Ilya Zykin, Developer in İstanbul, Turkey
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Ilya Zykin

Bio

Ilya is a full-stack developer with 20 years of experience in programming, teaching, and coaching. Specializing in Ruby on Rails and React development, he has been an open-source contributor, team lead, and technical manager. As an independent expert, Ilya mentored and coached IT teams and consulted small and medium-sized businesses focusing on digital transformation. He can help companies solve technical tasks and conduct IT audits.

Portfolio

Fortune 500 Company (USA)
Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, PostgreSQL, Git, JavaScript, Vite, Docker...
PV Project (Pennsylvania State University)
Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Python, JavaScript, Full-stack Development...
Toptal
JavaScript, Ruby on Rails (RoR), TypeScript, Ruby, Node.js...

Experience

  • JavaScript - 19 years
  • Ruby on Rails (RoR) - 16 years
  • Full-stack - 15 years
  • React - 10 years
  • Node.js - 10 years
  • Mentorship & Coaching - 8 years
  • TypeScript - 5 years
  • AI Development - 3 years

Preferred Environment

MacOS, Linux, Slack, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), RubyMine

The most amazing...

...project I've worked on is a Rails app on Docker container, which accelerated the setup of new Rails projects.

Work Experience

Senior Software Engineer | Development Leader | Consultant

2024 - PRESENT
Fortune 500 Company (USA)
  • Built and maintained a dockerized local development environment that significantly improved developer experience and reduced onboarding time by up to 10x.
  • Led the migration to modern front-end tooling from Webpack to Vite and actively supported similar migrations across three projects, improving build speed, reliability, and developer productivity.
  • Designed and implemented SSO integration between the core platform and new services, ensuring secure and seamless authentication flows.
  • Designed and delivered a localization validation system to improve translation quality and automatically detect missing or inconsistent locale keys.
  • Delivered major UI improvements with a strong focus on accessibility (A11Y), including a large accessibility-driven redesign.
  • Designed, planned, and contributed to the implementation of an internal event-tracking system and a new dashboard, enabling better product insights for customers.
  • Improved mobile responsiveness and adaptive layouts across key user flows.
  • Promoted and implemented atomic CSS methodologies, helping shape a more consistent and scalable design system within the project.
  • Contributed actively to process improvement, documentation, and internal knowledge sharing, increasing team efficiency and long-term maintainability of the codebase.
Technologies: Ruby on Rails (RoR), React, PostgreSQL, Git, JavaScript, Vite, Docker, Single Sign-on (SSO), Accessibility, Web Accessibility, BEM, System Design, Full-stack Development, Large Language Models (LLMs), OAuth, OAuth 2, JSON, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, REST APIs, Architecture, Technical Leadership, Workflow Automation, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Prompt Engineering, API Architecture, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review

Senior Software Engineer | Consultant

2023 - 2024
PV Project (Pennsylvania State University)
  • Helped define goals and tasks for a computer vision and machine learning project as part of a research team for the Pennsylvania State University. I researched and recommended data annotation tools.
  • Explored tools and developed a single sign-on prototype to enhance workflow processes. The solution was to build using Python, Flask framework, Ruby, and Ruby on Rails.
  • Сreated several mini-services that significantly improved data analysis and decision-making processes to enhance the data preparation system for machine learning.
  • Designed, researched, prototyped, and contributed to the implementation of a system enabling supervised learning with human annotation and active learning for an agricultural solution, improving model training efficiency and data accuracy.
Technologies: Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Python, JavaScript, Full-stack Development, Prototyping, Research, Amazon, ECMAScript (ES6), React, Vue, REST, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, JSON, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, Tailwind CSS, REST APIs, Architecture, Technical Leadership, Workflow Automation, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Prompt Engineering, API Architecture, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design

Senior Front-end Engineer, Coach, Software Engineer

2016 - 2023
Toptal
  • Developed and implemented learning paths and approaches, which delivered exceptional results for novice engineers, enabling them to quickly acquire the necessary skills and knowledge and excel on the company's most technically advanced project.
  • Acted as a software engineer while working on several key products for the company. Participated in various initiatives, including architecture calls, technical investigations, codebase improvements, and documentation preparations.
  • Developed and implemented integrations with important services such as OFAC compliance and internal HR system, improving everyday toolsets and enhancing staff productivity.
Technologies: JavaScript, Ruby on Rails (RoR), TypeScript, Ruby, Node.js, Test-driven Development (TDD), React, Graph Query Language (GQL), Apollo, Cypress, Pact, Coaching, Mentorship & Coaching, Jasmine, HTML, Jest, CSS, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Moderation, Webpack, Async/Await, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Redis, Docker, Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Elastic, PostgreSQL, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, TypeScript 3, Full-stack, Front-end, Large-scale Projects, ECMAScript (ES6), APIs, GraphQL, HTTP, REST, Webhooks, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, Tailwind CSS, REST APIs, Architecture, Workflow Automation, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Electron, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design

