Jayen is available for hire
Hire JayenJayen Ashar
Verified Expert in Engineering
Software Architecture Developer
Location
Sydney, Australia
Toptal Member Since
December 4, 2019
Jayen is a JavaScript expert and a technical executive (typically acting as the CTO) of multiple Australian startups with 20+ years of development experience so he can handle almost any project's needs—from creating your cloud servers to building a pixel-perfect UI. With vast experience in Linux, AWS, Python, Django, React, MySQL, and much more, Jayen will get the job done in minimal time with the best results.
Portfolio
One Task
Embedded Linux, C, C++, Software Architecture, Software Design, Security, Linux...
Sunlytix (via Toptal)
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Django, React, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, MySQL...
Datascout International
Django, React, PostgreSQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, DevOps, Node.js...
Experience
Availability
Full-time
Preferred Environment
VCS, Git, Linux, Debian, JetBrains, Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture
The most amazing...
...website I've built has been for my startup Finderful.com which was designed to help people find a property when they move to a new city.
Work Experience
Technical Advisor
2021 - PRESENT
One Task
- Led the migration of a legacy cloud-based system to edge devices.
- Headed the rebuild to a new platform with stronger security and privacy.
- Directed the migration of a legacy desktop application from Python/Qt to Electron/React.
Technologies: Embedded Linux, C, C++, Software Architecture, Software Design, Security, Linux, Microservices, Cybersecurity, Leadership, CI/CD Pipelines
Django/Python Web Developer | AWS Architect
2020 - PRESENT
Sunlytix (via Toptal)
- Created a new Django back end for a white-label product.
- Architected the deployment to AWS at a fraction of the current AWS bill.
- Assisted with front-end development in create-react-app.
- Represented the company's technical team in meetings with external stakeholders.
- Designed and implemented an API for clients and client's clients.
- Migrated from CloudFlare to CloudFront for SSL at the edge cache for white-label domains.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Django, React, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, MySQL, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), DevOps, Redux, React Router, REST APIs, Serverless, Databases, Location Services, Scraping, API Integration, CSV File Processing, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Software Architecture, Security, Back-end, Amazon RDS
Research Director
2018 - PRESENT
Datascout International
- Built the architecture for the initial hackathon entry and wrote most of the applications in JavaScript and React.
- Developed the back-end platform, which has been in production use since our first client and provides a REST API for the front-end developers.
Technologies: Django, React, PostgreSQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, DevOps, Node.js, React Router, REST APIs, Databases, Location Services, Scraping, API Integration, CSV File Processing, Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Design, UX Design, Software Architecture
Technical Co-founder
2017 - PRESENT
Flatmate.com
- Migrated the server to a cheaper host to save 95% of hosting costs.
- Added features such as connecting to Facebook.
- Hosted the software as a service (SaaS) such that users can access the application over the web.
- Revised the Stripe integration for dynamic pricing.
- Developed the marketplace for renting rooms and flats.
Technologies: PHP, Backbone.js, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, DevOps, Docker, Node.js, Sequelize, REST APIs, Databases, Location Services, API Integration, Front-end Development, Front-end, Software Architecture, Security, Amazon RDS
Technical Director
2013 - PRESENT
Scaleup Consulting
- Created SaaS products to increase startup valuations up to $20m.
- Managed technical teams in launching over 20 projects.
- Led over 20 developers to deliver tech projects across several industries.
Technologies: JavaScript, React, Node.js, CSS, TypeScript, Python, HTML, PostgreSQL, APIs, Amazon Web Services (AWS), React Native, MySQL, iOS, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture, Security
Mentor
2023 - 2023
Algorand
- Guided and advised 12 startups in their development and growth.
- Helped 12 startups refine their business models, product offerings, and go-to-market strategies.
- Built a reputation as a knowledgeable and effective mentor in the blockchain and Algorand ecosystems.
Technologies: Blockchain
Full-stack Developer
2020 - 2023
Dentium RC LLC
- Extended and maintained a complex web application that is used by several doctors, healthcare workers, and patients.
- Developed a desktop application to integrate with third-party proprietary dental software such as DEXIS Imaging Suite and Dentrix.
- Developed a browser extension to integrate with desktop applications, for a seamless user experience.
Technologies: React, Django, APIs, Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, GraphQL, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture, Security, Back-end, Tailwind CSS
Technical Co-founder
2022 - 2022
Vesta
- Led a team to deliver an Uber-like ridesharing app for riders and drivers.
