Michael Chen
@michaelchen3
Staff software engineer specializing in full-stack architecture and AI-powered platforms.
United StatesWhat I'm looking for
I am a Staff Software Engineer with 14+ years building and leading high-impact platforms across payroll, ads, and logistics domains. I specialize in architecting scalable backend systems, modernizing frontend infrastructure, and integrating AI to solve complex product challenges.
At Rippling I led the redesign of core payroll systems and built AI-driven document workflows, reducing engineering overhead and calculation errors while improving compliance automation. At Meta I contributed to large-scale modernization of Ads Manager, improving speed and stability for global advertisers.
Earlier, I built foundational platforms at Flexport that digitized global trade logistics and engineered backend AI services at Synthesis for an adaptive tutoring product serving tens of thousands of students. I consistently drive measurable outcomes like reduced manual review time, improved data reliability, and enhanced user engagement.
I mentor engineers, lead cross-functional initiatives, and partner with data and analytics teams to provide real-time visibility into system performance. I seek to apply my technical leadership and AI integration experience to build reliable, scalable systems that deliver clear business value.
Experience
Work history, roles, and key accomplishments
Staff Software Engineer
Rippling
Dec 2023 - Present (2 years 2 months)
Led design and development of high-scale backend systems for Payroll and Documents, implemented a compliance rule engine reducing engineering overhead for updates by 40% and improved payroll calculation reliability, cutting critical errors 18% MoM.
Software Engineer
Synthesis
May 2022 - Jun 2023 (1 year 1 month)
Architected and built backend AI services and data pipelines for an adaptive K-5 math tutoring platform, enabling real-time modeling for 68,000+ students and integrating LLMs for step-by-step explanations.
FASoftware Engineer
Jan 2019 - May 2022 (3 years 4 months)
Contributed to modernization of Ads Manager by migrating core interfaces to modern infrastructure, improving app speed and stability and delivering features like ad duplication and bulk editing to increase advertiser engagement.
FLBuilt foundational platform features that digitized freight forwarding and logistics, developed real-time tracking and automation tools that scaled service for thousands of global clients and reduced operational errors.
Software Engineer
Carbon Five
Aug 2014 - Aug 2015 (1 year)
Delivered full-stack custom software solutions for clients, owning modules from design to deployment and establishing best practices that improved project delivery and maintainability.
Software Engineer
Mavenlink
Sep 2012 - Apr 2014 (1 year 7 months)
Built and maintained user-facing features for a project management SaaS using Backbone Marionette and Rails, improving stability and performance for thousands of business users.
Education
Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework
UBUniversity of California, Berkeley
Bachelor of Science, Bioengineering, Materials Science Engineering
2003 - 2007
Completed a Bachelor of Science focusing on Bioengineering and Materials Science Engineering, graduating in 2007.
Tech stack
Software and tools used professionally
Availability
Location
United StatesAuthorized to work in
Social media
Job categories
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