Professional Background
First off, I’m not looking for work. I will consider helping out charities or other worthy causes on a part time, best effort basis. But please don’t contact me about new professional opportunities.
I’m a proven engineer and manager with over 30 years of software and hardware development experience, I have a passion for leading edge technologies such as Amazon Alexa, IoT hardware and software, the latest Apple technologies, and Maker culture. I want to work with world class innovators and creative thinkers; working hard to reliably deliver outstanding products, as well as helping to encourage, train and motivate the entire team and others. I enjoy learning from others, and helping others to learn. Technology is moving at warp speed. Keeping up is challenging. I like to contribute to keeping it fun for both the team and our clients.
I have worked successfully as both manager and developer in engineering teams of a wide range of sizes, from working by myself to directing over 50 software engineers. My preference is always to remain hands-on; leading, mentoring, consulting, but still contributing directly through participation in coding, code reviews, and architecture and best practices discussions.
Experience
Senior iOS Developer, H-E-B Austin, TX – 2018-Present
I love working for H-E-B. I’ve been blessed to be part of the small team responsible for the PartnerNet iOS app. This is an iOS app for H-E-B employees (we call ’em Partners, because they are, and hence the name).
Senior iOS Engineer, Mutual Mobile, Austin, TX – 2015-2018
After four years of leading the world’s most talented group of iOS engineers, I chose to return to programming full time. Upon ensuring a smooth transition to new management, I changed roles back to iOS engineer. I have been involved with multiple Alexa smart home skill, custom skill, and IoT client engagements. My responsibilities have included brainstorming, prototyping, and development of iOS, Alexa, and IoT hardware/software solutions using Swift, Javascript Lambda, CoreBluetooth, Arduino, and various hardware sensors.
I have greatly enjoyed organizing and facilitating companywide hackathons on Alexa, Arduino, and brown bag training in preparation for it. I have conducted lunch-and-learn sessions on topics as diverse as “iOS Key Value Observingâ€, “Creating Printed Circuit Boardsâ€, and Alexa skill development.
Examples of project work
- Serverless backend for a VR experience
I designed and implemented the back-end for a VR solution. I leveraged several AWS services, primarily API Gateway and Lambda. Code was implemented in Node.js using test driven development, and deployed to multiple stages using a combination of bash scripts and the AWS CLI.
- iOS Application
I was part of a team that implement a complex iOS application in Swift utilizing Test Driven Development and the VIPER architecture. I implemented several parts of the application working with visual designers to implement their UI designs, along with designing and implementing the business logic associated with those components. - Alexa Custom Skill
I designed and implemented a healthcare informational skill in Node.js. This skill is basically a voice help desk to assist users with questions about their healthcare plan coverage and costs. This was deployed to multiple stages using the AWS CLI and bash scripts. - IoT iOS Application
I implemented an iOS application used to demonstrate the capabilities of a BLE IoT prototype board. An image representing the board was positioned in 3D space in real-time, tracking the movements of the board. Addition metrics were displayed such as acceleration and button activity, and a UI presented allowing the user to control the state of LEDs mounted on the board. - Personal Open Source Project: Patriot Hobbyist IoT Framework
I love implementing IoT hardware and software in my spare time. I released the Patriot frameworks to help others with their IoT projects. Simply including a library into their IoT firmware projects allows the Patriot Alexa Smart Home skill, iOS app to automatically detect and interface with their custom devices.
iOS Director, Mutual Mobile, Austin, TX – 2011-2015
Lead an international team of over 50 iOS engineers located in Austin, TX and Hyderabad, India. Responsible for hiring, training, and motivating a large team of brilliant iOS engineers to higher levels of quality and creativity. Very focused on setting the bar higher for best iOS development practices in the industry, actively teaching and mentoring the team in the use of unit testing, TDD, and clean coding practices.
Author, lynda.com – 2011-Present
Authored Up and Running with iOS SDK. Released November 26, 2013.
Authored Unit Testing iOS Application with Xcode 4. Released April 30, 2012.
Senior Software Engineer, IDT – 2001-2009
Various engineering roles including both management and senior engineering. Worked with C# to create applications, and C++ to create and maintain audio device drivers.
Additional experience information available upon request.
Skills
Broad software engineering skills including Node.js, Swift, SwiftUI, Objective-C, C++, JavaScript, and PHP. Strong background in iOS and Alexa development, IoT and audio hardware and software. Recent experience with SwiftUI.
13 patents in the areas of audio technology and computer user interfaces.
Links
Open source projects: GitHub.com/rlisle
Personal website: lisles.net
Unit Testing blog (somewhat dated): iOSUnitTesting.com
lynda.com Author page: lynda.com/Ron-Lisle