Joe Purdy

Promoted to a SRE position in recognition of infrastructure administraton and automation skills. Supported the infrastructure used to host company's SaaS application on Google Cloud Platform and Amazon Web Services. Helped assist technical support, marketing, product, and data teams frequently. Developed an interest in Information Security and become the voice of security within the company.

Authored automated blackbox tests for a SaaS application using a mix of Python and Go. Built and maintained test services to support automated tests. Specialized in testing SMTP services as well as backend REST APIs. Participated in collaborative support, dedicating time on an as-needed basis to the Technical Support team on tickets.

Assisted customers via email for a SaaS business using HelpScout. Made the switch from working in a traditional office environment to working from home on a distributed team. In addition to supporting customers, this role involved writing scripts using Python, Ruby, and Go programming languages. On occassion when the situation called for it I would also assist customers via video calls. Also went beyond the support role by pairing with backend engineers to improve a Go CLI tool to interface with the Customer.io backend and run internal debugging operations.

Helped lead the core backend development team in a transition to agile delivery processes and improved communication with the remote offshore QA team. Quickly learned and adapted to a Microsoft server infrastructure and developing with the .NET framework having previously worked primarily with Linux and PHP. Mentored junior developers on learning to use Git version control software.

Managed the company’s on-site QA team as well as remote QA staff to ensure all application changes were fully tested and moved into production within project deadlines. Acted as QA stakeholder within major IT projects. Developed custom QA tools and software as well as leading team on day-to-day test plan execution and enhancement. Supervisory experience including interviewing and hiring staff, conducting yearly performance evaluations, and mentoring new and existing staff to achieve full potential.

Primarily responsible for implementing an automation suite utilizing Selenium WebDriver and Robot Framework to complement company’s existing manual testing effort and further enhance software delivery pipeline. Established a performance budget and baseline to measure optimization throughout company’s IT infrastructure. Participated in bi-weekly software builds with development teams ensuring new features were moved into production with minimal impact to customer experience. Worked closely with SysAdmin and Network Engineering teams to maintain quality in the performance of the entire IT infrastructure.

Managed a mix of open source and proprietary monitoring systems to ensure maximum uptime of all company servers and infrastructure. Acted as the communication hub of company's IT department and as the first responder to incidents. Administrative duties including computer systems access control. Acted as onsite desktop support to company's QA, Customer Service, and IT departments. Supervisory experience includes scheduling for the department, providing mentoring and feedback to team, screening candidates and conducting interviews.