Stephen is available for hire
Hire StephenStephen Harris Davidson
Verified Expert in Engineering
DevOps and Quality Assurance (QA) Developer
Glumsø, Denmark
Toptal member since June 17, 2020
Bio
Stephen is a software engineer with over a decade of experience who specializes in all things test automation and infrastructure. He has varied experience from startups to banks and everything in between. His past work includes web applications, content sites, audio/visual testing, and on the soft side: coaching, mentoring, and leading quality initiatives. Stephen has a passion for improving quality across the entire software delivery pipeline, from development to deployment.
Portfolio
Maersk
DevOps, Azure, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), Kubernetes, Terraform...
Shippo,
Quality Assurance (QA), Python, QA Automation, DevOps, Go, Microservices, APIs...
Human Factors, LLC
Amazon Web Services (AWS), MySQL, JavaScript, Docker, Node.js, NestJS, DevOps...
Experience
- DevOps - 11 years
- Automated UI Testing - 8 years
- Test Automation - 8 years
- Quality Assurance (QA) - 8 years
- Behavior-driven Development (BDD) - 8 years
- Node.js - 5 years
- API Testing - 4 years
- Performance Testing - 2 years
Preferred Environment
Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Linux, Windows, MacOS, Terminal
The most amazing...
...thing I developed was an audio/visual testing harness for grading meeting quality.
Work Experience
Senior Cloud Engineer
2021 - 2026
Maersk
- Led the platform migration from Azure DevOps to GitHub Actions.
- Led the migration of the existing infrastructure as code (IaC) using Terraform.
- Operationalized team infrastructure by implementing monitoring, reliability measures, and redundancy to Azure and Kubernetes infrastructure.
- Containerized all team applications using Docker and introduced local environments.
- Created Helm charts, customized templates, and other tools for cleaner management of the Kubernetes infrastructure.
- Reduced the amount of bot traffic the public-facing APIs experienced by 30% using Akamai.
Technologies: DevOps, Azure, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), Kubernetes, Terraform, GitOps, Docker, ETL, Datadog, Azure DevOps, Prisma, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), REST, REST APIs, Autoscaling, CI/CD Pipelines, Cloud Security, Machine Learning, Linux, Bash, Containers, Redis, Load Balancers, Helm, Ansible, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Deployment, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI)
Team Lead, Engineering Excellence
2021 - 2022
Shippo,
- Led a team of four engineers to achieve an engineering excellence roadmap by providing technical specifications and scope and working with individual engineers to unblock their work.
- Architected a test automation framework using Playwright and a CI/CD pipeline using CircleCI.
- Provided cross-team coaching on best testing practices in both manual and automated testing.
- Reduced deployment cycle time by leveraging improvements in CI/CD and quality gates.
Technologies: Quality Assurance (QA), Python, QA Automation, DevOps, Go, Microservices, APIs, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), REST, REST APIs, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, Content Management Systems (CMS), Linux, Bash, Containers, Playwright, API Testing, Deployment, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, QA Leadership, Continuous Integration (CI)
Back-end QA and Developer
2020 - 2022
Human Factors, LLC
- Bootstrapped and architected end-to-end and unit testing integration for the entire back-end API built using NestJS.
- Containerized the API and updated the CI/CD pipeline using AWS pipelines.
- Led QA initiatives and coached developers on best practices.
- Developed several pieces of the API, including Redis caching and user authentication and verification flows.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), MySQL, JavaScript, Docker, Node.js, NestJS, DevOps, REST, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, Amazon EKS, Content Management Systems (CMS), Linux, Bash, Containers, Redis, Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), AWS CodeBuild, Amazon RDS, API Testing, Deployment, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI)
QA Lead
2021 - 2021
Chalkline
- Bootstrapped UI testing automation using Cypress.io.
- Created a visual regression suite using Playwright that tested 250 pages in under one minute.
- Added unit and component tests to the main React repository.
