Brian Gates

Senior Software Engineer

Building AI-powered tools and platforms to transform manufacturing.

Senior Software Engineer

Built Dataplor's SaaS platform for point of interest and visitation data analysis.

• Built Hermes, an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server enabling AI-powered data filtering with tool-assisted querying for brands, areas, and business categories
• Integrated Hermes MCP server into dataplor-api's AI search endpoint, enabling intelligent tool-assisted filtering in the platform application
• Demonstrated MCP integration with third-party clients (Cursor) and built reference implementation using Vercel's AI SDK for HTTP and streaming CLI interfaces
• Implemented Microsoft Entra ID multi-tenant authentication with Datadog and Sentry monitoring for authentication tracking and error management
• Built comprehensive brand performance analytics dashboard in Next.js/TypeScript featuring same-store performance analysis, year-over-year trend visualization, and store-level breakdowns
• Designed and implemented weighted average calculations and multi-axis visualizations showing total brand vs same-store traffic trends alongside store count evolution
• Optimized dashboard performance from 2 minutes (existing APIs) to 8 seconds (SQL queries) to 50ms by architecting ETL pipelines in Ruby on Rails with Star Schema data modeling

Staff Software Engineer

Built the next generation of Yardzen's website and marketing platform.

• Replatformed from slow WordPress to blazing-fast Next.js, deploying on CloudRun via GitHub Actions and Nx
• Championed AI tooling like Cursor, establishing rules for AI, adding MCP integrations, and promoting best practices for using AI agents to write code
• Integrated Contentful, enabling non-engineering teams to create and update pages independently, reducing the release cycle from weeks to hours
• Built new onboarding quiz, doubling the conversion rate of its former
• Developed Lowe's Partnership page for a 750k email blast campaign, resulting in 3.6k visitors and 109 add-to-carts in two weeks
• Created Contractor Connect marketing funnel, generating 200 leads and a 9% conversion rate in the first month
• Established a Design System with design and marketing, including Iconography and Colors pages, leading to a more consistent user experience
• Created a Storybook for documenting implemented components, leading to increased re-use by Product and Design teams
• Ensured accessibility compliance by implementing best practices and adhering to WCAG guidelines
• Trained junior team members and created extensive documentation for knowledge transfer

Senior Software Engineer

Built internal workflow management software for manufacturing.

• Helped build and release version two of Hadrian's internal workflow management software that guides all aspects of the factory's execution to build high precision parts for aerospace and aeronautics
• Built visual Node-based workflow editor with Xyflow (formerly React Flow)
• Crafted responsive UIs from Figma designs in Next.js/React with TailwindCSS, Radix, and ShadUI
• Created type-safe forms with helpful validations using Zod, React-hook-forms, and TypeScript
• Ensured system observability by working with infrastructure team to integrate Next.js and Datadog for visibility into spans, traces, errors, logs, and session replays
• Collaborated with backend teams to negotiate API endpoints' proto specifications
• Gathered feedback from users to implement features and improvements

Software Engineering Manager

Managed Frontend and Backend engineering teams.

• Reduced average time to response from weeks to hours by implementing a new engineering incident response process
• Reduced average number of errors per session by 75% by improving observability tooling and triage process
• Onboarded and offboarded third party engineering teams, established new processes and team structures to facilitate productive collaboration
• Interviewed, hired, and onboarded new engineers
• Held regular one on ones with engineers to discuss goals, growth, and career advancement
• Oversaw migration of site to a new platform, reducing engineering overhead and total staff count
• Orchestrated holiday events, parties, and game nights to boost morale. Two time winner of Top Tacos award for keeping it fun
• Mentored engineers with regular code pairings and learning activities

Senior Software Engineer

Developed dollarshaveclub.com and internal tooling.

• Worked with the Frontend team to upgrade the site experience to the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines standards
• Worked with the Data team to ensure functional business analytics and reporting
• Ran A/B tests to measure the impact of UX changes
• Maintained and added features to internal tooling
• Rebuilt checkout experience from JavaScript to TypeScript and 0 to 100% test coverage
• Paired with Backend team engineers to discuss API changes
• Partnered with design team to establish a common design language
• Integrated Contentful to enable the Product team to rapidly roll out new landing pages

Senior Software Engineer

Built digital asset management software for Netflix and Marvel.

• Collaborated with the core team to implement a shot pull system used by Marvel using Node, Express, Neo4j, and Redis for the REST API, and Ember.js for the UI
• Created cross-platform desktop application to facilitate uploading media to Netflix's Asset Ingestion API using Electron, React, Node, and CouchDB
• Created a reporting system to track and verify shot archival used by Shed using Node, Express, Neo4j, Redis, wkhtmltopdf, and Ember.js
• Created a lens tracking database using Node.js, Ember.js, Neo4j, and Redis
• Implemented workflow tools such as JIRA, GitHub, Slack, and Travis CI, to help team organization, communication, and development flow
• Worked closely with a security team to ensure software always met highest security standards, including code audits and penetration testing

Lead Software Engineer

Built digital asset management software used by Marvel, Toyota, and other major brands.

• Engineered proprietary front-end extensible component-based JS framework
• Assisted in building a proprietary component-based PHP framework
• Maintained and extended custom ORM, including applying an optimization that reduced memory usage by ~85%
• Worked with the team to refine development processes, discuss development ideas, and encourage high morale and productivity
• Worked closely with management to set and achieve realistic goals and expectations
• Ensured code met and maintained high security standards, including security audits and penetration tests