Open to opportunities

John Lee

@johnlee3

Message

Staff software engineer specializing in scalable backend systems, distributed services, and automation.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek backend-focused roles where I can architect scalable, resilient systems, lead migrations to cloud-native architectures, mentor teams, and drive measurable performance and reliability improvements.

I am a Staff Software Engineer with over a decade building high-performance, resilient backend systems using Go, Python, and cloud-native architectures. I design and deploy distributed services, automate CI/CD and infrastructure, and optimize Postgres-backed systems to support millions of daily users while enabling business-critical workflows.

At scale, I have implemented event-driven architectures with Kafka, built serverless solutions on AWS (Lambda, Step Functions, SQS/SNS), and migrated monoliths to microservices to improve reliability and performance. I collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor engineers, and focus on engineering excellence that drives measurable operational and business improvements.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Staff Software Engineer

Airbnb

Jun 2019 - Apr 2025 (5 years 10 months)

Designed and developed high-performance Go microservices and serverless workflows on AWS to power booking, payment, and personalization systems, improving scalability and reliability during a migration from a Rails monolith to distributed services.

Go AWS Lambda Kafka PostgreSQL Kubernetes Serverless CI CD Distributed Systems

Senior Software Engineer

Zulily

Dec 2015 - May 2019 (3 years 5 months)

Engineered Python backend systems and RESTful APIs for Zulily's flash-sale platform and contributed to AWS cloud migration, yielding ~40% per-request performance gains and a ~30% faster deployment pipeline.