Leah is available for hire

Leah Sapan

Verified Expert in Engineering

Full-stack Developer

Location

Scarborough, United States

Toptal Member Since

August 31, 2015

Leah is a motivated, self-taught, and analytical thinker with over 13 years of professional software development experience. She has a proven history of architecting, developing, and deploying full-featured web applications that focus on user experience and performant back-end design. Leah can manage multiple projects through the software development lifecycle, thrives in challenging environments to meet stringent deadlines, and has a deep passion for mentoring and growing colleagues.

Back-end Development Full-stack Back-end Mobile App Development Code Review Data Encryption Web Scraping Web Crawlers Web Security Amazon RDS Analytics Security Policies & Procedures Data Engineering Chrome Extensions Billing Systems

Portfolio

Doctor's Choice

Python, Django, Starlette, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Docker, Salesforce...

Negotio

Python, Django, Django REST Framework, Django Channels, Shopify, Shopify API...

Parity Healthcare Analytics

Python, Django, Django REST Framework, PostgreSQL, Vue, Chart.js, Redis...

Experience

Full-stack - 13 years Security - 10 years Python - 10 years Django - 10 years Amazon Web Services (AWS) - 9 years Web Scraping - 9 years Docker - 6 years Vue - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Xcode, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Terminal, Linux, MacOS

The most amazing...

...thing I've ever created is a complete employee management suite that allows businesses to bring their employee data and schedules into the cloud.

Work Experience

Chief Technology Officer

2019 - 2022

Doctor's Choice

Coordinated architecture, development, and DevOps of a HIPAA compliant platform to support clients in exploring best Medicare options and enrollment.
Gathered data from multiple services using a Starlette and FastAPI microservice, improving the performance by 450%.
Produced an algorithm to sift through more than 10,000 plan options, helping to find the best plan based on each client's specific situation and needs.
Designed a flexible data architecture allowing the layering of multiple public data sources together in PostgreSQL.
Ingested 500GB of public data using Python scripts, Puppeteer, and consumable datasets to build a taxonomy of providers, practices, and pharmacies.
Reduced time to update production data by 99%, saving over 12 hours on each run.
Integrated the platform with Salesforce via dynamic and efficient two-way syncing and tailored Salesforce instances to dramatically improve efficiency for the team.
Built unique experiences tailored to internal agents and clients, allowing users to use the platform effectively and efficiently.

Technologies: Python, Django, Starlette, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes, Docker, Salesforce, Django REST Framework, Microservices, HIPAA Compliance, Vue, Node.js, Test-driven Development (TDD), Puppeteer, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Amazon EKS, Amazon Route 53, Amazon EC2, VPN, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Web Security, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Ansible, Terraform, Back-end Development, Full-stack, Data Encryption, Web Scraping, Back-end Architecture, SQL, CSS, REST APIs, Security, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, JavaScript, Redis, Vuex, Amazon CloudWatch, Authentication, Scalable Architecture, Scraping, HTML, IT Security, Docker Compose, Vue 2, Terminal, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Python 3, Pug, Webpack, Amazon RDS, Celery, Functional Testing, Unit Testing, CI/CD Pipelines, Python Asyncio, Chart.js, DigitalOcean, Analytics, GitLab CI/CD, Slack API, Security Policies & Procedures, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), Web Crawlers, APIs, Flask, REST, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), HTML5, Back-end, Algorithms, Containers, Data Engineering, AWS IAM, Architecture, System Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis, Technical Hiring, Interviewing, Team Management

Chief Technology Officer

2019 - 2021

Negotio

Designed and implemented a Shopify app for Negotio, allowing customers to automatically negotiate lower prices, driving more sales and higher conversion rates.
Developed a dynamic Vue-based plugin that automatically embeds itself in the merchant’s website without manual intervention, regardless of theme or custom code.
Created a performant back end to manage target prices, handle negotiations, create discount codes, and more using Django and Django Channels.
Built a marketplace front end to explore all of the products in Negotio's vast database.

