For the past 5 and a half years, I have been developing website and web applications using a wide array of languages, platforms and technologies - most recently for Apple, Audi and AKQA.
In nearly every project, the base has been HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, jQuery and Twitter Bootstrap. Frameworks have varied from React.js to Backbone.js with Marionette.
Behind the scenes, there has been heavy use of Python, Grunt, Gulp, Travis, Jenkins, Amazon EC2, Unix and other fun things. Most of the time, the teams I was a part of were organized in Agile/Scrum style, and we used stand-up and Jira to collaborate.
Personally, the part of app design that I love most is architecture - deciding which technologies fit together in order to produce the fastest and most resilient infrastructure, although I enjoy coding immensely as well.
When time permits, I attend local meetups such as the Google Developers Group in Boulder.
Technical Trainer @ At DevelopIntelligence, I run training sessions for top level engineers at some of the biggest companies in the world.
The subjects I cover include:
* Chef
* Amazon Web Services
* Python
* Javascript
* Front End Development From September 2015 to Present (4 months) CTO @ JetDebt is a cloud-based financial application startup that I CTO in my spare time. I architected the tech stack for the app and coded out the main calculation engine, using a combination of the fastest and most powerful technologies available. From June 2015 to Present (7 months) San Francisco Bay AreaFront End Engineer @ As a contractor from AKQA, I worked on site at Apple to help develop Apple.com, coding new product pages, fixing bugs, and reviewing code from other developers before it was pushed to production. This was an exciting role, due to the scale, sensitivity and visibility of the things I was working on. After 7 months, our contract ended with Apple and I returned to head office at AKQA. From November 2014 to June 2015 (8 months) Front End Engineer @ As a Front End Engineer at AKQA, I helped redesign Javascript components, fix bugs, and roll out new changes for Audi and Apple.
The tech stack I worked with included Apple's in-house framework, Backbone, Marionette, Require.js, Grunt, Jenkins, Vagrant, and CoffeeScript.
Since AKQA projects adhere to AGILE methodology, I worked in a SCRUM environment and we collaborated using JIRA. From July 2014 to June 2015 (1 year) San Francisco Bay AreaSoftware Engineer @ At the Workiva Boulder office, I created several cloud-based tools to expedite internal app development.
Working in Python and Google App Engine (plus Javascript, jQuery, AJAX, HTML, OAuth 2.0), I developed a Github Console that circumvents the need for Github organization members to be organization owners in order to create private repositories. (https://github.com/bengrunfeld-wf/gae-github-console)
I also helped develop a monitoring tool that assessed and reported on Appspot health by timing a HTTP request and retrieving Big Query domain health data. From January 2014 to July 2014 (7 months) Software Test Engineer @ As a Software Test Engineer, I wrote automated testing scripts in Python using the PyUnit and Pexpect modules. I also maintained the example applications for the Deis project (http://deis.io) on GitHub and perform constant testing in 11 different languages (Ruby, Python, Node.js, Java, Clojure, Scala, Play, PHP, Perl, Dart and Go).
Most of the example apps I either wrote myself or edited to conform to company standards. I also wrote the documentation for all of the apps. (https://github.com/search?q=%40opdemand+example-)
Deploying applications to the cloud was also part of my duties, so I have a good knowledge of Amazon EC2, Amazon RDS and Heroku. I have yet to work with DigitalOcean and Rackspace, but they're both on my radar.
My other tasks at OpDemand involved:
– Taking care of all the Front End Development and building complex websites
– Providing advice on SEO, SEM & Social Media strategy, analysis and implementation.
– Writing the marketing plan which lays out best-practices for canvassing the product
Regarding Front End Development, the technologies I have worked with include:
HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, jQuery, Adobe CS6 (Photoshop and Illustrator), Twitter Bootstrap, MySQL, SQL, PHP, Sphinx, Wordpress, & Mailchimp. From January 2013 to January 2014 (1 year 1 month) Web Developer @ Developed websites using Wordpress, HTML5, CSS3, Javascript and Adobe CS6. Also provided SEO & SEM support for customers.
