# Joshua Loerakker > Senior Software Engineer Technical Lead | Scrum/Agile Methodologies | Complex Problem Solver Location: Washington DC-Baltimore Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/joshualoerakker Senior Software Engineer with strong experience in Application Lifecycle Management (ALM), software development, and Agile/Scrum methodologies. My expertise is varied, and I consider myself a "Swiss Army Knife" in operations across Software development/DevOps. I like to be challenged and take pride in being able to parachute into any situation, identify and understand what changes need to be made, and proactively gain knowledge in creating those changes. I am a natural communicator and team player who excels in working with cross-functional teams. I am passionate about mentoring my team and leadership on everything from architecture and design decisions to process improvements. I thrive in supporting groups of like-minded peers with a thirst for success and a love of technology. I energize my teams through a positive approach and can-do attitude, combined with technical knowledge that supports the effective removal of obstacles, enabling a successful project execution. ## Work Experience ### Senior Software Engineer Technical Lead @ Arete Jan 2024 – Present • Rapid Product Delivery: Shipped a log search solution for DFIR teams under tight deadlines. Leveraged Postgres, PostgREST, and React to handle large-scale queries. • Scalability & Performance: Introduced on-demand infrastructure provisioning, reducing operational overhead and boosting uptime. Cut response times by 25% and average query time by 50%. • Data Visualization & Interactivity: Built dynamic log search interfaces, optimizing readability and usability for large datasets. Enabled agents to run complex queries against huge datasets, shortening time to find all malicious event data, from 1 week to a couple days improving overall case management efficiency. ### Senior Software Engineer @ Arete Jan 2024 – Jan 2025 ### Technical Lead @ JKBX (Jukebox) Jan 2024 – Jan 2024 In guiding JXBX through their initial launch, I advised on frontend and backend best practices and conducted a detailed review of their codebases and architecture. My focus was optimizing for best practices and scalability, streamlining their development process, and choosing technologies supporting long-term growth. This strategy helped ensure a robust foundation for the project, enabling efficient scaling and adaptability to future needs. ### Director of Development @ Givinga Jan 2021 – Jan 2024 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States In this role, I drove innovation across teams and consistently challenged each to raise the bar in solutions development that increased business velocity. I optimized tooling for the Development and Ops teams to improve efficiency and stability. I directed the rebuild of three front-end applications and six REST APIs, creating a cohesive B2B platform. Through the development of an internal tooling system, we were able to deploy customers in 1 hour of development time instead of 2 days; I led ongoing revamping of process the Operations team could deploy new customers in under 10 mins. By sunsetting an outdated check-only process and introducing a proprietary donation disbursement system, I sped up check delivery and offered instant electronic payments. I implemented the Scrum framework and coached the Product team on scalable product planning, stakeholder management, technical constraints, developer collaboration, and decision-making, significantly reducing SDLC from 2 months to 2 weeks for new feature development. I created shared middleware using AWS AppSync and Lambda that unified disparate REST APIs and optimized backend communication. This created a more optimal developer experience with fewer bugs happier developers, and the ability to onboard a developer in days instead of weeks. I initiated a CI/CD pipeline and code review standards that standardized development practices and cut feature deployment time from weeks to a single day. By transforming a complex monolithic API into a modular, feature-based backend architecture, I accelerated development and reduced bug introduction across various financial tech components. I evolved six non-compliant databases to meet SOC 2 compliance, including RBAC, encryptions, and accurate backups with minimal operational interruption. ### Senior Software Engineer @ GovernmentCIO Jan 2021 – Jan 2021 Delivered customized software solutions to meet the distinct needs of government clients. This included orchestrating the development of a design system aimed at improving the aesthetics and usability of OIT Dashboards. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): The Hub: Designed and implemented multi-faceted dashboards utilized by various departments within the VA Office of Information and Technology (OIT), including the Chief Information Officer’s team. These dashboards provided crucial insights into IT investments, operational readiness, and Quality Performance Review (QPR) metrics, directly influencing strategic decision-making processes within the VA OIT. VSO Benefits Platform: Developed the VSO Benefits Platform to streamline the benefits claims process for veterans and VSO members. The platform is easy to use and accessible and significantly reduces claim processing time, resulting in faster benefit delivery and a better experience for veterans. ### Technical Lead, Business Analyst @ Surge – a Catalyte company Jan 2016 – Jan 2021 | Remote I led technical projects, designed software, and conducted business analysis in this multifunctional role. I also created strategic roadmaps for application development and software engineering and drove the end-to-end implementation of analytical solutions. By championing the adoption of Scrum methodologies and directing a full team reorganization,I led the improvement of team efficiency, ensuring the successful delivery of multiple projects under budget and ahead of schedule. I provided expert consultation to clients, developing applications that met individual needs; led the team in out-of-the-box thinking that was critical to the delivery of multiple application projects simultaneously, which was crucial in the success of 20+ major projects. I initiated robust data management initiatives, scalable storage frameworks, and stringent access control systems. By building a microservices ecosystem with a strong emphasis on secure user authentication and identity governance, I introduced streamlined backend processes and endorsed more efficient web service interactions. ### Software Developer @ FrontPoint Security Jan 2012 – Jan 2016 | Vienna, VA Managed multiple projects, providing software and hardware solutions to users. This included introducing different uses for PowerShell scripting and creating a mobile application that helped facilitate the transfer of information into Quest KACE software. User Interface Design, User Experience Design, Web Design, and User Experience: Optimized UI and UX in the redesign of an e-commerce website, resulting in a website that better aligned with company branding and improved user experience. Developed a user life cycle management system, boosting user productivity and functional efficiency while minimizing help desk workload and expenditures. Developing this system involved converting a multi-step process into a single Microsoft Excel spreadsheet upload, which streamlined the creation of Active Directory, internal customer relationship management, Gmail, and other accounts. Resulting in faster onboarding of large sales and customer Developed Information Technology Department asset management solution, resulting in an ability to efficiently track over 10,000 assets. ### Customer Service Representative @ FrontPoint Security Jan 2012 – Jan 2012 ## Education ### Digital Media and Web Technology in Web Page, Digital/Multimedia and Information Resources Design University of Maryland Global Campus Jan 2013 – Jan 2018 ### Associate of Science (A.S.) in Information Technology Northern Virginia Community College Jan 2010 – Jan 2013 ### Bachelor of Science - BS in Computer Software Engineering University of Maryland Global Campus ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/jloerakker --- Source: https://flows.cv/joshualoerakker JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/joshualoerakker/resume.json Last updated: 2026-03-22