Steve Taylor
Software Engineer
About
As a software engineer, I want to solve challenging problems by writing software, so that I can improve the world, but not cause undue stress for myself and those around me, and make a good living to provide for my family. I am a dual US and UK citizen.
Work Experience
Avaloq
Edinburgh, Scotland
April 2022 – Present
Senior Software Engineer
[APR 2022 - PRESENT]: Avaloq is a FinTech company based out of Zurich, Switzerland, which provides end-to-end digital solutions that allow clients a level of flexibility and responsiveness that will pave the way for even more efficient operations. Avaloq has R&D centres in Edinburgh and Manila as well as service centres in various locations in Europe and Asia.
Highlights
- Brought on to help build up the Platform and Integration messaging team, particularly with respect to improving product quality through implementing modern automated test frameworks and implementing industry best practices for transitioning to cloud-based components and services.
- The messaging team focuses on AWS services and Kubernetes cluster components used by customers to provide REST endpoints and message queueing services to other components in their banking application constellations
- Helping to drive major upgrades to AWS endpoints and services, focusing on both performance and resiliency
- Improving software quality by introducing Behaviour Driven Development concepts and providing examples for other developers to follow for using JUnit 5 + Mockito + Cucumber to create both unit and integration test suites
- Implementing various messaging/queuing services (ApacheMQ and other flavours) which provide REST endpoints for use in Red Hat Open Shift microservice Kubernetes clusters
- Agile coaching for both developers and product owners to help improve definition of done, right-sizing stories, and Agile requirements discovery
- Java
- Kubernetes
- Open Shift
- Spring
- Mockito
- JUnit
- Cucumber
- Agile
- DevOps
- Jenkins
Visit Scotland
Edinburgh, Scotland
March 2021 – April 2022
Senior Software Engineer
[MAR 2021 - MAR 2022]: VisitScotland.com is the official consumer website of VisitScotland, Scotland’s national tourist board. Working closely with private businesses, public agencies and local authorities, Visit Scotland work to ensure that our visitors experience the very best of Scotland and that the country makes the most of its outstanding tourism assets and realises its potential.
Highlights
- Brought on to help Visit Scotland transition from disjoint frontend/backend/ops teams to a combined DevOps team, I am able to apply my wide variety of experience to mentor others in frontend, backend, cybersecurity, Agile, and DevOps best practices, and to help the team with challenging technical work such as uplifting older codebases to modern tech stacks, designing for security, and transitioning from on-prem to cloud.
- Scoping and initial work to uplift backend from Java 8 to Java 11
- Scoping and initial work to uplift frontend from Vue 2 to Vue 3
- Improving end-to-end build and test time by instrumenting builds and identifying pain points
- Implementing design-for-security best practices such as automated dependency scanning
- Creating product cybersecurity threat models
- Updated backend services to use REST clients rather than SOAP to access data stores such as Microsoft Dataverse
- Agile coaching for both developers and product owners to help improve definition of done, right-sizing stories, and Agile requirements discovery
- Java
- Javascript
- Vue
- Bootstrap
- Spring
- Cybersecurity
- Agile
- DevOps
- Jenkins
- Azure
- AWS
Plexus
Livingston, Scotland
October 2019 – March 2021
Senior Software Engineer
[OCT 2019 - MAR 2021]: Plexus is a global leader in contract design and manufacturing that specializes in serving customers in industries with highly complex products and demanding regulatory environments. In EMEA, Plexus primarily focuses on designing products for customers in the medical devices industry.
Highlights
- Lead globally-distributed teams, often comprised of a mix of engineers from North America, EMEA, and Panang, to deliver on time and under budget.
- Established design standards and best practices for software development
- Member of Global Cybersecurity for Software Development SME Team
- Lead Continuous Improvement initiative to establish dockerized build environments for embedded software DevOps
- Worked with Global IT and DevOps CI team to establish software development and cybersecurity best practices for the organization
- Worked with US, EMEA, and APAC software groups to establish cross-design-center training and collaboration best practices
- C
- C++
- Python
- Bash
- Cybersecurity
- Embedded Linux (Yocto)
- DevOps
Avionics Interface Technologies, a Teradyne Company
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
December 2012 – October 2019
Software Engineer
[DEC 2012 - OCT 2019]: Acquired by Teradyne in 2014, Avionics Interface Technologies (AIT) is a leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance flight modules, test and simulation modules, embedded solutions, databus analyzers, and support systems for both the commercial aerospace and defense industries. Our field-proven modules support MIL-STD-1553A/B, MIL-STD-1760E, ARINC 429, ARINC 615A, Combination MIL-STD-1553/ARINC 429, ARINC 664, and Fibre Channel.
Highlights
- Lead Software Engineer, Embedded Real-time and Safety-Critical OS’s
- Establish design standards for AIT real-time and safety-critical software
- Architecture, Development, and Testing of APIs and drivers for Real-Time and Safety-Critical OS’s such as VxWorks 6, 7, 653, QNX, and Real-Time Linux
- Coordinate Omaha developers with hardware teams in our Dayton, Ohio office to ensure smooth integration of firmware and software development efforts
- Support customer integrations both remotely and on-site
- Implemented GitLab CI/CD solution for automated cross-platform build and test
- C
- C++
- C#
- Python
- Bash
- RTOS
- QNX
- Embedded Linux (RealTime)
- Cybersecurity
- DevOps
- CMake
- Jenkins
- Gitlab
Surface Measurement Systems
London, England
January 2009 – November 2012
Electronics Engineer
[JAN 2009 - NOV 2012]: Surface Measurement Systems develops and engineers innovative experimental techniques and instrumentation for physico-chemical characterisation of complex solids. SMS are the world leaders in Dynamic Vapor Sorption technology and Inverse Gas Chromatography instrumentation and solutions, providing professional world-class scientific and technical support for our international customers.
