Sep 2018 – Mar 2026 · 7 yrs 6 mos

• I lead platform integrations and cloud-to-device systems that scale Amazon Music’s voice and visual experiences across mobile and Alexa. I own the roadmap, architecture, and reliability of client-service platforms, driving cross-org launches and mentoring across disciplines.
• Key achievements:
• Architected CloudQueue, an AppSync-based system that centralized client/cloud queue state and surfaced 80–90% potential sync cost savings.
• Designed IoT push primitives to replace polling, enabling sub-second mobile↔Alexa handoffs and reducing casting load.
• Laid the technical foundation for Amazon Music Free Tier on Alexa, scaling to 1M+ voice customers in the first week.
• Applied GenAI to automate developer workflows, preserve session context, and reduce mean time to reproduce complex bugs.
• Guided Media Kit 2 design and implementation, enabling Amazon Music to fully compose Alexa CXs. Defined Alexa’s core primitives and exposed them—plus event sequencing APIs—so Alexa focused solely on primitive execution while Amazon Music controlled CX logic and state.
• Advocated for migrating to the Alexa Music Skills Kit (MSK) as a shared interface between Alexa Entertainment and Amazon Music, replacing the need for a Media Kit 3. This accelerated development velocity, simplified third-party capability exposure, and aligned internal and external integration paths.
• Led the Voice Experience Platform (VXP) migration, splitting voice experience generation out from the voice gateway to enable faster iteration and scaling. Built a common library for teams to generate experiences independently, including upsell and music queue generation. Introduced an intermediate routing service with heuristics to reduce load and improve targeting—replacing the initial broadcast-to-all model.
• Founded and scaled 0→1 platform teams; created operating models, reporting lines, and mentoring frameworks for engineers, PMs, and TPMs.
• Patents: Automated Queue Generation, Synergistic Queue Management

Oct 2015 – Sep 2018 · 2 yrs 11 mos

• I focused on reusable integration platforms and voice-first discoverability for Amazon Music Unlimited, helping scale Alexa experiences across mobile and Echo surfaces.
• Key achievements:
• Built Media Kit, a reusable integration layer that standardized visuals, state sync, and control surfaces.
• Enabled Amazon Music to take operational ownership of Alexa experiences for Prime Music and later AMU.
• Took over Alexa integration for Prime Music, replacing the original Alexa-built implementation. Delivered latency of 57ms @P50 and 182ms @P90, outperforming SLA targets of 150ms @P50 and 350ms @P90—benchmarks set by the prior integration. Scaled the voice gateway to 50K+ TPS at daily peak, demonstrating architectural efficiency and resilience.
• Supported Alexa device launches including the first Echo Dot, Echo Tap, Echo Show, and Alexa on Fire TV. Delivered platform integrations and voice-first experiences that scaled across mobile and Echo surfaces, with continued support for later generations.
• Defined requirements and led cross-org collaboration for Alexa’s External Media Player interface on Fire TV, enabling voice requests to route to the Amazon Music app for richer in-app playback. Approved architecture to support continued voice control (e.g., next, previous, pause) post-handoff. Shaped new paradigms for syncing Alexa-generated queues with Amazon Music’s cloud playback systems.
• Contributed to Alexa’s international expansion, supporting launches in the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, and India. Delivered integrations and voice-first experiences that scaled across languages, devices, and regions.
• Designed Media Kit to support “wow” utterances that improved voice discoverability and user engagement.
• Designed and implemented track sequencing for search-based queues.
• Delivered IoT casting primitives to sync playback state and metadata between mobile and Alexa, enabling low-latency handoffs and reducing casting load

Apr 2014 – Oct 2015 · 1 yr 6 mos

• I led backend development for Prime Playlists during the launch of Prime Music, enabling catalog ingestion, playlist discovery, and viral adoption across Amazon surfaces.
• Key achievements:
• Architected backend services and data pipelines that made playlists first-class, discoverable catalog entities with high read/write scale.
• Designed and shipped the original playlist-sharing feature, allowing customers to send playlist links and improve retention through organic distribution.
• Enabled cross-org coordination for Prime Music’s launch, integrating ingestion, search, and discovery systems across multiple teams.
• One of the founding members of the Playlists team; owned backend architecture, delivery contracts, and technical leadership.

