Christian Jensen

1027 Englewood Ave
Victoria, BC V9C 2Y8
+1 (778) 996-4283
[email protected]
github.com/jensenbox
linkedin.com/in/cjensen
Schedule a call

Summary

Experienced engineering leader and hands-on architect with 25+ years of building complex, full-stack systems - from embedded hardware and telecom to modern cloud-native infrastructure. Proven track record of delivering products from concept to production across startups, enterprises, and high-compliance environments.

Expert in scalable architectures, developer experience, observability, and product-aligned engineering. Equally comfortable writing infrastructure-as-code, mentoring high-performing teams, or shaping long-term technical vision. Known for bridging strategy and execution, with a bias for clarity, automation, and delivery.


Experience

Principal Engineer / Head of Innovation

Larkspur, California (Remote)
April 2022 – August 2025
noviconnect.com

As Principal Engineer and Head of Innovation at Novi Connect, I was responsible for architecting and delivering end-to-end solutions that directly supported the company’s core infrastructure, observability and product innovation. I joined the company to lead foundational technical transformations.

Key Accomplishments at Novi Connect

Cloud Infrastructure migration
  • Designed and implemented AWS multi-account architecture with Control Tower and the Well-Architected Framework
  • 100% Infrastructure-as-Code using Terraform across services and environments
  • Implemented secure-by-default IAM policies and automated tagging for billing and workload isolation
  • Disaster recovery patterns and autoscaling applied to all core services
  • Integrated Datadog (metrics, logs, traces) and Sentry (error tracking)
  • Delivered SOC 2 compliant technical controls
  • Migrated entire platform to AWS with 15 minutes of downtime
Rebuilt Novi Connect’s core product vetting engine as a scalable, introspectable decision system

Designed and led the development of the next-generation rule-based decision engine that now serves as the operational core of Novi Connect, powering trust, compliance and product exposure across the entire platform.

  • Replaced a brittle, opaque vetting process with a modular, decision-tree-based system capable of explaining exactly how and why each product passes or fails validation.
  • Enables rapid diagnosis of policy mismatches, data gaps and integration issues - cutting resolution times from hours or days to minutes.
  • Evaluates product data completeness, source trustworthiness and standards compliance across batch and real-time ingestion pipelines.
  • Outputs fully introspectable verdicts with traceable decision paths, making audits, partner onboarding and debugging transparent and scalable.
  • Powers all downstream workflows, including GS1 barcode resolution, SEO-optimized product pages and nightly partner data ingestion forming the backbone of Novi Certis and the broader Novi Connect platform.
Technical vision and execution for Novi Certis

Novi Certis is a high-trust product verification platform combining GS1 digital link standards with supply chain insights.

  • Envisioned and architected the Novi Certis platform, a product data verification and exposure engine designed to bridge CPG manufacturers/brands, retailers and consumers using GS1 Digital Link standards.
  • Built a GS1 2D barcode resolution system enabling dynamic, mobile-friendly product lookups using GTIN, EU DPP and additional structured identifiers.
  • Integrated SEO-first product exposure tooling, allowing verified product pages to be indexed for search and accessed via branded short URLs.
  • Enabled consumer transparency and brand trust by surfacing enriched, vetted product data through a secure and brand-aligned web interface.
  • Implemented hybrid vector search (dense plus sparse) with reranking in Qdrant via Haystack-ai to enhance discovery of declared products from ingestion files, even in cases where exact matches were unavailable.
Product & Platform Engineering
  • Crafted high-performance data ingestion pipelines for retailer data
  • Nightly deliveries processed with full observability
  • Managed external partner (retailer) relationships for integration of data pipelines
  • Owned technical partner integrations and data ingestion reliability
  • Led bidirectional Django to Rails communication patterns for hybrid backend orchestration
Observability, Monitoring & On-Call
  • Primary incident commander for major incidents (AIRT)
  • Defined and implemented SLOs and dashboards
  • Datadog integration for full unified observability
  • Designed alerting workflows for low false positive and high actionability
Developer Experience and CI/CD
  • Built GitHub Actions pipelines for automated testing and deployments
  • Dockerized all applications and dev environments to ensure parity and reproducibility
  • Developed internal CLI tooling to manage releases and enforce issue hygiene pre-deploy
  • Created self-service bootstrapping workflows for new developers
Security
  • Security Incident Commander (SIRT)
  • Implemented IAM boundaries and infrastructure access policies
  • Provided secure external access gated by Cognito + Google Identity

