John T. Knox

Senior Software Engineer for Hire

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< About Me />

As a former senior software engineer at Google, I bring extensive full-stack web application experience to my remote freelancing work. I especially enjoy consulting with smaller companies, but I have worked with companies of all sizes and in all stages of development. Whether you are making a prototype or already have a live and robust codebase, I can tailor software solutions to meet your specific strategic goals. If you need hands-on coding, engineering designs, accessibility audits, or team building, I have the expertise to help. Explore the services below to see how I can support your projects and growth.

< Services />

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Software Development

Do you already have a tech stack chosen and a roadmap laid out? If you're ready to build and need more hands, I'm happy to join your team as another developer. Most of my work has been front-end focused. However, I am proficient in a wide variety of full-stack technologies:

  • Languages: JavaScript, TypeScript, Dart, PHP, Python, Java, HTML/CSS
  • Frontend Frameworks: Angular, React, Flutter, Backbone
    • (I can also work proficiently in native JavaScript & HTML/CSS)
  • Backend Frameworks: Node/Express, Django, Flask, Apache
  • Databases: Firestore, MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB
  • Application Hosting: Firebase, Google Cloud, AWS, Azure, Heroku
  • Static Hosting: Firebase, Wordpress, Squarespace
  • Other Development Services:
    • API & DB Schema Architecture
    • Test Driven Development, and Test Coverage Audits
    • Production Error Logging & Monitoring
      (I highly recommend this before going live, or adding immediately if you are already serving customers)

Are you using something else? I can quickly learn almost any other tech stack you need to help you reach your goals.
Contact me with the specifics about your project and to discuss pricing. I am excited to work with you.

< Other Services />

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Product/Engineering Consulting

Are you just starting out? Need help choosing technologies, creating a team, or setting attainable milestones for your investors? Whether developing a proof of concept or an MVP, I offer software engineering advice tailored to you. With experience from Google and various smaller companies, I can help you prioritize what you need now (and what you can strategically save for later).
Common topics include:

  • Choosing a tech stack
  • Deciding between in-house vs. third-party services
  • When to start testing and live monitoring
  • Sizing your team and/or deliverables to match each other

Contact me for a free 1-hour consultation, as well as pricing for ongoing consulting.

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Accessibility (A11Y) Audits & Training

More than 10% of Americans (a conservative estimate) have some kind of visual or motor impairment that affects their ability to navigate a website through traditional means. That is a significant number of potential users. You want to be sure they can use all the features of your app. Too often, accessibility is handled as a legal compliance afterthought (e.g. "add some 'alt text' so we don't get sued"), without making a meaningful difference in usability. I take a very different approach. I will not just run your codebase through an automated audit tool, nor install a generic plugin. Instead, I will teach your team how to use the same assistive tools that your users use, and with those tools they can identify real functional gaps in usability on their own. I will teach your team how to fix any existing issues semantically (without affecting existing performance), and set up development practices to ensure accessibility is included as a baseline in your future deliverables.

This is an aspect of website/application development that I am very passionate about, so please contact me if you have any questions.

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Interview Prep & Career Coaching

I love doing 1 on 1 chats with fellow software engineers (and aspiring engineers).

  • Are you a new-grad or self-taught, and trying to land your first job?
  • Are you trying to move from a start-up to a large company, and need to broaden your skill set?
  • Are you thinking of leaving your current role to start your own company?

Whatever your situation is, I have probably been there. Contact me with your questions and/or goals and I'll let you know how I can help. I am generally available for a brief chat (hour or less) for free and I offer ongoing coaching at a reduced rate from my normal software development and consulting fees.