Dan Garland
for expanded information on the
content of this C.V., please visit me
http://www.dangarland.co.uk
(or Google: 'rails developer london')Mobile: +44 (0) 7979 770053 Email: [email protected] Twitter: http://twitter.com/dmgarland Date of Birth: 04/04/1983
Dual
Nationality: British and New Zealand citizen and passport holder Location: Tempsford Mill, Bedfordshire Objective
To express creativity through innovative web development. Current Status
Founder of my own Ruby consultancy 'We Got Coders', which specialises in the training of web developers and pair-programming on agile web development projects. I have over ten year's experience in analysing, developing and delivering web applications. I currently employ 20 people, teaching them web development and lining up client roles in our in-house agency.
Technical Skills
Ruby, Ruby on Rails, Sinatra, Padrino, EventMachine, Cucumber, Selenium, Rspec/MiniTest, HTML 5, HAML, CSS/SCSS, Javascript, Backbone.js, JQuery, XML, SQL, AJAX, Design Patterns, MySQL, SQLite, MongoDB, Linux, Apache, Git, Capistrano.
Experience
We Got Coders Consultancy,
Training Founder August 2013 - Present
• I founded my own training and recruitment company called We Got Coders, specialising in the training of junior developers. I designed the marketing strategy for the business, run operations on a day-to-day basis, teach web development and devised all of the
coursework curriculum.
• I manage the entire business operations, from the on-site accommodation at our 19th
century manor house in Bedfordshire, to on-site client consultancy.
• I place my trainees into permanent positions, following our six-month course, covering classroom-based training and on-site mentoring. I now have five developers working for me and aim to become twenty developers by the end of the year.
General Assembly Education Instructor Mar 2013 - June 2013
• I taught an intensive 3-month program covering the essentials of web development, to a group of 17 adult learners in New York City.
• The course covered a range of topics, covering Ruby on Rails, Front-end frameworks, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, Testing and TDD, Agile Software Development, Databases and Computer Science.
• I devised most of the classroom exercises and materials from scratch, drawn from my experience in the sector, aimed at giving students the knowledge required of Junior Web Developers.
SupaDupa.me E-commerce RoR
Developer
Nov 2012 - Mar 2013
• I built the new shipping module for SupaDupa.me, an e-commerce platform with thousands of paying customers. Working on an agile basis, I created a complex multi-channel shipping system that integrates with the existing checkout mechanism.
• I built a new module allowing merchants to print shipping labels via an external API, providing a new revenue stream to the business
• I implemented a Barclays ePDQ integration with Active Merchant, enabling the platform to accept credit card payments for the first time, increasing sales for the business.
PencilIn pencilin.com Learning Marketplace Project manager July 2012 - Dec 2012
• I recruited and led a team of freelance Ruby developers to create a services marketplace for education courses. I was responsible for the entire project, from creating user stories, testing and overseeing the development and liaising with the client.
• The site features an advanced integration with PayPal, multi-user registration with Devise and full-text search.
Fortune Message App New Black newblack.me Music Promotions RoR Developer June 2012
• I worked alongside the New Black digital music agency on the promotions campaign for a major album release. I devised an application that allows Facebook users to encode and decode messages to their friends in the campaign's typeface, using Ruby on Rails. • The Facebook app is fully integrated, including a 'Like' gate.
Hilton Hotels www.hilton.com Forward 3D forward3d.co.uk Hotels Ruby Developer -May 2012
• Working for the Forward 3D agency, I created a gateway server, using Sinatra, that adds a layer of functionality onto the reservations and bookings system for the Hilton Hotel Group, editing XML SOAP requests. The system handles all incoming traffic for the entire business. • I created a URL generation system, using Padrino, AJAX and JQuery, that allows
administrators to generate URLs for the new Hilton search system.
Libertrip
libertrip.com Travel DeveloperRoR Oct 2011 – April 2012
• I worked for six months on rails development for Libertrip, a new web start-up that
specialises in travel based in Lille, France. I delivered new features, enhanced data retrieval and built an API, upon which the operations of the company is based.
• I introduced a system of agile development using user stories and I created a test suite. Using cutting-edge asynchronous technology, I created a system written in Ruby and Sinatra, that used EventMachine to greatly enhance the speed of data delivery and enhances the user experience of Libertrip.