Senior Front-end Developer

2016 - 2016
Kupibilet.ru
  • Collaborated with the vice president of product to improve front-end data analysis process. Enhanced project sustainability through data collection and analysis.
  • Conducted a comprehensive review of the project's front-end section, analyzing React and Node.js code. Following my recommendations, the team implemented testing practices, which significantly improved the quality of this part of the project.
  • Collaborated closely with the DevOps team while playing a key role in improving the project's deployment and scaling process, particularly under high peak load conditions. This led to increased stability and better performance of the project.
Technologies: Node.js, React, Deployment, Management, Ruby, JavaScript, Ruby on Rails (RoR), HTML, Jest, Test-driven Development (TDD), CSS, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Webpack, Async/Await, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Redis, Docker, Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, Haml, Slim, Front-end, Large-scale Projects, ECMAScript (ES6), APIs, HTTP, REST, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, REST APIs, Architecture, SaaS, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review

Senior Full-stack Developer

2014 - 2015
IZI Travel
  • Streamlined inter-departmental collaboration between back-end, front-end, and mobile application teams, resulting in reduced development time and timely release of new features.
  • Collaborated closely with front-end developers to implement code organization improvements and identified tools to test code more effectively, which resulted in increased sustainability and functionality of the front end.
  • Identified back-end bottlenecks and managed the refactoring process to improve project performance. My effective refactoring methods, organized approach, and management led to significant improvements in project performance.
Technologies: AngularJS, Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Redis, Deployment, Jasmine, JavaScript, HTML, Jest, Test-driven Development (TDD), CSS, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Webpack, Async/Await, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Management, Docker Hub, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, Front-end, Large-scale Projects, APIs, HTTP, REST, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, API Integration, REST APIs, Architecture, Technical Leadership, API Architecture, SaaS, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design

Team Leader

2013 - 2014
CreateDigital.me
  • Acted as an anti-crisis manager and successfully helped the company retain key clients. Provided technical guidance to significantly improve development speed and product quality.
  • Identified and resolved critical technical and management issues efficiently, often in a short time frame, while working as a Ruby on Rails developer with a background in open-source development.
  • Encouraged transparent communication by creating a friendly and comfortable environment where team members shared ideas and collaborated to solve challenging tasks. Optimized work organization and streamlined teamwork.
Technologies: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), PHP, Test-driven Development (TDD), MySQL, Apache, LAMP, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Moderation, Promise, Confidentiality, Redis, Management, PostgreSQL, Sidekiq, CI/CD Pipelines, Haml, Slim, Front-end, APIs, HTTP, REST, JSON, Back-end Development, SQL, Message Queues, API Integration, REST APIs, Technical Leadership, Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), SaaS, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design

Senior Software Engineer

2012 - 2013
Kupibilet.ru
  • Served as the front-end developer for a startup and selected appropriate technologies and approaches for the project to ensure the scalability and optimal performance of the minimum viable product (MVP).
  • Took on additional responsibilities such as organizing efficient collaboration with the back-end team, hiring new developers, and streamlining the deployment process to improve overall project effectiveness.
  • Worked actively on new challenges as the company grew from 7 to 200+ employees. Played a significant role in the company's success as a senior developer and leader of the front-end department.
Technologies: Ruby, Ruby on Rails (RoR), JavaScript, CSS, HTML, React, Test-driven Development (TDD), MySQL, Ruby Gems, Empathy, Coaching, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Promise, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Management, CI/CD Pipelines, Haml, Slim, Front-end, APIs, HTTP, REST, Back-end Development, SQL, API Integration, REST APIs, Technical Leadership, API Architecture, SaaS, Software Architecture, Code Review, Code Refactoring, Source Code Review, Software Design

Software Engineer

2008 - 2012
Freelance Clients
  • Assisted small businesses in establishing an online presence, facilitated sales through website platforms, and addressed their business needs by designing and developing websites with specific functionalities.
  • Delivered solutions that resulted in one of my clients successfully attracting investments and organizing a large-scale real estate project.
  • Helped a social networking project succeed in its domain by contributing to its development with Ruby on Rails.
Technologies: JavaScript, CSS, PHP, HTML, Apache, LAMP, WordPress, Ruby, Ruby Gems, Ruby on Rails (RoR), MySQL, Empathy, Mentorship, Confidentiality, HTTP, Back-end Development, SQL, Open Source, Software Architecture

Experience

Rails 7. Start Kit

https://github.com/the-teacher/rails7-startkit
Rails 7. Start Kit is a Rails application based on Docker container with preinstalled tools such as Postgres, Redis, Sidekiq, and Elasticsearch. It is designed to accelerate the setup of new Rails projects and provide a safe playground for experimentation.