Technologies Implemented, Maintained & Scaled

  • AWS (ECS, EC2, ALB, S3, CloudFront, RAM, DMS, Aurora Postgres, IAM, Control Tower, Transfer Family) · GCP · Terraform (multi-provider, modular architecture) · Docker · Cloudflare
  • Python · Django · Ruby · Rails · React · TypeScript · Bash · Golang · Rust · HTMX · Sidekiq
  • Datadog · Sentry · PagerDuty · Fluent Bit · Fluentd · Vantage.sh
  • PostgreSQL · Aurora · Valkey (Redis) · Elasticsearch · QDrant · Trino · Metabase
  • GitHub Actions · Atlantis
  • Slack app creation · GraphQL · OpenAPI · HCL

Tech Lead/Staff Engineer

San Francisco, California (Remote)
October 2017 - April 2022
scribd.com

Led strategic infrastructure modernization and compliance efforts across cross-functional engineering teams in a global SaaS environment.

Key Achievements

  • Cloud Infrastructure: Migrated all services from colocation to AWS, optimizing for scalability, redundancy, and cost efficiency.
  • Compliance & Controls: Spearheaded ITGC control implementation and achieved full PCI DSS compliance.
  • Developer Enablement: Mentored engineers across teams, standardized Terraform-based IAC pipelines, and enforced CI/CD best practices.
  • Observability & Reliability: Built comprehensive observability stacks (Datadog, Fluentd, Sentry) and introduced incident response automation.
  • Cost Optimization: Designed and implemented cloud cost-saving strategies, including right-sizing, auto-scaling, and ingress routing improvements.
  • Service Architecture: Authored service dependency graphs to model interactions, reduce latency, and improve on-call outcomes.
  • Agile Delivery: Embedded in Agile teams to ensure smooth project execution and continuous delivery.

Technologies Implemented, Managed, and Maintained

Cloud & DevOps
AWS · Terraform · Okta · Chef · GitHub · GitLab · OpenVPN Cloud · Okta ASA · Fastly

Programming & Frameworks
Python · Golang · Ruby · Rails · Sidekiq · Nginx

Observability & Incident Response
Sentry · Datadog · PagerDuty · Fluentd

Data Infrastructure
Cassandra · MySQL · ProxySQL · Redis · Memcached

Productivity & Process
Jira · Confluence


Senior Software Engineer

Hong Kong (Remote)
October 2017 – April 2018
singularitynet.io/

Collaborated with AI researchers Cassio Pennachin and Ben Goertzel to prototype decentralized AI infrastructure integrating blockchain, distributed systems, and peer-to-peer data networks.

Key Achievements

  • Decentralized Architecture
    • Built a custom Distributed Hash Table (DHT) to support scalable, fault-tolerant peer-to-peer data exchange.
    • Developed a real-time communication protocol over WebSockets to enable bidirectional messaging between nodes.
  • Blockchain & Smart Contracts
    • Authored smart contracts in Solidity to support decentralized consensus, network coordination, and governance mechanisms.
    • Contributed to the development of a decentralized application (dApp) interacting with smart contracts and on-chain logic.
  • Data Storage & Interoperability
    • Integrated with the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) for distributed, content-addressable data storage.
    • Supported AI agent interactions with the network through flexible and extensible messaging interfaces.
  • Cross-functional Collaboration
    • Worked closely with R&D leadership to align technical implementation with long-term goals in distributed artificial general intelligence (AGI) systems.

