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Gaël Crova

Gaël Crova

Development Manager & DevOps Expert
Leading 3 Decision Intelligence teams at IBM | Kubernetes & Security Specialist | CI/CD Expert
🏆 Level 3 Expert - Developer Profession
gael.pro@crova.fr LinkedIn Aix-en-Provence, France

Current Leadership Role

Decision Intelligence Kubernetes Integration

Leading the team responsible for containerization and Kubernetes deployment strategies for Decision Intelligence products.

Decision Intelligence Functional QA

Managing quality assurance processes, test automation frameworks, and ensuring product reliability across all releases.

Decision Intelligence Optimization

Managing a functional team responsible for developing and delivering optimization products for Decision Intelligence solutions.

Professional Summary

Experienced Development Manager with 15+ years in software engineering, quality assurance, and DevOps. Currently leading three specialized teams at IBM, focusing on Decision Intelligence products. Expert in Kubernetes orchestration, security management (SAST, DAST, vulnerability management), and CI/CD pipeline optimization. Recognized as a Level 3 Expert in Developer Profession with a proven track record of building high-performing teams and delivering enterprise-grade solutions. Passionate about automation, continuous improvement, and fostering collaborative engineering cultures.

Core Competencies

Leadership & Management

Team Leadership Agile/Scrum Strategic Planning Cross-team Collaboration Mentoring

Cloud & Container Orchestration

Kubernetes Docker Helm OLM Operator OpenShift IBM Cloud Cloud Native

Security & Compliance

SAST DAST CVE Management Vulnerability Detection Security Audits Compliance

DevOps & CI/CD

Jenkins Atlassian Bamboo ArgoCD Pipeline Automation and Design Promotion pipelines

Programming & Scripting

Python Java Groovy Bash JavaScript Go

Quality Assurance

Test Automation Selenium JUnit TestNG Performance Testing Quality Metrics

Professional Experience

Development Manager
IBM - Decision Intelligence
2018 - Present
Leading three specialized teams focused on Kubernetes integration, functional QA, and optimization for IBM's Decision Intelligence products (formerly Operational Decision Manager).
  • Managing and mentoring 3 cross-functional teams totaling 20+ engineers across Kubernetes integration, QA, and optimization domains
  • Spearhead security initiatives including SAST/DAST implementation, CVE management, vulnerability detection and remediation
  • Designing and maintaining CI/CD pipelines for continuous integration and promotion across multiple product lines
  • Driving Kubernetes adoption and cloud-native transformation for Decision Intelligence products
  • Collaborating with security, development, and operations teams to ensure compliance and best practices
  • Establishing quality metrics and KPIs, improving release reliability by 40%
  • Leading technical decision-making for infrastructure, tooling, and process improvements
Senior QA & DevOps Engineer
IBM - Operational Decision Manager
2011 - 2018
Led quality assurance and DevOps initiatives for IBM Operational Decision Manager, focusing on automation, continuous integration, and software factory optimization.
  • Designed and implemented automated testing frameworks for multi-platform validation (Windows, Linux, AIX, z/OS)
  • Developed Docker and Kubernetes deployment strategies for ODM products
  • Created real-time dashboards for build and validation monitoring across critical systems
  • Built Maven plugins and Groovy scripts for build automation and artifact management
  • Established continuous integration pipelines using Bamboo, Jenkins, and RTC
  • Provided technical support and training to development and support teams
Application Development Engineer
IBM - Product Engineering
2009 - 2011
Integrated ILOG platforms into IBM ecosystem following acquisition, focusing on access management, development tools, and application modernization.
  • Implemented LDAP-based auditable access management solution
  • Developed Java/J2EE applications for legacy system archiving and migration
  • Established optimal development environments with new tools and procedures
  • Led multiple integration projects across IBM platforms
Information Systems Engineer
ILOG
2007 - 2009
Developed integrations and collaboration tools for product development teams.
  • Built plugins and integrations between development tools (bug tracking, support, project management)
  • Deployed and maintained Atlassian Confluence, Crowd, and JIRA in extranet environment
  • Developed visual reports using FLEX and ILOG Elixir
  • Migrated collaboration platform from Plumtree to SharePoint Services 3.0
Consultant
Astek Sud Est (for ILOG)
2006 - 2007
Implemented internal collaboration solutions and intranet portal systems.
  • Deployed TWiki content management solution with LDAP integration
  • Designed and implemented intranet portal and collaboration spaces
  • Evaluated and integrated new collaboration tools

Education & Certifications

Level 3 Expert - Developer Profession
IBM Professional Certification
2023 | View Credential
Master's Degree (DESS) - STIC ISI
École Polytechnique Universitaire de Nice-Sophia Antipolis (ESSI)
2006
Master 1 (Maîtrise) - MIAGE
IUP MIAGE - Université Nice-Sophia Antipolis
2005
Bachelor's Degree (Licence) - MIAGE
IUP MIAGE - Université Nice-Sophia Antipolis
2004

Languages & Additional Information

Languages:

  • French: Native
  • English: Fluent (Professional working proficiency)
  • Italian: Good comprehension (written and oral)

Location: Aix-en-Provence, France | Open to remote work and travel to Sophia Antipolis/Nice