Justin is available for hire
Hire JustinJustin Menga
Verified Expert in Engineering
Serverless Developer
Location
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Toptal Member Since
July 5, 2021
Justin has 20+ years of experience as a technology architect, developer, and engineer with a proven track record of building innovative products in various technology and business environments. He's recognized as an expert in AWS, continuous delivery, and all things cloud. A self-starter and problem solver with a relentless passion for excellence, Justin leverages the power of technology and the cloud to its full extent to create world-class digital experiences and deliver key business outcomes.
Portfolio
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, Grafana, Prometheus, Terraform, Docker, GitLab...
DevFactory
Amazon API Gateway, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Amazon CloudWatch...
CISA
Kubernetes, Grafana, Prometheus, Amazon EKS, Docker, Helm, Terraform...
Experience
Availability
Full-time
Preferred Environment
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Serverless Architecture, Docker, Kubernetes, Python, JavaScript, Java, NoSQL, SQL, Continuous Delivery (CD)
The most amazing...
...product I've brought to market helped small businesses connect with customers by enabling them to publish a professionally designed website in minutes.
Work Experience
DevOps Consultant
2022 - 2023
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Supported the North American Energy Resilience Model (NAERM), which provides advanced modeling and analysis of the nation's energy infrastructure and interdependent systems.
- Managed and scaled Kubernetes clusters for large-scale simulations.
- Implemented Prometheus and Grafana for observability.
- Developed custom Helm charts to define microservices and supporting applications.
- Developed reusable CI/CD templates for GitLab CI/CD to promote consistent, repeatable build, test, and deployment workflows.
- Used Terraform to deploy EKS clusters and supporting infrastructure.
- Managed and maintained Apache Airflow to orchestrate ETL pipelines.
Technologies: Kubernetes, Amazon EKS, Grafana, Prometheus, Terraform, Docker, GitLab, GitLab CI/CD, DevOps, Cloud Infrastructure, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Python, Apache Airflow, Linux, Cloud Architecture, AWS IAM, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Python 3, NGINX, PostgreSQL, Uvicorn, Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI), Web Applications, Configuration Management, Storage, DB, DNS, MySQL, DevSecOps, Container Security, Container Orchestration, Cloud Security, Threat Modeling, Secure Containers, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose, Containers, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
CTO/SVP of Engineering
2021 - 2023
DevFactory
- Took on a hands-on technical leadership role, leading several teams of engineers to build and support a portfolio of over 100 SaaS products.
- Built a cost optimization SaaS product that saves tens of millions of dollars annually in AWS costs for hundreds of enterprise customers.
- Built a recommendation engine using AWS Glue/ML/AI services for an online news article product, providing article recommendations to 100,000 subscribers across 100 publishers.
- Managed and optimized costs for over 500 AWS accounts with an annual spend of over $15 million.
- Built a learning analytics platform for an online learning product on AWS, ingesting metrics from learning apps and producing learning productivity and mastery metrics to help students achieve a 2X increase in learning.
- Built a workflow management visualization UI using React Flow, TypeScript, and Next.js to help manage assembly lines of workers, identify high/low performers, and address resource bottlenecks.
- Integrated generative AI tooling into all elements of the engineering lifecycle, from design documentation to software development, testing, and code review.
- Developed a fully automated quiz generator for K-12 students that uses generative AI to generate and grade quizzes based upon a student topic of interest and a literary common core state standard.
Technologies: Amazon API Gateway, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon Cognito User Pools, Amazon DynamoDB, Amazon EC2, Amazon EFS, Amazon EKS, Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), Amazon EventBridge, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon Neptune, Amazon RDS, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), Amazon Web Services (AWS), AWS AppSync, AWS CloudFormation, CTO, Node.js, React, Next.js, Playwright, Cypress, Jupyter Notebook, Python, Python 3, AWS Glue, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Containers, VPN, Load Balancers, .NET Core, Bash, Java, DevOps, GitLab CI/CD, Cloud, Continuous Integration (CI), Agile DevOps, .NET, Helm, Architecture, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), AWS DevOps, GitHub Actions, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), Amazon MSK, GitHub, RabbitMQ, Linux, Django, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture, Control & Cost Analysis, AWS IAM, Gunicorn, PostgreSQL, Web Applications, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Azure DevOps, Configuration Management, AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS), Storage, DB, Network Design, DNS, Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA), MySQL, DevSecOps, Cloud Security, Security Architecture, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose, Cloud Migration
DevOps Consultant
2021 - 2022
CISA
- Supported the Modeling Capability Transition Environment, which provides modeling and simulation of threat data.
