Hi, I'm Thelma Chitsa. I turn complex business problems into elegant software.

Full Stack (Pty) Ltd · Cape Town

• Manage and develop an org-wide in-house operations platform covering timesheets, leave, backlogs, and project performance, fully adopted and streamlining daily delivery by 40%.
• Tech Lead on a Python recommendation engine using RAG, ML, and LLM APIs (Azure OpenAI: GPT, Claude, Llama) with an Ollama fallback and an API Gateway, powering personalised recommendations for a global fitness app.
• Build secure Python Retrieval-Augmented Generation systems integrating Azure DevOps, SQL, and Dev Lake to strengthen the project knowledge base and tracking.
• Contribute to front- and back-end integration of multiple payment gateways across 6+ international regions in .NET and Kotlin Multiplatform.
• Craft detailed functional specifications and architecture documents that improved project analysis by 25%, bridging business and tech stakeholders.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams across project delivery and mentor junior engineers.

Full Stack (Pty) Ltd · Cape Town

• Designed and built a wellness application for insurance clients using React Native, ASP.NET Core, Umbraco, and Azure.
• Spearheaded financial-advisor website development with React, JavaScript, Umbraco CMS, and C#.
• Optimised and deployed a Plotly Dash Data Warehouse Exchange platform, containerised with Docker and orchestrated on Kubernetes for production-ready data handling.
• Owned the proof-of-concept and full integration of the WhatsApp Business API into a Blazor .NET property platform, replacing costly third-party messaging providers.
• Led cross-platform 3D animated graphics rendering enhancements for mobile applications in React Native.
• Configured and maintained CI/CD pipelines and managed the product backlog in Azure DevOps and Jira in an Agile environment.

Crest Chemicals · Remote

• Led Zoho One adoption across multiple departments, increasing company efficiency by 30%.
• Developed the company website and managed its domains end-to-end.
• Resolved 95% of IT requests promptly through multiple channels.
• Administered IT systems and enforced adherence to governance processes, escalating issues to higher tiers when needed.
• Sourced cost-effective software and hardware from third-party vendors, keeping inventory adequately stocked and licences up to date.
• Prepared detailed reports on operations and industry trends to inform leadership decisions.

Full Stack (Pty) Ltd · Cape Town

• Completed the Full Stack Developer Winter Internship Programme.
• Contributed to a cross-platform 3D animated mobile app, resulting in client approval and launch within 6 months.
• Built Python proof-of-concept scripts to support data exploration, internal tooling, and feature validation across project delivery cycles.
• Managed and updated a product backlog in Azure DevOps in an Agile environment.

Hout Bay United Football Community · Cape Town

• Optimised the club's website for SEO to grow its digital reach.
• Integrated Netcash to enable online donations.
• Built an online shop for merchandise sales, opening a new revenue channel.

Rhodes University · Grahamstown

• Tutored 16 first-year Computer Science students, lifting overall student success by 50% through personalised sessions.
• Graded assignments and gave constructive feedback to support student development.
• Hosted hands-on practical sessions to complement theoretical coursework.

B2C Coworking · Harare, Zimbabwe

• Built social-media chatbot integrations that raised the company's profile and awareness.
• Supported day-to-day managerial duties in the co-working space.

Munster Technological University · Cork, Ireland

Coursework in Software Architecture, Software Agility, and Cloud Services (AWS Lambda, DynamoDB, CloudWatch), with practical Python modules in cloud and distributed systems.

University of Cape Town · Cape Town

Published research paper in the Springer Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) book series; served as IS Honours Systems Development Project Manager.

Rhodes University · Grahamstown

Graduated with distinction in Information Systems; IS3 Systems Development Project Manager and recipient of the Rhodes Honours Degree Scholarship.