RJ Beers

Senior Software Engineering Manager at Oracle

I am an experienced remote manager and software engineer with a background in SaaS product development and delivery as well as on premises consulting. Currently, I manage a team of nine engineers with a wide range of expertise.

With this scrum team, I drive the roadmap and development activities for two main areas of focus:

  • Development Platform - for engineers to build, test, and deploy web and email content that utilities consume as a SaaS offering
  • External Tools Platform - for our utility customers and systems integrators to self serve configuring and utilizing our products

These platforms are used by around 100 utilities across the globe.

Experience

Software Engineering Manager, Runtime and Integrated Applications

Netlify
  • Iteratively ship an innovative Content Delivery Network that evolves the Jamstack
  • Collaborate with Product Management and senior leadership on vision and strategy
  • Define recruiting practices for diverse and scalable hiring
January 2021 – Present

Senior Software Engineering Manager, Application Platform

Oracle
  • Responsible for progressive planning and management of nine engineers
  • Balance capacity and delivery of critical features across competing priorities
  • Drive new innovative methods of software delivery
  • Reduced implementation and setup costs by 50%
  • Communicate evolving enterprise configuration engineering roadmap
June 2019 – January 2021

Software Engineering Manager, Web Platform

Oracle
  • Responsible for progressive planning and scrum activities for six engineers
  • Responsible for hiring and growing backend, web-focused engineers
  • Deliver a NodeJS and React based SaaS web platform including a CI/CD pipeline, KoaJS based web server, and client facing configuration interface
  • Directly contribute to a NodeJS, React, Chef, and Docker codebase
  • Experienced as a remotely based manager with direct reports in the United States and Ukraine
  • Organize monthly manager and technical lead gatherings for information and feedback sharing
October 2016 – May 2019

Implementation Engineering Manager, Web

Opower (acquired by Oracle)
  • Managed a team of three engineers customizing a NodeJS and AngularJS based web platform
  • Contributed heavily to cross functional team planning of web platform use cases and future roadmap
  • Managed delivery of 6-10 concurrent website implementations and triaged escalated blockers
January 2016 – September 2016

Implementation Engineer 3

Opower (acquired by Oracle)
  • Delivered customized AngularJS based web applications for clients backed by a NodeJS based server
  • Designed many web site integrations, proposed to clients, and implemented with success using HTML/SCSS/JavaScript to seamlessly join multiple content providers into unified sites
  • Internal and client facing subject matter expert on SAML based Single Sign On integrations
  • Defined Beta and GA product operational requirements for Opower's newest web products and platform
April 2015 – January 2016

Implementation Engineer 2

Opower (acquired by Oracle)
  • Led data acquisition efforts with third party IT teams, to create automated data feeds into enterprise data stores including MySQL and Hadoop
  • Drove web product improvement through collaboration with agile product scrum teams
  • Developed robust tooling while improving processes, increasing employee efficiency, and reducing error
  • Specialized in international client implementations
April 2014 – April 2015

Senior Consultant

Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Lead developer for a centralized enterprise authentication and authorization system
  • Forked an open source (C based) project to fit a government agency’s needs, saving licensing costs
  • Developed system enhancements and defect solutions using Java (JSP, EJB, Struts) and PL/SQL
  • Successfully managed responsibilities and schedules with multiple concurrent projects and managers
  • Primary author for new user story requirements and detailed design documentation
July 2013 – April 2014

Consultant

Booz Allen Hamilton
  • Acted as lead Java developer and agile Scrum Master for an enterprise web application using Spring MVC, JSP, EJB, JavaScript (Ext JS), and SCSS
  • Led testing efforts from unit testing through user acceptance testing with clients and 3r​d ​party contractors
  • Designed and developed over 150 XML based test files for a backend data validation service
June 2012 – June 2013

Education

Johns Hopkins University

M.S. in Information Systems Engineering (incomplete)
Relevant Courses: Big Data Processing Using Hadoop, Agile development with Ruby on Rails

GPA 4.00

September 2012 – May 2014

EC-Council

Certified Ethical Hacker
November 2012

The Pennsylvania State University – University Park

B.S. in Computer Science from the College of Engineering
August 2008 – May 2012

Skills

Programming Languages & Tools
Work Style
  • Experienced working as a fully remote manager with distributed teams
  • Comfortable communicating through Slack messages, Zoom video calls, JIRA tickets, and Github comments
  • Capable and comfortable playing many roles such as technical lead, scrum master, career manager, and product owner