• I took an existing Rails codebase and upgraded the underlying classes to Ruby 1.9.
Most Rated mostrated.com Music Discovery / Streaming Director, RoR Developer Jan 2011 – Present
I directed a new music technology start-up company, which developed a music discovery service called Most Rated. In conjunction with live music events, the website promoted material submitted by artists, organised around local music scene.
• The website is a distributed web application comprising of Ruby on Rails, HTML5, MongoDB, EventMachine and RESTFul API integration (Facebook, Mixlr).
• The site has a complex mechanism to automatically select tracks from the pool of artist's submissions, and collates the content into a continuous stream, like a radio station. • I devised a business plan for the project, including a marketing strategy and fund-raising. • I work with local venues, artist managers and creative suppliers to source the locations, the
artists, creative and video for the project.
Phatnights
www.phatnights.com Showcase / PR Freelance RoRDeveloper March 2011 – Present
I was approached by Phatnights to take over the management and development from a failing Ruby on Rails project which had zero test coverage and to take it forward.
• Working to a tight deadline and budget, I developed the software to fix critical issues and provide the basis for on-going development. I host the website with dedicated hardware.
TouchLocal www.touchlocal.com www.wefinda.co.uk Business Directory Freelance Frontend Developer Aug 2010 – Sep 2010
I assumed the role of freelance front-end developer in the recent redesign of the TouchLocal business directory website.
• I was responsible for the HTML, CSS, cross-browser support and accessibility of the new templates.
• I also worked on the wefinda.co.uk project, which used HAML for its template mechanism. I was responsible for updating copy, altering forms and improving user journeys.
Oxford University Press ukcatalogue.oup.com
Head
www.headlondon.com
Education Contract RoR
Developer Jan 2010 – March 2010
Following the success of the previous work I had done on the Hubbub launch, I was tasked by Head London to work on a classroom presentation tool for interactive whiteboards
commissioned by Oxford University Press.
• I instigated a user-story agile development process using story cards, a points system and burn-down charts, which is now in use for all new Head London projects.
• Amongst a team of four developers, I developed a XUL-supported HTML/CSS application that is dynamically generated from a RoR content management system.
• The project was comprehensive in the technology used, from MVC JavaScript, to CD-ROM ISO generation on the Linux platform. Throughout a test-driven approach was used based on Cucumber, Selenium and Shoulda with 100% coverage and 2:1 test to code ratio.
Hubbub
www.hubbubdeliveries.co. uk
Head
www.headlondon.com
E-commerce Contract RoR
Developer August 2009 – Dec2009 (again May 2012)
I joined the Hubbub project after the requirements phase had been completed and development had begun, and saw it through until launch.
• Amongst a team of 3-4 developers, I developed using a test-driven approach using Cucumber, Selenium, Shoulda unit tests and RCov.
• I debugged and verified the payment gateway integration with the SecureTrading network. • I subsequently returned to work on the project on a freelance basis, adding new features.
Westfield Stratford City uk.westfield.com/stratford city
Delete
www.deletelondon.com
Retail Contract RoR Developer
May 2009 - July 2009
I worked on a large Ruby on Rails project for the Westfield group, developing front-end features on a large legacy codebase.
• I worked with the Teamsite CMS system, integrating XML data into Rails views.
• I developed a moderated comments system and associated administrative screens, using AJAX.
• I developed using a test-driven approach using Rspec.
Titan Entertainment www.forbiddenplanet.com www.titanmagazines.com www.titanbooks.com www.dwscifi.com Publishing /
Retail DeveloperLead Web (permanent)
April 2005 – Sep 2008
• I created the forbiddenplanet.com on-line megastore, an e-commerce website that promotes over 14,000 product lines from graphic novels to über-cool art toys. The website takes hundreds of orders a week and is visited by over 50,000 people each month.
• I am accustomed to relaying technical concepts in plain English; I held meetings with the senior directors to establish the requirements and embodied them into formal use case documents.
• I planned the entire software project: I drafted UML diagrams for the structure of the system and identified the software tools and services to be utilised. I defined milestones and
deadlines for the project.
