Manuel Novoa
Senior Software Engineer
14+ Years Shipping Production Software
novoa.pro@gmail.com · +1 813 408 3487 · Tampa, FL
About
Why I Build
I'm an engineer because I like to build things. I thrive on learning something new and applying it to solve a real problem — that's what gets me out of bed. Whether it's shipping Android apps to millions of merchants, designing enterprise security SDKs for Fortune 100 fleets, or wiring sensors into my home's plumbing, the thread is always the same: understand the problem deeply, pick the right tools, and build something that actually works.
At staff level, that also means leading people — running cross-functional squads across Android, iOS, backend, design, and product, while staying just as invested in the growth and motivation of the engineers on the team as in the technical outcome. This space is a presentation of some of those things — the professional work and the personal projects that keep me sharp.
Recent Focus
Since late 2025, I've been building production-grade personal projects that solve real problems in my daily life — from IoT hardware monitoring my home's irrigation system to AI-powered smart home automation to a full interactive learning platform with multi-agent AI. These projects gave me deep hands-on experience with MCP, multi-model LLM integration (Claude, OpenAI, Gemini), and AI-assisted engineering with Claude Code.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Where I've Built
Block Inc (Square)
Staff Android Engineer
Jan 2022 – Feb 2026 · Remote
Square for Android
10M+ downloads · 4.6★ on Google Play
- — Squad Lead for cross-functional teams (Android, iOS, backend, design, PM) delivering international expansion and unified POS onboarding across all Square verticals — Appointments, Restaurants, Retail, and Standard
- — Led connected scales UK/AU + refund with card via remote Square Terminal CA
- — Designed Android setup guide component used across all POS verticals
- — Overhauled printed receipt framework improving rendering performance
- — Designed async transaction model for Latin America + Japan alternative payment methods
- — Championed engineer growth within squads — mentoring, pairing, and ensuring team members stayed motivated and on track with their development goals
VMware
Staff Engineer / Sr. Member of Technical Staff
Dec 2016 – Dec 2021 · Atlanta, GA
Workspace ONE Android SDK
Technical Lead · 10M+ managed devices
- — Technical Lead for Workspace ONE Android SDK architecture/roadmap/delivery
- — Designed enterprise security: Mutual TLS OCSP certificate verification + Dynamic Root/Compromise Detection
- — Built DLP features and secure communication libraries (HTTPS OCSP mTLS)
- — Represented VMware with Fortune 100 clients (Walmart CVS Target) leading remediation planning
- — Mentored and onboarded new engineers on mobile platform team
Pegasus TransTech
Software Engineer
May 2014 – Nov 2016 · Tampa, FL
TRANSFLO Mobile+
8 apps published to Google Play
- — Published 7 Android apps on Google Play reaching 150,000+ active users
- — Developed TRANSFLO Mobile Plus high-throughput document scanning for trucking
- — Designed modular scan workflow API enabling external apps to embed scanning
What I've Been Building
Production-grade projects solving real problems — built end-to-end with Claude Code and AI-assisted engineering.
Feb 2025 – Present
Notebook
AI-Augmented Interactive Learning Platform
A full-stack platform where AI agents create, manage, and evaluate rich interactive educational content — from Markdown to rendered React components.
Dec 2025 – Present
CompAI
HomeKit MCP Server & AI Workflow Engine
A native macOS menu bar app that exposes Apple HomeKit devices through MCP, with an AI-powered automation engine that turns natural language into real device workflows.
Nov 2025 – Dec 2025
IrriGo
IoT Smart Irrigation Guard
End-to-end IoT system — from C++ firmware on an Arduino reading water pressure sensors to a real-time React dashboard — protecting a home irrigation system.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
What I Work With
Languages
Mobile
Frontend
Backend
AI & LLM
Data & Infra
IoT & Hardware
Enterprise
EDUCATION
Academic Background
M.S. Computer Science — Computing Systems
Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA
2021
B.S. Computer Science
Universidad de las Ciencias Informáticas
Havana, Cuba
2012