SOFTWARE ENGINEER

BJ Buchanan

I build and support production software across web, cloud, mobile, and infrastructure - with a practical focus on reliability, maintainability, and shipping useful systems.

Blairsville, Georgia Fully remote since 2023 chickenwheel.com

Experienced in backend development, AWS infrastructure, MySQL administration, CI/CD, production support, native mobile applications, and AI-assisted software development. Comfortable working across boundaries to troubleshoot difficult problems and improve how a team builds and operates software.

01

Capabilities

Backend & APIs

JavaScript, Python, PHP, Express.js, REST APIs, SQL

Cloud & Operations

AWS EC2, ECS, RDS, IAM, Route 53, CloudWatch, load balancers

DevOps

GitHub, GitHub Actions, CI/CD, Docker, Kubernetes

Frontend & Mobile

React, Vue.js, Swift, native iOS and Android contributions

Data

MySQL administration, schema changes, performance tuning, operational support

AI-Assisted Engineering

Prompt design, technical research, debugging, documentation, solution exploration, and careful validation of generated output

02

Professional Experience

Hazlnut, LLC

Nov 2018 - Present

Remote since Mar 2023
Senior Software DeveloperJul 2022 - Present
Software DeveloperJan 2019 - Jul 2022
Software Development InternNov 2018 - Jan 2019
  • Develop and maintain production web and mobile applications using JavaScript, Python, PHP, Java, Ruby, and Swift.
  • Build backend services and REST APIs while contributing to React, Vue, native iOS, and Android applications.
  • Administer production and staging MySQL databases, including schema changes, maintenance, troubleshooting, and performance work.
  • Help design and operate AWS infrastructure spanning roughly 12 ECS services, two EC2 instances, two RDS instances, and multiple load balancers.
  • Support production incidents, deploy critical fixes, and work directly with customer support to resolve complex user-facing problems.
  • Participate in code reviews, mentor junior developers, and contribute to system design and architecture decisions.
  • Use large language models to accelerate development, research, debugging, and documentation while applying engineering judgment to verify and refine results.

SELECTED ENGINEERING CONTRIBUTIONS

01

Introduced GitHub source control in an environment that previously had no formal version-control system.

02

Designed GitHub Actions CI/CD workflows that deploy applications into AWS.

03

Improved observability through CloudWatch alarms, centralized logging, and Uptime Kuma monitoring.

04

Designed a QR-code prepaid wristband payment system for event-based transactions.

05

Recommended and helped standardize modern development tools and IDE usage across the team.

06

Contributed to application migrations and modernization of legacy systems.

Mountain Star Capital

Sep 2018 - Nov 2018

Database & Software QA Analyst

Performed software QA, database validation, and application testing.

DealerIT

Jun 2018

Tier II Technical Support Representative

Provided advanced technical support and troubleshooting.

Arlington Country Day

Aug 2012 - Jan 2018

IT Administrator

Managed Windows servers, Active Directory, networking, workstation deployment, classroom technology, and end-user support.

03

Education

Florida State College at Jacksonville

I-Tech Career Training Program

2018

Intensive workforce development program focused on programming fundamentals, software development, IT systems, and technical career preparation.