Authorization Solution for Ruby on Rails

https://github.com/the-teacher/the_role
TheRole is a Ruby on Rails authorization library that enforces restrictions on user access to resources. It provides a simple and flexible way to manage roles and permissions for different users, ensuring secure access to sensitive data.

TheSortableTree

https://github.com/the-teacher/the_sortable_tree
TheSortableTree is a UI solution that enables the efficient rendering of large amounts of nodes with drag-and-drop functionality. It provides a significant performance boost, making managing complex hierarchical data structures easier.

ActiveHarness | AI Agents Framework

https://github.com/the-teacher/active_harness
ActiveHarness is a Ruby framework for building AI agents with support for multiple LLM providers, lifecycle hooks, and a simple DSL. Designed for Rails but compatible with plain Ruby applications, it helps organize prompts, agents, and pipelines in a clean and reusable way.

Education

2023 - 2024

Diploma in Professional Development (Coaching) in Applied Psychology and Coaching

Institute of Applied Psychology in the Social Sphere - Moscow, Russia

2002 - 2007

Master of Education Degree in Teaching

Ivanovo State University - Ivanovo, Russia

Certifications

MARCH 2026 - PRESENT

Claude 101

Anthropic Education

MARCH 2026 - PRESENT

Claude Code in Action

Anthropic Education

SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT

Speak Like a Pro: Public Speaking for Professionals

Udemy

SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT

TypeScript for Professionals

Udemy

SEPTEMBER 2023 - PRESENT

Master Public Speaking to Become a Leader at Work. Speak Up!

Udemy

AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT

Asynchronous JavaScript: Promises, Callbacks, Async Await

Udemy

AUGUST 2022 - PRESENT

Webpack 5 in 2023: The Complete Guide For Beginners

Udemy

JULY 2022 - PRESENT

TopAcademy Coach: Moderator Training Program

Toptal

JULY 2022 - PRESENT

Be a Great Mentor: A Practical Guide to Mentorship

Udemy

JULY 2022 - PRESENT

Coaching for Growth and Success

Udemy

MAY 2021 - PRESENT

Confidential Information and Asset Security Training

Toptal

JANUARY 2021 - PRESENT

Incident Management Framework for Engineering Teams

Toptal

DECEMBER 2020 - PRESENT

Typescript 3.0: A Practical Guide

Udemy

Skills

Libraries/APIs

React, Node.js, REST APIs, Sidekiq, Vue, SerpApi, Rails Engines

Tools

Claude, Claude Code, Slack, RubyMine, Apache, Webpack, Docker Compose, Docker Hub, Elastic, Git

Languages

Ruby, JavaScript, HTML, TypeScript, CSS, ECMAScript (ES6), Haml, TypeScript 3, GraphQL, SQL, PHP, Python

Frameworks

Ruby on Rails (RoR), Jest, Jasmine, Express.js, Cypress, Slim, Tailwind CSS, OAuth 2, Electron, AngularJS

Paradigms

REST, API Architecture, Code Refactoring, Test-driven Development (TDD), Continuous Delivery (CD), Continuous Integration (CI), Microservices, Promise, Management, BEM

Storage

JSON, MySQL, Redis, PostgreSQL

Platforms

Harness, MacOS, Linux, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), LAMP, WordPress, Docker, Amazon, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Other

Mentorship & Coaching, Full-stack, Full-stack Development, Front-end, APIs, HTTP, Architecture, API Integration, Back-end Development, Technical Leadership, AI Development, Open Source, Software Architecture, Audits, IT Audits, Authentication, Authorization, Content Management Systems (CMS), Consulting, IT Consulting, Code Auditing, User Experience (UX), UI Components, Code Review, Source Code Review, Software Design, Coaching, Career Coaching, Large-scale Projects, Message Queues, OAuth, Webhooks, Workflow Automation, Prompt Engineering, Perplexity, Anthropic, SaaS, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Vibe Coding, AI Integration, AI Model Integration, AI Consulting, Storybook, OpenAI, OpenAI APIs, Ruby Gems, University Teaching, Empathy, Education, Mentorship, Team Mentoring, Moderation, Async/Await, User Interface (UI), Confidentiality, Incident Management, Incident Response, Deployment, Graph Query Language (GQL), Apollo, Pact, CI/CD Pipelines, Public Speaking, Prototyping, Research, Personal Development, Communication, Motivation Strategies, Vite, Single Sign-on (SSO), Accessibility, Web Accessibility, System Design, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Assistants, Agentic AI, AI Agents, Agentic AI Systems, AI-assisted Development, LLM Integration

Collaboration That Works

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