Lekshmana Perumal M

Professional Journey

From rural beginnings to global impact - a timeline of growth, learning, and building technology for social good

Professional Career

2024-Present

Staff Engineer Track - PayPal Inc.

Leading strategic initiatives and cross-functional team management

Leading strategic initiatives including Sales Tax Solution for Agentic Commerce, Apollo Program AWS migration, and cross-functional team management. Driving innovation with VP-level recognition and IdeaHack 2024 finalist achievement.

Leading 6-8 cross-functional engineers across multiple initiatives
Architecting next-generation AI-driven commerce tax solutions
PayPal OneHub idea received VP-level approval
Built MCP client for TaxEngine and Java developer tools with Maven archetype
Leading Sales Tax Solution for Agentic Commerce - Next-generation AI-driven tax platform
Apollo Program leadership - Spearheading tax platform AWS cloud migration strategy

2023-2024

Senior Software Engineer - PayPal Inc.

Technical lead for Global Tax Determination platform

Technical lead for PayPal's Global Indirect Tax Determination platform, managing high-performance systems processing millions of daily transactions across 27+ countries while leading team development and AI integration initiatives.

Maintained sub-second API response times for business-critical operations
Led UAE & South Africa tax platform launches
PayPal Mentorship Core Team member
Integrated AI-enabled tools with responsible AI focus

2020-2023

Software Engineer III - PayPal Inc.

Built foundational Indirect Tax Platform from ground up

Built foundational Indirect Tax Platform from ground up, enabling global tax compliance across multiple markets. Led critical infrastructure migrations and modernization initiatives with zero production downtime.

Built foundational tax platform reducing global compliance complexity
Led China DC migration and India e-Invoicing projects
Executed Raptor upgrade and JDK 17 migration with zero downtime
Generated 1M+ monthly invoices meeting strict SLAs

2016-2020

Senior Software Engineer - Altimetrik India

Key contributor to foundational tax and consumer platforms

Key contributor to foundational tax and consumer experience platforms. Led architectural transition from monolith to microservices, delivering rapid innovation and cross-platform impact.

Contributed to foundational tax platform serving millions globally
Built complete VAT ID collection frontend in 3 weeks
Led monolith to microservices migration
Cross-platform contributions to Tax and Consumer Experiences

2012-2016

Enterprise & Foundation Years

BORN Group & Cognizant Technology Solutions

Started as Java Trainer at Cognizant, then moved to enterprise e-commerce solutions at BORN Group. Built foundation in enterprise systems, client delivery, and mentorship that continues today.

Career start as Java Trainer developing mentorship skills
Enterprise e-commerce platforms using SAP Hybris
End-to-end project delivery leadership
Complex system integration with payment gateways

Education & Professional Development

2018-2019

M.Sc Cyber Forensics & Information Security

University of Madras

Advanced degree in Cyber Forensics & Information Security completed while working full-time. Applied security principles to PayPal platform design, data classification, and access control frameworks.

Advanced cybersecurity and forensics expertise
Applied security learning to PayPal platform architecture
Enterprise data protection and classification systems
Continuous learning while maintaining engineering role

2008-2012

Bachelor of Engineering - Computer Science

Mepco Schlenk Engineering College

Computer Science Engineering degree from rural Tamil Nadu. Developed foundational understanding of technology while experiencing firsthand the digital divide that would later inspire social impact work.

Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals
Rural background shaping social impact vision
Early exposure to digital divide challenges
Technical excellence despite limited resources

Leadership & Community Service

2012-Present

Continuous Social Impact & Volunteerism

Multiple Community Initiatives

Sustained commitment to social impact through technology and community service. From disaster relief coordination to supporting rural education, demonstrating how technology can serve humanitarian causes.

Active Volunteer @ SIRPIGAL (2012-Present) - Sustained 12+ years of community service
Kerala Rescue coordination - Led technology coordination for Kerala Floods disaster relief (keralarescue.in)
PayPal Opportunity Hack 2016 Winner - Self Help Groups loan repayment solution enabling timely loan repayments
Kadukkarai Siragugal Foundation - Founded rural education support initiative
Consistent focus on technology for humanitarian causes and social good

2008-2012

College Leadership & Activities

Student Leadership & Academic Excellence

Active student leader during college years, balancing academic excellence with community responsibility. Developed leadership skills that would later influence career in mentorship and team management.

Office Bearer of Math's Club (2008-2012) - Leadership in academic activities and student community
Student representation and community engagement during college years
Foundation for later technical mentorship and leadership roles
Balance of academic achievement with leadership development and community service

2005-2006

Early Leadership Foundation

School Leadership & Community Responsibility

Early demonstration of leadership qualities and commitment to community service. School Pupil Leader role developed foundational leadership skills that would later influence career in mentorship and social impact.

School Pupil Leader (2005-2006) - Early leadership experience
Community responsibility and student representation
Foundation for later mentorship and social impact work
Leadership skills development from young age

Technical Expertise & Skills

Comprehensive technology stack with focus on scalable systems, responsible AI, and social impact

🏗️

System Architecture & Engineering

Designing and building distributed systems that scale globally while maintaining performance and reliability.

