Russell Joseph Pier
- russell@rjpier.dev
- (979) 877-8711
- Baton Rouge, LA
Summary
Senior full-stack software engineer with 6+ years of experience building, shipping, and owning production systems across web, mobile, and backend. Deep experience with React, TypeScript, Node.js, and React Native in fast-moving, high-ownership environments. Known for pragmatic architecture decisions, strong debugging instincts, and improving reliability through monitoring, testing, and operational discipline. Mission-driven builder with experience supporting real users, fixing what’s broken, and scaling systems with care.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering,
Texas A&M University,
College Station, TX
College Station, TX
Skills
- Core Stack: React, TypeScript, Node.js, React Native, Next.js
- Frontend: React Query, SWR, Storybook, Tailwind, Advanced CSS, accessibility (WCAG 2.1)
- Backend: Node, Supabase (Postgres, RLS, RPC), REST & GraphQL APIs
- Reliability & Ops: CI/CD, Docker, Sentry, Cloud deployment (GCP, Fly.io)
- Coaching: SL2 Model, GROW Coaching, SMART Goals, Crucial Conversations, Top-grading, Public Speaking
Experience
New Ark Digital, LLC, Independent software studio Founder & Principal Software Engineer November 2025-Present
- Designed and built a real-time monitoring and control platform for a research lab, supporting live data streams, authenticated dashboards, and high-uptime operator workflows.
- Built and maintained full-stack systems using React, TypeScript, Node.js, and Postgres, owning architecture, implementation, and production stability.
- Shipped features end-to-end across frontend, backend, and infrastructure, while diagnosing and fixing production issues under real-world constraints.
- Improved system reliability through testing, instrumentation, and deployment automation in resource-constrained environments.
Fio Technology, Inc., Online
media steaming app Web App Lead September 2024-Present
- Developed a NextJS-based web application for music streaming.
- Wrote pipelines to continuous deploy webapp to multiple environments in Gcloud
- Developed a branded UI component library by implementing a custom theme and leveraging headless component libraries for flexibility and reusability.
- Integrated Storybook to enhance designer collaboration and feedback, established automated testing and CI/CD to improve release confidence
- Created an accessible web app by implementing WCAG 2.1 standards, testing with a screen reader and keyboard navigation
Frogslayer Digital Ventures,
Software consulting firm, College Station, Texas Senior Software Developer and Technical Lead May 2022-Present
- Developed a Blazor frontend web app to a rapidly deployed mesh network intended for emergency and security applications
- Used WebSockets to sync real-time mesh updates and metrics and issue commands to mesh nodes
- Led team to construct a React web app that increased revenue opportunities by enabling food and beverage staff to sell and schedule products for a family entertainment center
- Increased confidence in the project and code quality by implementing a dynamic mock service layer, API monitoring, and front-end unit testing, code standards, and team agreements
- Led the end-to-end development of a Flutter application from initial scaffolding through to release on both the App Store and Google Play Store
- Led a team to revitalized a legacy React and Node project by re-architecting the code base, introducing vertical slices, a component library, accessibility standards, clean architecture, and IaC
Fellowship of Catholic University Students, SMU in Dallas, Texas Volunteer Software Developer, Team Director, & Campus
Missionary May 2019-May 2022
- Volunteered with the corporate team to build a Vue web app to generate company growth strategies
- Created an Evernote-style note-taking web app to help missionaries and students plan bible studies
- Introduced optimizations such as state management, MVC patterns, pagination, and lazy-loading
- Fundraised ministry budget of $120,000 over three years
- Coached a team of missionaries to mentor and develop students and to grow our community of faith
- Saw a 50% growth in student involvement over last year expanding into new territories
- Gave motivational talks and speeches, often with little notice
Frogslayer Digital Ventures,
Software consulting firm, College Station, Texas Associate Software Developer May 2017-May 2019
- Built and optimized React UI components used to administer 1M+ K-12 standardized tests online.
- Developed an Android app for managing thousands of warehouse jobs asynchronously.
- Built an iOS app enabling farmers to schedule green bean harvests with 24-hour precision.