// hello, I'm
Alejandro Méndez
Technical Lead & Senior Software Engineer
Building safety-critical software for aerospace and automotive. 10+ years turning complex requirements into reliable systems, from flight simulators to BMW ECUs.
Get In Touch01. About Me
I've spent the last decade building software that really matters: systems where reliability isn't optional. From avionics in Level D flight simulators to embedded ECUs in modern cars, I've worked end-to-end across the full lifecycle: requirements, architecture, development, testing, deployment, and the long tail of maintenance. That mix of aerospace and automotive sharpens how I engineer: anticipating failure modes, building for the long haul, and shipping software that holds up in the real world.
What drives me is the intersection of complex engineering and clean execution. I'm at my best when I can pair hands-on engineering with end-to-end ownership of how a team actually ships: build systems, CI/CD, infrastructure, automation, and the AI tooling that's reshaping how I work day-to-day. I'm now looking for a next chapter where I can build impactful software, get closer to modern backend and cloud systems, and help teams move faster with practical AI in the loop.
02. Experience
- Lead a distributed team of 10+ engineers across Spain, Germany, Romania and Morocco, co-developing BMW vehicle-access ECU software with BMW's internal team at the BMW Group Research & Innovation Centre in Munich.
- Took over the team during a difficult transition: recovered delivery capacity, cleared a record-high bug backlog, and delivered features for the start of production of multiple new BMW models.
- Drive feature design, planning, code review, mentoring, hiring, performance reviews, and stakeholder coordination across product engineering, testing, DevOps and upper management.
- Stay hands-on in embedded C++ on a multi-controller AUTOSAR ECU under ISO 26262, MISRA C++ and ASPICE, delivering vehicle-access logic, component integration, and release-critical fixes.
- Pioneered AI agent tooling across the team using Claude Code and Codex for codebase analysis, feature design, bug triage, Jira task creation, and Jira-to-Excel billing automation.
- Led a 4-developer team co-developing with BMW's internal team in Munich through two major delivery phases: next-generation ECU platform migration and Comfort Key Tracking feature development.
- Completed the codebase migration to the next-generation ECU platform: architectural mapping, feature-parity management, Jira breakdown, code review, design documentation, and hardware-in-the-loop validation.
- Developed Comfort Key Tracking functionality: LF antenna-based key tracking, RF poll localization and authentication, inside/outside vehicle logic, simultaneous multi-key handling, and smartphone / key-fob support across RF technologies.
- Validated the migrated ECU software and new feature on hardware-in-the-loop rigs and prototype vehicles in Munich; produced developer documentation and handover material for team continuity.
- Built embedded C++ for BMW vehicle-access ECUs under ISO 26262, MISRA C++ and ASPICE: Comfort Access (Passive Entry/Exit/Go), Smart Access via Digital Key (Bluetooth/UWB/NFC), central locking, key authentication, driver personalization, and door-handle / safety / crash logic.
- Set up a multi-user remote build server with Docker and a RAM-disk build cache, cutting build times from 90+ minutes to under 10 (4× speedup) and shortening new-member onboarding.
- Built and maintained the project's CI/CD pipeline on AWS: Windows hosts, Ansible playbooks, IAM, release automation, automated quality gates.
- Developed a .NET desktop application for collecting key measurements and training ML models for key / phone localization around the vehicle.
- Led sub-projects of 2–3 developers; mentored junior engineers and drove team-wide documentation improvements.
- Designed, developed, tested and maintained avionics software for multiple Level D Full Flight simulators for clients including Airbus, military, airlines and training centers.
- Implemented from scratch the military Radio Management System of the Airbus MRTT Simulator on a tight schedule.
- Built a Qt desktop tool to improve the avionics team's local development process.
- Maintained a legacy Datalink communications system in Airbus A320 and A330 simulators, resolving numerous client-reported bugs on schedule.
- Led a complex R&D project to integrate a new Datalink computer inside the A330 MRTT FAF simulator.
- Implemented advanced logging solutions for development and operation of a complex Datalink system.
- Developed and tested localization and control algorithms for various submarine robots.
- As a Junior Engineer, led R+D efforts on the algorithms side for submarine projects, completing all company commitments on time.
- Collected and analyzed sensor, navigation and control data from dozens of field tests.
- Improved models and algorithms using Software in the Loop and Hardware in the Loop with Matlab and Simulink.
03. Notable Work
AI Agent Tooling at Scale
Built a layered agent-context approach for a large embedded C++ codebase: dozens of SW components and interactions across multiple ECUs. Wrote feature-design and bug-triage workflows, targeted Claude Code Skills, and a Jira-to-Excel billing automation; rolled the methodology out across the team.
Comfort Key Tracking & ECU Migration
Led a 4-developer team through BMW's next-generation ECU migration, then designed and shipped the Comfort Key Tracking feature: LF antenna tracking, RF localization, multi-key handling, and key-fob/smartphone support across RF technologies. Validated on HiL rigs and prototype vehicles in Munich.
4X Build Acceleration
Designed and deployed a remote build server with concurrent development containers and RAM disk caching, cutting build times by 4X across the team. Improved daily developer velocity significantly.
ML Key Localization
Developed a .NET application to collect UWB/BLE measurements and train a machine learning model for precise car key and smartphone localization around the vehicle.
Datalink Computer Integration
A first-of-its-kind, year-long integration of a real avionics datalink computer into a Level D flight simulator. Lead software designer and implementer across a multi-domain team: studied aeronautical standards ahead of hardware, built TDD scaffolding, drove firmware troubleshooting on delivery, shipped on schedule.
MRTT Radio Management System
Built the complete military Radio Management System for the Airbus MRTT Full Flight Simulator from scratch, delivering on a tight schedule for a Level D certified platform.
Submarine Autonomy Algorithms
Developed and validated localization and control algorithms for autonomous submarine robots, using SiL/HiL simulation with Matlab and Simulink, tested across dozens of field deployments.
04. Skills & Technologies
Languages
Infrastructure & DevOps
Development
Domains & Methods
AI Agent Tooling
05. Education
06. Get In Touch
I'm always open to new opportunities and interesting projects. Whether you have a question or just want to say hi, feel free to reach out.
Say Hello