– Built social media campaigns for clients using Facebook API and Twitter best practices
– Performed updates and coding/styling fixes on Joomla, Drupal, Wordpress and Magento sites
– Posted articles about Social Media regularly on the official Melbourne IT Blog From May 2012 to December 2012 (8 months) Melbourne Area, AustraliaFront End Developer | Owner @ Mast Web Design is a company I set up with the aim of helping small businesses get found. By the end of 2012, I had assisted several small businesses to become established by providing them with web, social media, SEO & SEM services. The updated website is now located at http://bengrunfeld.com From July 2010 to December 2012 (2 years 6 months) Melbourne Area, AustraliaWeb Content Editor @ Performed daily updates to TCI’s Drupal, Wordpress, & Kajabi websites, built Social Media marketing strategies, edited video, audio, and textual content.
– Edited over 80 videos per week using Adobe Premiere Pro & Encore
– Maintained the storage and file organization of video assets on Amazon S3
– Managed Office Autopilot (OAP) to communicate with over 25,000 students From September 2011 to January 2012 (5 months) Melbourne Area, AustraliaContract Web Developer @ This was a freelance/contract role. The Junction requested my help in re-designing the website for a creative agency, and programming a photo/profile application using jQuery. I thoroughly enjoyed the snazzy location, excellent people, and of course, the superb coffee machine that was quaintly stored in the kitchen. From August 2011 to August 2011 (1 month) Junior Web Developer @ Mass-produced websites in Wordpress to maximize SEO for the purpose of lead generation.
– Created over 450 websites within 5 months with individually styled Wordpress themes
– Worked with a SMS-based geo-location technology that received an Federal grant
– Wrote technical manuals and user-guides for other developers and content writers From March 2011 to August 2011 (6 months) Junior Web Developer @ Designed and developed websites using HTML & CSS and web-apps using PHP.
– Designed and developed a PHP/web-based treasure-hunt game for the City of Melbourne & Monash University
– Provided consulting services VECCI regarding member registration and social media strategy From February 2010 to March 2011 (1 year 2 months) Marketing & IT Coordinator @ Company Synopsis: Sachlav Tours runs organized tourist expeditions to various locations in the Middle East. Their target market is US college students and young professionals seeking exotic getaways. Their main reason for hiring me was my understanding of web technologies and online presence building, which constituted the majority of my work with them.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Lead an IT-focused marketing team of 5-20 people over multiple seasons
Participated in a social networking and SEO drive which doubled the tourists over a season
Restructured the information network of the business via migration to Google Apps
Performed basic video editing on short YouTube targeted videos using WMM
Conducted training sessions for sales reps on how to use social networking tools From January 2008 to September 2009 (1 year 9 months) Content Writer @ Company Synopsis: Jinni is the first and only taste-and-mood based engine powering video discovery. Using content genetics and nuanced understanding of user tastes, Jinni helps people find the right video content anytime, for any screen.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Wrote hundreds of movie reviews which now appear on the website
Assisted with an online presence drive to create a buzz around the website
Constructed a variety of SEO-focused materials which were deployed to the web From March 2007 to December 2007 (10 months) Content Writer and Online Journalist @ Company Synopsis: OCR is a gambling information website that makes profit via casino-related affiliate marketing. They were around from a very early time, as far as the web is concerned, and became the one-stop-shop for all issues related to online gambling. As a content writer/journalist, it was my job to follow all gambling-related news around the world, and publish similar articles to their geo-specific websites.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Constantly searched the web for stories related to Online Gambling
Wrote and published similar stories, maintaining all the facts and not breaking copyright laws
Being aware of the changing legal status of online gambling in the USA and Asia
Setting up new websites in different countries, ensuring only geo-relevant content was published
Major Achivements:
I helped set up many of their geo-specific websites, including India, Pakistan and Vietnam. For each of these sites, I had to read up on the local legislation regarding online gambling. This turned out to be extremely challenging, and I was surprised at times to find myself pouring through strangely translated online versions of Indian and Pakistani local laws pertaining to gambling. From August 2006 to February 2007 (7 months)
Bachelor of Information Technology and Systems, Computer Programming @ Monash University From 2010 to 2015 Various I.T. Qualifications, HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, jQuery, Git, Adobe CS, PHP @ Lynda.com From 2010 to 2013 Ben Grunfeld is skilled in: Python, HTML 5, CSS3, JavaScript, jQuery, Twitter Bootstrap, React.js, Backbone.js, Git, Github, JSON, Underscore.js, Google App Engine, Unix, C