Why you should hire me
In my decades of experience, I've worked with many different technologies and different situations. I have built websites for clients, marketing microsites, enterprise web applications and more. I bring a lot of experience and knowledge to the table but I'm always looking for new opportunities to grow and learn. Below you'll find a sample of statements from colleagues I've worked with, pulled from my LinkedIn Recommendations.
Technical Expertise
I have several decades of writing code for the web both for my job and for fun! (yes, really, I write code for fun). You can view this list of technologies I've worked with over the years.
For the last 8+ years, my frontend tech stack has been React with Typescript. As a long time javascript coder, once I started learning Typescript I can't imagine working without it.
I was creating websites and web apps during the "browser wars" and had to deal with all the idiosyncrasies of multiple browsers implementing non-standard features. This was a rough time to be a frontend dev, but we had to ensure cross-browser compatibility. As build systems became more prevalent and more mature, we were able to stop adding those conditional statements in our code and allow the tools to handle it for us.
Responsive and Accessible
I'm a huge CSS nerd. I love how simple yet how powerful it is. When Grid was first introduced, I was an early adopter and I will always reach for that over framework and packaged grid systems. Native CSS grid helped us define our own grids instead of being locked into one grid system or another. It also allowed us to stop wrapping our grid content in nested containers. Media Queries, Container Queries and CSS Custom Properties are also some of the most useful features to help us build responsive interfaces.
I am an advocate for Accessibility (a11y) and building accessible user experiences. Using tools like Axe, Lighthouse, WAVE, and screen reader tools like voiceover, we can ensure our websites are accessible to everyone.
Performance and architecture
Web performance is hugely important, especially in large-scale enterprise applications. Asset loading (images, additional js/css files), API calls, and render times are all critical factors in ensuring a great user experience. I have been part of the efforts to optimize web applications to ensure fast render times and reduce the number of API calls. SEO and discoverability are also important reasons to build high-performing, accessible websites.
I have worked on several large enterprise web applications, defining data needs, API contracts and exception handling. Using the appropriate request methods and response status codes is important for any API architecture.
Leadership
When you hire me, you get the whole package. Technical expertise, project planning and leadership, mentorship and support. The work I do has real impact on the teams and organizations I work with.
Mentorship
"...a thoughtful, kind and dedicated professional who makes every team he works on better in terms of both output quality and culture. "
"...has been an excellent friend, coworker, and mentor for myself and my colleagues during all that time. I've learned so much about FE web dev just by working with Keith."
I have been a mentor to engineers of many levels, from new-grads and juniors to senior engineers. I strive to be a sounding board for their ideas, encourage them to think outside the box and help them grow. I will use my experience to guide them through the process of building a product or feature, understand the technical challenges, business challenges and how to identify the trade-offs to any solution.
I enjoy teaching other engineers, but mentorship isn't just about the technical side of things. My first question to any other engineer in a 1:1 is, "How are you doing?" and I try to get a sense of whether they are in a good place at the time. I want them to feel comfortable asking questions and to never be afraid to ask for help. I encourage them to learn something new, not just because the job asks for it, but learning new things keeps us going forward. It's fuel for our brains. I come prepared with topics but I make sure they know this time is their time, and I will always defer to them on what we discuss.
Project and Technical Leadership
"Keith takes end-to-end ownership of the things he works on - you always know if it's something Keith is assigned to, it's going to be done well and he'll communicate effectively with everyone who has a stake in the results along the way."
"Keith's leadership and attention to detail, especially with tight deadlines, helped keep this large project / initiative on track."
"...has exceptional project management skills and routinely lead complex projects to completion, his willingness to assist and mentor other engineers on the team was very admirable"
When it comes to projects, I have extensive experience in planning projects from conception to completion. I have worked with Product Managers and Designers to flesh out the requirements and write technical specs needed to build a product or feature. I have written ADRs (Architecture Decision Records) and RFCs (Request for Comments) to document the technical decisions and discussions that went into the project. Once a technical spec is finalized, I breakdown the work into tasks with specific scopes and dependencies, using that as a guide to estimate timelines.
Collaboration
"...His leadership and collaborative spirit made a real impact in building a supportive and high-performing environment."
"...easy to talk to through the process and provided lots of helpful feedback that helped x-functional collaboration."
"Keith is an awesome partner for UX teams. Conscientious, hard-working, and easy to get along with, he was quick to help break down technical problems, and we often collaborated together to find the best solution for users. A wealth of knowledge and a true team player."
I come to work with a collaborative mindset, making sure all voices are heard and that everyone is treated with respect. I have fostered great working relationships with cross-functional partners such as product managers, designers, QA, Customer Support, Security, Business Analytics and other engineers.
I have been part of several engineer-led forums where I've helped organize and host bi-weekly sessions where engineers can share something they worked on or something they learned. This includes hosting dry-runs of presentations, offering feedback on their presentation during practice runs and encouraging people who may never have presented to an audience before. This also included smaller team-driven forums where we would discuss any technology topic such as Typescript types, CSS features, testing strategies, codebase architecture, among others.