Technologies: Python, Django, Django REST Framework, Django Channels, Shopify, Shopify API, Vue, DigitalOcean, Kubernetes, Docker, GitLab CI/CD, Puppeteer, Slack API, Python 3, Back-end Development, Full-stack, Data Encryption, Web Scraping, Back-end Architecture, SQL, CSS, jQuery, REST APIs, Security, Linux, JavaScript, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), PostgreSQL, Redis, Vuex, Ansible, Amazon CloudWatch, Authentication, Scalable Architecture, Scraping, HTML, IT Security, Docker Compose, Vue 2, Terraform, Docker Swarm, Mezzanine, Terminal, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), VPN, Web Security, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Pug, Webpack, Celery, CI/CD Pipelines, Python Asyncio, Chart.js, Analytics, Security Policies & Procedures, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), Web Crawlers, APIs, REST, HTML5, Back-end, Algorithms, Containers, Data Engineering, AWS IAM, Architecture, System Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis, Technical Hiring, Interviewing, Team Management, Chrome Extensions

Senior Full-stack Software Engineer

2020 - 2020

Parity Healthcare Analytics

Developed a patient acuity-based benchmarking tool to calculate nurse staffing needs and track specific productivity metrics.
Architected a modular design to facilitate vast amounts of the core functionality while allowing additional modules to be easily added.
Reduced duplicate code from another consultant's prototype by 80% while embracing Python's DRY principles and OO patterns.
Built a flexible reporting framework to analyze data from any module without the need for module-specific code.

Technologies: Python, Django, Django REST Framework, PostgreSQL, Vue, Chart.js, Redis, DigitalOcean, Kubernetes, Docker, Test-driven Development (TDD), Unit Testing, Functional Testing, Analytics, Back-end Development, Full-stack, Data Encryption, Back-end Architecture, SQL, CSS, REST APIs, Security, Linux, JavaScript, Vuex, Authentication, Scalable Architecture, HTML, IT Security, Docker Compose, Vue 2, Terraform, Terminal, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Web Security, Python 3, Pug, Webpack, CI/CD Pipelines, Security Policies & Procedures, APIs, REST, HTML5, Back-end, Algorithms, Containers, Data Engineering, Architecture, System Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis

Container Solution Architect

2019 - 2020

Caterpillar

Led the effort to promote the use of Docker containers within CAT.
Established best practices for image creation and management.
Authored a guide for working with Docker on CAT machines, including troubleshooting steps for common issues related to corporate security policies.

Technologies: Docker, Python, Security Policies & Procedures, Data Encryption, Linux, Docker Compose, Terminal, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Containers, System Architecture, Task Analysis

Senior Full-stack Software Engineer

2019 - 2020

Minervini Private Access

Designed an innovative platform for MPA to broadcast very time-sensitive alerts to financial clients in real-time.
Re-architected the app to deliver alerts 300 times faster than the previous generation platform.
Automated the client management and billing processes to save more than 120 hours per month.
Improved editor preparation to be 1,000 times faster than before.
Developed automatic detection of clients breaching the T&C by using automated scripts or bots to ingest alerts from the site.
Deployed services securely to AWS using Kubernetes while supporting automated builds, tests, and deployments using GitHub Actions.
Created native apps for iOS and Android with NativeScript and Vue.
Achieved 100% test coverage with both unit tests and functional tests.

Technologies: Python, Vue, Socket.IO, Amazon EKS, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), PostgreSQL, Django, Django REST Framework, Webpack, Test-driven Development (TDD), Functional Testing, Unit Testing, Card Payments, Billing Systems, Kubernetes, Docker, CI/CD Pipelines, iOS, Android, NativeScript, NativeScript-Vue, Python Asyncio, Redis, Celery, Fraud Prevention, Back-end Development, Mobile App Development, Full-stack, Data Encryption, Back-end Architecture, SQL, CSS, Mobile Development, REST APIs, Security, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, JavaScript, iOS SDK, Amazon EC2, Android SDK, Swift, Vuex, Ansible, Java, Amazon CloudWatch, Xcode, Authentication, Scalable Architecture, HTML, IT Security, Docker Compose, Vue 2, Terraform, Docker Swarm, Terminal, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Route 53, VPN, Web Security, Python 3, Pug, Amazon RDS, GitLab CI/CD, Security Policies & Procedures, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), APIs, REST, HTML5, Algorithmic Trading, Trading, Back-end, Fintech, Containers, AWS IAM, Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis

