Andrew Watkins Software Engineer

Seeking: Contract, remote, part-time/full-time, design and construction of software systems of value.

• Email: andrew@groat.nz
• Phone: +64 (0) 27 703 1007
• Address: 26 Junction Road, Oneroa, Waiheke Island, Auckland, NZ 1081
• GitHub: https://github.com/avowkind

Professional Summary

Experienced Software Engineer with 40 years of expertise in software development, product management, systems design, and team leadership across various industries. Proven track record of delivering innovative solutions from conception to deployment using agile methodologies and leading-edge technologies. Strong technical, customer-facing, and management skills. Proficient in creating agile cross-functional teams, managing DevOps processes, and modernising IT platforms, including cloud services. Continuously learning new languages and frameworks such as Elixir and Rust. Now focused mainly on software development.

Technical Skills

Software Engineering & Development:

• Primary languages: JavaScript, Python, PHP, HTML, CSS
• Secondary languages: SQL, C/C++, Java, OpenCypher, XML*
• Full stack web development: HTML, CSS, React, MERN (Mongo, Express, React, Node)
• Frameworks: NextJS, Flask, FastAPI, Symfony

API & Database Management:

• API design: OpenAPI/Swagger, Redocly
• Databases: PostgreSQL (PostGIS, Apache/Age), MySQL, Mongo, Graph, Apache/Airflow, Redis
• Data modelling: ERD, Schema design

Product & Project Management:

• Full life-cycle product design, business & functional analysis, specification, design, implementation, test, deployment, CI/CD.
• Agile tools and methods: Scrum, Jira, Bitbucket, GitHub, Gitlab
• Customer & User Experience Design

Systems Architecture & DevOps:

• Modern multi-tier service-oriented architectures: Microservices, Serverless, Cloud deployment (Docker, AWS)
• AWS services: S3, EC2, RDS, Aurora, DynamoDB, ECS, ECR, Lambda
• CI/CD systems: Automated test and deployment

Data Science

• Programming Languages and Data Management:

  • Python (Pandas, NumPy, TensorFlow, PyTorch)
  • Jupyter Notebooks, Excel Wizardry
  • R (Tidyverse, ggplot2, Shiny)
  • Functional programming, Scala, Elixir
  • SQL (PostgreSQL, MySQL), NoSQL (MongoDB, Cassandra), Graph (Apache/Age)
  • OGC Standards, Geospatial, Metadata, Observations and Measurements
  • SCADA and IoT Data collection and logging.

• Data Manipulation and Analysis:

  • Data Cleaning and Preprocessing, ETL Processes
  • Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA)
  • Data Wrangling with Pandas,
  • Visualization: Matplotlib, Seaborn, Plotly, ggplot2
  • Machine Learning
  • Data Pipeline Construction (Apache/Airflow)

Management Skills

• Executive level digital strategy and planning, innovation and business transformation.
• Leadership & team building including, recruitment, teaching, mentoring, performance development and agile methods.
• Leadership style: open, set clear goals and challenges, coach the team, build trust and consensus, grow capability, build long term sustainability, focus on deliverables.
• Project & product management: business case, budgets, planning, resourcing, vendor and supplier management
• Communications at all levels and channels: board, exec, customers, stakeholders etc.
• Leading design thinking and innovation processes.
• Evidence & data-based problem solving, customer experience-oriented design.
• Managing change across technology groups.

Employment History

Senior Developer: PixelFusion

Jan 2022 -- Present (Contract)

Pixel Fusion is an Auckland based software development house. https://pixelfusion.co.nz/

Projects:

• June 2024 -- Sept 2024 - Intellihub (https://www.intellihub.com.au) (Python, Java, AWS Lambda, CDK)

  • migration of a legacy ECS architecture to serverless lambda and queues
  • preserving client facing API
  • update libs and code
  • reduction in costs, code required
  • increase in scalability
  • Cloudwatch dashboard, Metrics, Trace, Alarms and notifications
  • improved DR, security and resilience
  • Python, AWS lambda, SQS, SNS, S3, Cloudwatch, GitHub, CDK

• April 2023 -- June 2024 - The Energy Collective (https://thecollective.energy/) (Python)

  • Working in microservices architecture AWS Lambda implementing API and database services for: Backend payment services, Mobile onboarding and connection management services, Broadband onboarding and connection management services.
  • Python, AWS lambda, SQS, SNS, Gitlab

• Jan 2022 -- Jan 2024 -- Pet.co.nz. (PHP)

  • See https://pixelfusion.co.nz/stories/pet/
  • Maintenance and continued development of the pet.co.nz platform.
  • A PHP/Symfony system running since 2014.
  • Support AWS infrastructure, updates etc
  • Bug fixes, new features, data extraction, DB management
  • Implemented new payment service (Stripe)
  • Major performance improvements
  • Migration to Shopify and end of life

Technical Consultant: Plant and Food Research

Nov 2018 -- Present (Contract)

I have a long running, ongoing relationship with PFR to Provide IT consultancy and implementation services across a range of science groups.

