DevOps Engineer & Technical Lead

TopDecked Inc | 2024 - Present

• Revamped and optimized the company's development and deployment stack, transitioning to a monorepo structure and modernizing dependencies.
• Implemented a GitHub Actions-based CI/CD pipeline, significantly improving deployment efficiency and reliability.
• Reduced infrastructure costs by simplifying the stack and migrating to artifact-based deployments via GitHub's private package manager.
• Eliminated technical debt by refactoring code, improving local development tooling with Docker, and enhancing the overall developer experience.
• Standardized testing and code quality practices across the engineering team, ensuring a scalable, maintainable, and performant codebase.

Agile Coach

John Deere | 2018 - 2024

• Resolved communication breakdowns by facilitating alignment between Scrum Masters, Product Managers, and Engineering Managers, improving clarity on sprint goals, and ensuring teams delivered the correct value at the right time.
• Led continuous improvement initiatives by implementing outcome-based experimentation using visual story mapping. Guided teams through identifying constraints, testing solutions, and analyzing data to drive process optimizations, resulting in measurable efficiency gains and enhanced workflows.
• Drove Agile adoption through a hands-on approach, guiding teams to use Agile to uncover problems and apply real-world solutions. This method increased team buy-in and led to a 30%-40% boost in productivity and value delivery, helping teams focus on and deliver the most valuable work.
• Resolved deep-rooted trust issues between teams and leadership by facilitating open dialogue and implementing a 'rumor board' for transparent communication. This initiative significantly improved team morale and cooperation following significant organizational changes like the transition to AWS cloud services.

Technical Coach

John Deere | 2016 - 2018

• Pioneered the development of a digital preapproval system for John Deere Financial, enabling online credit applications and reducing dealership processing times. This innovation led to a $20 million increase in sales over three months and earned a directorial award for the team.
• Enhanced software reliability across multiple teams by introducing comprehensive testing strategies and CI/CD pipelines, significantly boosting confidence in code quality and accelerating the deployment cycle.
• Guided the HR team through implementing a new AI-driven application processing service and developing shadow APIs for real-world testing, which ensured the system's accuracy and efficiency before going live.

Senior Software Engineer

John Deere | 2014 - 2016

• Implemented a standalone OAuth authentication solution, increasing system independence and uptime by enabling direct authentication with the provider, thus resolving critical single-point failure issues.
• Introduced Blue/Green deployment techniques, significantly reducing downtime and achieving a system uptime of 99.99%, enhancing operational reliability.
• Led the rapid development and launch of the AEMP 2.0 Telematics Standard, making John Deere the first to market. Presented the solution at CONEXPO-CON/AGG in Las Vegas, contributing directly to client adoption and receiving leadership recognition for pioneering work.
• Transitioned a proof-of-concept notification application to total production in just 45 days, setting technical standards and mentoring new developers, successfully stabilizing the project for operational handover.

Front-End Developer

Consumer Media Network | 2012 - 2014

• Developed pixel-perfect WordPress templates for ten high-traffic educational lead capture websites from InDesign designs, focusing on SEO and user experience optimization.
• Architected and integrated a centralized API using Laravel, which dynamically generated and processed lead forms based on website context, keywords, and user location, significantly enhancing lead management efficiency.
• Designed and implemented a React-based form generation system, which interfaced with the API to build forms dynamically from JSON objects, improving form accuracy and customization.
• Created a reusable class for geographical calculations using the Haversine formula, which enabled sorting educational institutions by proximity based on the user's GPS location, thereby personalizing the user experience and improving engagement.

Senior Technical Lead & Project Manager

eigital | 2011 - 2012

• Led the development of a large-scale e-commerce platform for one of India's largest manufacturers, defining the technical strategy and architecture.
• Improved development efficiency by reducing over 1,000 custom WordPress templates to fewer than 50 using template parts, significantly streamlining the codebase.
• Enhanced SEO and website performance, implementing best practices for speed, accessibility, and search rankings.
• Guided and mentored engineers in WordPress development, improving code quality and maintainability.
• Implemented scalable development practices, improving workflow efficiency and reducing long-term technical debt.
• Collaborated with stakeholders and designers to ensure the final product met business goals and user needs.

Founder & Engineering Manager

Fueled By Dreams | 2008 - 2011

• Built and led a team of eight, including developers, designers, and content writers, delivering 100+ WordPress websites, including the Arrowhead Stadium site for the Kansas City Chiefs.
• Defined technical direction and project strategy, ensuring high-quality execution across all client projects.
• Managed end-to-end project lifecycles, from client discovery and bidding to development, testing, and deployment.
• Worked directly with customers to translate business needs into functional, visually compelling, high-performing websites.
• Established best design, development, and code quality practices, ensuring all projects met or exceeded industry standards.
• Optimized team workflows and project management processes, increasing efficiency and client satisfaction.
• Developed and maintained long-term client relationships, securing repeat business and growing the company’s reputation.

Full-Stack Developer & Project Lead

Skipping Stones Design | 2006 - 2008

• Designed, developed, and deployed custom HTML, CSS, and WordPress websites for local small businesses, handling front-end and back-end development.
• Self-managed projects from start to finish, translating client requirements into functional and visually appealing web solutions.
• Built and maintained a custom advertising network platform, developing a web-based system that powered TV displays with rotating ads for local businesses and restaurants.
• Worked closely with the company owner and clients to ensure final deliverables met business expectations and customer needs.
• Optimized website performance, usability, and SEO, improving online visibility for local businesses.

Certification

Construction Engineering | 2000 - 2002

Naval Construction Training Center (NCTC)

CISO Award - Technology

John Deere | 2024