Susan Prestage

SKILLS

EMPLOYMENT

Astound via Apex Systems

Remote | 2024-2025

Senior Developer with extensive experience in driving large-scale technical upgrades, optimizing application performance, and implementing robust testing strategies. Demonstrated expertise in modernizing systems, enhancing reliability, and solving critical issues through innovative and detail-oriented approaches.

• Spearheaded the planning and execution of a Ruby on Rails upgrade from version 5.2.8 to 7.2, including creating detailed upgrade plans, mapping model test coverage in advance, and identifying key considerations for a seamless transition.
• Elevated test coverage across critical systems from under 50% to over 80%, ensuring greater reliability and stability for future feature development and upgrades.
• Restored and optimized the functionality of the "SelfCare" application, leveraging a fresh perspective to identify and resolve critical issues efficiently.
• Gained deep domain knowledge of foundational systems, such as "WorkOrders" while implementing rigorous testing strategies to strengthen application resilience.

OneClickPolitics

Remote | 2021-2024

I was brought into this role as the second engineer of a team of four to handle a struggling Rails monolith. My intuition for puzzles was just what was needed to add the right data to logs, to track down client issues, getting traction with and resolving long standing issues.

• Played a key role in the modernization of a legacy Rails 3 application, contributing to its transformation into a microservices architecture with a focus on multiple API-based design, using Rails 4, 6, and 7 in an AWS environment.
• Co-designed and implemented a client-facing system, leveraging Twilio's SMS messaging API improving upon and replacing the existing EZtexting messaging solution.
• Orchestrated the integration of regulation compliance heavy CWC (Communicates with Congress) API (REST, SOAP, XML) to restore our adherence and win back permission to interact with that API.
• Successfully reconstructed the 7 year out of date, black box Mapbox API map presentation of Cicero-sourced geo-location data, starting from the raw shapefiles of the district boundary data, through a multistep process, interacting with the Mapbox API to generate the updated map of the US with the new district voting boundaries, with 3 levels of map at national, state, and local levels.
• Documented all steps for the Mapbox map reconstruction, with explanations and links to the source Mapbox API documentation ensuring that the team could automate and keep the US district map up to date going forward.
• Contributed to mentoring junior developers.
• laborated heavily between my Rails monolith team and the ElasticSearch team to create an area-by-area migration of data from the old overloaded postgreSQL database into the new system. This included adding model definitions to the ES system in addition to heavy code review participation for the new ES server.

Sportsrocket

Bellevue, WA | Remote | 2016-2019

This was my first Rails monolith and where I worked to carve out functional areas of that monolith into clearly targeted servers and APIs.

• Developed a worker application to consume the data from 6 million records of TV shows, movies, and sporting events in XML pulled from the Gracenote API.
• Created and maintained APIs for both internal services and external client applications, with RESTful endpoints.
• Authored comprehensive API documentation, providing explanations and examples of supported requests and responses for both client and internal use.
• Programmed interactions with a variety of AWS services, leveraging Cloudwatch for logging and metrics, SNS and SQS for task flow management, and reading/writing data in S3 buckets.
• Implemented the interface between our system and the FaceBook API to post content on behalf of our clients, adhering to the compliance requirements
• I coordinated between my main server team and the new Activity server team to carve out that large piece from the old Rails monolith. This involved removing all old tests, making sure the data was migrated successfully, and recognizing and removing all dead code from the monolith
• Utilized Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, SASS, XML, nginx, and Redis in a modern agile software engineering environment.
• Operated within a structured development cycle, including source control, dev/stage/prod release phases, extensive testing, and continuous deployment practices.

Corgibytes

Remote | 2015-2016

A contracting group fostering skill development with legacy code and systems characterized by astonishingly low version numbers. Working as a remotely collaborative team, we support each other as we bring calm to the chaos inherent in the world's existing code.

• Led the transition of a client's content management system to S3 using AWS CLI.
• Maintained and introduced new features to the client's Rails 2 legacy codebase.
• Cultivated a high level of communication and collaboration among team members using tools such as Slack, Skype, and ScreenHero.
• Emphasized the importance of clear, concise code, leaving behind thorough instructions, readmes, and wikis for enhanced collaboration and project understanding.

workZeit

Remote | 2014-2015

A startup focused on developing a SAAS web application that revolutionizes the feedback process.

• Conducted web development using Ruby in a Rails framework, showcasing strong backend and SQL skills to provide data to the frontend.
• Managed DevOps for all deployments, bugs, and live site issues.
• Collaborated within an agile, remote team, participating in daily standups and two-week sprints, utilizing tools such as Skype, Trello, Slack, Github, and Heroku.
• Utilized JavaScript and Angular for frontend development when needed.
• Led extensive refactoring efforts, transforming old code into a simpler, more readable, and easily modifiable form.

DreamBox Learning

Bellevue, WA | 2010-2011

An innovative venture providing adaptive learning and curriculum-based math lessons for K-5 students within an engaging web-based environment.

• Conducted server and client testing in a Ruby on Rails environment.
• Executed code merges into the production branch using SVN (Subversion) and deployed fixes to the production environment using Capistrano.
• Utilized NewRelic and Splunk to monitor the health of the livesite and troubleshoot any issues.
• Worked with agile methods, contributing to the release of server features and fixes to production every 6-8 weeks.
• Collaborated within a team to ensure system designs met internal scalability, performance, and reliability goals, with the capability to handle 10-100 times the current traffic.

Also contributed to teams at Cisco, Cray, Aventail, Microsoft, Google, and Expedia