Frank is available for hire
Hire FrankFrank Kotsianas
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Architecture Developer
Location
New York, NY, United States
Toptal Member Since
April 11, 2018
Frank is a senior engineer with experience in Python, Go, Rails, React, Angular, and various supporting technologies like MySQL, PostgreSQL, AWS, and Firebase. He enjoys working in a test-first (TDD) workflow, on agile teams, preferably with a designer, on greenfield or existing projects. He has previously led engineering teams at financial technology companies, worked closely with founders to bring new products to market, and helped transform the way hundreds of F500 companies deliver software.
Portfolio
Narmi Inc
Django, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), AWS ELB, Amazon Web Services (AWS), React, Node.js...
CottageClass
Google Cloud Platform (GCP), MongoDB, Redux, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Go, React...
Pique
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Git, Heroku, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails (RoR), React...
Experience
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
Vim Text Editor, Python, Go, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Node.js, React, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), PostgreSQL, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
The most amazing...
...project I've worked on involved working directly with two motivated founders to design and implement a web and mobile app using agile sprints and TDD.
Work Experience
Senior Software Engineer | Platform Team Lead
2019 - PRESENT
Narmi Inc
- Designed and developed 15+ integrations with core banking system partners.
- Designed and implemented multi-environment CI/CD strategy, reducing bugs by 10% and increasing release velocity by 25%.
- Redesigned the entire React Native mobile app, resulting in 25% faster load time, as well as new designs.
- Extracted a reusable React component library based on styled components to enable our banking partners to build experiences with identical look-and-feel to our core platform and worked with stakeholders to roll it out.
- Owned all planning and delivery for the platform team, from ideation to release.
Technologies: Django, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), AWS ELB, Amazon Web Services (AWS), React, Node.js, Git, PostgreSQL, CI/CD Pipelines, React Native, React Navigation, Styled-components, System Architecture Design, JavaScript, jQuery, CSS3, HTML5, Python, Python 3, Concourse CI, Microservices, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Redux-Saga, Front-end Development, Back-end, Front-end, WebSockets, User Interface (UI), UI Design Standards & Best Practices, User Experience (UX), CSS, TypeScript, DOM, HTML, REST, REST APIs, Software Architecture
Lead Developer
2017 - 2019
CottageClass
- Took over and led new features and maintenance for a React and Golang web app.
- Ported React components into a composable component framework and instituted Redux.
- Led UX research and customer experience for two new features: an accounting dashboard and onboarding flow redesign.
- Refactored payments processing to take advantage of Stripe features like subscriptions and refunds.
- Led the reorganization of the back-end API from page-based handlers to RESTful endpoints.
Technologies: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), MongoDB, Redux, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Go, React, JavaScript, Ruby, jQuery, CSS3, HTML5, Firebase, Python, Node.js, Python 3, Concourse CI, Microservices, System Architecture Design, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Styled-components, React Navigation, React Native, CI/CD Pipelines, AWS ELB, Redux-Saga, Front-end Development, Back-end, Front-end, WebSockets, User Interface (UI), UI Design Standards & Best Practices, User Experience (UX), CSS, TypeScript, DOM, HTML, REST, REST APIs, Software Architecture
Lead Developer
2017 - 2018
Pique
- Took over the development and maintenance of a React and Rails web application.
- Worked closely with the product manager to define the scope for features and carefully balance new feature development and technical debt.
- Led sprints in an agile fashion using Pivotal Tracker.
- Led the development of new features: scholarship provider onboarding student referral tool, and AWS to Heroku migration.
- Migrated the application from SPA and Firebase architecture to a relational database in PostgreSQL to support complex data queries and provide user- and admin-facing data dashboards.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Git, Heroku, PostgreSQL, Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, JavaScript, Ruby, jQuery, CSS3, HTML5, Firebase, Node.js, Python 3, Django, System Architecture Design, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Styled-components, React Navigation, React Native, CI/CD Pipelines, AWS ELB, Redux-Saga, Front-end Development, Back-end, Front-end, WebSockets, User Interface (UI), UI Design Standards & Best Practices, User Experience (UX), CSS, DOM, HTML, REST, REST APIs, Software Architecture
Founding Engineer
2016 - 2017
Zeal Learning, LLC
- Served as the back-end developer responsible for managing the API server and data dashboards.
- Implemented a variety of front-end features on Zeal's real-time coaching platform.
- Caught bugs in the real-time tutoring system, reducing user disconnects by 20%.
- Extended the agile process to the team, adding weekly IPM and an end-of-week retrospective to the existing daily standups.
- Communicated with customers around data dashboards feature, channeling feedback to the product manager, and aided in designing the final solution.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), MySQL, Firebase, CSS3, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, Angular, AngularJS, JavaScript, jQuery, HTML5, Node.js, Python 3, Microservices, System Architecture Design, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), CI/CD Pipelines, Front-end Development, Back-end, Front-end, User Interface (UI), UI Design Standards & Best Practices, User Experience (UX), CSS, DOM, HTML, REST, REST APIs, Software Architecture
Software Engineer
2014 - 2016
Pivotal, Inc.
