Mark S.

About Mark S.

I\'m a software engineer specializing in real-time streaming architectures and cloud-native systems, and I have a lifelong fascination with technology. I build, design, and lead scalable solutions for enterprise platforms and SaaS products across healthcare, fintech, retail, and manufacturing. I bring deep technical expertise and a strong bias for pragmatic, maintainable solutions.The most rewarding part of my work is not the code — it’s the conversations. I thrive on deeply technical, thoughtful discussions about design, systems, and practical value. The true magic is when we can turn those into real solutions.My expertise centers on real-time data, but I bring deep experience across the full stack of cloud-native development. I hold a BS in Computer Science from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities and stay active in our local tech community, speaking at conferences like Confluent Current and Minnebar.I enjoy making complex systems accessible. I\'m a firm believer that how we communicate or present our ideas is just as important as the ideas themselves.I would like to keep in touch with former and current colleagues and keep my finger on the pulse of this industry in the Twin Cities area. Please connect or message me here or find me at a local event!

Experience

1. Principal Engineer

   Improving

   Jul 2023 — Present · Minneapolis, MN, US

   Architected data-driven systems for last-mile delivery, including an automated returns workflow and delivery worker route matching solutions. Successfully delivered MVP, accelerating speed-to-market and expanding service offerings- Mentored and guided new engineers, fostering professional growth and promoting best practices across development teams- Improved platform performance through optimization projects on real-time data platforms, including - Neo4j query performance and ETL pipeline enhancements that boosted event throughput by 20%- Oversaw the support, expansion, and AWS migration of a large-scale real-time enterprise ETL tool for processing claims and pharmacy data, leveraging Domain Driven Design techniques to reimagine the system architecture- Guided teams in cloud disaster recovery planning, implementation, and testing to strengthen overall business continuity- Crafted a platform modernization strategy for a critical front-end application to enhance system reliability and user experience- Developed an information architecture framework to help teams discover and organize internal knowledge, improving cross-team collaboration- Drove cloud infrastructure automation initiatives, reducing manual processes and deployment errors- Remediated security vulnerabilities across the entire software stack, bolstering security posture and compliance- Delivered a distributed cache-based solution for deduplicating streaming events, including migration of major modules from GCP PubSub to Confluent Cloud.Extensively load tested multiple real-time architectures to ensure scalability and performance under high-volume conditions.

Education

• University of Minnesota

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Computer Science

  2010 — 2013

Skills

• Javascript
• Linux (Ubuntu)
• Tfs
• Dtd
• C
• Programming
• Gdb
• Html
• C++
• Subversion
• Python
• Agile Methodologies
• Sql
• Json
• Junit
• Perl
• Git
• Scheme
• C#
• Tortoise Svn
• Java
• Ruby
• Svn
• Openstack
• Xml
• Matlab
• Visual Studio
• Windows
• Eclipse
• Selenium
• Silk Performer