Zach Pendleton

Initially I was brought on as a fullstack consultant to advise the startup’s small development team during a tumultuous infrastructure migration. I helped improve the teams forward security posture, hardenned their nginx server, setup monitoring, and by introducing various best practices such as public key based authentication and sercrets management for 3rd party service accounts registered to the project (as well as environmental secrets). After discovering numerous vulnerabilities left behind by former contractors, I was able to provide critical analysis that enabled an actionable response strategy for the team as well as the project’s stakeholders. Shortly thereafter, in December of 2023, I was offered to join the company as lead back engineer (and briefly held the role of acting C.T.O.) Since then, I have been one of the primary contributers across the following projects iwthin the company:

• rewritting the network stack - moving away from websockets to a rest API, (which we are currenty rewriting in Rails),
• dockerizing the backend api server and reconfiguring nginx to support load balancing and kubernetes integration,
• restructuring and migrating MongoDB database clusters,
• refactoring two legacy frontend codebases (Flutter and ReactJS, respectively),
• optized various schema used by the above in addition to the project’s set of multiplatform e-commerce mobile applications and the company’s internal management panel.

I was a key-holder, managed purchase orders, and was responsible for all hiring and training in my department. I maintained production logs and other required documentation and acted as liason during audits. Additionally, I pursued numerous pet-projects within the company that proved to be successful.

• I augmented our mandated pen-and-paper logging workflow with digitally tracked raw material quantities, usage rates, and other metrics which until then had gone untracked. Collating these data afforded new analytical insights that allowed my department to provide clients with more accurate fufillment dates and also helped to decongest our shipping/receiving department.
• I devised and implemented a novel “relational” production strategy which increased my team’s agility and measurably improved our efficieny.
• I was passionate about collaborating with other local businesses. To that end, I facilitated a customizable product ordering process which involved estimating individual concepts’ material needs, providing consultation, and at times personally advocating on their behalf when special accomodations became necessary.

Positions held

• [Tier 2] CPU Advisor
• [Tier 1] iPhone Advisor
• [Tier 1] iPod Advisor Provided technical support for all Apple products lines including warrant services. Worked in tandem with other AppleCare support-groups - occasionally providing coaching to team members and new-hires.

• Provided Tier 1 technical support for HSI(high speed internet) customers.
• Provided Tier 2 technical support for escalated networking calls.
• Provided basic technical support for Charter’s custom anti-virus program “CHEESE.”
• Fulfillment of mandated sales metrics.
• Usage of Solarwinds.
• Worked alongside other support teams.
• Deemed exceptional in de-escelation and provided retention coaching to new team mates.
• Proficient use of internal knowledge base.