Distributed Systems Microservices Event-Driven Architecture Scalability Engineering Performance Optimization Observability

⚙️

Backend Development & APIs

Building robust backend systems and APIs that power global platforms with enterprise-grade performance.

Java Spring Ecosystem Python REST/SOAP APIs OpenAPI Caching Strategies

🌐

Frontend & Full-Stack Integration

Creating seamless user experiences through modern frontend technologies and full-stack solutions.

JavaScript TypeScript React Next.js Design Systems Frontend-Backend Integration

☁️

Cloud & Platform Engineering

Leveraging cloud-native technologies and platform engineering practices for scalable, reliable systems.

Multi-Cloud (GCP, AWS) Docker Kubernetes CI/CD Infrastructure as Code Cloud-Native Design

🗄️

Data & Messaging Systems

Designing data architectures and messaging systems that handle enterprise-scale information flow.

Oracle MySQL PostgreSQL Apache Kafka Data Modeling Stream Processing

🔐

Security & Compliance

Implementing enterprise security practices and compliance frameworks for global financial systems.

Cyber Forensics Information Security Data Classification Access Control Regulatory Compliance Security Architecture

🤖

AI & Emerging Technologies

Exploring responsible AI practices and integrating emerging technologies with focus on ethical development.

Responsible AI AI Ethics OpenAI APIs MCP Development AI-Driven Development Tech for Social Good

👥

Leadership & Mentorship

Leading technical teams and developing next-generation engineers through structured mentorship and guidance.

Technical Leadership Team Management Mentorship Programs Strategic Planning Cross-Functional Collaboration Talent Development

Measurable Impact & Recognition

Quantified results from building technology that scales both technically and socially

🚀

Platform Scale

Millions

Daily transactions processed through PayPal's Global Tax Determination platform across 27+ countries with enterprise-grade performance

Global Tax Platform Impact:

Multi-Country Operations: Successfully enabled tax compliance across UAE, South Africa, Malaysia, China, India, and European markets.

Transaction Volume: Platform processes millions of daily transactions with sub-second response times maintaining business-critical operations.

Revenue Support: Platform directly supports business operations while ensuring regulatory compliance across diverse global markets.

⚡

Performance Excellence

Sub-Second

95th percentile API response times maintained under 30ms for business-critical tax determination operations

Technical Performance:

Response Time Excellence: Consistently maintained 95th percentile API response times under 30ms for high-volume operations.

Uptime Achievement: 99.99% platform uptime for business-critical systems supporting global operations.

Invoice Generation: Generated 1M+ monthly tax invoices meeting strict SLAs and regulatory requirements.

Scalability: Platform handles traffic spikes during peak business periods without degradation in performance.

🌍

Global Reach

27+

Countries enabled for tax compliance through platform architecture and development work

Market Enablement:

Recent Launches: Led technical delivery for UAE and South Africa market launches, enabling PayPal expansion into new regions.

Compliance Achievement: Successfully delivered India e-invoicing, China data center migration, and EU VAT solutions.

Regulatory Excellence: Platform meets diverse regulatory requirements across developed and emerging markets.

🏆

Innovation Recognition

Top 50

IdeaHack 2024 Stage 2 finalist (50 out of 380 ideas) with VP-level approval for PayPal OneHub innovation

Innovation Leadership:

IdeaHack 2024: Selected as Stage 2 finalist among top 50 innovative ideas from 380 company-wide submissions.

VP-Level Recognition: PayPal OneHub idea received approval from VP leadership, demonstrating strategic thinking and business acumen.

Multiple Awards: Consistent PayPal Props recognition for Innovation, Collaboration, Customer Focus, and Win Together principles.

Competition Success: PayPal Opportunity Hack 2016 winner, demonstrating sustained innovation excellence.

👨‍🏫

Mentorship Impact

10+

Engineers mentored across teams and platforms, with 55+ structured sessions (2790+ minutes) in 2024 alone

Structured Mentorship:

PayPal Core Team: Active member of PayPal's Mentorship Core Team, influencing organization-wide talent development.

2024 Metrics: Conducted 55+ mentorship sessions totaling 2790+ minutes of structured guidance and development.

External Platforms: Scaler Academy mentor developing next-generation software engineers outside PayPal.

Team Leadership: Currently managing and developing 6-8 cross-functional engineers across multiple initiatives.

🌱

Social Impact

Rural Focus

Founded "Kadukkarai Siragugal" supporting rural education through technology access and financial assistance

Educational Initiative:

Kadukkarai Siragugal Foundation: Founded and lead rural education initiative providing technology access and financial support to underserved students.

Digital Equity: Bridging digital divide by providing technology access to rural communities in Tamil Nadu.

Sustainable Impact: Creating pathways to opportunities that were previously unavailable to rural students.

Tech for Good: Demonstrating how technology professionals can create meaningful social impact beyond corporate work.