N

Nikhil Sikka

Director of Engineering

Toronto, Ontario, Canada13 yrs experience
AI ML PractitionerAI Enabled

Key Highlights

  • Led over 30 engineers across multiple domains
  • Delivered a unified data ecosystem for real estate platforms
  • Modernized architectures for cost efficiency and performance
Stackforce AI infers this person is a Backend-focused Engineering Leader in the SaaS real estate sector.

Contact

sikka.nikhil@gmail.com+1 437-344-5988LinkedIn

Skills

Core Skills

Strategic Engineering LeadershipEnterprise Architecture & ModernizationData Platforms And Data EngineeringCustomer Experience EngineeringTeam LeadershipDelivery ManagementBackend Systems DevelopmentSystem Performance TuningBackend Development & Api DesignPerformance Tuning & ScalabilityBackend DevelopmentApi Development & Integration

Other Skills

AI/ML integration into productsAJAXAgile PracticesArtificial Intelligence (AI)Automation (Testing & Deployment)Building High-performing TeamsBuilding and leading high-performing teamsCC++Cost Optimization & Efficiency GainsCross-functional Stakeholder ManagementData ModelingData ScienceData governance and securityDatabase Query Optimization (SQL/NoSQL)

About

Engineering leader with over 13 years of experience building data platforms, leading high-performing teams, and delivering products that serve millions of users. At REA India (a global online real estate advertising company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia), I led Data Platform and Data Science teams to create a unified data ecosystem, modernize legacy systems, and scale insights that improved customer experiences and business decision-making. My work involved projects connected with all three digital real-estate platforms of REA India- Housing.com, PropTiger.com, and Makaan.com I am passionate about the intersection of technology, people, and impact which includes- • Mentoring engineering teams and fostering collaborative cultures • Building engineering roadmaps that accelerate business growth. Career Highlights: • Leadership of over 30 engineers across Data Platform, AI/ML, and Customer Experience domains • Delivered a unified data ecosystem across multiple real estate platforms • Modernized architectures to cut costs and boost performance Tech Stack : • Programming : Java, Spring Boot, hibernate, REST, RabbitMQ, Microservices, python, PHP • Datasources : Mysql, Postgres, Elasticsearch, Solr, redis, kafka, Aerospike, DataBricks, Snowflakes • Cloud/Infra : AWS, EC2, ALB, RDS, S3, DocumentDB, SQS, SNS, DR/BCP, DMS • Tools : GIT, Docker, Eclipse, Nginx, JIRA, ELK, Newrelic, Datadog, Jenkins, CI/CD, Pagerduty, Prometheus, Grifana

Experience

Rea india

6 roles

Senior Engineering Manager - Data Science, Data Platform & Customer Experience

Promoted

Aug 2023 – Jun 2025 · 1 yr 10 mos

  • Directed engineering efforts across Data Platform, AI/ML, and Customer Experience, overseeing over 30 engineers and collaborating with multiple teams across the Australia and India offices.
  • Partnered with C-level and senior business leaders to align engineering roadmaps with growth, revenue, and customer engagement goals.
  • Drove enterprise-scale modernization, re-architecting core platforms for scalability, reliability, and cost efficiency.
  • Established organization-wide data standards and governance, enabling consistent and trusted analytics across business units.
  • Built and strengthened the leadership pipeline by mentoring engineering managers and preparing them for expanded responsibilities.
  • Represented engineering in senior forums, influencing cross-functional decisions at the intersection of product, business, and technology.
Strategic Engineering LeadershipCross-functional Stakeholder ManagementLeadership Development & MentorshipRoadmap Planning & ExecutionEnterprise Architecture & ModernizationScalability & Reliability Engineering+4

Engineering Manager - Data Platform & Data Science

Promoted

Oct 2020 – Aug 2023 · 2 yrs 10 mos

  • Led the Data Platform and Data Science teams during a period of rapid growth for Housing.com, PropTiger, and Makaan.
  • Helped shape a unified data ecosystem that gave business leaders faster insights and made decision-making more data-driven.
  • Guided system modernization efforts, making platforms more scalable, resilient, and cost-efficient.
  • Introduced automation and stronger data governance to support long-term growth.
  • Worked closely with product and business stakeholders, ensuring technology not only supported but accelerated customer and revenue goals.
  • Focused heavily on people—mentoring engineers, coaching team leads, and fostering a culture where collaboration and ownership thrived.
Building and leading high-performing teamsMentorship and career developmentStakeholder and cross-functional collaborationAgile PracticesData platforms and data engineeringSystem architecture and scalability+4

Software Development Team Lead

Apr 2019 – Sep 2020 · 1 yr 5 mos

  • Led an impactful team of 8 developers, delivering features that kept platforms ahead of market needs.
  • Drove adoption of CI/CD pipelines and automation, cutting release cycles significantly.
  • Focused on mentoring developers to take ownership and grow in their careers.
Team LeadershipPeople Mentorship & CoachingDelivery ManagementAgile PracticesAutomation (Testing & Deployment)Building High-performing Teams

Senior Software Development Engineer

Promoted

Apr 2017 – Mar 2019 · 1 yr 11 mos

  • Built scalable services behind Housing.com and PropTiger’s search and recommendation engines.
  • Improved system reliability with fault-tolerant design and smarter monitoring.
  • Worked hand-in-hand with product teams to deliver features that made a real difference to users.
Backend Systems DevelopmentJavaSystem Performance TuningMySQLSolr

Member of Technical Staff

Apr 2016 – Mar 2017 · 11 mos

  • Worked on moving from a monolithic codebase to a microservices setup, boosting agility and reliability.
  • Contributed to backend systems supporting new product launches in real estate search.
  • Tuned queries and APIs to improve speed and handle growing user traffic.
  • Partnered with architects on early scalability challenges.
Backend Development & API DesignDatabase Query Optimization (SQL/NoSQL)Performance Tuning & ScalabilitySystem Architecture CollaborationProblem Solving & TroubleshootingPHP+1

Senior Software Developer

Sep 2014 – Mar 2016 · 1 yr 6 mos

  • Built backend modules that power property listings and search, making it easier for users to find their dream homes.
  • Integrated third-party APIs and fine-tuned performance to deliver faster, smoother property searches.
  • Led the merger of Makaan.com and PropTiger.com, managing database migration and API integration to create a unified platform for both teams.
Backend DevelopmentJavaMySQLAPI Development & IntegrationMicroservices ArchitecturePHP

Aspiring minds pvt ltd

Software Engineer

Jan 2012 – Aug 2014 · 2 yrs 7 mos · Gurugram, Haryana, India · On-site

  • Contributed to large-scale student assessment platforms used nationwide.
  • Built dashboards and reporting features, and optimized backend systems to ensure smooth and reliable test delivery.
PHPBackend DevelopmentProcess AutomationMySQL

Education

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Master of Computer Applications - MCA — Computer Science

Jan 2009 – Jan 2012

Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University

Bachelor of Computer Application - BCA — Computer Science

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