Ales is available for hire
Hire AlesAles Kocur
Verified Expert in Engineering
iOS Engineer and Software Developer
Ostrava, Moravian-Silesian Region, Czech Republic
Toptal member since October 30, 2016
Bio
Ales is a passionate iOS developer. Throughout his career, he has assumed several different roles at multiple startups, including product designer, head of development, and product manager. This made him a "Swiss knife" developer who can take your idea, design the UI, and build a quality app from it. He's also an experienced technical lead and people manager, and he is comfortable doing technical research and making decisions.
Portfolio
Freelance Software Engineer
Swift, Python, Django, Django REST Framework, FastAPI, SwiftUI, CI/CD Pipelines...
Global FoodService Inc
SwiftUI, Swift, AWS Amplify, AWS AppSync, GraphQL
Emotional Technologies LLC
iOS, Python, Swift, Django, Mixpanel, Amazon Web Services (AWS), SwiftUI...
Experience
- iOS - 11 years
- Slack App - 4 years
- Slack API - 3 years
- Swift - 3 years
- React - 2 years
- SwiftUI - 2 years
- Figma - 2 years
- TypeScript - 2 years
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Xcode, Swift, Figma, SwiftUI, TypeScript, Node.js, AWS Amplify, GraphQL
The most amazing...
...the project I've worked on is an iOS app that automatically scans, crops, and enhances printed photos captured with the camera using a custom-made ML model.
Work Experience
Senior iOS Engineer | Full-stack Web Developer
2022 - PRESENT
Freelance Software Engineer
- Worked with a video streaming company to refactor their app to a more sustainable and less error-prone architecture.
- Owned end-to-end solutions to a given problem. Designed solutions for it, such as app features or internal web apps, and built and deployed it to production via the App Store, AWS, and others.
- Designed and run A/B tests using Firebase A/B testing, interpreted results, and helped make product decisions.
Technologies: Swift, Python, Django, Django REST Framework, FastAPI, SwiftUI, CI/CD Pipelines, Bootstrap, CSS, HTML, Heroku, AWS Lambda, Serverless, DigitalOcean, Slack API, CocoaPods, React, Mobile, iOS SDK, Lottie, iOS Frameworks, Next.js, APIs, Supabase, JavaScript, Slack, TypeScript
Senior SwiftUI Developer (via Toptal)
2023 - 2024
Global FoodService Inc
- Took the existing broken codebase and re-architected it to a modern SwiftUI-based approach for faster development and better stability.
- Developed new ideas from scratch based on the client's requirements, including UI designs and implementations, e.g., the entire new restaurant management section of the app.
- Set up a development environment for success; created Jira kanban boards for all projects and started tickets and release tracking.
- Came up with an analytics tracking strategy based on the client's requirements, e.g., tracking KPIs, tracking user behavior for future ML model training, and tracking for better customer service debugging.
- Documented tasks and stories and collaborated with the Android developer to ensure platform consistency. e.g., the same analytics behavior or features functionality.
Technologies: SwiftUI, Swift, AWS Amplify, AWS AppSync, GraphQL
iOS and Python Developer
2023 - 2023
Emotional Technologies LLC
- Designed an analytics event-tracking strategy based on clients' KPIs and implemented all the events in a reusable and maintainable way.
- Took into account that the application had a lot of pages and flows and created a less error-prone and more straightforward navigation architecture. This allowed nice transitions between screens and no bugs in the flows.
- Introduced more reusable components to use throughout the app, especially for forms like sign up, sign in, and reset password with proper error handling and validations. This allowed for less code, greater reusability, and faster development.
Technologies: iOS, Python, Swift, Django, Mixpanel, Amazon Web Services (AWS), SwiftUI, Analytics
Slack App Developer
2023 - 2023
Helpspace, Inc.
- Created a Slack app from scratch using JavaScript/TypeScript. The app allows companies to open company and user accounts on Laurels, create charity events, and complete challenges for non-profits within the Slack app.
- Wrote a custom converter from Tiptap to Slack Rich Text and back. The converter allows users to use rich text to complete their challenges while remaining compatible with the web app.
- Designed, based on the client's requirements, all the app's views using the Slack Block Kit.
- Built a custom UI kit layer on top of Slack's Bolt with React elements to simplify the UI's declarations and improve error handling.
Technologies: Slack API, Slack App, Slack, APIs, Node.js, Java, REST APIs, TypeScript
Co-founder | Full-stack Developer
2021 - 2022
Spurr
- Developed a back-end API for communication with the Slack API using FastAPI with deployment to Heroku.
- Designed all product-related materials like logos, icons, promo slides, promo videos, and all the app's features.
- Launched the product and got reviewed and listed in Slack's app directory.
Technologies: Slack API, FastAPI, Python, PostgreSQL, Alembic, SQLAlchemy, Heroku, Slack App, Slackbot, Figma, Software Development, Agile Software Development, REST APIs, Git, REST, JSON, Firebase iOS SDK, HTTP, User Interface (UI), UX Design, JavaScript, Slack
Head of Development | Senior iOS Engineer
2016 - 2021
MyWallSt
- Migrated the app from Objective-C to Swift. In later years, I initiated the migration to SwiftUI. Rewrote an application into Clean Swift architecture.
- Designed new products from scratch like MyWallSt Horizon.
- Integrated brokerage APIs to manage users' investments securely.
- Created almost all of the features currently in the app.
- Led and managed various teams (product, engineering).