Senior Full-stack Software Engineer

2018 - 2018

Cobalt Archive

Built a platform for archiving the web, email, and social media content using Django and Vue.
Implemented a touch-free onboarding process to guide users through independent configuration and direct payment on the site to activate personal accounts.
Created a proof of existence page that leverages hashes stored on blockchains to prove that files existed in a certain state at a specific time.
Developed an efficient, cross-medium search functionality using Elasticsearch.

Technologies: Python, Django, Django REST Framework, Celery, Redis, Elasticsearch, PostgreSQL, Vue, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), Docker, Docker Swarm, Web Scraping, Web Crawlers, Facebook API, Twitter API, LinkedIn API, Back-end Development, Full-stack, Data Encryption, Back-end Architecture, SQL, CSS, REST APIs, Security, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, JavaScript, Amazon EC2, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Jenkins, Vuex, Ansible, Amazon CloudWatch, Authentication, Scalable Architecture, Scraping, HTML, IT Security, Docker Compose, Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), Vue 2, Mezzanine, Terminal, PyCharm, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Route 53, VPN, Web Security, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Python 3, Pug, Webpack, Amazon RDS, Card Payments, Billing Systems, CI/CD Pipelines, GitLab CI/CD, Slack API, Security Policies & Procedures, APIs, REST, HTML5, D3.js, Back-end, Fintech, Containers, Data Engineering, AWS IAM, Architecture, System Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis, Chrome Extensions

Director of Software Development

2013 - 2017

RowdMap

Led an international, remote team of 15 developers, software engineers, data engineers, and various technical employees to create and refine a healthcare analytics platform.
Built custom analytic visuals using D3, along with a user-friendly query builder.
Transformed 5TB of healthcare data into a highly-optimized PostgreSQL database.
Developed an internal platform to automate and manage data loads and transformations.
Designed optimized tables derived from source data to be efficiently queried by the platform.
Managed all AWS infrastructure and controls, including container servers, databases, network security, high availability, CI/CD flows, and ensured secure employee device provisioning with encryption and VPNs.
Led and passed a NIST 800-53 security and privacy control audit.
Achieved service level agreements (SLAs) by deploying high availability via Docker Swarm.

Technologies: Python, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Amazon Web Services (AWS), Django, Django REST Framework, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Python 2, Python 3, Backbone.js, Angular, Pug, Puppeteer, Selenium, Webpack, Amazon EC2, Docker Swarm, Docker, Jenkins, VPN, Amazon RDS, Celery, Redis, Back-end Development, Full-stack, Data Encryption, Web Scraping, Back-end Architecture, SQL, CSS, jQuery, REST APIs, Security, Linux, JavaScript, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Ansible, Java, Neo4j, Amazon CloudWatch, Authentication, Scalable Architecture, Scraping, HTML, MacOS, IT Security, Docker Compose, Mezzanine, HIPAA Compliance, Terminal, PyCharm, Salesforce, Node.js, Amazon Route 53, Web Security, Amazon CloudFront CDN, CI/CD Pipelines, Analytics, Slack API, Security Policies & Procedures, Web Crawlers, APIs, Flask, REST, HTML5, D3.js, Back-end, Algorithms, Containers, Data Engineering, AWS IAM, Architecture, System Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis, Technical Hiring, Interviewing, Team Management, Chrome Extensions

Senior Full-stack Software Engineer

2009 - 2013

Funtown Splashtown USA

Architected and implemented a full employee management suite with distinctive features for the amusement park industry.
Utilized the Ford-Fulkerson method to generate daily ride operator assignments based on training knowledge and previous assignments stored in the database.
Implemented a complete scheduling system for employees to access schedules online, receive shift notifications, and propose shift swaps.
Improved the guest experience with a companion app that helped guests better navigate the park.

