, quality, and team performance.

  • Directed strategic migration from legacy .NET Web Forms to cloud-native Angular applications on Azure
  • Implemented SDLC standards, CI/CD pipelines, and DevOps practices that reduced deployment cycle times across all platform components
  • Managed data ingestion pipelines (XML, ANSI X12, PDF), BI reporting (Crystal Reports, SAP Business Objects), and multi-state regulatory compliance systems
  • Served as technical liaison translating complex compliance requirements into actionable engineering roadmaps for business stakeholders
Technical Environment: .NET Framework, .NET Core, Angular, Azure DevOps, C#, SQL Server, ANSI X12, Crystal Reports, SAP Business Objects
February 2017 – January 2022

Business Analyst

Conduent
April 2015 – February 2017
Technical bridge between engineering teams and business stakeholders for Workers Compensation SaaS platforms serving state government compliance reporting across the USA. Acted as technical product owner, defining requirements for compliance-focused solutions, managing delivery priorities, and supporting platform operations across multiple state jurisdictions.

Technical Environment: SQL Server, VB.NET, C#, Team Foundation Services
April 2015 – February 2017

Senior Software Developer

Banco Agromercantil de Guatemala
August 2011 – March 2015
Progressed from developer to technical lead within 3.5 years, directing a team of 6 on mission-critical enterprise banking systems.

  • Led COBOL-to-.NET modernization initiatives and third-party e-Banking integrations
  • Delivered ETL solutions for Business Objects BI platform and core banking modules (COBIS)
  • Coordinated with Software Architects to establish technical standards; managed project planning (Microsoft Project) and production support
Technical Environment: .NET Framework, C#, SQL Server, COBOL, Business Objects, COBIS
August 2011 – March 2015

Education

ENAE Business School

Master of Business Administration
2015 - n/a
2015 - n/a

Universidad Rafael Landívar

Master of Finance
(See Credential)
2013 - 2015
  • Academic Excellence Diploma
2013 - 2015

Universidad Rafael Landívar

Information Systems Engineering
(See Credential)
2008 - 2013
  • Magna Cum Laude
  • Excellence in Values Award 2012 - Asociación de Estudiantes de Ingeniería (AEI)
2008 - 2013

Certifications

Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate

Microsoft
(See Credential)
March 2021 - March 2023

Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals

Microsoft
(See Credential)
May 2021

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

Microsoft
(See Credential)
November 2020

Collaborations

Selected open source collaborations and published technical contributions.

Interests

Technology strategy, global travel, international cuisine, and cinema.