Highlights
- As Product Manager, SMS Ultrabalance, directed redesign and update of the core component of the SMS Dynamic Vapor Sorption product line, as well as in-situ Raman spectroscopy add-on for DVS instruments
- Provided on-site and remote training and troubleshooting in EU, UK, and USA
- Established production work flow, troubleshooting, and in-line testing protocols
- Worked with software and mechanical teams on UI and product enclosures Lead Production Engineer, Electronics
- Ensured CE/EMC/UL/FCC regulatory compliance for all SMS electronics
- Designed organic vapor detector safety devices for SMS product lines
- C
- Circuit Design
- Analogue Design (Control Systems)
- Product Engineering (BOM Management, Part Sourcing, Supplier Audit, Wire Harness Spec)
- Customer Training, Field Servicing, Product Installation
- Sensors
- CE/EMC Testing
Digital Defense Group
Omaha, Nebraska, USA
October 2006 – October 2008
Electronics Engineer
[OCT 2006 - OCT 2008]: Startup founded in Omaha to provide biometrically-secured RFID cards for facilities access. Acquired by Broidy Capital in 2009.
Highlights
- C
- Circuit Design
- 3D Modelling (Solidworks)
- CE/EMC Testing
Volunteer
Board Member
Corstorphine Curling Club, established in 1829, curls at the Curl Edinburgh facility in Murrayfield.
Highlights
- Joined the club when we moved to Edinburgh in 2019
- Joined the board for the upcoming 2022-2023 season
President
Aksarben Curling is dedicated to growing the Olympic sport of curling in the region. Aksarben Curling Club do this by teaching the sport through educational and instructional events; facilitating youth and nationally-competitive college teams; hosting leagues and tournaments; and promoting the sport through local, regional, and national partnerships. Our goal is to make curling a lifelong sport that can be enjoyed by all ages, skill levels, and physical abilities. We're a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that's been curling in Omaha since 1958.
Highlights
- Grew club to second largest curling club in the Mid-America Region.
- Worked with the Omaha Sports Commission to win the right to host the national US Olympic Curling Trials for the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics (playdown to select the national team which will represent the USA in the Olympics).
- Updated club governance, applied for and received 501(c)(3) charity status for the club.
- Improved club finances such that the club transitioned to a net positive cash flow year-on-year, with the goal of building a new dedicated curling facility.
Boardgame Instructor
Spielbound believe that games inspire, motivate, and help us grow. In this positive space, Spielbound seek to provide all people the challenge, art, and fun unique to the world of board games. Spielbound are incredibly proud to have the largest playable board game library in the country (2867 unique titles and growing).
Highlights
- As a volunteer with the 'Everyone Plays!' program, taught players new games at open-table nights.
- Helped with the initial founding of the cafe/charity.
Contact
Education
-
2005 2007
The University of Nebraska
Masters
Telecommunication Engineering
Grade: 3.9
Courses- Signal Processing
- Wireless Communication
- Graph Theory
- Random Processes in Engineering
- Lead the design, manufacture, and testing of a low-cost wearable wireless (Wi-Fi / ZigBee) ECG heart monitor which included patient location telemetry in addition to real-time ECG data
- Published ECG research at the Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (Conf Proc IEEE Eng Med Biol Soc. 2006;1:5977-80)
-
2005 2007
The University of Nebraska
Masters
Business Administration
Grade: 3.9
Courses- Entrepreneurial Planning
- Process and Quality Control
- Technical Management
- Worked with Eric Stueckrath, CEO, to establish a new HR policy for Outlook Nebraska, an Omaha non-profit providing jobs and training for the 60,000+ visually impaired adults in NE and Iowa
-
2001 2005
Auburn University
Bachelors
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Grade: 3.5, Cum Laude with Honors
Skills
Backend
Mid
C#
Python
Backend
Senior
Java
Spring
OAUTH
REST
Devops
Senior
Jenkins
Gitlab
Docker
NPM
Yarn
CMake
Bash
Python
Linux
Devops
Mid
AWS
Azure
Open Shift
Kubernetes
Frontend
Junior
HTML
CSS
Javascript
Vue
Bootstrap
Test
Master
BDD
TDD
Cucumber
Java: JUnit / Mockito
C#: xUnit / Moq
C++: Catch2 / GMock
C: Unity / CMock
CE/EMC Testing
Embedded
Master
C
C++
RTOS
QNX
VxWorks
Yocto / Bitbake
Real-time Linux
Safety-Critical
Mil/Aero/Defense/Medical
Cybersecurity
Mid
Secure Software Lifecycle
Threat Modeling (STRIDE)
SonarQube
Sonatype Nexus IQ
NPM Audit
CVSS
MITRE ATT&CK
MITRE D3FEND
ISO 27001
NIST Cybersecurity Framework (SP 800)
Business Admin
Mid
ISO 9001
ISO 13485
Agile
Scrum
Jira
Volere Requirements
Risk Management
Quality Management
Distributed Teams
Remote-First
Customer Integrations
Mentoring
Publications
Wearable ECG using Wireless Sensor Networks
2006 International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society (DOI: 10.1109/IEMBS.2006.260827)
30 August 2006
In this paper, we discuss a design for a wearable electrocardiograph device constructed with small, low-powered mote sensors for use in wireless sensor networks. A wearable, wireless three-lead electrocardiograph sensor module is utilized and the initial tests are presented that illustrate the viability of this design. This device can be integrated into a suite of wearable wireless sensors used for patient monitoring and other applications.
Interests
Curling
Golf
Boardgames
Rock Climbing
Camping
Guitar
Martial Arts