- Implemented CloudWatch Container Insights, Prometheus, and Grafana for observability.
- Developed custom Helm charts to define microservices and supporting applications.
- Used kOps and Terraform to deploy the Kubernetes infrastructure.
Technologies: Kubernetes, Grafana, Prometheus, Amazon EKS, Docker, Helm, Terraform, Kubernetes Operations (kOps), GitLab CI/CD, GitLab, Linux, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture, AWS IAM, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Python 3, NGINX, PostgreSQL, Uvicorn, Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI), Web Applications, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Configuration Management, Storage, DB, Network Design, MySQL, DevSecOps, Container Security, Container Orchestration, Cloud Security, Threat Modeling, Secure Containers, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose, Containers, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE)
Chief Architect
2014 - 2021
Yellow
- Ideated and created a new self-service digital platform that enables customers to manage their digital presence centrally and market to various digital and traditional media channels.
- Adopted cutting-edge cloud technologies powered by AWS and other providers to speed time to market, reduce development costs, and increase operational efficiencies.
- Modernized, simplified, and transformed legacy enterprise systems into a cohesive agile digital architecture that delivers outstanding customer service, reduces the cost to serve, and empowers staff to innovate without technology constraints.
- Established advanced continuous delivery tooling, patterns, and blueprints to accelerate the build, test, and deployment of apps to production.
- Led a team of 15 engineers in developing a cloud-based SaaS application using AWS serverless technologies, enabling 200,000+ small businesses to build and optimize their digital marketing and advertising presence online.
- Built Yellow websites, making it easy for businesses to develop and publish a fully optimized eCommerce-enabled website in minutes using React, Gatsby, Shopify, and Stripe.
- Implemented a new data lake and data insights platform using AWS Kinesis, Glue, S3, Athena, and QuickSight that provides rich business insights and surfaces key customer insights and recommendations.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Docker, Serverless, Python, DevOps, Cloud, Continuous Integration (CI), Agile DevOps, Go, Architecture, Node.js, Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Amazon RDS, AWS DevOps, Amazon ElastiCache, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), GitHub, Django, RabbitMQ, Linux, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture, Control & Cost Analysis, Microsoft Power BI, AWS IAM, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon EventBridge, Python 3, Gunicorn, NGINX, PostgreSQL, Uvicorn, Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI), Web Applications, Ansible, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Configuration Management, AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS), Storage, DB, Network Design, Cisco Meraki, DNS, RADIUS, Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA), MySQL, Apache Solr, PHP, DevSecOps, Container Security, Container Orchestration, Cloud Security, Threat Modeling, Secure Containers, Security Architecture, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose, Containers, Cloud Migration
Cloud Architect
2017 - 2020
Casebook
- Built fully automated continuous delivery pipelines using Ansible, Jenkins, CloudFormation, CodePipeline, and CodeBuild.
- Built a fully automated account provisioning pipeline, which deployed an entire AWS account with all applications and initial seed data within one hour.
- Adapted and migrated Docker container infrastructure from ECS/Fargate to EKS/Kubernetes.
- Developed a data pipeline for streaming events from Apache Kafka into Amazon S3 and Redshift.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), AWS CloudFormation, Amazon EKS, ECS, AWS Fargate, Microservices, Amazon API Gateway, Redshift, Apache Kafka, Jenkins, AWS CodeBuild, AWS CodePipeline, DevOps, Cloud, Continuous Integration (CI), Agile DevOps, Terraform, Helm, Architecture, Node.js, Amazon RDS, AWS DevOps, Amazon ElastiCache, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), GitHub, Linux, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture, AWS IAM, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon EventBridge, NGINX, PostgreSQL, Web Applications, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS), Storage, DB, Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA), MySQL, DevSecOps, Container Security, Container Orchestration, Cloud Security, Threat Modeling, Secure Containers, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose, Containers
Digital Practice Consultant
2016 - 2017
Air New Zealand
- Established a center of excellence for delivering continuous delivery and digital platform architectural patterns, tooling, and onboarding as part of a wider digital transformation initiative in the digital strategy business unit.
- Developed fully automated deployment templates using AWS CloudFormation for deploying complete application environments in AWS.
- Successfully introduced the use of Docker and containers with deployment all the way to production using AWS ECS.