- Managed the new feature development and existing maintenance for APIs serving as an endpoint to all of Cloud Foundry as a member of the API team.
- Contributed to the API and front-end development for Cloud Foundry web GUI, entirely TDD workflow as a member of the front-end team.
- Developed tooling and a benchmarking framework for deploying and monitoring a highly available MySQL cluster addon to Cloud Foundry with 100% TDD workflow on the MySQL team.
- Led the fully agile and XP process in the Pivotal style with daily standup, weekly IPM, and retro.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Agile, Test-driven Development (TDD), PostgreSQL, MySQL, React, Angular, Sinatra, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Ruby, JavaScript, CSS3, HTML5, Python, Node.js, Python 3, Django, Concourse CI, Microservices, System Architecture Design, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), CI/CD Pipelines, AWS ELB, Front-end Development, Back-end, Front-end, User Interface (UI), UI Design Standards & Best Practices, User Experience (UX), CSS, DOM, HTML, REST, REST APIs, Software Architecture
Experience
CottageClass
React+Golang+MongoDB web application supporting 5000+ independent schoolteachers in the United States.
I was brought on to take over development at a critical time for the client - they had just found product-market fit and started to gain traction.
My tasks were various - redesigning the payments system for scale, creating various internal dashboards and tools, visualizing accounting data for our course providers, and creating marketing automation tools.
In all these I was involved from design down to implementation. I ran weekly sprints with the PM, designer, and any other developers involved, focusing us around weekly goals.
My favorite project was probably our accounting dashboard, as I was able to communicate directly with users and push out features in responsive cadence to their requests.
This project is ongoing.
I was brought on to take over development at a critical time for the client - they had just found product-market fit and started to gain traction.
My tasks were various - redesigning the payments system for scale, creating various internal dashboards and tools, visualizing accounting data for our course providers, and creating marketing automation tools.
In all these I was involved from design down to implementation. I ran weekly sprints with the PM, designer, and any other developers involved, focusing us around weekly goals.
My favorite project was probably our accounting dashboard, as I was able to communicate directly with users and push out features in responsive cadence to their requests.
This project is ongoing.
Pique Scholarships
React+Rails, on Postgres MVP for scholarship search and discovery.
I was brought on to take a front-end-only React+Firebase proof-of-concept and add a back-end backed by a relational database as the company brought on its first users.
I defined the data models in consultation with the product owner, identified contracts between the front-end and the existing NoSQL datastore, and implemented a RESTful API in Rails that fulfilled the contracts expected by the front-end.
I chose to implement in Rails for two reasons: 1) because of the vast ecosystem of tools and packages available for common tasks a SaaS app would need; and 2) because its prevalence allows for quick hiring and onboarding of any future developers. As an pre-revenue SaaS application, these decisions were appreciated by the client.
This project evolved into front- and back-end development as new features came along or were requested by users. I moved the authentication flow from standard Devise to token-based authentication, added an applicant-scoring feature, and made small changes and bug fixes.
Throughout this work I attempted to adhere to clean code practices, enforcing separation of concerns and migrating all client-side data storage to Redux.
I was brought on to take a front-end-only React+Firebase proof-of-concept and add a back-end backed by a relational database as the company brought on its first users.
I defined the data models in consultation with the product owner, identified contracts between the front-end and the existing NoSQL datastore, and implemented a RESTful API in Rails that fulfilled the contracts expected by the front-end.
I chose to implement in Rails for two reasons: 1) because of the vast ecosystem of tools and packages available for common tasks a SaaS app would need; and 2) because its prevalence allows for quick hiring and onboarding of any future developers. As an pre-revenue SaaS application, these decisions were appreciated by the client.
This project evolved into front- and back-end development as new features came along or were requested by users. I moved the authentication flow from standard Devise to token-based authentication, added an applicant-scoring feature, and made small changes and bug fixes.
Throughout this work I attempted to adhere to clean code practices, enforcing separation of concerns and migrating all client-side data storage to Redux.
Skills
Languages
Ruby, JavaScript, SQL, ECMAScript (ES6), HTML5, CSS3, Python, Python 3, CSS, HTML, Go, TypeScript
Frameworks
Ruby on Rails (RoR), Redux, React Native, AngularJS, Sinatra, Material UI, Django, Angular
Libraries/APIs
jQuery, React, REST APIs, React Navigation, Redux-Saga, Node.js
Tools
Git, Concourse CI, Vim Text Editor, Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), AWS ELB
Paradigms
Agile, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), UI Design Standards & Best Practices, REST, XP, Microservices, Test-driven Development (TDD)
Other
CI/CD Pipelines, Styled-components, System Architecture Design, Front-end Development, Full-stack, Back-end, Front-end, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), DOM, Software Architecture, WebSockets
Platforms
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Heroku, Linux, MacOS, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Firebase
Storage
MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Amazon S3 (AWS S3)
Education
2012 - 2013
Master's Degree in Cognitive Science
Harvard University - Cambridge, MA
2006 - 2010
Bachelor's Degree in Cognitive Science
University of California, Berkeley - Berkeley, CA
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