- Managed all manual testing processes, including defect management, test planning, and test execution.
Technologies: Node.js, Cypress, Puppeteer, React, Unit Testing, Quality Assurance (QA), Test Automation, CI/CD Pipelines, Linux, Bash, Containers, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, QA Leadership, Continuous Integration (CI)
QA Lead
2020 - 2020
Novo Nordisk
- Architected a UI test automation suite using Cypress.io.
- Architected a CI/CD pipeline using a hybrid Azure/AWS solution, including serverless Lambdas to execute tests.
- Set the test direction for the team by implementing a test strategy and tooling.
Technologies: Azure, Node.js, Cypress, DevOps, AWS Lambda, Serverless Architecture, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, Linux, Bash, Containers, Playwright, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, QA Leadership, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Performance Testing Specialist
2020 - 2020
Lumate
- Implemented performance tests to simulate traffic of 7000 requests per second against AWS infrastructure and validated results.
- Created a comparison of different routing technologies, specifically Node.js vs. Rust, using performance tooling.
- Deployed and tested routing containers to the Kubernetes Cluster to handle 7000 requests per second. This included autoscaling and performance tuning.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Performance Testing, Grafana k6, Apache JMeter, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Linux, Bash, Containers, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Senior Business Tester
2020 - 2020
PensionDenmark
- Constructed the entire test lifecycle for three projects, including planning, execution, and reporting.
- Implemented integration tests using Postman to demonstrate the vendor system's capability to integrate with the client system.
- Oversaw allocation of testing resources throughout the project lifecycle and coordinated all testing tasks using Jira and HP Quality Center.
Technologies: TestFlight, Visual Studio App Center, Postman, HP Quality Center (QC), DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Linux, Bash, Containers, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Engineering Lead, Quality
2019 - 2020
TIA Technology
- Led a team of six quality engineers by providing technical direction, career growth opportunities, and training.
- Commercialized existing Java test automation framework to sell billable hours to customers.
- Introduced quality gates using GitLab CI for the Angular/Protractor test automation suite.
Technologies: Jenkins, Apache JMeter, Angular, Oracle, Node.js, Apache Maven, Java, DevOps, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, GitLab CI/CD, GitLab, Linux, Bash, Containers, Playwright, Regression Testing, API Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, QA Leadership, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Software Development Engineer in Test
2017 - 2018
Unity Technologies
- Implemented system tests for a business-critical Rails application.
- Engineered automated testing tools for high-traffic and volume Drupal applications.
- Coached developers on best testing strategies and code quality methods.
- Produced and maintained end-to-end testing for custom Salesforce applications.
- Bootstrapped and maintained end-to-end testing for the Drupal application.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, Ruby, Node.js, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, GitLab CI/CD, GitLab, Linux, Bash, Containers, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Test Automation Lead
2016 - 2017
Danske Bank
- Architected test automation for the July and Sunday React web applications.
- Coached developers, product owners, and other test automation engineers on test automation best practices in all levels of testing: manual, unit, component, integration, and end to end.
- Set quality metrics and goals for teams in terms of test coverage and test tool implementation.
- Implemented test automation daily using behavior-driven development tools like Mocha and Cucumber and Node.js.
Technologies: React, Node.js, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Linux, Bash, Containers, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Senior Software Engineer in Test
2016 - 2016
Airtame
- Wrote video and audio test automation for Airtame streaming solution Electron application and firmware using JavaScript with the Nightwatch.js package.
- Coached developers on Agile testing and testing best practices, both manual and automated.
- Implemented QA Jenkins jobs to run test automation on various platforms, such as Mac, Windows, and Linux.
- Led quality assurance initiatives such as bug-hunting parties, testing demos, and Agile testing presentations.
- Took full ownership of the operational quality assurance process, including test strategy, test case management, and defect management.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Terraform, Electron, Node.js, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Containers, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Senior Software Engineer in Test
2015 - 2016
Citrix
- Managed all of the QA aspects for the Go2meeting Free team.