Technologies: PHP, CakePHP, iOS, Android, jQuery, JavaScript, Excel VBA, Algorithms, Back-end Development, Mobile App Development, Full-stack, Back-end Architecture, MySQL, SQL, CSS, Mobile Development, Objective-C, REST APIs, Python, Security, Linux, Django, iOS SDK, Android SDK, Docker, Swift, Java, Xcode, Authentication, HTML, IT Security, Terminal, Python 2, APIs, REST, HTML5, Back-end, Containers, Task Analysis

Experience

ToonHQ

https://toonhq.org

I created a dynamic game assistant for players of Toontown Rewritten and Toontown: Corporate Clash that included an interactive system to help players find others a group in-game. Optimized the site to keep up with over 100,000,000 requests and over 1TB of data per month on a DigitalOcean deployment budget. Implemented real-time data streams to improve user experience and performance.

Stalks.io

https://stalks.io

I created a Stalk Market guide for Animal Crossing: New Horizons with over 1,000,000 page views per month. Implemented an algorithm to accurately forecast prices based on a player’s previous price information. Designed a friendly UI to present selling advice in a fun and easy-to-understand way. Added social collaboration so friends can view each other’s prices and forecasts, enabling them to decide if they should sell at their island.

Starblock Valley

https://starblockvalley.lukesapan.com

Starblock Valley is a tiny dApp that lets you manage a decentralized farm on the Ethereum blockchain. I built it in a few hours to explore web3 concepts. Every action on the farm is sent to the Ropsten testnet and is viewable on Ropsten Etherscan.

Publication

Ramping up Software Deployment - A Docker Swarm Tutorial

https://www.toptal.com/devops/software-deployment-docker-swarm-tutorial

Skills

Languages

Swift, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Objective-C, SQL, Python, Python 2, Python 3, Pug, HTML5, Java, Excel VBA, Solidity, PHP, C++, C, C#

Frameworks

Android SDK, Django, Django REST Framework, Selenium, iOS SDK, NativeScript, Django Channels, CakePHP, Mezzanine, Truffle, Flask, React Native, Angular, Electron

Libraries/APIs

REST APIs, Backbone.js, jQuery, Vuex, Vue 2, Vue, Node.js, Puppeteer, Socket.IO, Python Asyncio, Chart.js, Shopify API, D3.js, Slack API, React, Facebook API, Twitter API, LinkedIn API

Tools

Terminal, PyCharm, Xcode, Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC), Ansible, Docker Swarm, Docker Compose, Terraform, Jenkins, Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS), VPN, Amazon CloudFront CDN, Webpack, Celery, NativeScript-Vue, GitLab CI/CD, Amazon Simple Email Service (SES), Amazon CloudWatch, Amazon EKS, AWS IAM

Paradigms

Back-end Architecture, Mobile Development, Microservices, Test-driven Development (TDD), Functional Testing, Unit Testing, REST, HIPAA Compliance

Platforms

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Linux, Docker, Android, MacOS, iOS, Amazon EC2, Salesforce, DigitalOcean, Shopify, Netlify, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Blockchain, Kubernetes, Ethereum, Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Industry Expertise

IT Security, Security

Storage

PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Elasticsearch, Neo4j, MongoDB

Other

Data Encryption, Scalable Architecture, Authentication, Back-end Development, Scraping, Web Scraping, Full-stack, Mobile App Development, Starlette, FastAPI, Amazon Route 53, Web Security, Amazon RDS, Card Payments, Billing Systems, CI/CD Pipelines, Analytics, Security Policies & Procedures, Web Crawlers, APIs, Back-end, Fintech, Containers, Data Engineering, Architecture, System Architecture, Data, Code Review, Source Code Review, Task Analysis, Technical Hiring, Interviewing, Team Management, Chrome Extensions, Fraud Prevention, Algorithmic Trading, Trading, Algorithms, DApps

Education

2012 - 2013

Coursework Toward Bachelor's Degree in Electrical Engineering with Computer Science Concentration in Computer Engineering

University of Southern Maine - Portland, ME, USA

2010 - 2012

Coursework Toward Bachelor's Degree in Computer Engineering in Computer Engineering

University of Maine - Orono, ME, USA

Certifications

APRIL 2018 - PRESENT

Blockchain Specialization

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