School of Life

Home Schooled

Harvard Extension School

Writer, thinker, engineer

United States

I write and publish essays and thoughts on various topics, including philosophy, lifestyle, travel, technology, and writing and publishing.

raamdev.com

Writer & Publisher

I help some of the world’s most prominent organizations use WordPress at scale, including Airbnb, Spotify, Disney, Dropbox, CBS News, TED, The New York Post, News Corp Australia, Capgemini, Hachette Book Group, Abril, USA Today, and VentureBeat. I work to ensure that client developers build their code in ways that will result in sustainable and resilient applications built on WordPress.

Technical challenges include reviewing client code and integrations with a focus on security and scalability, debugging complex problems and anticipating potential future needs and challenges, and working to understand each organization’s needs at a deep level so that I can recommend best practices and workflows as well as specific tools and plugins.

I also help shape WordPress VIP product vision and direction by functioning as the internal technical voice of our clients and by helping bridge the support, platform, and product teams and building internal tools to improve support and developer productivity.
            

    
    

    
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WordPress VIP

Senior Software Engineer

Working with a cross-functional team of marketers, growth engineers, and various stakeholders, I helped drive projects around marketing analytics and user data privacy, with a focus on the Marketing Technology (MarTech) platform, including internal and 3rd party data ingestion, GDPR, user privacy, cookies and tracking, and the <a href="http://WordPress.com">WordPress.com</a> affiliate platform.

Automattic

MarTech / Analytics Engineer @ WordPress.com

Led and managed a 10-person remote support team, coordinated scheduling to maintain 24/7/365 coverage for Live Chat support, processed PTO and other time-off requests, provided feedback to upper management regarding ways to improve support processes, and reviewed and screened job applications.

Kinsta®

Director Of Support

Supervised 12+ Client Engagement Specialists who reported directly to me, conducted regular 1-1 calls with my direct reports, tracked performance metrics, and conducted performance reviews.

Kraken Digital Asset Exchange

Client Engagement Supervisor

I provided Live Chat technical support (via Intercom) for Kinsta's managed WordPress hosting platform in a realtime, 24/7/365 environment, working weekends and filling overtime shifts as needed.

On a daily basis, I interacted with Kinsta's Google Cloud-based infrastructure, adjusting Nginx and PHP configuration, setting up reverse proxies, diagnosing DNS and other domain-related issues, troubleshooting WordPress plugin/theme errors, reviewing server logs, installing SSL certificates, and monitoring server uptime to proactively respond to outages.

I monitored and responded to performance-related issues on client sites using New Relic APM and New Relic Synthetics. Where possible, I tweaked Nginx, PHP, and MySQL configuration to improve site performance and provided performance recommendations to clients. Also helped with WordPress site migrations, hacked site repairs, and security scanning.
            

    
    

    
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Technical Support Engineer

Provided technical support for various cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Monero, and others. Helped build the social media team, established and trained the team responsible for updating the company status page, and established and trained a team responsible for collecting, reproducing, and filing bug reports and feature requests for the development team. Also filled the role of liaison between the Client Engagement team and the Development team.

Client Engagement Specialist

I led the business operations, including support, development, testing, release, and marketing for several open-source commercial WordPress plugins including s2Member®, an e-commerce membership plugin for WordPress, and Comet Cache®, a caching plugin for WordPress.

WP Sharks

Lead Developer / CEO

I helped run and manage WebSharks, Inc., a small, globally-distributed team of developers collaborating remotely (via GitHub and Slack) to build and support top-notch WordPress plugins and other web software. Our open-source and commercial WordPress plugins were downloaded millions of times. I helped lead the development, testing, release, and marketing for several projects including s2Member®, an e-commerce membership plugin for WordPress, and Comet Cache®, a caching plugin for WordPress.

Technologies and tools that I used on a regular basis included PHP, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SASS, Git, Bash, Mac, Linux, Vagrant, Zendesk, Slack, Trello, Intercom, HelpScout, Amazon AWS, and integrations with many third-party APIs, including Stripe, PayPal, <a href="http://Authorize.Net">Authorize.Net</a>, ClickBank, MailChimp, Aweber, GetResponse, GitHub, Zendesk, HelpScout, Intercom, and others.