Technologies: Django, Swift, Xcode, Clean Architecture, Figma, Scrum, Jira, Software Development, Sketch, Slack App, PostgreSQL, Agile Software Development, REST APIs, Git, iOS, Mobile UI Design, Firebase, Firebase iOS SDK, User Interface (UI), UX Design, CocoaPods, App Store, Google Play Store, Mobile, iOS SDK, iOS Native Libraries, iOS Frameworks, APIs, Slack
Lead iOS Developer
2014 - 2016
Futured
- Developed apps for leading Czech companies across various industries like gastronomy, video streaming, and marketing.
- Created a strategy for project architectures to make sure we built efficient and bug-free apps.
- Managed communication with client engineers to ensure good collaboration and perfect results.
Technologies: Core Data, REST APIs, Objective-C, Swift, Scrum, tvOS, WatchOS, Software Development, Core Animation, Agile Software Development, Git, iPad, iOS, Mobile UI Design, REST, JSON, XML, Firebase, Firebase iOS SDK, HTTP, CocoaPods, App Store, Google Play Store, Mobile, iOS SDK, iOS Native Libraries, iOS Frameworks, APIs, Slack
iOS Developer | UX Designer
2013 - 2014
IDOS power
- Developed iOS applications for various clients from the Czech Republic.
- Designed and developed an in-house mobile app product to teach English called One Word with a DAU of 3,000.
- Created features for apps based on clients' requirements.
Technologies: Xcode, REST APIs, Objective-C, Software Development, Adobe Photoshop, Git, iOS, Mobile UI Design, REST, Mobile, iOS SDK
Experience
Photo Scanner by MemoryShare
https://apps.apple.com/au/app/scanner-app-by-memoryshare/id1665247224A Swift-based app for automatically scanning photos using the iPhone's camera, recording short video stories, and smart uploading and media assets management. The scanning is done without third-party libraries, only using Apple's frameworks.
I also developed a custom AI model based on RotNet to predict and autocorrect photo orientation after scanning. I oversaw end-to-end delivery, like UI design, development in Swift and SwiftUI, deployment, and maintenance.
I also developed a custom AI model based on RotNet to predict and autocorrect photo orientation after scanning. I oversaw end-to-end delivery, like UI design, development in Swift and SwiftUI, deployment, and maintenance.
Broadcasting App by MemoryShare
https://www.memoryshare.comA Swift-based universal iPhone and iPad app for the video streaming of funerals. I was hired to take over from a software agency to improve the code architecture and make the app more stable. I refactored a huge part of the app to reduce unused code, mainly related to video streaming, making it more maintainable and less error-prone. I also improved the dependency management and built the CI/CD set up for it. I continued to improve the codebase and build new features for the client.
Wedcast.cz - Wedding Live Streaming & Photo Board
A collection of media services for weddings. Wedding photo board is a web-based service for wedding guests to easily share photos they capture during the wedding, keeping all the photos in one place. Wedding live streaming is a service for streaming wedding ceremonies with a dedicated website, enabling guests to watch the ceremony live, donate money, or send wishes to the newlyweds. I built both of those services, including the UI. The web part is built using React, Next.js, and Supabase. The live streaming is done through the iOS app with a custom video streaming app built in Swift and SwiftUI.
MyWallSt
https://mywallst.comAn application that makes a new wave of stock investors. It aims to explain the basics of stock investing, open a brokerage account and trade, and explore stock analysis from the MyWallSt analyst team. I was responsible for the whole app UI, iOS development, and running the development team and product roadmap.
Spurr App
Spurr is a Slack app that allows anyone to create cooperative team challenges in their Slack workspace. It tracks individual contributors, posts statistics, and motivates others to join. It also integrates with Stripe for a subscription for paid plans.
Taxi Service Application
The first version of an iOS application allows its users to order a taxi in Prague. Users can hail a taxi, manage their orders, and pay by apple pay directly in the app. It also shows route estimations, estimated price,s and more.
Education
2012 - 2015
Bachelor's Degree in Automation Management and Informatics
Mendel University - Brno, Czech Republic
2007 - 2011
High School Diploma in Electrotechnology and Informatics Program (Mathematics, C++, Operation Systems)
High School in Ostrava - Ostrava, Czech Republic
Skills
Libraries/APIs
REST APIs, Slack API, CocoaPods, iOS Native Libraries, Core Animation, Firebase iOS SDK, SQLAlchemy, Stripe, React, Node.js, AWS Amplify
Tools
Sketch, Xcode, Slack, Jira, Adobe Photoshop, Figma, Git, AWS AppSync
Languages
Swift, Objective-C, XML, Python, TypeScript, JavaScript, CSS, HTML, Java, GraphQL
Frameworks
Core Data, SwiftUI, iOS SDK, iOS Frameworks, Next.js, Django, Alembic, Django REST Framework, Bootstrap
Paradigms
Clean Architecture, Agile Software Development, Scrum, Mobile UI Design, REST, UX Design
Platforms
iOS, Firebase, Mobile, Heroku, WatchOS, tvOS, AWS Lambda, DigitalOcean, Mixpanel, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Storage
JSON, PostgreSQL
Other
iPad, Software Development, Slack App, User Interface (UI), App Store, APIs, Augmented Reality (AR), FastAPI, Slackbot, HTTP, Google Play Store, Lottie, Supabase, Product Management, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Engineering, Serverless, Machine Learning, Analytics
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