Jul 2012 – Apr 2014 · 1 yr 9 mos

• I focused on improving testing coverage, release stability, and operational rigor for Amazon Music features during the launch of the 2012 Kindle Fire tablets.
• Key achievements:
• Improved testing coverage and production stability for Amazon Music X-Ray features, driving higher availability and fewer regressions.
• Introduced and enforced CI/CD testing practices for feature gates and deployments, becoming the first external team to integrate automated tests into the Amazon retail website’s CI/CD pipeline.
• Built end-to-end and component test suites, hardened release pipelines for high-traffic conditions, and led incident postmortems to raise operational standards.
• Mentored junior engineers in testing best practices and TDD, establishing standards that increased team velocity and code quality.

Oct 2011 – Mar 2012 · 5 mos · Redmond, WA

• Developed features and performance optimizations for an internal Microsoft CRM application serving over 3,000 users.
• Reduced application startup time by 40% and search time by 50% through targeted performance tuning.
• Delivered new and enhanced functionality in collaboration with PM and Test teams, contributing to rapid iteration cycles.
• Ramped up to become a key contributor within three weeks of joining the team.
• Worked in C#, WPF, and SQL Server to improve usability, responsiveness, and maintainability of core components.

Sep 2011 – Aug 2012 · 11 mos · Bellevue, WA

• GeoBongo was a startup focused on helping families save and share outdoor adventures using GPS data.
• Designed and developed a location-based mobile application for iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.
• Used PhoneGap, HTML5, Windows Azure, ASP.NET MVC, jQuery Mobile, and the Facebook API to build cross-platform functionality.
• Contributed to early product strategy and technical architecture during the startup’s initial development phase.

Oct 2010 – Oct 2011 · 1 yr · Fort Huachuca, AZ

• Contract Management Support
• Reduced invoice processing time from 1 week to 15 minutes by automating business logic in the Billing Project and Time Management (BPTM) System, a 35K+ line ASP.NET MVC application.
• Designed and developed contract estimation tools supporting multiple contract vehicle types using C#, LINQ to SQL, CSLA.NET, and SQL Server.
• NITFS CTEF (National Imagery Transmission Format Standards Compliance Test and Evaluation Facility)
• Led development of a WPF-based replacement for Compliant Image Validation Analyzer (CIVA).
• Served as Scrum Master and team lead for 2–4 developers.
• Mentored engineers in ISTQB, TDD, and core development practices across C#, .NET, Java, and design patterns.

Oct 2007 – Sep 2010 · 2 yrs 11 mos · Fort Huachuca, AZ

• NITFS CTEF
• Led testing of 10 satellite platforms and advanced Geo-Spatial Imagery producers for NITFS conformance as Strategic Task Lead.
• Participated in testing 8 NITF imagery exploitation packages and libraries.
• Drafted 3 Requests for Change to the NITF and associated standards.
• Designed and led development of the JPIP Stream Analyzer (WPF C#), performing the first JPEG 2000 Interactive Protocol (JPIP) standards conformance test for NITFS CTEF.
• Saved over $100K and 2 years of development by integrating Kakadu C++ client/server components into the JPIP Stream Analyzer.
• Mentored developers and testers in ISTQB and TDD methodologies, C#, .NET, Java, OOD/OOP, and design patterns.
• Contract Management Support
• Designed and developed enhancements to the Billing Project and Time Management (BPTM) System, reducing re-bid rejections by 90% through automated rule checks.
• Created a Microsoft Access database to support variable-length contracts, saving $20K in labor and providing a 6-month buffer during an unexpected extension.

