Chris Picard, Developer in Highlands Ranch, CO, United States
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Chris Picard

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Back-end Developer

Location
Highlands Ranch, CO, United States
Toptal Member Since
March 28, 2022

Chris is a passionate developer who is eager to improve software quality while addressing issues related to the software development process. Throughout his 14+ years of professional experience, he has created practices and patterns that enable the rapid development of high-quality clean code. Chris enjoys the back-end development, solving complex technical challenges, and mentoring teams to help them reach their full potential.

Software EngineeringBack-endJavaSpring BootXMLSpringAgileJenkinsLinuxAgile Project ManagementPostgreSQLGradleGitJSONMicroservices

Portfolio

Twitter
Scala, Python 3, Okta, Python
Monterey Technologies
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Jira, Java, Docker, Gradle, IntelliJ...
Lockheed Martin
Java, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Docker, Software Architecture...

Experience

Back-end - 14 yearsSoftware Engineering - 14 yearsSpring Boot - 14 yearsJava - 14 yearsREST - 10 yearsSoftware Architecture - 8 yearsDocker - 7 yearsMicroservices - 5 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Java, Linux, Spring, PostgreSQL, IntelliJ

The most amazing...

...software I've built from scratch is a geospatial planning SDK that led to creating seven different planning applications.

Work Experience

Software Engineer | Back-end Contractor

2021 - PRESENT
Twitter
  • Performed security-related updates across the entire health tool suite requiring rapid learning of each tool.
  • Led an award-winning hack week project to detect and delete dead code from the monorepo.
  • Spearheaded the effort to update an unmaintainable service that none of the current developers had enough knowledge about.
Technologies: Scala, Python 3, Okta, Python

Framework Architect and Lead Engineer

2017 - 2021
Monterey Technologies
  • Architected a reusable geospatial planning SDK used in seven different software applications.
  • Created the software process from scratch, including the coding standards, tech stack, software patterns, development toolset, CI/CD pipeline, and team culture.
  • Built a set of reusable design patterns that reduced team development time. As a result, we managed to be the highest productivity team out of a 30+ team enterprise.
  • Transitioned a legacy monolith application into a set of deployable Docker container-based microservices.
Technologies: Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Jira, Java, Docker, Gradle, IntelliJ, Artifactory, Jenkins, JSON, Spring Boot, MyBatis, Microservices, Git, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Staff Software Engineer

2008 - 2017
Lockheed Martin
  • Reintegrated a project to help solve a technical issue blocking client acceptance. I was able to solve these issues and 20 other defects in a 6-week period.
  • Worked as the unique developer of an application to measure contract staffing requirements over time, thus ensuring proper staffing levelers.
  • Built an application framework for a research and development project after converted into a production system. I oversaw the conversion and adoption of the project.
Technologies: Java, Spring Boot, PostgreSQL, Docker, Software Architecture, Agile Project Management, Agile, IntelliJ, Gradle, Jenkins, Jira, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Git, Python 3, MongoDB, REST, Spring Microservice, XML, JSON, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Python

Geospatial Planning SDK

I was the software architect and lead engineer in developing a geospatial planning SDK that later expanded into seven individual planning applications. It was based on a monolithic legacy application transformed into a unique style of services that could both be deployed to a stand-alone app and as microservices.

Service Code Generator

A project designed to generate service code based on a model definition. Existing model-based systems engineering (MBSE) products focus more on the modeling side of the equation. It results in non-usable code that is hard to keep in sync with the model definition. This project focuses on the code side of the model. It generates code to a set of common patterns that save developers time. It allows developers to focus on the system's complex business logic rather than model definition.

Languages

Java, XML, Python, Python 3, Scala, TypeScript

Frameworks

Spring Boot, Spring, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Spring Microservice

Paradigms

REST, Desktop App Development, Agile Project Management, Agile, Microservices, Desktop Web Design, Requirements Analysis

Other

Software Engineering, Computer Science, Back-end, APIs, Software Design, Leadership, Software Architecture, Okta

Libraries/APIs

MyBatis

Tools

IntelliJ, Gradle, Jenkins, Git, Jira, Artifactory

Platforms

Linux, Docker, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Storage

PostgreSQL, JSON, MongoDB

2010 - 2013

Master's Degree in Computer Science and Project Management

University of Denver - Denver, Colorado, USA

2003 - 2008

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering

Colorado State University - Fort Collins, Colorado, USA