Backend Developer
I’ve built backend systems at every size. A small internal tool that generates QuickBooks invoices automatically from subscription contracts for an accounting team. A mid-sized CRM platform with search, reporting, and workflow automation for hundreds of users. And, at the largest end, the entire backend for a live multiplayer mobile game: a distributed architecture running dozens of interconnected Node.js server pods plus game-server-to-game-server communication over gRPC, supporting over a million registered players and hundreds of thousands playing simultaneously at peak.
Whatever the scale, the same instincts apply: get the data model and the API boundaries right early, and design for the failure modes that actually happen, like a six-month data import that has to survive being interrupted, not just the happy path.
Experience
Head of Engineering (previously Tech Lead) · Spatial Media
Promoted from Tech Lead to Head of Engineering: own the company’s full technical strategy and engineering leadership, reporting directly to the CEO and the board.
- Absorbed the CTO’s scope after their departure; report engineering activity and technical planning to the board, and act as technical advisor on hiring decisions
- Leading the technical side of ISO 27001 and SOC 2 accreditation preparation, and an AI integration initiative across existing products (GPT via Azure AI Foundry)
- Evolved the AWS infrastructure into full infrastructure-as-code with AWS CDK
- As Tech Lead: designed and shipped Spatial Engage, a self-service SaaS mapping/consultation platform (Vue.js/Nuxt3, GraphQL), still live with paying clients; built a GraphQL abstraction layer over a legacy API to ship it without breaking existing systems
- Migrated the entire monolithic infrastructure to a multi-region AWS ECS architecture; built internal tooling that cut production bugs by 98%
- Built, led, and managed an international engineering team across Canada and Australia
Backend Tech Lead · Gameloft
Designed and built the entire backend architecture for a live multiplayer mobile game: over one million registered players, with several hundred thousand playing simultaneously at peak.
- Distributed architecture running up to ~30 interconnected Node.js server pods, plus game-server-to-game-server communication via gRPC to host large simultaneous matches
- Inter-pod communication via Redis and event queues, powering live chat, player interaction, friends and clan features
- Led software design, implementation, tests and code review; close collaboration with front-end team and product owner
- Built a full sync system importing major music-label catalogs into the game, with robust error handling and resumability for multi-month import runs
Full Stack Senior Developer · Boréalis (boreal-is.com)
Maintained and improved an existing web CRM application, leading software design meetings, implementation, tests and code review, in close collaboration with the UX/UI team and product owner.
- Index and advanced search system for users, communications and assets
- Territory management and geolocalisation
- Advanced graph and report generation, workflow automation and task allocation
- Email parsing and communications automation, including a Microsoft Outlook Add-in integration
Co-founder & Director of Software Development · 2PS.com
Co-founder and Director of Software Development, concurrently Technology Consultant (interim CTO) for client companies. Built a full two-sided marketplace platform for management consultants and their clients, continuing and expanding a product first prototyped at Present Profit.
- Index and advanced search for consultants; invoicing and time tracking backed by PayPal and Xero integrations, automated payment collection, custom hour-bank tracking
- Automated the international translation of the entire platform
- As Technology Consultant: interim-CTO coaching for R&D management and day-to-day operations of client companies, technology audits, strategy implementation support, public lectures
Web Developer · Intello Technologies (by TELUS Business)
Built a fully autonomous internal tool for an accounting team: monitored subscription contracts and automatically generated QuickBooks invoices.
- Internal dashboard for the accounting team to configure subscription contracts
- True API-level QuickBooks integration: detected new data to import, handled conflict management, ran unattended on a schedule
Web Developer & Team Leader, Technology Consultant (co-owner) · Present Profit
Co-owner, Web Developer & Team Leader, concurrently Technology Consultant. Recruited and led a developer team, delivering several distinct products over 7+ years, while advising other companies on technology strategy and R&D management as a consultant.
- Data aggregation tool structuring a company’s unstructured sources (calendars, emails, chat, documents) for R&D reporting
- Internal dashboard for tax specialists and accountants: guided questionnaire, automatic data import, automatic report generation with direct import into accounting software
- Early prototype of a consultant marketplace platform, later spun out and fully built as 2PS
- A web/Android service matching business needs to qualified consultants using a weighted keyword-taxonomy matching engine, factoring in geographic proximity and consultant collaboration fit
- As Technology Consultant: prepared technical and financial documentation for government R&D tax credit grants, advised client companies on technology choices and R&D management
Co-founder & Director of Software Development · Suplife
Co-founder and Director of Software Development, recruited and led a developer team delivering 3 web applications, plus customer relations and ad partnerships for each project.
- Custom online shop
- Platform for automatic server rental and deployment
- Streaming platform (VOD) reaching over 200K visitors per day around 2008, notably early for video streaming at that scale