After more than a decade of working as a software developer in a different industry, Verginiya Naneva decided to take a new step in her career. She joined Commerzbank DTC Sofia, attracted not just by the technical opportunities, but by the open and collaborative mindset she encountered during her interviews.
“The main factor for me was to find out if we would make a good team and whether we share a common mindset,” recalls Verginiya, now Senior Software Engineer at the API Competence Center.
From her first days at Commerzbank, Verginiya experienced an environment that combined strong engineering practices with a focus on building trust, supporting professional growth, and enabling collaboration across teams and locations. In this article, we explore how Commerzbank DTC Sofia approaches infrastructure automation, software craftsmanship, and cross-border teamwork – through the eyes of one of its engineers.
The Technical Backbone: Infrastructure as Code and Cloud-Native Solutions
A key part of Verginiya’s work involves building automated and reliable internal solutions that help colleagues perform their tasks more efficiently. In line with Commerzbank’s strategy to minimize manual work and reduce operational risks, her team relies heavily on Infrastructure as Code (IaC).
Tools like Terraform and Helm Charts are central to the team’s operations. Terraform allows developers to provision and manage cloud resources with predictable, repeatable outcomes. Even manual changes made directly on the cloud platform are overwritten by the desired state defined in the Terraform plans, safeguarding configuration integrity across environments. Helm Charts, on the other hand, simplify Kubernetes deployments by enabling versioned, reusable configurations that can be customized for different projects and environments.
“IaC allows us to scale our infrastructure up or down based on the needs of the application. All configurations we implement are stored in a Git-based repository and are accompanied by CI/CD pipelines. Every colleague has access to them, we can track changes, and we can easily restore to an earlier version of the infrastructure if necessary. We adhere to the four-eyes principle in our team operations and promote full transparency in our work,” Verginiya explains.
In application development, the teams work with the latest versions of Spring Boot and Java, maintaining a focus on clean, easy-to-maintain code optimized for performance, resource management, and security. Regular updates to libraries and frameworks ensure protection against known vulnerabilities while also taking advantage of the latest performance enhancements.
Engineering Standards as a Daily Discipline
At Commerzbank DTC Sofia, engineering best practices are more than just guidelines – they are an operational discipline. Every project is developed with maintainability, scalability, and security in mind. The philosophy is simple: investing time upfront in clean code and automated operations saves exponentially more effort in the future.
By consistently aligning with industry standards, the team fosters a technical environment where quality is systemic rather than situational. This proactive approach is especially critical in the financial sector, where reliability, security, and regulatory compliance are non-negotiable.
Beyond Borders: Unified Goals Across Sofia and Frankfurt
Verginiya works in a team that spans both Sofia and Frankfurt, combining engineering and business-oriented roles. Despite the geographical distance and differences in background, she notes the strong efficiency and coherence of the group.
“We are quite efficient and coherent as a team, and we have common goals and priorities,” she shares.
Building a Culture of Trust, Growth, and Initiative
Technical excellence alone does not guarantee organizational success. At Commerzbank DTC Sofia, considerable attention is paid to building a supportive and growth-oriented workplace.
From the very first encounter – whether at interviews or onboarding – the focus is on finding mutual alignment in values and working style. New employees are welcomed through structured onboarding programs that include both technical and business-related trainings, helping them integrate quickly and effectively.
“Our managers are always available for us when needed. They are active listeners who pay attention to our ideas and support us in implementing them,” Verginiya points out.
Beyond the technical work, the organization invests in building community through conference participation, charity bazaars, and social events. These initiatives contribute to a working environment where employees feel connected to both the company’s mission and each other.
