Open to opportunities

John Towler

@johntowler

Message

I am an engineering leader driving secure, scalable systems.

United States

Message

What I'm looking for

I seek senior engineering roles solving infrastructure and reliability challenges, leading IaC and CI/CD modernization, mentoring teams, and adopting emerging cloud and automation technologies in collaborative, data-driven organizations.

I am a results-driven engineering leader with 20+ years building secure, scalable, high-availability systems. I prioritize high-quality code, clear data-driven communication, and cross-functional collaboration to improve reliability, performance, and deployment speed.

In recent roles I directed cross-functional modernization initiatives, set GitHub Actions CI/CD strategy across 100+ repositories, and led a migration from AWS CloudFormation to Terraform to establish fault-tolerant IaC standards. I also designed remediation workflows that resolved ~600 overdue CVEs and deployed an AWS API Gateway serving ~5,000 IoT devices to improve performance and security.

I’ve engineered automation that reduced pipeline runtime and costs, developed reusable Terraform components, and contributed to test frameworks including Playwright and Node.js-based tooling. I’ve built observability and performance systems using Docker, EC2, Lambda, DynamoDB, and analytics tooling to deliver actionable insights to executives and engineering teams.

I mentor engineers and promote SDLC improvements, coaching teams on testing, deployment, and process alignment. I seek opportunities to tackle challenging problems, adopt emerging technologies, and share knowledge through mentorship to deliver measurable, lasting impact.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Lead Software Engineer

Current

Shell Recharge Solutions

Jun 2024 - Present (1 year 2 months)

Directed cross-functional modernization post-acquisition, mentoring engineers and establishing GitHub Actions CI/CD strategy for 100+ repositories to improve deployment reliability. Led migration to Terraform, remediated ~600 security issues and deployed a replacement AWS API Gateway servicing ~5,000 IoT devices to improve scalability and security.

Terraform GitHub Actions)AWS IaC CI CD API Gateway IoT

Senior SDET

Volta Charging

Jul 2022 - Jun 2024 (1 year 11 months)

Streamlined SDLC delivery and led a post-acquisition GitHub repository migration to preserve developer momentum and align CI/CD pipelines. Developed Yocto Linux build processes and AWS-based IaC tooling for test device configurations, enabling reliable regression testing and faster debugging.

CI CD GitHub Actions)Yocto AWS Lambda Terraform PostgreSQL Test Automation Regression Testing

Senior SDET

Contrast Security

Nov 2020 - Jul 2022 (1 year 8 months)

Engineered AWS automation for on-demand GitHub Actions runners and custom Actions, cutting pipeline run times and costs by 20% and decreasing PR review time by 10%. Built production observability and performance metrics for seven teams using Docker, Lambda, and DynamoDB while delivering reusable Terraform components.

AWS GitHub Actions)Docker Lambda Terraform Playwright CI CD Observability

Principal SDET

Dealpath

Sep 2017 - Apr 2020 (2 years 7 months)

Architected and directed refactor from AngularJS to React to maintain uninterrupted releases and enable concurrent feature development. Implemented automated testing to achieve 100% ETL and Mobile API coverage and raised full-stack coverage from ~20% to 50%, improving release confidence.