Technologies Used

Solidity · WebSockets · Ethereum · DHT · IPFS · Node.js · JavaScript · Blockchain Protocols JavaScript · Node.js · Blockchain Protocols


Director of Technology

Vancouver, BC (Remote)
April 2014 - October 2017
gslholdings.com

Led technical strategy and execution across a portfolio of 17 companies, delivering infrastructure, innovation, and operational excellence across physical and digital domains.

Key Achievements

  • Strategic R&D Initiatives: Delivered in-house projects involving AI/ML, VR/360 content, and user engagement platforms for web and mobile.
  • Datacenter Infrastructure: Designed and built a production-grade datacenter at Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre, including network backbone, UPS systems, and diesel generator failover.
  • Observability & Environment Monitoring: Implemented centralized observability stack and engineered environmental data collection across all facilities.
  • Enterprise Networking:
  • IT Operations Management:
    • Managed and maintained all web properties and digital assets.
    • Provided full lifecycle support for over 100 Windows and Mac workstations across companies.
    • Delivered secure and scalable network services for high-traffic external events.
  • Innovation & Compliance:
    • Drove new R&D efforts tailored to each facility’s operational needs.
    • Executed and documented corporate SR&ED (Scientific Research and Experimental Development) activities.

Senior Software Architect/Team Lead

Vancouver, BC February
2010 - April 2014
officepools.com

Led architecture, infrastructure, and team operations for a real-time fantasy sports platform, delivering major improvements in performance, reliability, and developer productivity.

Key Achievements

  • Performance Optimization
    • Rewrote core computation engine using BLAS, reducing processing time from 18 hours to 5 minutes.
    • Refactored database design to support persistent year-over-year statistics (eliminated annual purges).
  • CI/CD & Developer Workflow
    • Built Jenkins + Ansible pipelines across all environments to ensure consistent builds and deployments.
    • Developed automated unit testing with commit-level code coverage integration.
    • Aligned Agile workflows with Jira for epic/sprint tracking and execution.
  • Availability & Reliability
    • Architected geo-redundant database replication with time-lag fallback.
    • Served as 24/7 incident responder ensuring high availability under load.
  • Team Leadership
    • Hired and mentored developers and support staff.
    • Generalized backend schema to support expansion beyond NHL to additional sports.
  • Full Feature Delivery
    • Shipped and maintained core features: Boxpool Games, Realtime Stats, Site-wide Chat, Mobile Compatibility, Nightly/Marketing Emails, Audit Log, Online Draftroom, and PayPal integration.
    • Delivered multilingual support across UI components.

Colocation Infrastructure & Systems Management

  • Rack Infrastructure:
    • Personally designed and built all server racks in the colocation facility.
    • Specified and sourced compute, storage, and networking hardware end-to-end.
  • Monitoring Stack:
    • Deployed and managed infrastructure monitoring using Munin, Nagios, and Sentry.
  • Hands-On Systems Operations:
    • Performed physical server maintenance, including disk swaps, memory upgrades, and general hardware diagnostics.
    • Ensured uptime through direct, on-site systems administration.

Technologies Used

Python · NumPy · Bash · Java · SQL · RabbitMQ
Angular · LESS · Jenkins · Ansible · Munin · Nagios · Sentry


Software Architect

September 2009 - January 2010
Vancouver, BC
teligence.net

Designed and implemented core infrastructure and analytics capabilities for voice-based ad services, driving the company’s transition to modern development and deployment practices.

Key Achievements

  • Voice Ad Serving Platform
    • Developed in-call ad server integrating external providers (VoodooVox, Jingle) and internal audio ad inventory.
    • Engineered Nexidia-based speech recognition and caller profiling pipeline to power real-time personalization and analytics.
  • DevOps & Deployment Engineering
    • Designed a multi-environment global configuration management system supporting reliable deployments across staging and production.
    • Built a fault-tolerant BizTalk deployment system, inspired by BizTalk Deployment Framework (BDF), enabling simple and consistent rollouts.
  • Agile Transformation
    • Championed shift from waterfall to Agile (Scrum) with full Continuous Integration adoption.
  • Data Engineering & Compliance
    • Implemented robust data warehousing structures with improved ETL design through normalized schema strategies.
    • Architected systems, databases, and networks to meet PCI DSS Level 2 compliance standards.

