James Andrew Smith
Staff Software Engineer- Atlanta, GA∙+1.470.535.9093∙jas@andrew.codes
Staff-level software engineer with years of experience designing scalable, high-impact front-end systems at enterprise scale. Proven leader in front-end architecture, developer experience, and testing strategy. Trusted mentor across teams for building sustainable engineering practices. Speaker and contributor to the React and GraphQL communities.
- Specializes in front-end architecture, performance, and developer experience; using React.js, TypeScript, and GraphQL
- Enjoys mentoring and contributing to open source; including contributions to Gatsby and Cypress
- Co-founder of ReactATL; meetup of over 4K engineers and community members
- Delivered 7 workshops and presentations at major conferences; focused on React.js, Redux, and GraphQL
- Uses system languages C# and Node.js to build scalable, distributed systems deployed with Kubernetes, docker, and native cloud solutions
Recent Professional Experience
Staff-level Software Engineer (L64)
- MicrosoftRemoteDevelop distributed CMS , focusing on authoring tooling and content delivery, for support.microsoft.com, Office applications, and Windows. Influential technical leadership and mentorship across 5 teams.
TypeScript, React.js, Node.js, Next.js, Redux, GraphQL, Nx, C#, microservices, Azure, TDD, XP, git, Kanban
- Architected front-end platform powering CMS systems for support.microsoft.com, Office, and Windows; serving 2B+ users and handling 1B+ requests monthly.
- Designed a scalable authoring tool to enable content onboarding for Co-pilot Labs and partner teams, accelerating Microsoft's generative AI initiative.
- Led strategic adoption of Jest and Cypress across 8 teams, increasing test coverage from 0% to 60% and cutting regression support costs by 30%.
- Consolidated microservices into a monorepo with Nx and Yarn PnP, improving CI cycle time by 95% and enhancing developer workflows.
- Created and open-sourced an AI-driven project forecasting tool, improving timeline communication to leadership by 80%.
- Championed the adoption of Extreme Programming (XP) methodologies across five teams, mentoring 20+ engineers and elevating code quality measured by a reduction in support cost.
Lead Front-End Engineer (Staff-level)
- Experience, LLCRemoteOwned front-end architecture across 3 cross-functional teams. Partnered with leadership to deliver scalable user-facing platforms aligned with business goals.
TypeScript, React.js, Node.js, Redux, TDD, Jest, Cypress, Docker, microservices, AWS, git, Scrum
- Developed a React.js component library adopted by all applications, improving design consistency and feature velocity.
- Instituted 'Three Amigos' model to align product, engineering, and leadership vision; reducing planning time by 75%.
- Championed Cypress-based testing pipelines integrated with Docker-based ephemeral CI environments.
- Mentored 3 cross-functional teams on React.js, Redux, and TDD practices, fostering enhanced team productivity
Senior Software Engineer (Staff-level)
- VersionOne, CollabNetAtlanta, GA (Hybrid)Technical lead for high-profile features on flagship ALM product; including road mapping, time sheets and UI for domain-level filtering in an XP and TDD environment.
JavaScript, React.js, Redux, AngularJs, Backbone.JS, jQuery, C#, MVC.NET, Node.js, TDD, XP, gulp, git, Kanban
- Led modernization of a proprietary JavaScript front-end to ES6 and React.js across 5 teams, reducing tech debt by 30%.
- Built and maintained an OSS React component library and JavaScript SDK used internally and by Fortune 500 customers.
- Served as technical advisor for front-end architecture and tooling strategy across 2 products and 5 teams.
Senior Software Engineer
- MATRIX Professional ServicesAtlanta, GA (Hybrid)Focused on full-stack development using C#, JavaScript, React, and TDD for major clients.
C#, MVC.NET, Node.js, JavaScript, React.js, jQuery, KnockoutJS, TDD, Jasmine, Karma, MSTest, Scrum, grunt, git
- Delivered a redesigned e-commerce checkout for a major client, reducing steps by 50% and improving conversion rates
- Led React.js adoption across teams; created onboarding curriculum and mentored 7+ engineers
- Implemented CI-ready test frameworks (Jasmine, Mocha, Karma) integrated with Gulp/Grunt; reducing defects by ~60%.