Kenny Serpa

Ship outcomes. Not requirements.

I own the journey and data so the business gets what it expects.

kennyserpa.github.io

Software Engineer

Experience since Aug 2023

APIs · Data · Integration

Phoenix, AZ · Remote · Hybrid · On-site

Mainframe + cloud integration

Career Highlights

High-volume Scaling automated decisions across thousands of daily applications. Click to read more Built automation that clears thousands of safe credit-card applications daily through sanctions screening so they can book automatically. Real matches still go to analysts.
On-time Shipping mainframe changes on schedule, every time. Click to read more Coordinated 4 mainframe installs, making sure all change requests, security scans, packaging, and validation tasks were complete before the install window.
Quality-focused Catching defects before they reach production. Click to read more Found a pre-install code deletion before it reached production, preventing an emergency change.
High-stakes Guarding fraud-review logic for premium products. Click to read more Built fraud-review auto-clear logic for a premium card product. A missed condition could let a fraudulent application book; strict guarding prevents that.
Modern tooling Bringing modern validation into mainframe workflows. Click to read more Added VS Code source compare as a pre-install validation step, catching mismatches before they reach production.
AI-assisted testing Using Copilot to accelerate test scenarios. Click to read more Built a GitHub Copilot workflow that generates PowerShell/JCL test scenarios, reducing manual test setup.
Beyond scope Finding wins outside the assigned story. Click to read more Found an unrelated bug that made eligible customers miss out on instant credit for immediate digital use.
UAT rescuer Saving installs when requirements shift late. Click to read more Caught bad upstream requirements during UAT and made late code changes to keep the install on track.
Global compliance Routing sanctions-flagged applications safely. Click to read more Coded logic that flags applicants from sanctioned countries and routes them to manual review with compliant customer notices.
Java Spring Boot Building modern interfaces for mainframe data. Click to read more Building a web app on z/OS that visualizes mainframe integration traffic in a modern web interface.

Experience

Engineering Associate

Wells Fargo — Mainframe Credit Card Decisioning Lateral move to engineering track with deeper development ownership
  • Coded a COBOL/CICS routine that evaluates sanctions-list hits against SSN, DOB, and last name to clear false positives while keeping true hits in analyst review.
  • Built a CICS review screen and SOAP/XML integration so analysts can view, page through, and override sanctions hit data from within the front-end application.
  • Fixed instant-credit-approval handling for partner credit cards so eligible customers can use their card immediately. Also discovered an unrelated routing defect outside my story and reported it to the Product Owner.
  • Fixed a loop that forced underwriters to resubmit applications twice. Applications now redecide in one pass.
  • Added new targeted-offer fields to the inbound payload. During UAT, found the upstream system wasn't sending fields as specified in the requirements; made a late code change to fix it before install.
  • Added a tokenized card-reference number to the outbound status message, replacing account numbers in downstream data. Validated backwards compatibility so existing consumers kept working.
  • Synced upstream product data into product tables so card plastic types stay current. Checked sample data outside my scope during UAT and caught a plastic-type mismatch, preventing wrong card types from going downstream.
  • Coded auto-clear logic for fraud review on a premium product line. Only clears when the upstream fraud system confirms it is safe, preventing fraudulent applications from booking.
  • Built a GitHub Copilot workflow that writes PowerShell scripts to generate JCL test scenarios on z/OS, cutting down manual test setup.
  • Contributing to a Spring Boot web app on z/OS that visualizes integration traffic between ACAPS and downstream systems.

Program Analyst

Wells Fargo — Mainframe Credit Card Decisioning
  • Built card-image selection logic with a runtime toggle and outbound XML boarding message so the right card design is sent at booking.
  • Added an access-code field to a customer panel so applicants without online banking can still upload income documents.
  • Caught a pre-install code deletion using VS Code/Endevor source compare, preventing a production outage and earning team recognition.
  • Coordinated four end-to-end releases through change requests, packaging, security scans, and SDLC tasks — all on schedule.
  • Introduced VS Code with Endevor source compare as a required pre-install validation step, catching staging mismatches before production.
  • Fixed an MQ payload edge case that was clearing customer names during processing.
  • Wrote onboarding docs and captured team knowledge to get new hires up to speed faster.

Skills

Languages COBOL, Java, JCL, SQL
Mainframe Platform z/OS, CICS, DB2, VSAM
Integration IBM MQ, SOAP/XML, JSON, REST APIs, z/OS Connect
Tooling VS Code, Endevor, Zowe CLI, PowerShell, GitHub Copilot, Jira, ServiceNow
Cloud & Modern Microsoft Azure, Spring Boot, AI-assisted development

Certifications

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
Generative AI: Introduction & Applications
IBM Z Xplore — All Star
Fundamentals for Zowe
COBOL Programming with VS Code
IBM Z Xplore — Advanced

Education

IT & Software Development

Per Scholas

Intensive bootcamp in software engineering, systems fundamentals, and enterprise development practices.