David Seaward, Developer in London, United Kingdom
David is available for hire
Hire David

David Seaward

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Prototyping Developer

Location
London, United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since
June 10, 2020

David is an affable software architect who values high-quality, iterative results. He has experience throughout the product lifecycle, from prototyping to supporting the legacy system that no-one likes anymore. His approach is pragmatic, user-centered, and delivery-oriented. He builds robust code with future development and maintenance in mind. Most of his experience is in systems integration, and his strength is streamlining workflows and communication, in the system or between stakeholders.

Portfolio

Canonical
OpenAPI, Snapcraft, Juju, Python, Rapid Prototyping, Design Specifications...
Freelance
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Reporting, .NET, C#, Visual Studio, NumPy...
Purism
Reporting, OpenLDAP, NGINX, RabbitMQ, Celery, Rapid Prototyping...

Experience

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

NGINX, RabbitMQ, Celery, Linux, Python, PostgreSQL

The most amazing...

...project I've contributed to is Librem One, turning cyberpunk dreams into a reality for everyday users is a rewarding challenge!

Work Experience

Software Engineer II

2022 - PRESENT
Canonical
  • Modernized Python-based microservices for global demand.
  • Supported architectural migration of legacy services.
  • Supported onboarding and other documentation processes.
  • Co-developed code standards with peers in a globally distributed team.
Technologies: OpenAPI, Snapcraft, Juju, Python, Rapid Prototyping, Design Specifications, Debian Linux

Independent Software Architect

2020 - 2022
Freelance
  • Increased stakeholder buy-in across the enterprise and revitalized a stalled project with 1:1 interviews, user stories, and technical specifications.
  • Introduced robust engineering practices to the development team, including coding standards, CI/CD, and code reviews.
  • Reduced toolchain TCO by researching and identifying best-in-class open source solutions and high-impact paid solutions with generous ownership terms.
  • Identified and contributed to the work effort required in development, documentation, and deployment.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Reporting, .NET, C#, Visual Studio, NumPy, Matplotlib, OpenLDAP, NGINX, RabbitMQ, Celery, Rapid Prototyping, Continuous Integration (CI), Cloud Computing, Cloud Storage, User-driven Development, System Integration, Empathy, Code Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Workflow, Functional Specifications, Prototyping, Open Source, Iterative Delivery, Business Analysis, Linux, DevOps, Django REST Framework, Test-driven Development (TDD), Django, SQLAlchemy, Git, Debian Linux, Python, SQL, Web Architecture

Director of Trustworthy Services

2017 - 2020
Purism
  • Managed a team of five cross-disciplinary developers in independent countries/time zones.
  • Generated user personas, user stories, technical requirements, and tickets to guide a user-driven development process.
  • Prototyped and implemented a middleware component to integrate four heterogeneous services, authentication, and subscription back-ends.
  • Oversaw the launch across three platforms (Android, iOS, GNU/Linux).
  • Published eight posts describe the vision, design, and development of the service suite, aimed at an everyday audience while containing enough detail to satisfy enthusiasts and experienced users.
Technologies: Reporting, OpenLDAP, NGINX, RabbitMQ, Celery, Rapid Prototyping, Continuous Integration (CI), User-driven Development, System Integration, Empathy, Code Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Workflow, Functional Specifications, Prototyping, Open Source, Iterative Delivery, Business Analysis, Linux, DevOps, Django REST Framework, Test-driven Development (TDD), Django, SQLAlchemy, Git, Debian Linux, Python, SQL, Web Architecture, WooCommerce, IMAP, OpenVPN, Creative Commons, Open-source License, Design Specifications

Senior Software Developer

2015 - 2016
Triggerfish Animation Studios
  • Acclimated quickly to the domain-specific requirements and technical challenges of a new industry.
  • Improved communication and turnaround between distributed studios.
  • Introduced software engineering practices to the pipeline development process.
  • Developed middleware to provide extra functionality to a cloud-based vendor service (and administration of the same).
  • Developed a graphing solution to capture and visualize multi-stage pipeline progress.
Technologies: Reporting, NumPy, Matplotlib, NGINX, RabbitMQ, Celery, Rapid Prototyping, Continuous Integration (CI), User-driven Development, System Integration, Empathy, Code Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Workflow, Functional Specifications, Prototyping, Open Source, Iterative Delivery, Business Analysis, Linux, DevOps, Django REST Framework, Test-driven Development (TDD), Django, SQLAlchemy, Git, Debian Linux, Python, SQL, Web Architecture, PySide, PyQt, Maya, Design Specifications

Software Developer

2007 - 2015
j5 International
  • Designed, implemented, and maintained electronic logbooks for industrial clients (cyclotron, energy, mining, and power).
  • Performed testing, deployment, and maintenance in Windows/SQL Server environments.
  • Handled documentation, legacy system migration, training (in-house, partner, and client), and support (partner and client).
Technologies: Reporting, SOAP, OpenLDAP, NGINX, Rapid Prototyping, Continuous Integration (CI), System Integration, Empathy, Code Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Workflow, Functional Specifications, Prototyping, Open Source, Iterative Delivery, Business Analysis, Linux, DevOps, Test-driven Development (TDD), SQLAlchemy, Git, Debian Linux, Python, SQL, Web Architecture, Microsoft SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Jenkins, Oracle, MySQL, BIRT, SCADA, Design Specifications

Software Developer

2004 - 2007
Open Box Software
  • Implemented and maintained intranet web applications for clients in real estate and finance.
  • Leveraged in-house tools to build and contribute to internal application development.
  • Performed business analysis and project planning for internal application development.
Technologies: .NET, C#, Visual Studio, Empathy, Code Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Workflow, Functional Specifications, Prototyping, Iterative Delivery, Business Analysis, SQL, Web Architecture, ASP.NET, VB.NET, Design Specifications

Librem One

https://librem.one
A bundle of privacy-oriented services for everyday users. I led technical development of the project, selecting components and turning the company vision into concrete requirements and implementation with a team of skilled developers.

Languages

Python, SQL, C#, VB.NET

Paradigms

Web Architecture, Requirements Analysis, Test-driven Development (TDD), User-driven Development, Continuous Integration (CI), Rapid Prototyping, DevOps

Other

Business Analysis, Iterative Delivery, Open Source, Prototyping, Functional Specifications, Workflow, Code Architecture, Empathy, Creative Commons, Open-source License, Design Specifications, System Integration, SCADA, Cloud Storage, Cloud Computing, IMAP, Reporting, SOAP, Snapcraft

Frameworks

Django, Django REST Framework, .NET, ASP.NET, Juju

Libraries/APIs

SQLAlchemy, OpenLDAP, Matplotlib, NumPy, PyQt, PySide, OpenAPI

Tools

Git, Celery, RabbitMQ, NGINX, OpenVPN, Maya, Jenkins, Visual Studio

Platforms

Debian Linux, Linux, WooCommerce, BIRT, Oracle, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Storage

PostgreSQL, MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server

2015 - 2015

Bachelor of Science Degree (Honors) in Computer Science

University of Cape Town - Cape Town, South Africa

1998 - 2004

Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science and Literature

University of Cape Town - Cape Town, South Africa

JUNE 2020 - PRESENT

AWS Fundamentals: Going Cloud-Native

Coursera

Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring