Brian Gates
Staff Software Engineer

Contact Information:
Email: brian.g.gates@gmail.com
Phone: (949)280-4708
GitHub: https://github.com/brian-gates
Website: https://briangates.me

Summary:
Building mission critical software and tools with web technologies since 2006.

Skills:
Expert: TypeScript, React, JavaScript, Next.js, Cursor, CSS, HTML, Node.js, RESTful APIs, Git, UI, UX, A11y, CI/CD
Intermediate: C#, C++, Electron, ETL, GraphQL, MySQL, Neo4j, Nest.js, OAuth, PHP, PostgreSQL, Python, Ruby on Rails, Star Schema

Experience:
Machina Labs - Senior Software Engineer
December 2025 - present


Dataplor - Senior Software Engineer
June 2025 - December 2025
- 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

Yardzen - Staff Software Engineer
March 2024 - May 2025
- 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

Hadrian - Senior Software Engineer
Oct 2023 - Feb 2024
- 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

Dollar Shave Club - Software Engineering Manager
Feb 2020 - April 2023
- 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

Dollar Shave Club - Senior Software Engineer
Feb 2018 - Feb 2020
- 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

Codex Digital - Senior Software Engineer
Jun 2013 - Oct 2017
- 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

5th Kind - Lead Software Engineer
Jun 2009 - Jun 2013
- 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