Software Development Manager

Vancouver, BC
March 2009 – September 2009
teligence.net

Led a senior development team through major platform upgrades, CI/CD implementation, and telecom payment system integration, driving modernization across engineering workflows and service offerings.

Key Achievements

  • Team Leadership & Process Modernization
    • Managed a team of 5 senior developers and fostered engineering excellence through documentation, standards, and collaboration.
    • Introduced the company’s first Continuous Integration server, improving release reliability and developer velocity.
    • Migrated version control from VSS to SVN, increasing team productivity and code traceability.
  • Telecom Payment Integration
    • Integrated a new Premium SMS payment platform using VeriSign and MXTelecom APIs into the BizTalk architecture.
    • Implemented additional payment solutions via BSG Clearing and Experian PreciseId for fraud detection and user verification.
  • System Upgrades & Interoperability
    • Architected and deployed a bolt-on solution to extend a legacy NPA-NXX-only system to fully support E.164 international numbering.
    • Led migration of a complex 11-application BizTalk environment from 2004 to 2006R2, including conversion from COM to C#.
  • Community & Industry Engagement
    • Participated in ClueCon, expanding telecom and VoIP expertise.

VP of Technology

Vancouver, BC
July 2007 – February 2009
verbx.com

Led all technical strategy, team operations, and infrastructure architecture for a high-scale mobile messaging and telecom services company.

Key Achievements

  • Leadership & Execution
    • Managed a team of 5 senior developers and 1 QA; owned a $700K technical budget, delivered under cost.
    • Defined product roadmap, prioritized business-critical features, and drove rapid delivery of customer-facing applications.
    • Cultivated an Agile + TDD environment with continuous delivery, user stories, and measurable QA outcomes.
  • Telecom Infrastructure & Messaging
    • Registered and managed shortcodes across CWTA, CSCA, CTIA; integrated with SMS aggregators (MyThum, Magnet Mobile, Dyocore, OpenMarket, Verisign).
    • Built custom Least Cost Routing (LCR) engine with multi-dimensional route optimization (cost, latency, geography, performance).
    • Implemented and maintained Kannel, SMPP, and direct HTTP-based messaging pipelines with delivery reports and sender ID handling.
  • VoIP & Realtime Comms
    • Integrated Asterisk and Freeswitch with .NET backends; managed H.323 and SIP (g729r8 codec).
    • Developed XMPP components interfacing OpenFire with .NET and Flex/AIR clients.
    • Delivered Outlook .NET integration to sync contacts and support XMPP chat.
  • Networking & Systems
    • Architected and managed all infrastructure: Active Directory, LDAP, DNS, DHCP, ISA firewall, and site-to-site VPNs.
    • Deployed and maintained 24-server footprint across Peer1 and Metrobridge datacenters via NI Solutions.
    • Built internal system monitoring suite using custom probes; also leveraged Nagios, Zenoss, and Cacti for SNMP monitoring.
  • Fraud Prevention & AdTech
    • Designed and deployed fraud detection for both service and payment vectors.
    • Integrated with OpenX ad server APIs for dynamic ad delivery and tracking.

Senior Software Architect

Vancouver, BC
January 2006 – July 2007
upsidewireless.com

Architected and delivered scalable messaging systems, web integrations, and infrastructure upgrades for a mobile services platform, while leading a cross-functional dev team.

