Charl Best
I would describe myself as being someone that loves working with people towards a goal. I help where I can to encourage and support peers and take lead to ensure that we reach the best outcome possible. As a software engineer with 8 years working experience in full stack web development I have used multiple different languages and frameworks. I have worked on a big monolith application as well as micro-services. I strive to continuously learn new skills and stay up to date with different technologies. I challenge processes and work hard to improve and solve problems.
As a boy who dreamed of building and inventing things, developing software opens a whole new world of possibilities.
Dublin, IE
Online resume at charlbest.com
Skills
Languages
Typescript, Javascript, C#, Java, Python, SQL Server, Neo4j, Cypher, HTML, CSS, SASS
Frameworks
React, Angular, NodeJS, ASP.NET Core, RabbitMQ, Redis, A-Frame, BabylonJS, MongoDB, Spring, NativeScript, Cordova, Xamarin
Libraries
jQuery, RxJS, Knockout.js, Gulp, Bootstrap, Angular Material, SignalR, Express, Hibernate, Entity Framework, ADO.NET
Tools
Docker, Kubernetes, Nginx, VS Code, GitHub, BitBucket, Cloudflare, Illustrator, Office 365, Balsamiq, Marvel, JIRA, Jenkins, Maven, JIRA
Cloud/DevOps
AWS, Visual Studio Team Services, Azure Functions, Azure Cognitive Services, Heroku, Azure, Firebase, Google Cloud, GitHub Actions
Misc
PWA, WebVR, Stripe, Google Firebase, Amazon Payment API, e-Points API, SendGrid, Twitter API, Zoho, Putty, WinSCP
Nov 2022 - Present (Toast)
Full-Stack React and Kotlin Software Engineer. Technologies we use are Typescript, React, Kotlin, JIRA and Jenkins.
Primary activities include building out the loyalty and gift card platforms by developing and maintaing feature requests from our users.
Toast (https://pos.toasttab.com/) empowers the restaurant community to delight guests, do what they love, and thrive. More than just an ePOS, Toast is an all-in-one platform built for your entire restaurant.
August 2020 - Nov 2022
Full-Stack Python and React Software Engineer. Technologies we use are Python, React, AWS, Redis, JIRA and Cypress.
Primary activities include building out trust and safety features namely post level suspension and identity verification as well as working on internal content moderation tooling.
Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/) is the best place for creators to build memberships by providing exclusive access to their work and a deeper connection with their communities.
March 2018 - August 2020 (Ergo)
Full-Stack Java and Lead Frontend Developer using Angular. Technologies we used were Kubernetes, Spring, Jenkins, Maven, Redis, BitBucket, JIRA, Angular, Angular Material, RxJS and NodeJS. The back-end architecture consists of container-based micro-services.
Primary activities include analyse requirements, design and develop components, mentor colleagues and evaluate new technologies.
Ergo (https://www.ergogroup.ie/) is an IT company providing many different services from Microsoft cloud solutions to bespoke software development and more.
Personal Development
- 1st place in the 3D/VR Data Hackathon (https://3ddatahack.ie/)
- 2nd place in the Consensus Blockchain Hackathon (https://consensus2019-blockchain.devpost.com/)
- Machine Learning and Blockchain online courses
Sept 2017 - Present (Open Source)
I've always wanted to give back to the open source community so I thought I'd create a starter project to help developers with a stack I call NEAN (similar to the MEAN stack) but with Neo4j, Express, Angular and NodeJs. (https://github.com/CharlBest/nean-stack-starter and https://nean.io)
Oct 2016 - July 2017 (Amico Labs)
We sold ZincNet and the technical directors (2/4) of ZincNet and myself reformed under the name Amico Software (amico.software). Since then we spent much of our time contracted to ZincNet, to support the product. The rest of the time was devoted to working on a new product called Urban Community (start-up) which was a security and networking platform to facilitate the increasing neighbourhood watch groups in South Africa to counteract crime. My duties included:
- Xamarin Android app development.
- Xamarin IOS app build via remote Mac agent.
- Central Web API (.NET) for business logic.
- PWA (progressive web app) for web client and web push notifications.
- SMS sending service integration.
Nov 2014 - Oct 2016 (Zinc Software)
Worked in an Agile/Scrum environment with four other developers (16 employees in total) to update, improve and add functionality to ZincNet, an “Engagement Platform”. The product was primarily used by Microsoft to train and incentivize computer distributors in developing markets. An interesting feature of this project was the globalization of all visual text, to allow it to be displayed in various languages. As such, the program has run in 60 countries, 13 languages and had more than 200 000 users. We interacted with a team of Account Managers and Directors in the UK, to supply them with the required functionality and solutions. (www.zincnet.com). Ideal Standard was also one of our major clients. My duties included:
- Code review other developers work.
- Create a theme manager to customize customer programs.
- Write C# business logic, SQL queries and front end views (Full Stack).
- Create the company facing website.
- Communicate with remote account managers to aid in system support.
Jan 2012 - Nov 2014 (Education)
Bachelors in Management Sciences majored in Information Systems and Marketing at Stellenbosch University, South Africa. Subjects included Python, SQL, C#, Web development, Statistics, Business Management, Strategic Marketing and Marketing Research. In my free time I built a Wordpress e-commerce website for a local bike shop with payment processing. I was a Wordpress lecturer at SIPS photography school. Job shadowed for one week at FireID, creators of SnapScan, South Africa’s leading mobile payment platform and creators of Luno, South Africa’s leading cryptocurrency wallet. I did quality control and testing at Warp on an e-commerce platform for one week.
