Evan is available for hire
Hire EvanEvan Ross
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Engineer and Developer
Mebane, NC, United States
Toptal member since June 12, 2026
Bio
Evan is a lead/staff software engineer with over 15 years of experience in distributed systems and AI-integrated solutions. Their expertise spans event-driven architecture and high-reliability software, with notable work at DemandQ, Aerva by Watchfire, and Boston Technologies. Evan architected an AI-based document processing pipeline for clinical trial files at Ambadassador.
Portfolio
ZombieTech LLC
Python, Flask, React, PostgreSQL, Claude API, Codex, JavaScript, TypeScript...
DemandQ
Java, Python, Spring Boot, MySQL, EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Kafka, Qt, RDBMS...
Distinctive Apparel Inc
C#, Java, Python, C#.NET, Microsoft SQL Server, SQL, dbForge Studio...
Experience
- Multithreading - 20 years
- Java - 20 years
- Spring Boot - 20 years
- Python - 9 years
- Kafka - 6 years
- Apache Kafka - 6 years
- Back-end - 4 years
- Claude Code - 1 year
Preferred Environment
Docker, Jenkins
The most amazing...
...system I've architected is an AI-powered document pipeline for clinical trial master files at Ambadassador.
Work Experience
Founder and Principal Engineer
2025 - PRESENT
ZombieTech LLC
- Contracted to Ambadassador Inc as a fractional COO/CTO.
- Architected an AI/LLM-based document processing pipeline for pharmaceutical clinical trial master files using Python, Claude, Codex, and Gemini.
- Designed an event-driven system architecture and established engineering standards for an early-stage SaaS product.
- Contributed technical leadership guidance on team structure, UX direction, and vendor selection for an early-stage startup.
Technologies: Python, Flask, React, PostgreSQL, Claude API, Codex, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, SQLite, AI Tools, Vibe Coding, Source Control Management, Claude, Full-stack, Custom Apps, Anthropic, AI-generated Code, AI-assisted Development, AI Assistants, Software Architecture, RESTFul APIs, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Software Engineering, Technical Leadership, Full-stack Development
Senior Software Engineer
2019 - 2025
DemandQ
- Architected, designed, and implemented an energy management system to monitor and control optimized schedules for electric vehicle charging systems.
- Built an OCPP protocol stack usable in CSMS, EVSE, and Man-In-The-Middle for injecting externally created charging schedules.
- Built a real-time data pipeline ingesting electricity pricing across all US regional grids, enabling dynamic cost optimization strategies for diverse commercial energy loads.
- Designed and built a Virtual Power Plant (VPP) application grouping small commercial facilities together for Automated Demand Response (ADR).
- Deployed the Virtual Power Plant application via Docker.
Technologies: Java, Python, Spring Boot, MySQL, EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Kafka, Qt, RDBMS, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, SQL, MySQL/MariaDB, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs, API Development, dbForge Studio, Apache Kafka, Source Control Management, Distributed Systems, Third-party APIs, API Integration, Integration, Hibernate, Event-driven Systems, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Apache Maven, Custom Apps, WebSockets, Anthropic, Agile, Software Architecture, RESTFul APIs, Software Engineering
Senior Software Engineer
2017 - 2019
Distinctive Apparel Inc
- Served as the sole software engineer responsible for development, enhancement, and maintenance of a proprietary demand forecasting and inventory management system.
- Optimized data access and added functionality to streamline daily workflows and reduce friction for end users.
- Worked on development in C#.NET with a Microsoft SQL Server back end.
Technologies: C#, Java, Python, C#.NET, Microsoft SQL Server, SQL, dbForge Studio, Source Control Management, Third-party APIs, Custom Apps, Software Engineering, Technical Leadership
Principal Software Engineer
2015 - 2017
Aerva
- Drove code coverage from 7% to 38%, improving code quality and reliability while enhancing and expanding features across the cloud-based content management system.
- Designed and implemented a REST API for order creation, tracking, provisioning, and fulfillment tracking.
- Built an ETL pipeline integrating the Facebook Graph API to ingest, normalize, and store social media content for display within the CMS.
