Michael Childs, Developer in Fort Collins, CO, United States
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Michael Childs

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Software Engineer and Developer

Fort Collins, CO, United States

Toptal member since September 20, 2024

Bio

Michael is a versatile software engineer and architect with over 16 years of experience delivering scalable, high-performance systems across diverse industries. He excels in designing robust architectures, optimizing back end and cloud infrastructures, and developing intuitive front-end solutions. Michael combines technical expertise with leadership skills, driving innovative and reliable solutions tailored to evolving business needs.

Portfolio

Valkonis
CouchDB, Rust, Flutter, Dart, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Back-end, REST APIs...
ThreatX
Rust, MongoDB, React, JavaScript, CSS, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Leadership...
Pelco
Java, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Leadership, Back-end, REST APIs, API Integration

Experience

  • Java - 12 years
  • MongoDB - 8 years
  • PostgreSQL - 6 years
  • AWS IoT - 4 years
  • Rust - 4 years
  • Oracle Database - 4 years
  • Flutter - 1 year
  • Firebase - 1 year

Availability

Full-time

Preferred Environment

Rust, Python, Java, Linux, Windows, AWS IoT, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Go

The most amazing...

...project I've taken on involved creating a scalable analytics platform that transformed complex data into actionable insights in real time.

Work Experience

Independent Contractor

2021 - PRESENT
Valkonis
  • Reduced egress and compute costs for a surveillance client by designing and building a GraphQL API server in Rust while utilizing Juniper and Axum.
  • Enhanced the surveillance offering by developing a media pipeline server in Rust using Tokio, supporting RTSP/RTP, WebRTC, and various file sources and sinks.
  • Developed infrastructure as code (IaC) scripts and designed an AWS deployment topology using Amazon Elastic Kubernetes Service (Amazon EKS).
  • Designed the data model, recovery procedures, and migration strategy for a mass-scale Apache CouchDB deployment.
  • Implemented UI, state management, and testing approach for Android/iOS app for university seminary students and ancient language enthusiasts.
Technologies: CouchDB, Rust, Flutter, Dart, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Back-end, REST APIs, API Integration, Go

Technical Lead

2021 - 2024
ThreatX
  • Led the development and deployment of a comprehensive security analytics platform, providing real-time insights and enhancing customer engagement.
  • Spearheaded cross-service API specifications, ensuring consistency and seamless integration across all services while driving key product innovations.
  • Streamlined CI/CD pipelines with automation tools, reducing deployment times and increasing team efficiency in fast-paced production environments.
  • Led a team of seven to develop and support React front end and API service.
Technologies: Rust, MongoDB, React, JavaScript, CSS, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Leadership, Back-end, REST APIs, API Integration, Data Engineering

Senior Software Engineer

2013 - 2021
Pelco
  • Architected a high-throughput event processing and distribution system, enhancing real-time data handling.
  • Implemented this system and improved overall reliability and performance.
  • Mentored a team of engineers, driving significant improvements in code quality, system performance, and overall project delivery timelines.
Technologies: Java, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Leadership, Back-end, REST APIs, API Integration

Software Engineer

2012 - 2013
GHX
  • Engineered a high-scale patient record integration network, enabling seamless data exchange and real-time access across multiple healthcare providers.
  • Developed and automated a robust test framework, reducing manual testing efforts and improving product release cycles.
  • Spearheaded the automation of CI/CD pipelines, increasing deployment efficiency and minimizing errors in production releases.
Technologies: Java, Oracle Database, Apache JMeter, Back-end, REST APIs, API Integration

Experience

GraphAI

An innovative Bible language learning software that empowers seminary students to master ancient languages through inductive learning. The platform engages users with authentic biblical texts, allowing them to discover grammar, vocabulary, and syntax organically.

Education

2011 - 2015

Master's Degree in Computer Science

Colorado State University - Fort Collins, CO, USA

Skills

Libraries/APIs

REST APIs, React

Tools

Apache JMeter

Languages

Java, JavaScript, Rust, Python, CSS, Dart, Go

Platforms

Oracle Database, Linux, Windows, AWS IoT, Firebase, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud Platform (GCP)

Storage

MongoDB, PostgreSQL, CouchDB

Frameworks

Flutter

Other

Back-end, API Integration, Fault Tolerance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI Pipeline, Leadership, Data Engineering, Machine Learning

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