# Tim Schaeken > Senior Software Engineer | Building for 10M+ Users | AI-Native Developer | Video Game Enjoyer Location: Denver, Colorado, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/timschaeken I’m a Senior Software Engineer who specializes in building the "heavy" parts of the web—the systems that have to be fast, scalable, and intuitive all at once. Over the last decade, I’ve navigated the evolution from legacy monoliths to modern, domain-driven architectures at companies like Mural, Clearco, and American Express. What I bring to the table: Technical Depth: Expert-level TypeScript, React, and Node.js. I’ve spent the last few years architecting real-time collaboration engines and spatial placement algorithms for 10M+ MAU. The "Need for Speed": I recently overhauled a dashboard for 10,000+ enterprise assets, cutting load times by 75% (from 4.5s to sub-500ms). If it’s slow, I’ll find out why—and I'll fix it. AI-Native Engineering: I don’t just use LLMs; I study them. I recently gave an architecture talk on the evolution of Transformer models and the Attention mechanism, helping my teams move beyond "just prompt engineering" into true AI-integrated development. When I’m not in the IDE: I’m likely in Denver, hanging out with my dog, Django, or geeking out over financial markets. I also have a deep appreciation for well-designed games—if you want to debate the best Balatro strategy or discuss the future of AI in dev tools, my DMs are open. ## Work Experience ### Senior Software Engineer @ Bellota Labs Jan 2026 – Present ### Senior Software Engineer @ Mural Jan 2022 – Jan 2026 AI Technical Leadership: Championed the adoption of AI-assisted development workflows; delivered an organization-wide architecture deep-dive on Transformer models and the Attention mechanism, evaluating the structural trade-offs of tools like Cursor, GitHub Copilot, and Claude to standardize team-wide productivity gains. High-Scale Infrastructure: Led the end-to-end development of a canvas-integrated template library for a platform supporting 10M+ Monthly Active Users (MAU). Architected the importation of complex widget collections into active sessions, integrating deeply with real-time collaboration engines. Spatial Placement Algorithm: Engineered a "Max Area" placement algorithm using boundary detection to identify the largest available open space for seamless template insertion on complex boards. Performance Engineering: Revamped the template dashboard via virtualized lazy-loading and observer-based rendering, reducing initial load times by 75% (from ~4.5s to sub-500ms) for enterprise workspaces with 10,000+ assets. Dev Velocity (CMS Engine): Eliminated engineering bottlenecks by architecting a high-performance sync engine between MongoDB and Contentful, enabling non-technical teams to manage content directly and removing 100% of engineering dependency for metadata updates. Modernization: Improved cross-team delivery speed by modularizing a legacy React codebase into domain-driven TypeScript modules, reducing inter-dependency friction for 20+ engineering teams. ### Software Engineer @ Clearco Jan 2021 – Jan 2022 Payment Infrastructure: Scaled payment processor gateways using Node.js, TypeScript, and PostgreSQL to support a 71% increase in daily transaction volume ($10M+). Platform Scaling: Supported an 83% increase in user onboarding by resolving systemic bugs and building administrative tools with Node.js and Vue3. System Reliability: Maintained high availability for transaction services during a period of 58% transaction growth by refactoring queue management and error handling in GCP. Architecture & Design: Designed a new debiting system for fund separation to meet requirements for major capital investments from institutional partners. Microservices Migration: Led the migration of team domains from a monorepo to independent microservices using Node.js, Next.js, and RabbitMQ. Error Automation: Reduced unhandled transaction errors by 85% by implementing automated error resolutions and integrating Salesforce for manual intervention workflows. ### Software Engineer @ American Express Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 Application Development: Developed a system for immediate credit card access and digital wallet integration (Apple Pay/PayPal) using React, Node, Spring, and PostgreSQL. Internationalization: Localized acquisition applications for the Canadian market, supporting a monthly growth of 25,000+ new users. Technical Partnerships: Expanded digital wallet functionality by collaborating with external engineering teams to integrate Apple Pay and PayPal Pay. Cloud Architecture: Architected and delivered an MVP for a core Digital Acquisitions platform on AWS, including component libraries and internationalization support. DevOps & Testing: Built automated CI/CD pipelines using Jenkins and GitHub, and maintained 95%+ code coverage through Jasmine unit and integration testing. ### Developer @ Denver Devshop (acquired by Offr Group) Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 Web Applications: Built a cloud-based collaboration tool for the construction industry using Canvas and React, enabling real-time markup of large-scale PDF proposals. Performance Engineering: Converted the core platform to a Progressive Web App (PWA), reducing load times to under one second and improving user retention. ### Mechanical Engineer @ FLIGHT TRAILS HELICOPTERS, INC. Jan 2016 – Jan 2019 | Arizona, United States Engineering Support: Managed the maintenance and technical modification process for refurbished helicopter fleets, ensuring compliance with flight standards. ## Education ### Bachelor of Engineering - BE in Mechanical Engineering Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/tschaeken --- Source: https://flows.cv/timschaeken JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/timschaeken/resume.json Last updated: 2026-03-22