Technologies: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Continuous Delivery (CD), Docker, Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), AWS CloudFormation, DevOps, Cloud, Continuous Integration (CI), Agile DevOps, Terraform, Helm, Architecture, Node.js, Azure, Amazon RDS, AWS DevOps, GitHub, Linux, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture, Control & Cost Analysis, AWS IAM, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), PostgreSQL, Web Applications, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Storage, DB, Network Design, DNS, MySQL, DevSecOps, Container Security, Container Orchestration, Cloud Security, Threat Modeling, Secure Containers, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose, Containers, Cloud Migration
Technology Architect
2005 - 2014
Spark
- Built a Wi-Fi subscriber management solution servicing 2,000 access points and hundreds of thousands of devices every month. The system was scaled to process millions of events every day.
- Provided architectural oversight of teams building a video-on-demand streaming platform that launched successfully with hundreds of thousands of customers.
- Worked with Spark Ventures team bringing innovative products to market including a video-on-demand streaming platform, broadband service provider, mobile virtual network operator, and an online self-service mobile application studio.
Technologies: VMware, NetApp, Cisco UCS, Cisco, Amazon Web Services (AWS), C#, Java, SQL Server 2012, VoltDB, .NET, FreeRADIUS, Cisco Wireless, DevOps, Cloud, Continuous Integration (CI), Architecture, Amazon RDS, Amazon ElastiCache, GitHub, RabbitMQ, Linux, Cloud Infrastructure, Cloud Architecture, AWS IAM, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Web Applications, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Storage, DB, Network Design, Cisco Meraki, DNS, RADIUS, MySQL, Cloud Security, Security Architecture, Cybersecurity, Docker Compose
Experience
Yellow Websites
https://yellow.co.nz/our-solutions/website/A SaaS product that enables small businesses to publish a professionally designed SEO-optimized website within 15 minutes.
I was the chief architect for this product and supported back-end development efforts. The solution was based upon storing content management data in Yellow's unified management platform, which was used to build and publish static customer websites built using GatsbyJS, React, and Tailwind CSS and served via CloudFront and S3. The platform also supported custom domain hosting, which was implemented using Traefik TLS proxies integrated with Let's Encrypt to provide fully automated certificate management/TLS support.
The core management platform included an AppSync GraphQL API, AWS Lambda functions written in Python, Step Functions for orchestrating workflows such as registering and updating site maps in Google Search Console, and an analytics pipeline implemented using AWS Glue to extract Google Analytics insights and create insights and reports in Yellow's unified management platform.
I was the chief architect for this product and supported back-end development efforts. The solution was based upon storing content management data in Yellow's unified management platform, which was used to build and publish static customer websites built using GatsbyJS, React, and Tailwind CSS and served via CloudFront and S3. The platform also supported custom domain hosting, which was implemented using Traefik TLS proxies integrated with Let's Encrypt to provide fully automated certificate management/TLS support.
The core management platform included an AppSync GraphQL API, AWS Lambda functions written in Python, Step Functions for orchestrating workflows such as registering and updating site maps in Google Search Console, and an analytics pipeline implemented using AWS Glue to extract Google Analytics insights and create insights and reports in Yellow's unified management platform.
Online Digital Marketing Platform
http://yellow.co.nzA one-stop shop where New Zealand businesses can find all the digital marketing products and tools they need to get online, get found, and get more customers quickly.
I was the brainchild and chief architect of the website, self-service portal, and underlying digital platform built on top of an AWS serverless architecture that integrates with Stripe for payments and subscription management and HubSpot for customer service. The platform enables customers to purchase digital products such as managing your business locations in Google My Business, creating digital marketing campaigns using Google Ads, and getting your own website with optional Shopify eCommerce integration up and running within 15 minutes.
I was the brainchild and chief architect of the website, self-service portal, and underlying digital platform built on top of an AWS serverless architecture that integrates with Stripe for payments and subscription management and HubSpot for customer service. The platform enables customers to purchase digital products such as managing your business locations in Google My Business, creating digital marketing campaigns using Google Ads, and getting your own website with optional Shopify eCommerce integration up and running within 15 minutes.
Spark Wi-Fi Zones
A subscriber management and session management platform supporting 2,000 free and paid Wi-Fi HotSpots for Spark NZ.
I was the architect and lead full-stack developer for the project, which included a React-based captive portal for authenticating access using SMS and offering paid offerings using Stripe as a payment provider.
The back-end services were integrated with Cisco routers and FreeRADIUS servers, providing subscriber management (e.g., registration and login) and session management (e.g., device authentication and bandwidth metering) APIs servicing over 200,000 customers per month and connecting hundreds of thousands of devices every day.
