Jamie Schembri

Software Engineer

I’m a solutions-oriented developer with over 10 years of industry experience in building maintainable web apps of all shapes and sizes. Highly adaptable and eager to improve my craft, I’m open to and enthusiastic about new ideas. Through mentoring brilliant people, I’ve sharpened my own expertise and affirmed the importance of effective, empathetic communication in the field.

I have worked with Rails for 8 years, JavaScript for about 12, and served several stints in various other languages (e.g. PHP, Elixir, Go). I’m well-versed and comfortable in a Linux environment, whether it be my own or in the cloud. Current downtime programming interests lie in TypeScript and full-stack JavaScript frameworks such as NextJS and Remix.

Recent Experience

2021– Initforthe, Remote (Contract)

Engineering full-stack apps for SMBs with Ruby on Rails and Hotwire; working very closely with clients to extract requirements and implement high ROI features.

  • Used PostGIS, Google Maps and JavaScript with Stimulus to build highly interactive maps used for GPS queries;
  • Optimised slow and unreliable CI/CD pipelines, using paralellism to decrease test run-time by up to 95%, and leading to substantial productivity gains and lower time to delivery across the team;
  • Took over administration of several EOL Windows Server machines, writing Powershell scripts for legacy data consumption and synchronization over APIs.
2021 PDM Automotive, Remote (Contract)

Ruby developer on a leading VC-funded, data-heavy app in the automotive space.

  • Sustained a complex legacy Sinatra/Padrino application;
  • Updated a niche Shopify app with Elasticsearch and React;
  • Kicked off investigation into, and advised on, the separation of a overgrown monolith into a microservices architecture.
2019 OnTheGoSystems, Remote (Contract)

Worked on WPML, one of the largest premium WordPress plugins. Primary focus was on the Rails backend and communication with other services in the SOA.

2018–2019 Plug in Useful, Remote (Contract)

Built and maintained SaaS applications in Ruby on Rails & React for the Shopify e-commerce platform.

  • Spearheaded workflow improvements, DevOps, and communication, resulting in quicker feature delivery and a sense of teamwork;
  • Took ownership of code and infrastructure following a restructure, whilst keeping systems running and customers happy;
  • Worked closely with sales and customer service to prioritise and resolve concrete, customer-facing issues.
2014–2018 & 2020 Lico Innovations, The Netherlands (Permanent)

Architected web applications of various sizes under demanding time constraints.

  • Developed a large enterprise SaaS application for global corporations in the catering industry, pivoting for survival early in the COVID-19 pandemic;
  • Leveraged Artificial Intelligence to generate rich metadata for a Digital Asset Management (DAM) tool used by film festivals, agencies, and educational institutions;
  • Implemented custom in-house tooling with Elixir to increase engineer productivity and reduce friction around a new, Docker-based development environment.

Education

2009–2013 Diploma in Computing at The Open University, UK / Remote

BSC course involving object-oriented programming (Java, JavaScript), artificial intelligence, project management, HCI, set theory, and concurrency models.