Eric Means

Ogden, UT • eric@randomtree.org • linkedin.com/in/ericdmeans

Summary

Please note that I am not currently available for positions that are outside the greater Salt Lake City area unless they allow 100% telecommuting.

I have been writing software professionally since 1997; since 2004 I have worked primarily with Microsoft products; since 2015 I have significant experience with cloud-native services and applications, especially Azure.

My experience is very diverse, ranging from aircraft maintenance software to custom automation software to tools and framework development. I am an experienced cloud/platform/solution/software architect and have performed as a tech/team lead and a DevOps lead.

I have experience with more structured development methodologies (including CMMI) as well as within a strict Agile process, SAFe/Scaled Agile, and highly informal environments.

Agile | Troubleshooting | Mentoring

Experience

Magenic, National Markets (Minneapolis)

Associate Principal Consultant, 09/2014-Present

● Full-stack custom software development for diverse Fortune 100 companies. Primarily .NET-stack (.NET Core, ASP.NET Web API/MVC, Javascript, C#, SQL Server, Angular, etc) with a cloud-native focus (Azure).

● This position has constituted multiple roles over time (development lead, DevOps lead, team architect, and platform/enterprise architect), involving direction and mentoring of junior developers, DevOps implementations, team leadership, and architecture design while meeting timelines and goals for delivery of software.

Project – 05/2018-Current

● Core platform architect for a cloud native, highly available, globally distributed .NET Core microservices-based platform for a major financial services company, as well as originally leading development of core platform services (authentication, authorization, client tenancy model and routing). This project consisted of coordinating multiple Release Trains (20+ total development teams, using Scaled Agile) over a multi-year period, heavy use of Azure and other cloud capabilities, messaging (Azure Service Bus), eventing (Event Grid), containers (Docker/Kubernetes), multi-region availability, integration with third-party vendor products (both self- and cloud-hosted), single-sign-on via multiple different protocols, automated data ingestion and transformation, etc. Responsible for overall architecture for the entire project, including primary architectural responsibility for authentication, authorization, service interoperability, disaster recovery, multi-regionality, and various other aspects of the platform.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, Austin, TX

Consultant, 06/2011-Present

● Primary (and often sole) developer responsible for designing and developing a Minimum Viable Product for the new ScholarSnapp.org website, which allows college applicants to fill out commonly required scholarship application information once and reuse that information with multiple scholarship providers. Application entered fully supported production availability in the 2016-2017 school year.

● Developed an OAuth2-protected API for use by scholarship providers to automatically acquire applicants’ Scholar Snapp files (with explicit permission from the applicant) and allow them to upload new versions of that information back to ScholarSnapp.org.

● ScholarSnapp.org collected more than 650,000 applicant profiles between go-live (August 2015) and April 2016. More than 25,000 applicants actively used the site over this period and over 99% were matched with at least one potential scholarship within the first year.

● Performed additional proof-of-concept and initial development work on related tools, including a school information database and a SOLR search database to allow Foundation employees to perform rapid analysis of scholarship applicants.

● Developed and productized an automatic form recognizer/extractor to allow students to upload their Federal Student Aid Form and have the information extracted as machine-usable data for use with ScholarSnapp and other vetted/approved applications. Currently working to enable a similar service for transcript information.

.NET Developer, 03/2010-05/2011

● Senior developer, jointly responsible for the primary line of business application used to make and manage grants totaling over $100 million annually.

● Finished development of and launched next generation of grant-making application.

● Interacted with users at all levels from the foundation’s Executive Director down.

● Served as one of two primary QA testers after our existing QA resource left the organization; I and one other developer and the project manager performed regression and release testing prior to each biweekly deployment.

● Served as a general technical resource both for program officers, other tech team members, and grantees.

● Technologies used: AJAX, jQuery, C# 4.0, ASP.Net 4.0, ASP.NET MVC, .NET Entity Framework 4.0, WCF 4.0, .Net 4.0, OData, Telerik ASP.NET AJAX control suite, SQL Server 2008, Team Foundation Server 2010, Team Build 2010.