The back-end architecture was implemented in Java using a microservices approach based upon the Vert.x framework and used VoltDB as a real-time in-memory database supporting up to 50,000 transactions per second.
I was the architect and lead full-stack developer for the project, which included a React-based captive portal for authenticating access using SMS and offering paid offerings using Stripe as a payment provider.
The back-end services were integrated with Cisco routers and FreeRADIUS servers, providing subscriber management (e.g., registration and login) and session management (e.g., device authentication and bandwidth metering) APIs servicing over 200,000 customers per month and connecting hundreds of thousands of devices every day.
The back-end architecture was implemented in Java using a microservices approach based upon the Vert.x framework and used VoltDB as a real-time in-memory database supporting up to 50,000 transactions per second.
Continuous Delivery Using Docker and Ansible
https://www.pluralsight.com/courses/docker-ansible-continuous-deliveryAuthor of the highly-rated continuous delivery using Docker and Ansible published on Pluralsight, which has been enjoyed by over 50,000 students.
Students learn how to use Docker to supercharge continuous delivery workflows and fast-track applications from development to production, using modern tools and services including Docker, Docker Compose, Make, Jenkins, Ansible, GitHub, and AWS.
Students learn how to use Docker to supercharge continuous delivery workflows and fast-track applications from development to production, using modern tools and services including Docker, Docker Compose, Make, Jenkins, Ansible, GitHub, and AWS.
Docker on Amazon Web Services
https://www.amazon.com/Docker-Amazon-Web-Services-applications-ebook/dp/B07BJKNTS3Authored Docker on AWS (published by Packt), written in 2018 and has been well received. Readers learn how to develop and deploy Docker containers to AWS using ECS, Fargate, EKS, and Elastic Beanstalk and how to leverage the AWS service ecosystem to deliver full-stack environments continuously.
Skills
Languages
Python, Python 3, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, SQL, C#, GraphQL, Go, Bash, PHP
Libraries/APIs
RADIUS, Stripe, Shopify API, GitHub API, Node.js, AWS Amplify, React, Segment.io, Google My Business API, Google Analytics API, Jenkins Pipeline
Tools
AWS CloudFormation, Amazon EKS, AWS Fargate, AWS CodeBuild, Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS), Amazon CloudFront CDN, AWS Step Functions, AWS IAM, AWS AppSync, Terraform, Git, GitHub, Ansible, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Cognito, Helm, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), NGINX, AWS Simple Notification Service (SNS), Docker Compose, Jenkins, Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), RabbitMQ, GitLab CI/CD, Amazon ElastiCache, Cisco Meraki, VMware, AWS Glue, Google Analytics, Traefik, Certbot, Make, Docker Swarm, VPN, Grafana, GitLab, Apache Airflow, Microsoft Power BI, Apache Solr
Paradigms
Serverless Architecture, Continuous Delivery (CD), DevOps, DevSecOps, Continuous Integration (CI), Microservices, REST, Azure DevOps
Platforms
Docker, Kubernetes, AWS Lambda, Amazon EC2, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, Jupyter Notebook, Shopify, Azure, Apache Kafka, AWS Elastic Beanstalk, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)
Storage
Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon DynamoDB, PostgreSQL, NoSQL, Elasticsearch, DB, MySQL, Redshift, NetApp, SQL Server 2012, VoltDB, Redis, Amazon EFS
Industry Expertise
Cybersecurity
Other
Serverless, ECS, AWS CodePipeline, Cisco, Amazon Cognito User Pools, CI/CD Pipelines, Amazon RDS, CTO, Containers, Cloud, Agile DevOps, Architecture, AWS DevOps, Cloud Infrastructure, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), Cloud Architecture, Web Applications, Configuration Management, Network Design, Container Security, Container Orchestration, Cloud Security, Secure Containers, Security Architecture, Cloud Migration, Amazon API Gateway, FreeRADIUS, Cisco Wireless, Gatsby, Amazon Kinesis, Amazon EventBridge, HubSpot, HubSpot CRM, SaaS, DNS, AWS X-Ray, Playwright, Web Security, GitHub Actions, Control & Cost Analysis, Gunicorn, Uvicorn, Web Server Gateway Interface (WSGI), Storage, Multiple Factor Analysis (MFA), Threat Modeling, Site Reliability Engineering (SRE), Cisco UCS, Amazon Neptune, NetSuite, OData, Transport Layer Security (TLS), Docker Desktop, Load Balancers, Amazon MSK, Prometheus, Kubernetes Operations (kOps)
Frameworks
.NET, Next.js, Django, Vert.x, Tailwind CSS, Cypress, .NET Core