- Implemented a mobile web version so riders can get where they want to go without the hassle of installing an app.
- Was able to solve complex problems for which no known solution was found on the internet, such as using Firebase SMS login with reCAPTCHA.
Technologies: React, Ionic, Firebase, Firebase Hosting, DevOps, Cloud Firestore, Cloud Storage, Google Cloud, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture, Security
Back-end Developer
2021 - 2021
Bet Karma
- Rebuilt the back end from Python to JavaScript, so it could be maintained by cheaper developers.
- Collaborated closely with the front-end engineer to ensure seamless integration of the back-end APIs, resolving any integration issues or dependencies.
- Ensured stability, scalability, and maintainability of the back-end infrastructure by applying best practices and implementing robust development processes.
- Surfaced and addressed any risks, bottlenecks, or challenges proactively that impeded the project's progress, proposing effective solutions and mitigations.
Technologies: Python, REST APIs, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Django, Serverless, JavaScript, AWS Lambda, Back-end, Node.js, Amazon RDS
Founder and Tech Lead
2020 - 2021
Smart Cities Transport
- Led a team to deliver white-label transport apps for a nation.
- Implemented accessibility features not available in any other transport app for a nation.
- Learned how to effectively screen candidates for technical ability and culture fit.
Technologies: Ionic, React, APIs, Data, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture
Plugin Developer
2019 - 2020
Coviu
- Created a plugin for speech pathologists to evaluate a child's language fundamentals more easily.
- Created a plugin for leaders to conduct mock sessions with team members to help them improve their interactions with end users.
- Created a plugin that enables users to watch videos together during a video call.
Technologies: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), DevOps, Docker, Node.js, Serverless, Scraping, API Integration, CSV File Processing, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Design, UX Design
Lead AI and Machine Learning Engineer
2018 - 2020
Clearway Tech
- Worked with a government agency to analyze private datasets.
- Automated the detection of unlawfully parked vehicles.
- Completed a pilot project to test and validate the detection system.
Technologies: Machine Learning, Data Science, Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Gluon, Software Architecture
DevOps | Product Manager | Sales | Algorithms
2012 - 2020
SkedGo
- Led the IT team to acquire PCI and GDPR compliance.
- Migrated the infrastructure twice to save 55% + 40% in hosting costs.
- Led the submissions for the company's first two government clients.
- Sped up end-to-end response times by 25% by updating algorithms.
- Worked with the SkedGo and client teams to convert interactive mockups to a React front end.
- Scraped public transport timetables using Java and JavaScript.
Technologies: Data Scraping, Web Scraping, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Pipedrive API, Java, Ansible, ETL, PostgreSQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, DevOps, Docker, React Router, REST APIs, Serverless, Databases, Location Services, Scraping, API Integration, CSV File Processing, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Design, React, UX Design, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture, Security
IT Contractor
2019 - 2019
NSW Department of Finance, Services, and Innovation
- Synchronized data sets from other portals to the site Data.nsw.gov.au.
- Fixed issues with the new data.nsw.gov.au interface specific to IE11 and legacy browsers.
Technologies: AWS Lambda, Node.js, ETL, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), DevOps, REST APIs, Serverless, Scraping, API Integration, Front-end Development, Front-end, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture
Senior Web Developer
2018 - 2019
Alliance Software
- Improved internal tools used by the project management team.
- Created a proof of concept for a progressive web app for a client and implemented back-end functions, website security, and AWS integration for the final deliverable.
- Developed a web app and implemented the theme for the end-users' interface while matching the client's style guide and current website.
- Constructed an asset tracking and project management system with support for multiple types of stakeholders.
Technologies: Django, React, PostgreSQL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), DevOps, Redux, React Router, REST APIs, Databases, API Integration, Front-end Development, Front-end
Web Developer
2016 - 2019
UNSW School of Mathematics and Statistics
- Developed a web portal for managing lab machines.
Technologies: Bootstrap, MongoDB, Flask, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, DevOps, API Integration, Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Design, UX Design, Software Architecture, Security
Founder | CIO | CTO
2013 - 2019
Finderful.com
- Wrote algorithms to identify the best property for the user across a city.
- Created a web interface for users to use the algorithm.
- Used machine learning to predict rental yield for individual properties.
- Marketed the product primarily through SEO best practices.
- Added price trend charts, allowing users to specify the features of properties more accurately than competitors.