Oct 2004 – Sep 2007 · 2 yrs 11 mos · Fort Huachuca, AZ

• NITFS CTEF
• Led a team of 3 developers and mentored in C#, Java, OOP/OOD, and design patterns.
• Integrated field existence, value range, and regex search into CIVA, simplifying analysis of NITF, NSIF, and JPEG 2000 files.
• Multi-threaded core functionality in CIVA, increasing test collection processing speed by 50–90%.
• Participated in testing 12 NITF imagery exploitation packages and libraries.
• Provided SME-level support for NITF, NSIF, JPEG, JPEG 2000, and JPIP across DoD and commercial satellite vendors.
• Systems Administration
• Served as network and systems administrator for 4 networks, 18 servers, and 40 workstations supporting imagery validation and contract systems.

Aug 2010 – May 2011 · 9 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

• Provided technical expertise in software development and architecture.
• Delivered consulting support across C#, ASP.NET, and ASP.NET MVC projects.
• Advised on system design, code quality, and performance optimization for client applications.

Mar 2008 – Feb 2015 · 6 yrs 11 mos · Bellevue, WA

• Operated a personal LLC for side projects and consulting engagements.
• Provided project management, development, and Scrum expertise to clients via contract.
• Designed and developed an Internet Explorer add-on to enhance the eBay shopping experience using C#, WPF, P/Invoke, and three eBay web services.
• Delivered functional prototypes and production-ready tools across multiple client engagements.

Mar 2002 – Sep 2004 · 2 yrs 6 mos

• NITFS CTEF
• Reduced evaluation time from days to minutes for JPEG 2000 streams by integrating parsing, validation, and color-coded results into CIVA.
• Created a custom hex editor in CIVA capable of >2GB file handling with hexadecimal, text, and regex search.
• Participated in testing 6 NITF imagery exploitation packages and libraries.
• Provided SME-level support for NITF, NSIF, JPEG, and JPEG 2000 across DoD and commercial satellite vendors.
• Contract Management Support
• Designed and maintained a Microsoft Access database used to bid on 2,400+ tasks with 15,000 task estimate revisions over 9 years.
• Enabled accurate Time and Materials contract estimation and streamlined proposal workflows.
• Systems Administration
• Managed 2 networks, 10 servers, and 30 workstations supporting imagery validation and contract systems.

Dec 1999 – Feb 2002 · 2 yrs 2 mos

• NITFS CTEF
• Created CIVA, a standards validation tool that reduced time to evaluate NITF and NSIF files by surfacing anomalies with color-coded summaries.
• Drafted 4 Requests for Change to NITF and related standards.
• Provided SME-level support for imagery validation tools across DoD and commercial satellite vendors.
• Modeling and Simulation
• Led development of an Object-Oriented C++ application to convert High-Level Architecture simulation data into 4 tactical message formats.
• Mentored developers in C++, OOP/OOD, and design patterns.
• EKMS
• Maintained and extended EKMS bridge applications to support legacy server compatibility during DoD transition to common client/server architecture.
• Trained and mentored developers to support continued development and deployment readiness.
• Contract Management Support
• Maintained Microsoft Access-based estimation tools for both Time and Materials and Cost Plus contracts.
• Ensured continuity after original developer departure by reverse engineering and enhancing legacy systems.

Oct 1997 – Dec 1999 · 2 yrs 2 mos

• NITFS CTEF
• Delivered the NIMS++ reference application in 3 months after prior vendor failed over 2 years, then ported it to Windows 32.
• Designed a Windows C++ support management tool for 50+ clients and 10 SMEs, including call history and instant messaging.
• Built the Joint Interoperability Filter (JIF), an Object-Oriented C++ gateway using ASN.1 to bridge EKMS client/server gaps.
• Y2K Readiness
• Participated in Korean peninsula-wide Y2K assessment as Windows NT specialist, monitoring servers and performing root cause analysis.
• Systems Administration
• Managed 2 networks, 10 servers, and 30 workstations supporting imagery and contract systems.

Jun 1997 – Oct 1997 · 4 mos

• DISN-T Transition
• Reduced data import time from 1 day to 15 minutes by building Windows-based C++ automation tools.
• Maintained and enhanced a database auditing the transition of 6,000+ voice, data, and video circuits to a new primary carrier.