Technologies: Java, Spring, SaaS, MySQL, AWS Lambda, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon Aurora, SQL, APIs, API Development, Jenkins Pipeline, Source Control Management, Distributed Systems, Third-party APIs, API Integration, Full-stack, Integration, Hibernate, Event-driven Systems, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Apache Maven, Custom Apps, Agile, Software Architecture, Software Engineering
Contract Software Engineer
2012 - 2015
Bose
- Prototyped Python/Django and Python/Flask web servers and API to permit access to the media renderer.
- Developed applications to navigate and stream audio content from Pandora, vTuner, iHeartRadio, Spotify, and other music services.
- Improved reliability of audio streaming system, bugfixing of existing software.
Technologies: C++, Python, Django, Jenkins, APIs, API Development, Jenkins Pipeline, Source Control Management, Distributed Systems, Third-party APIs, API Integration, Integration, Event-driven Systems, Custom Apps, Agile, Software Architecture, Software Engineering
Software Architect and Engineer
2010 - 2012
Integral
- Architected and implemented an automated trading framework for high-speed FOREX event processing.
- Designed and implemented FIX protocol adapters connecting client trading systems to liquidity providers for real-time rate and execution services.
- Connected an existing liquidity system to Bloomberg.
Technologies: Java, Swing, Jetty, API Development, Source Control Management, Distributed Systems, Third-party APIs, API Integration, Integration, Event-driven Systems, Custom Apps, WebSockets, Real-time Data, Software Architecture, Software Engineering, Technical Leadership
Founding Engineer, Software Architect
2007 - 2010
Boston Technologies
- Architected and implemented transaction bridges connecting MetaTrader4 and other trading platforms to external bank APIs for real-time rate quotes and trade execution.
- Coordinated a small development team across multiple protocol integrations, including FIX and proprietary bank APIs.
- Specified and developed real-time status dashboards to monitor hundreds of individual (VPS) trading platform instances.
Technologies: Forex Trading, Java, Swing, SaaS, Hibernate, Multithreading, C++, SQL, Source Control Management, Distributed Systems, Third-party APIs, API Integration, Integration, Event-driven Systems, Custom Apps, WebSockets, Real-time Data, Software Architecture, Software Engineering, Technical Leadership
Experience
AI Job Hunt Assistant
A full-stack job search tool. It ingests postings via email/job boards, and a custom browser extension, and then scores each posting against a resume using the Claude API with conversational AI for deeper analysis.
The solution was built end-to-end with an AI-assisted workflow (Claude Code, Codex). It enforced standards via AI-to-AI code review.
The solution was built end-to-end with an AI-assisted workflow (Claude Code, Codex). It enforced standards via AI-to-AI code review.
Pet/House Sitting Scheduler
I built a full-stack web and mobile application with geographic search, real-time messaging, push notifications, subscription billing, and passkey authentication. I developed it as a proof of concept similar to Rover, with improved scheduling tools for repeat occurrences, messaging, and notifications.
Education
1978 - 1979
Coursework Toward a Degree in Computer Science
Stevens Institute of Technology - Hoboken, NJ, USA
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Claude API, API Development, React, Jenkins Pipeline, REST APIs, Stripe
Tools
Apache Maven, Claude, Jenkins, Jetty, Codex, Claude Code, dbForge Studio
Languages
Java, Python, C++, C#, SQL, TypeScript, JavaScript, Assembly, C#.NET
Frameworks
Spring Boot, Spring, Flask, Qt, Django, Swing, Hibernate
Paradigms
Agile
Storage
MySQL, PostgreSQL, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), RDBMS, Amazon Aurora, MySQL/MariaDB, Microsoft SQL Server, SQLite
Platforms
Docker, AWS Lambda, Apache Kafka, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Other
Multithreading, Distributed Systems, Third-party APIs, API Integration, Custom Apps, Integration, WebSockets, Real-time Data, Software Engineering, Source Control Management, Vibe Coding, AI Tools, APIs, Full-stack, Event-driven Systems, AI Assistants, AI-assisted Development, AI-generated Code, Anthropic, Software Architecture, Full-stack Development, RESTFul APIs, Technical Leadership, Early-stage Startups, EC2, Kafka, CI/CD Pipelines, SaaS, Forex Trading, Gemini, Back-end, Artificial Intelligence (AI), FastAPI
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