- Hosted types of software as a service (SaaS) such that users can access the applications over the web.
- Created visualizations (charts and maps) to debug the algorithms.
- Worked on web and data scraping. Scraped real estate listings using Java and JavaScript.
Technologies: Java, React, ETL, Cloud Firestore, Firebase, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, MySQL, DevOps, Docker, Node.js, Less, React Router, Sequelize, REST APIs, Databases, Location Services, Scraping, API Integration, CSV File Processing, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Design, UX Design, Software Architecture
Volunteer Web Developer
2017 - 2018
Humanitix
- Deployed an Azure function to convert HTML to PDF.
- Squashed bugs on the new organizer interface.
Technologies: wkhtmltopdf, Azure, Node.js, React, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, DevOps, Redux, React Router, API Integration, Front-end Development, Front-end
Technical Co-founder
2017 - 2017
HD Tutor
- Developed an MVP for a student-tutor matching platform.
- Scraped course results using python to find the best tutors for a course.
- Developed technical skills: Python3, Django, Django-rest-framework, React, ES6.
Technologies: Data Scraping, Web Scraping, ECMAScript (ES6), Python 3, React, Django, ETL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, MySQL, DevOps, REST APIs, Databases, Scraping, API Integration, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Design, UX Design, Software Architecture, Security
Web Developer
2017 - 2017
BadgerMe
- Migrated the system from placing calls with Asterisk to Twilio.
- Rebuilt staging and production environments to be separate-but-equal.
- Optimized DynamoDB tables by converting to single-table design.
Technologies: Amazon DynamoDB, MongoDB, Node.js, React, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, DevOps, Databases, API Integration, Front-end Development, Front-end
Embedded Systems Administrator
2012 - 2016
Marathon Robotics
- Built a wireless deployment system for robots, base stations, and laptops.
- Developed low-level drivers to interface with various hardware, including ANT+ devices.
Technologies: Bash, Python, C++, Debian, DevOps, C, Embedded Linux, CI/CD Pipelines, Software Architecture, Security
Interim CTO
2015 - 2015
SoundNinja
- Converted a Chrome extension to a script that can be added to any website.
- Developed a back-office interface for website administrators to configure SoundNinja for their site.
- Developed and built a REST API for the back-office interface.
- Scraped artists, discography, and audio using JavaScript.
Technologies: Data Scraping, Web Scraping, Heroku, Django, jQuery, Chrome Extensions, ETL, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, DevOps, REST APIs, Scraping, API Integration, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Front-end Design, UX Design, Software Architecture
Hardware Verification Engineer
2002 - 2007
IBM
- Wrote C++ code to perform tests on hardware logic designs at the bit level.
- Composed C++ code to perform tests on hardware logic designs and microcode at the architecture level.
- Managed hardware assets for a team of about 100 people.
Technologies: CVS, Source Code Control System (SCCS), C++, z/Architecture, C, Embedded Linux
Experience
Finderful.com | Location-centered Real Estate Search
https://finderful.com/Finderful.com is designed to help you to find the best place to live based on your personalized preferences.
The purpose of this website is to figure out which suburbs or homes are best for you while saving you time and money.
The purpose of this website is to figure out which suburbs or homes are best for you while saving you time and money.
rUNSWift | Robot Soccer Team
http://robocup.web.cse.unsw.edu.au/rUNSWift is UNSW's robot soccer team and five-time world champion. I joined the team in 2008, working with device drivers—I am currently in charge of software architecture.
I rewrote the interface for monitoring the robot and debugging the software in 2009 and again in 2019. Both types of software include real-time and offline visualizations of the robot's video and charts.
I rewrote the interface for monitoring the robot and debugging the software in 2009 and again in 2019. Both types of software include real-time and offline visualizations of the robot's video and charts.
Stella by Demand IQ
https://demand-iq.com/stella/It uses AI to deliver rooftop-level personalization and streamline one's customer acquisition.
I started as a back-end developer but was quickly promoted to technical director, overseeing all software developers, and working closely with the product team to suggest changes to simplify the development without sacrificing the user experience.
I started as a back-end developer but was quickly promoted to technical director, overseeing all software developers, and working closely with the product team to suggest changes to simplify the development without sacrificing the user experience.
Algorithmic Cryptocurrency Trading
Wrote automated trading software to buy and sell on any market available on FTX.com, currently the third-largest exchange by volume. Used WebSockets and Cython for improved performance and trailing-stop-limit trades for lower maker-taker fees.