- Implemented logging metrics and visualization for our infrastructure.
- Created and maintained an automation test framework for the Go2meeting Free in a Python/BDD stack.
Technologies: Angular, React, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, Python, Node.js, DevOps, CI/CD Pipelines, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Software Developer in Test
2013 - 2014
Rackspace Technology
- Maintained test automation in a Ruby framework for Rackspace.com.
- Built a Python test automation framework for Rackspace.com using Selenium and Python.
- Built custom testing tools for developers to assist in day-to-day activities.
- Maintained DevOps for Rackspace.com that the quality assurance team uses.
Technologies: JavaScript, Python, Ruby, DevOps, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, Cloud Security, Content Management Systems (CMS), Ansible, Regression Testing, Continuous Delivery (CD), GitHub, Continuous Integration (CI), Test Automation
Experience
Tiny Tapir
https://github.com/StephenDavidson/tiny-tapirA Selenium wrapper in Python with implicit waits. This allows testers to write synchronous code without expectations, creating stable UI tests. The design is based on the popular Ruby framework Capybara.
Chai Signals
Chai is a popular Node.js testing assertion framework typically used with Mocha and Sinon. I created a set of custom assertions used to test signals in Node.js. Signals are a form of events that can be used in event-driven architecture.
Redmine Zendesk Updater
An integration plugin designed for Redmine, a project management product similar to Jira and open source. The integration is with Zendesk, a popular customer service SaaS tool. The integration passes tickets from Zendesk to Redmine and from Redmine to Zendesk.
Education
2009 - 2011
Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science
College of Charleston - Charleston, SC, USA
Certifications
OCTOBER 2020 - OCTOBER 2023
Certified Kubernetes Application Developer
Linux Foundation
SEPTEMBER 2020 - SEPTEMBER 2023
AWS Solutions Architect Professional
Amazon Web Services
SEPTEMBER 2020 - PRESENT
Advanced Level Test Manager (CTAL-TM)
ISTQB
FEBRUARY 2020 - PRESENT
Certified Tester Foundation Level (CTFL)
ISTQB
Skills
Libraries/APIs
Node.js, REST APIs, Playwright, WebRTC, React, Puppeteer
Tools
Mocha, Git, GitLab CI/CD, GitLab, GitHub, RSpec, Jenkins, Jira, Terraform, Amazon EKS, Helm, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Amazon Elastic Container Service (ECS), Pytest, WebdriverIO, Subversion (SVN), HP Quality Center (QC), Postman, Visual Studio App Center, TestFlight, Apache JMeter, Grafana k6, Terminal, Apache Maven, Prisma, Ansible, AWS CloudFormation, AWS CodeBuild, NGINX
Frameworks
Selenium, Protractor, TestCafe, Angular, Electron, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Cypress, NestJS
Paradigms
Test Automation, Behavior-driven Development (BDD), Continuous Integration (CI), DevOps, Agile, Kanban, REST, Continuous Delivery (CD), Microservices, Unit Testing, ETL, Azure DevOps, Serverless Architecture
Platforms
Docker, Kubernetes, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, AWS Lambda, OpenStack, MacOS, Windows, Linux, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Oracle
Languages
Ruby, Python, Java, JavaScript, PHP, Go, Bash
Storage
Datadog, Redis, MySQL
Other
API Testing, Automated UI Testing, Quality Assurance (QA), Integration Testing, QA Leadership, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), CI/CD Pipelines, Content Management Systems (CMS), Containers, Regression Testing, Deployment, Performance Testing, AWS Certified Solution Architect, Cloud Security, Security Testing, Test Management, Test Planning, Test Analysis, Test Case Execution, Test Reporting, Cloud Architecture, Cloud Migration, Machine Learning Operations (MLOps), GitOps, Computer Science, QA Automation, APIs, Autoscaling, Machine Learning, Load Balancers, Amazon RDS, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
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