VerveLife, Chicago, IL

Senior .NET Developer, 05/2011-08/2012

● Developed a custom CMS designed for music industry (streaming music and music download purchases) sites based on ASP.NET MVC3, Razor, and custom javascript code, using OData/WCF Data Services for virtually all data delivery. The system was designed for scalability and high levels of client-side interactivity as well as pervasive localization and close integration with simultaneously developed mobile (iPhone and Android) apps.

● Developed a set of market-specific stores allowing marketing-driven downloads of music tracks. Created a flexible infrastructure allowing for redemption of codes for credit, either in terms of # of tracks, dollar value, percentage discount, etc. Stores supported localized versions, including localized versions of graphics, javascript resources, etc. and allowed the user to dynamically switch languages at any time; implemented one Spanish-language localized version. Sites also supported audio preview, private and shared playlist management, and other music-centric features.

● This position was 100% telecommute and involved a great deal of independent work, autonomy, and excellent communication skills to coordinate with management, other developers, and testers.

● Technologies used: HTML5, AJAX, jQuery, C# 4.0, ASP.Net 4.0, ASP.NET MVC 3, Razor, .NET Entity Framework 4.0 and 4.1, WCF 4.0, WCF Data Services, OData, .Net 4.0, SQL Server 2008 R2, Subversion.

Advanced Solutions International, Austin, TX

System Architect, 03/2005-03/2010

● Responsible for overall system design of industry-leading and well-regarded customer-relationship software for the non-profit and association market, including server-side, web-based, and thick client components.

● Lead development of a brand new, .Net 3.5/Web Parts-based, highly extensible Content Management System integrated with (and used as the platform for developing) the rest of the application.

● Architect and team lead for internal platform, tools, continuous integration, and devops (although we did not call it that then).

● Presented on new and upcoming features at developer and customer conferences and provided documentation, training, and direct support for third-party developers integrating with our platform and APIs.

AVAI Ventures, Austin, TX

Software Architect, 10/2003-03/2005

● Designed, developed, tested, maintained, and supported custom software for the automation of high-end commercial and residential spaces, in order to provide an integrated, intuitive, flexible, and friendly way for homeowners to control every aspect of highly complex homes and systems. These homes were typically worth tens of millions of dollars and owners expected home automation systems to match.

● Created software interfaces to security systems (Apex, Radionics), lighting systems (Cutler Hammer, LiteTouch, Lutron), pool controllers (Jandy), phone systems (Televantage), and a wide variety of IR- and RS232-controlled audio and video devices. Interfacing with these systems often involved large amounts of reverse engineering and trial and error due to incomplete, missing, or aggressively incorrect documentation.

● Performed ground-up redesign and development of application from Visual Basic 6 forms application to C# Windows Service, including modules which supported self-management, remote control and configuration, and automatic error reporting. This redesign dramatically slashed the time spent in tech support type activities from upwards of ten hours a week to nearly zero.

Boeing, St. Louis, MO

Embedded Software Engineer, 08/2001-10/2003

● Collaborated on a team dedicated to redesigning, implementing, and testing several industry-leading, cutting-edge software applications pertaining to the maintenance of the F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet tactical aircraft. These applications were designed as modular 3-tier solutions which integrated identically with multiple back-end databases (incl. Access, Oracle, Sybase, and SQL Server) and vendor-supplied Maintenance Management Systems.

● Designed and supported a secure, dynamic website which hosted documentation, testing information, and trouble reporting for supported application suites which conformed to US Navy security requirements.

● Primary developer responsible for customizing and maintaining our process automation tool for managing change request process/activities, producing software metrics, etc.

● On my own initiative designed, implemented, and supported a custom, extensible in-house application to manage automated software builds for multiple project languages, settings, and versions. The software integrated directly with our version control software, cutting time to manage software builds by 50%.

Education

Master of Engineering in Computer Science and Computer Engineering, 2001, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY. Thesis involved from-scratch development of a working JSP engine in Java.

Licenses and Certifications

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Desktop Applications

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Distributed Applications

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Web Applications

Microsoft Certified Application Developer

Microsoft Certified Professional

Microsoft Certified Professional Developer: Enterprise Application Developer

Microsoft Certified Solution Developer