Headshot of Alex Smith

Alexander Smith

I’m Alex Smith — a senior full-stack software engineer with over 9 years of experience building fast, elegant, and resilient systems. I began my career on Wall Street, where I developed a deep understanding of performance, precision, and high-stakes infrastructure.


Since then, I’ve brought that same rigor to startups and fintech companies, designing scalable backend architectures, crafting intuitive user interfaces, and leading cross-functional teams through complex technical challenges. Whether it’s shipping high-impact features, optimizing performance, or diving deep into system observability, I bring a pragmatic, detail-oriented approach to everything I build.


Beyond code, I’m a hands-on problem solver who enjoys tackling real-world challenges — from modifying cars in my garage to chasing par on the greens. I’m always exploring new tools and technologies, and I thrive in environments where curiosity meets execution. If you’re interested in working together or just want to talk shop, feel free to reach out.


Experience
Present - ?
Your Company
Senior Software Engineer, Staff Software Engineer

I'm always open to hear about new opportunities and learn more about how I may be able to help you and the team!

AWS B2B B2C Elasticsearch FinTech Kubernetes PostgreSQL React Ruby on Rails Scale Sidekiq
Mar 2024 - Present
Senior Software Engineer

Nationwide corporate catering marketplace and software platform. Contributed to ordering systems, restaurant integrations, and logistics tooling to support high-volume food delivery for businesses.

AWS B2B Braintree Elasticsearch GraphQL Kafka Kubernetes Payment processing PostgreSQL React Ruby on Rails Scale Sidekiq Stripe Terraform TypeScript
Aug 2024 - May 2025
Senior Software Engineer

User engagement and personalization platform for SaaS and media companies. Built in-product engagement tools and real-time analytics infrastructure to drive retention and personalized user journeys.

AWS Analytics B2B Caching Docker Elasticsearch Kafka MarTech MySQL Reporting Ruby on Rails Scale User engagement Vue
July 2023 - Aug 2024
Senior Software Engineer

Scheduling automation platform used by individuals and enterprises. Worked on backend services and calendar integrations to streamline scheduling workflows and ensure seamless user experiences.

B2B Docker GCP Kubernetes PostgreSQL Producitivty tools PubSub React Ruby on Rails Scale (massive)
Jan 2023 - June 2023
Senior Software Engineer

Fintech startup enabling consumers to split online payments across multiple cards at checkout. Helped architect and implement core transaction logic, browser extension functionality, and payment integrations.

AWS B2C Consumer Payments E-Commerce Ember Fintech Mercury Plaid PostgreSQL React Ruby on Rails Stripe
May 2021 - Jan 2022
Senior Software Engineer

Fundraising and engagement platform for educational institutions. Developed secure, scalable web features supporting peer-to-peer fundraising, alumni outreach, and donation processing.

AWS B2B EdTech FinTech Fundraising Payment processing PostgreSQL React Ruby on Rails Scale
Jan 2020 - Jan 2022
Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer

Open-source platform behind dev.to, a global community for software developers. Contributed to Forem’s core architecture to support scalable content delivery, community features, and open-source extensibility.

AWS Edge caching Online communities Open Source PostgreSQL React Ruby on Rails Scale (huge) StimulusJS
Aug 2018 - Dec 2019
Software Engineer

Financial data platform delivering real-time and historical market data via APIs. Engineered data pipelines and API integrations to power fintech applications and analytical tools for investment professionals.

API-as-a-service AWS B2B B2C C# Elasticsearch Elixir Financial Data Fintech Phoenix PostgreSQL Python React Ruby on Rails Scale (massive) Websockets
Aug 2017 - Aug 2018
Software Engineer

Mobile ticketing startup focused on digitizing event ticket sales, transfers, and validation. Built scalable backend systems and user-friendly mobile interfaces to modernize the ticketing experience.

AWS Event Tech Live inventory management OCR Payment processing PostgreSQL React Ruby on Rails Ticketing

Interests
Golf 🏌️‍♂️

While I struggle to play well, I must be a glutton for punishment because I play often.

Formula 1 🏎️️‍

The latest international sports craze, I love watching Formula 1.

Cars 🔧

Tinkering on cars (or anything with an engine) is my favorite way to decompress

Dogs 🐾

We have 2 dogs who are both named Jax. My boy is a 5 year old Catahoula mix who loves to play and give human-like hugs.

Cold brew coffee ☕️

As painful as it is to admint, I'm a cold brew addict. I make my own for funsies!


Testimonials
Don't just take my word for it. These are people I've worked with and/or for professionally.

Alex is an articulate communicator and excellent at developing solutions for complex problems. He delivers top quality code. Always. The degree of emotional intelligence possessed by Alex makes him such a well rounded individual and an absolute pleasure to work alongside.

Dwight Scott

Senior Software Engineer @ Boundless Immigration

Alex, without question, is what you would call a 10x engineer. His ability to crank out quality code and present technical accomplishments to the business is next to none. However, all of that pales in comparison to his dedication to creating a safe and inclusive workspace for all.

Larry Scott

Senior Software Engineer @ GiveCampus

Alex has an innate ability to see beyond the code. He's able to have high level conversations typically reserved for product managers unlike any other engineer I've ever seen. He understands how to translate things into layman's terms that is also tailored to a specific audience.

Armando Ochoa

Senior Business Operations & Strategy Manager @ Pinterest

Alex helped me automate painstakingly manual and repetitive tasks that I had no idea could even be automated. He saves me several hours a week now. Throughout the process he was communicative, prompt, and professional. I'd absolutely work with him again.

Amber Figlow

CEO @ A Creative Co.

As an engineer, Alex is thoughtful, efficient, and has a keen eye for pitfalls and problem areas. As a teammate, he's considerate, conscientious, and deeply engaged. I'm lucky to have had the opportunity to work with and learn from him - couldn't have asked for a better coworker.

Jesse Cooper

Senior Software Engineer @ Calendly


Want to work together?

© Alex Smith 2025. All rights reserved.