• I designed an XML-schema for the business' metadata relating to product categorisation, effectively designing how Forbidden Planet's vast and diverse stock range range would be categorised and navigated.
• I implemented a sophisticated Java web application that runs on a fault-tolerant Tomcat cluster. The website is a Java / Tapestry / Hibernate / Spring application. I also used HTML, CSS and XML.
• I created the titanmagazines.com subscriptions website using Java / Tapestry / Hibernate / Spring. The site handles 70-80% of the business' subscription orders. The site uses a mySQL database to store a publication schedule, which is interrogated by the front-end to
determine which magazines are to be displayed in the user's locale. I developed a content management system that allows non-expert users to administer content, based on XML / XSLT.
• I know how to work under pressure and to challenging deadlines. I created the dwscifi.com news website using Ruby on Rails in under two weeks, yet the site now hosts several hundred articles and allows the editors to manage the content themselves.
• I was responsible for all of Titan's webservers and websites, which are hosted in-house on hardware that I procured and configured.
• I introduced several concepts and technology to the business, in particular I introduced an agile / XP methodology which is now adopted for all web development within the
organisation. I developed a project planning tool in Ruby on Rails, which tracks the requirements for projects on an intranet website. This tool allows the business to define requirements for projects and to assign values to them, while developers give estimates for the requirements and plan iterations. This tool has been adopted and is used for day-to-day development at Titan.
• I was responsible for the creation and maintenance of Titan's web development
environment. I installed and maintain a subversion repository and cruise control, Apache and Tomcat servers.
Gamcom Ltd.
www.gamcom.com/
I.T. Consultants Developer Aug 2004 – Apr 2005
• I worked as a developer on the society's mortgage point-of-sale system (MPOS). MPOS uses proprietary in-house software technology based upon a a vast and complex systems
architecture. I was swift to learn and adapt to this new environment, including learning a new language called Process Author. Within a month of joining, I was deemed capable of taking responsibility for writing new software modules.
• I have gained invaluable experience unique to working in a large software project; MPOS has around fifty developers. I am adjusted to handling the necessary communication and
cooperation required for such a team to function. I am aware of the critical human factors that influence the outcome of large software projects.
Mathias & Sons Ltd. mathiasandsons.com Workwear Distributors Project Leader July 2003 - Feb 2004
• Through analysis of existing workplace systems, I identified a requirement for a new Internet based ordering system, called MUMS (Mathias Uniform Management System), which is still used today. I outlined the various solutions to the management via a written report and a presentation. I eliminated the man-hours spent processing orders, saving £15,000 a year. • The project was entered for the regional Shell Technology and Enterprise (STEP) award, and I
won a local and regional heat. Based upon my performance in both the project,
demonstration and my presentation, I was named “the most enterprising student in the South West of England 2003”.
• I conceived, designed and implemented an Internet-based ordering system that interfaced with existing Sage Line 50 accounting software using Active Server Pages (ASP), Visual Basic, HTML, SQL and Access databases.
Education
2:1 BSc Computer Science University of Bristol Bristol, UK 2001-2004
• I attained an Upper Second-Class Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Bristol; consistently within the top five computer science departments in the UK.
• I led a group of five students working on a group project to design a software front-end and device driver for a digital MP3 player written in C. In addition to programming, I was
responsible for time management and milestone setting, task allocation, administration of the group website and version control.
• I wrote a thesis as a proof of concept for networking middle-ware in computer games. It was an individual project to design a client / server network application that explored advances in next-generation market trends such as cloud computing. Used Java and X3D, a cutting-edge graphics standard for the Internet.
3 A-Levels Beacon Community College E. Sussex, UK 1999-2001
• A in Computer Science, A in Business Studies and B in Mathematics.
Interests
I play piano, keyboards and synthesizers, and enjoy composing my own music. I am working with several musicians on original projects and have spent many months working with a top record producer on song-writing and session playing. I am currently studying for Grade 8 piano, after winning the Sheila Mossman Award for the highest mark in the country for Grade 6 piano, 2008.
I am actively learning French and study regularly. I particularly enjoy reading in French,
especially translations from English authors. I have a tutor who helps and its important for me to able to reach a standard of French that would permit me to live and work abroad.