Projects:

• 2024 -- MS Excel data science Add-in

  • A spreadsheet plugin working on both desktop and SharePoint that provides researchers with a sidebar tool to assist in accurate data entry and metadata collection.
  • Static HTML+CSS+JS
  • Integrates with in house services for people, projects, metadata catalogue and datalake.
  • Supports OGC Observations and Measurements Abstract data model.

• 2020-2024 -- Seafood Systems

  • Initial business and requirements analysis of software needs for the Nelson Finfish Facility.
  • RFP process selecting operational aquaculture management software
  • RFP process selecting SCADA system
  • Design and Development of aggregate information management system: Fishpond data lake, (React, NextJS, Apache/Age) based on OGC Observations and Measurements Abstract data model.
  • Integration of information sources into data lake (Apache/Airflow)
  • ETL tools and data recovery of 20 years of spreadsheet data into data system. (Python)
  • Analysis and Visualisation Tools (Jupyter Notebooks)

• 2020 -- Seafood Systems

  • Design and implementation of Morphometric AI system -- Machine learning video image recognition for fish identification and measurements. Responsible for architecture of processing pipeline.

• 2021 - VineEye -- consultation on commercial product development of AI (Machine Learning/ Image Recognition) system for assessment of disease in grape vines.

  • Design systems architecture and product development technical briefing for implementation company.

• 2019 - Metadata Catalogue -- help PFR select and implement a dataset metadata catalogue to allow discovery and management of extensive science data resources. Selected CKAN, implemented datahub.plantandfood.co.nz and developed tools such as an Excel plugin to assist loading records into the catalogue. (Python coding)

• 2018 - Software Tooling -- help PFR select and implement development tool chains including GitHub/Bitbucket SCM, Atlassian Jira and Confluence. Assess company requirements, evaluate options and implement roll out of tool chains. Supporting software development and reproducible research.

Technical Consultant: Scion

Jun 2021 -- Nov 2021

• On loan from PFR, Consultancy on technical requirements analysis and system design for a data pipeline and management system for tree root microbiome data leading to RFP for implementation.

Technical Lead: Voluntarily, Pam Fergusson Charitable Trust

Dec 2018 -- 2021 (Contract)

See https://github.com/voluntarily/vly2

The Voluntarily.nz project seeks to remove obstacles to high impact volunteering by building and running a freely available, open-source platform that provides a curated marketplace linking schools, communities, businesses and activity providers.

I was involved with the project from its inception and led the architecture and systems design, coded much of the implementation, trained and mentored students, interns and contributors.

The project entered hiatus during Covid.

Responsibilities

• Implement the vision for the Voluntarily platform.
• Develop an open-source project team and community
• Translate customer requirements into a full systems architecture
• Establish development framework, tool chain, training, documentation, operating procedures.
• Manage core development team along with 100+ volunteer open source contributors.
• Coded majority of the system using MongoDB, Express, Node JS, React and NextJS.
• MongoDB database design and implementation
• Run volunteer weekend 'code parties'.
• Security, CI/CD, Cloud deployment.
• Managed and mentored 6 university undergrad and masters interns.

Achievements

• Piloted project from initial customer workshops through to production release (https://voluntarily.nz)
• 5600 commits, 100+ contributors, 188kloc personally
• Infrastructure as code CI/CD and deployment system using github actions, AWS ECR/ECS.

Product Manager: Transport OS, NZ Transport Agency.

Jan - Nov 2018 (Contract)

A strategic role in a new group within NZTA to develop new systems and services for the management of the NZ Transport system.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a clear future vision & roadmap for transport technology.
• Establish and manage the transport technology forward work programme as a holistic system for operations, optimisation, information and learning across the business.
• Run design thinking and stakeholder workshops focused on changing the way we use transport.
• Set and maintain standards and guidelines, governance and investment frameworks.
• Setup agile product management and development processes for the new group.
• Deliver releases of key applications.

Achievements

• Organisational design, processes and standards for new digital engineering group,
• Programme business case for $150million over 3 years.
• Product briefs & 90 & 180 day roadmaps for 20 key products and initiatives including new transport performance monitoring tool, incident and event management system, & major cloud migrations.
• Recruitment of product management team.
• Development of technology partnership with Auckland Transport.
• Delivery of incident and event management system (first production release)

Programme Lead: IT Transformation, University of Auckland

Aug - Dec 2017

Consultant at the University of Auckland to establish a Digital Transformation Programme.

Responsibilities

• Generate new programmes of work in the area of Cloud adoption, Agile and DevOps, Workforce planning and Value Management.
• Thought leadership on organisational design and change communications.

Achievements

• Wide ranging stakeholder engagement, across IT and faculty to generate clear problem definitions and evidence.
• Ran design thinking process and workshops to assist in the growth of a new Digital Strategy document into a series of executable plans.
• Delivered 4 business cases and programmes of work for Cloud, Agile, DevOps and Value.
• Initiated new team formation, developed team charters and initial roadmaps & backlogs, funding, and vendor management for cloud services.

