John Ford

Resume

I coordinate with business managers, analysts, and development teams to design and implement new solutions to move our business forward. I provide the technical knowledge to the people who need it to make decisions, and I act on those decisions by involving my team and diving in myself to get things done.

My work spans development, cloud operations, application security, system administration, and engineering management. I specialize in bridging the gap with business leaders on initiatives that need a high degree of coordination across multiple technical teams.

I started as an Arabic cryptologic linguist and analyst in the U.S. Army, serving seven years before moving into software. That path shaped how I work: comfortable with ambiguity, used to deadlines that do not move, and practiced at translating between people who need to understand each other.

Experience

Staff Software Engineer

Jun 2026 – present

Reggora · Denver, CO · Remote

Building AI-facing product engineering.

Staff Engineer

Aug 2024 – May 2026

amplio · Denver, CO · Remote

Senior Principal Software Engineer

Feb 2021 – Mar 2025

2U · Remote

Full-time through Aug 2024; part-time during the transition to amplio.

Director of Engineering

Dec 2019 – Feb 2021

Kenzie Academy · Indianapolis, IN

Director of Application Security

Jun 2012 – Nov 2019

Red Ventures · Charlotte, NC

Seven and a half years across five roles, engineer through director.

Director of Application Security

Oct 2017 – Nov 2019

Red Ventures

Director of Software Engineering

Feb 2016 – Oct 2017

Red Ventures · Charlotte Metro

Senior Software Engineer

Aug 2014 – Feb 2016

Red Ventures · Charlotte Metro

Technical consulting, resource and talent planning, partner relations.

Lead Software Engineer

Feb 2014 – Aug 2014

Red Ventures · Charlotte Metro

Mentoring junior and mid-level developers, API implementation and integration.

Web Developer

Jun 2012 – Feb 2014

Red Ventures · Charlotte, NC

File imports and processing, database design, data-driven reporting.

IT Intern

May 2011 – Oct 2011

Wells' Dairy, Inc. · Le Mars, IA

Web applications supporting teams across the business.

Tech Services

May 2010 – Jul 2011

Morningside College · Sioux City, IA

Tech Services

Sep 2010 – Jul 2011

Morningside College

Upper Level Computer Science Tutor

Jan 2011 – May 2011

Morningside College

Assistant Programmer

May 2010 – Aug 2010

Morningside College

Mobile web portal, plus an Android sports roster prototype.

Cryptologic Linguist

Aug 2002 – Aug 2009

U.S. Army

Arabic linguist and analyst. Seven years of service.

Education

  • M.S. Computer Science2024

    Vanderbilt University

    4.0 GPA, earned while working full-time.

  • B.S. Computer Science2012

    Morningside College · Magna Cum Laude

Certifications

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate · Amazon Web Servicesearned 2022
  • Certified Kubernetes Application Developer · The Linux Foundationearned 2022

Skills

Languages
Python · TypeScript · JavaScript · Rust · Elixir · Java · PHP · C# · C++
Web
Node.js · React · Next.js
Cloud & Infrastructure
AWS architecture · AWS serverless · Kubernetes · Docker
Security
Application security · PCI compliance · Code scanning at scale
Leadership
Engineering management · Mentorship · Technical consulting · Cross-team coordination