Co-Leading TUM.ai's Software Department
In March 2026, I stepped into the role of Head of Software Development at TUM.ai alongside another co-lead. Together we share the responsibility of running the department after four months of shipping features, establishing engineering standards, and proving that student initiative software doesn't have to feel like student project work.
The role is part tech lead, part engineering manager, part product owner for internal tooling. We set the technical direction for all of TUM.ai's software products, manage the development team, and make sure the platforms we build actually serve the 140+ members, alumni, sponsors, and applicants who depend on them. When application season hits or a Makeathon goes live, our systems need to perform, and that responsibility sits with our team.
What I'm responsible for
The role spans three pillars: leading the people, owning the technical vision, and delivering the platforms that keep TUM.ai running.
Team Leadership
Managing a team of student developers across multiple projects. Running code reviews, sprint planning, and onboarding new members into production workflows with real stakes.
Technical Direction
Owning architecture decisions, stack choices, and engineering standards across all TUM.ai software products. From database schemas to deployment pipelines, the technical direction runs through this role.
Platform Ownership
Full ownership of TUM.ai's digital infrastructure: the public website, the internal member manager, and the recruiting platform we're building to handle the initiative's growing application volume.
Current Focus: Recruiting Platform
Our flagship project right now is an internal recruiting and screening tool that streamlines TUM.ai's entire application and interview process. With application volumes growing every semester, the previous temporary solution was no longer sustainable, so we're building a proper platform from the ground up.
Application Lifecycle Management
A full-stack platform covering the entire recruiting pipeline: applicant screening with expertise-based reviewer matching, structured scoring, interview management, and long-term data persistence across recruiting cycles. Designed so each semester's recruiting leads inherit a working system instead of starting from scratch.
The tool is a collaboration between the dev team and the recruiting taskforce, with contributors from across the initiative. It replaces scattered spreadsheets and one-off solutions with a unified platform that the entire organization can rely on.
Building on foundations
The shift from individual contributor to department lead changed what "done" means. As a developer, done was a merged PR. As head, done is a team that ships confidently, a codebase that new members can onboard into without hand-holding, and platforms that stakeholders trust.
I still write code. This isn't a pure management role. But the leverage comes from multiplying the team's output: better architecture decisions that prevent rework, clearer priorities that reduce context switching, and engineering culture that attracts strong contributors to a volunteer org.
Strategic Planning
Translating initiative-wide goals into engineering roadmaps. Prioritizing features against limited volunteer bandwidth and aligning delivery with event calendars, application seasons, and partner commitments.
Cross-Department Coordination
Working with the recruiting taskforce, AI E-Lab, Makeathon, and Academy leads to ensure the software team builds what the initiative actually needs, not just what looks good on a backlog.
Mentorship & Growth
Growing junior developers into confident contributors. Pairing sessions, architecture walkthroughs, and honest code reviews that teach engineering judgment, not just syntax.
Want to see more?
Check out the projects and resources I've built along the way.