GM Information Technology -- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA).

2015 - 2017

General Manager IT. A member of the NIWA Executive team reporting directly to the CEO and Board.

Internal promotion from Systems Development Manager

Responsibilities

• Leadership and effective management of NIWA's team of 5 IT Group Managers (Support, Operations, High performance computing, Software Development and Knowledge & Records Management) and their 30 staff.
• Ensuring the team provides information systems and services that enable innovative research; effective collaboration, communication, and decision-making; highly productive and efficient operations; and excellence in delivery of products and services.
• IT budget and financial management.

Achievements

• Creating and developing a 4-person business transformation team which has led NIWA through a major migration to Office365 for information and records management.
• Developing a digital innovation strategy allowing NIWA to introduce advanced technologies into scientific research including Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
• Analysis of market requirements multiple sectors leading to the architecting and development of major new data visualisation and decision support products.
• Creation of stakeholder and governance groups for science and business information systems at NIWA.
• Introducing Skills Framework to improve the quality of position descriptions, performance assessment and remuneration for IT staff.

Systems Development Manager -- NIWA.

2009 - 2015

Responsibilities

• Product management and ownership for new and legacy commercial science software systems.
• Work across 12 science groups to identify needs, problems, new products, create proposals, gain funding, generate road maps and project plans.
• Create and lead the Systems Development Team.
• Design and implement modern environmental information management systems as a layered, web services, open data standards architecture

Achievements

• Developed Product oriented approach to science systems software. High quality, production ready, scalable information systems.
• Created and led an 8-person agile software development team focused on environmental science and real time, data management applications. Cross function team including systems & business analysis, UI design, database specialists and developers.
• Personal contribution to the design, coding and delivery of a range of innovative software solutions based on delivering climate data and forecast analysis to various market sectors. (PHP/Symfony, Python, Java, JavaScript/Angular)
• Creation of an overarching systems architecture for NIWA with information workflows from field sensors networks through database, analysis and HPC modelling to SOA delivery system and web applications.
• Using a strong process and automation-based approach the team significantly rationalised and improved the extensive family of NIWA online digital systems and databases
• Won the NIWA Excellence award for service delivery in recognition of work in creating the NIWAForecast: FarmMet and Weather services.

Development Group Manager -- Vianet International.

2007 - 2008

Start-up Vianet created what became TradeMe's TravelBug -- a travel and accommodation booking system.

Responsibilities

• Lead 10-person team including Python developers, BA, database specialists, UI/UX, Dev/Ops and integration.
• Lead development of a new product line integrating travel booking into in-car navigation systems.
• Python on Pylons

Achievements

• Formed and led agile cross function team for 2 years.
• Delivered web gateway between a European GDS (Global Distribution System) accommodation booking Web service and mobile client devices to provide a location-based accommodation booking service.
• The team developed a production quality system including deployment tools, auto test environment, documentation and multi-tier software application. Python/Pylons + PostgreSQL database.

Software Architect & Dev Team lead: User Interface Group -- Navman NZ

2005 - 2007

Navman design and manufactured in-car navigation devices.

Responsibilities

• Lead UI development team for navigation devices. (6 developers XML, C++)
• Lead visual design with stakeholders and consultancy.
• Project technical lead. Usability testing.

Achievements

• Delivered innovative new touch-based UI for the 2006 Navman product range.
• Wrote and delivered underlying high performance, graphics architecture supporting map styling, downloadable themes and 3D maps.
• Innovated, designed and delivered in device camera acting as dashboard camera with augmented reality turn indicators.

Chief Software Engineer -- Sendo, UK

1999 - 2001

Start-up full-stream mobile phone design & manufacturing company.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop the software for Sendo's first mobile handset product range
• Grow and manage the software development group to 20 staff.
• Manage vendor relationships.
• Design and develop supporting systems for manufacturing, provisioning, logistics etc.

Achievements

• The team produced a successful range of low-end mobile phone handsets in its first year of operation.
• Directly wrote key systems including Graphics library, User interface framework, Sound and Ring tone system, logistics, deployment and provisioning systems.
• Ran team collaborating with Microsoft to develop their original 'Smartphone' software.
• Multiple patents for new software technology in mobile phones.

Contract Software Engineer -- Newland Software Ltd - UK

Much of my career has been as an independent software engineer working in a broad range of environments including, data acquisition, embedded and mobile systems, web services and communications. I also started and eventually sold a company to provide interactive control and tour guide tools to museums and art galleries. For a full list see groat.nz

Education & Professional Development

• BSc Computer Science, Chemistry & Geology Combined Honours: Aston University Birmingham, UK (1984)

• Mathematics Diploma: Open University, UK (2004/5)

• Leadership Mindset Programme: New Zealand Leadership Institute, UoA (2015)