A Powerful Search Component for a Subscription Service
I successfully built a new search component for a subscription service that scrapes land use planning applications from around 300 municipality websites and displays them in a geographic format.
I also integrated over 30 data-mining scripts, some in Python and some in JavaScript, for data from municipality websites that were originally built using Scrapy.
I analyzed and fixed the data-mining scripts, allowing them to run daily.
Clients can now overlay their areas of interest and receive notifications when new or updated applications are in the nominated areas.
I also integrated over 30 data-mining scripts, some in Python and some in JavaScript, for data from municipality websites that were originally built using Scrapy.
I analyzed and fixed the data-mining scripts, allowing them to run daily.
Clients can now overlay their areas of interest and receive notifications when new or updated applications are in the nominated areas.
Skills
Languages
Python, Java, Java 7, Java 8, C++, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Less, Python 2, Python 3, C, JavaScript 5, JavaScript 6, ECMAScript (ES6), ES7, ES5, Bash, Bash Script, Bourne Shell, HTML5, CSS3, PHP 7, PHP 5, PHP, SQL, Perl, Go, GraphQL, TypeScript
Frameworks
Redux, Django, Django REST Framework, Flask, Next.js, JSON Web Tokens (JWT), Ionic, Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, Material UI, Ant Design, Zend Framework, Unity, Unity3D, Express.js, React Native, Qt, Electron, AngularJS
Libraries/APIs
React Router, React, Node.js, React Redux, REST APIs, TensorFlow, PyTorch, Fast.ai, Backbone.js, Pipedrive API, Flexbox, jQuery, jQuery UI, jQuery Mobile, Firebase Web SDK, Pthreads, Stripe, Stripe API, Twilio API, Chart.js, D3.js, Three.js, Gluon, Web3.js, Vue
Tools
Shell, Ansible, Git, Subversion (SVN), CVS, TeamCity, CMake, GNU Make, GitHub, GitLab, Now, Create React App, Source Code Control System (SCCS), wkhtmltopdf, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Sequelize, Firebase Authentication, AWS ELB, AWS SDK, Amazon EBS, AWS IAM, Slack, JetBrains, IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, WebStorm, PhpStorm, CLion, Jupyter, IPython, IPython Notebook, Emacs, Bitbucket, Webpack
Paradigms
RESTful Development, DevOps, REST, Continuous Integration (CI), Continuous Delivery (CD), ETL, Promise, Mobile Development, Data Science, UX Design, Microservices
Platforms
Drupal, Linux, Debian, Debian Linux, Ubuntu, Ubuntu Linux, Ubuntu 14.04, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Firebase, Docker, AWS Lambda, Amazon EC2, Amazon Lightsail, Embedded Linux, Jupyter Notebook, Azure, Heroku, Twilio, Blockchain, iOS, Shopify
Storage
JSON, Databases, Amazon DynamoDB, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis, SQLite, Memcached, Elasticsearch, Cloud Firestore, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Google Cloud
Other
Freelancing, Data Scraping, Web Scraping, Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu Server, Data Structures, Full-stack, APIs, Serverless, System Administration, Linux Administration, Server Management, Back-end, Location Services, Scraping, API Integration, CSV File Processing, Software Development, Front-end Development, Front-end, Front-end Architecture, Architecture, CI/CD Pipelines, Full-stack Development, Software Architecture, Amazon RDS, Web Development, Shell Scripting, Shell Commands, Unix Shell Scripting, Algorithms, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Robotics, Startups, Startup Consulting, Early-stage Startups, Investing, Integration Testing, Automated Trading Software, Fintech, Statistics, VCS, z/Architecture, Chrome Extensions, Cordova, ES6 Promises, CSS Grid, Django-rest-auth, Firebase Cloud Functions, SaaS, User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), WebSockets, Deep Learning, Algorithmic Trading, Cryptocurrency, Front-end Design, Data, Firebase Hosting, Cloud Storage, Software Design, Security, Leadership
Industry Expertise
Marketing, Cybersecurity
Education
2009 - 2012
PhD Degree in Artificial Intelligence
University of New South Wales - Kensington, Australia
2007 - 2008
Master's Degree in Information Technology
University of New South Wales - Kensington, Australia
1998 - 2002
Bachelor's Degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Carnegie Mellon University - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
1998 - 2002
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science
Carnegie Mellon University - Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Certifications
APRIL 2013 - PRESENT
Training and Assessment
Fortress Learning
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