I hired, trained, and managed a cross-functional team of developers, support staff, and technical writers while also maintaining editorial oversight across various product sites and technical knowledge bases that received millions of visits every year.
            

    
    

    
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WebSharks, Inc.

Lead Developer / CTO

I was responsible for developing and maintaining the company intranet and customer support portal that was built on a custom LAMP stack. I also developed web-based tools to assist in the deployment and support Aerva's digital signage software, AerChannel.

Using a mix of PHP, JavaScript, CSS, and Bash, I designed and built both front-end and back-end tools for handling moderation of SMS text messages and email-based digital signage services, including helping to moderate digital signage campaigns launched in Times Square, New York City. I also oversaw the operation and maintenance of several Linux web servers and helped port the company website from a custom CMS to WordPress.

Working closely with other team members, I ensured that all customers were satisfied and received the level of support they needed. I also performed customer on-site visits to deploy and set up the AerChannel the product, explain how the technology worked, and perform on-site training.
            

    
    

    
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Aerva, Inc.

Lead Support Engineer

Provided custom web development services (PHP, MySQL, CSS, JavaScript, and Bash) with a specialization in WordPress.

Freelance Web Developer

Provided desktop, laptop, mobile, and network device support services for individuals and small businesses.

Service provided included software and server upgrades and installation, Windows and Mac OS X training, recommendations on network design and implementation, antivirus protection and backup services, repairing desktop, laptop, and mobile devices, installing network cables and routers, and setting up printers. Service was provided onsite and via phone and email.

Freelance IT Support

Freelance IT Technician

Contracted for various jobs that ranged from installing T1 lines for the Applebee's restaurant chain to running and testing CAT5 cables for commercial office spaces.

OnForce

Independent Contractor

ActualWebSpace provided web hosting, domain registration, and SSL certificates to both individuals and small businesses.

My responsibilities included everything from customer service to technical support and managing a dedicated CentOS Linux web hosting server running cPanel/WHM.

ActualWebSpace

Founder, CEO

Assisted users with installing and configuring Deutsche Bank's dbRAS Remote Access software suite. I also Assisted Prince Williams County users with general desktop, networking, and printer troubleshooting, escalating unresolved issues to on-site techs using Peoplesoft's Vantive ticketing system.

Created and administered RSA SecureID accounts directly on the ACE server, answered user questions regarding the use of RSA SecurIDs, and used an ACE log monitor to troubleshoot SecurID login failures. I was responsible for monitoring the status of RAS servers, Blackberry email servers, and Deutsche Bank Intranet websites. I reported outages, followed escalation paths to escalate to the proper contacts, and created Vantive White Boards when necessary while insuring detailed and accurate information was reported for each call/escalation
            

    
    

    
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Getronics

Helpdesk Analyst

Serviced PC’s running Windows 3.11/95/98 and DOS. Assembled Intel/AMD systems as ordered by customers and drove to customer site to service PCs. I also provided minor phone tech support. I was responsible for keeping track of inventory, organizing and cataloging parts, and diagnosing and reporting defective hardware.

UMA Computers

PC Technician

I was responsible for maintaining the company computers and network and also developed the company’s e-commerce website. I also wrote PHP scripts to assist in streamlining the customer registration process.

My responsibilities included providing tech support for 35 users on a heterogeneous network consisting of systems running Windows 98/NT4/2000/XP/Linux, including training and support for Microsoft Office products including Word, Excel, and Outlook 5. I completed a full network migration to a Windows 2000 Server environment with 2000/XP Professional clients.

I was promoted and given the additional position of Manager of Accounts Payable for the accounting department. I successfully reorganized and streamlined their accounts payable system, created accounting documentation, developed organization processes, and overlooked the payroll system to ensure employees were paid on time.
            

    
    

    
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Raam Dev

Raam Dev