Key Achievements

  • Team Leadership & Process Improvement
    • Managed and mentored a team of 4 developers (Java, C, C++).
    • Migrated version control from CVS to SVN, standardized IDEs, and formalized software lifecycle processes.
  • Messaging & SMS Infrastructure
    • Built and maintained bidirectional SMS routing with SMPP and modem interfaces.
    • Developed Premium SMS and binary content delivery system, including billing, reporting, and auditing layers.
    • Improved delivery reliability and introduced real-time network status monitoring.
  • Product Development
    • Engineered multiple products and integrations:
      • Outlook plugin, Internet Explorer toolbar, Google Gadget for SMS
      • Picture and ringtone storage/delivery platform
    • Transitioned major user-facing interfaces to AJAX-based UIs for enhanced interactivity.
  • Platform & Backend Engineering
    • Built near real-time dashboards and monitoring tools.
    • Led high-availability database reorganization and ETL pipeline development.
    • Conducted schema redesigns, implemented data warehousing, and performed physical hardware installations.
  • Technology Stack
    • Java (Struts, Spring, Hibernate) · .NET 2.0 · SOAP/REST (JSON) · ETL · AJAX
    • SVN · SMPP · SQL · Windows & Linux infrastructure

Product Manager

Seattle, WA
July 2004 – December 2005
implicitnetworks.com

Directed development and delivery of embedded multimedia platforms and networked media devices for global OEMs, blending product management with deep hardware-level expertise.

Key Achievements

  • Embedded Systems & Microcontroller Platforms
    • Managed development of embedded media players built on AMD AU1200 and Intel PXA-270 SoCs.
    • Debugged and enhanced Board Support Packages (BSPs) and boot PROMs with integrated fail-safe mechanisms to ensure secure, reliable startup on custom hardware.
  • Media Playback & Synchronization
    • Oversaw engineering of Implicit’s Media Metadata Synchronization Web Service using REST, SOAP, XML-RPC, and XSLT to support seamless video/audio playback across devices.
    • Collaborated closely with vendors (e.g., Thomson, Philips, Canon, nVidia, Intel) to integrate with custom decoders and optimize for hardware-accelerated playback.
  • Networking & Interoperability
    • Delivered network-connected devices with interactive AJAX interfaces for both desktop and embedded targets.
    • Ensured robust networking support across constrained devices with focus on protocol interoperability and fault tolerance.
  • Product & Program Management
    • Led product lifecycle for Implicit’s Server, Desktop Player, and Embedded Media Client.
    • Coordinated feature development, QA, and build pipelines with continuous/concurrent integration strategies.
    • Managed client relationships and delivered technical specifications for enterprise deployments.
  • Team Leadership
    • Recruited and mentored developers; translated complex hardware and software requirements into actionable development plans.

Technologies & Platforms

AMD AU1200 · Intel PXA-270 · Embedded Linux · BSP Debugging · Multimedia Playback · REST/SOAP · XML-RPC · AJAX · Python · PHP · Networking Protocols


Senior Software Engineer / Co-founder

Austin, TX
April 2003 – May 2004
Tribalfire Software

Led product enhancements and deployment of core enterprise software for major aerospace and investment clients.

  • Delivered and maintained core platform installations for clients including Jet Aviation, Airbus, Boeing, and Kingdom Holdings.
  • Contributed to first-round funding efforts through technical prototyping and stakeholder engagement.
  • Gathered requirements and authored detailed technical specifications to drive product evolution.

Partner

Austin, TX
November 2001 – April 2003
Orbik Corporation

Led the company’s strategic shift from service-based consulting to product development while managing client-facing software initiatives.

  • Delivered custom web and application solutions for clients including Studio RD, Interland, and Waveset.
  • Built interactive software for projects like Bingo Books, handling full lifecycle from RFP to deployment.
  • Acted as liaison between business stakeholders and technical teams to ensure clear execution on strategic goals.

Lead Programmer

Austin, TX
September 1999 – October 2001
Human Code

Led development of interactive media and educational software for high-profile clients and public installations.

  • Built web-based learning platforms for the University of Texas and media experiences for Becomm at CES 2001.
  • Delivered an interactive exhibit for Motorola at Epcot, from project scoping through signoff.
  • Oversaw technical execution and coordinated closely with creative teams to ensure on-time, spec-compliant delivery.

Proprietor (Self-Employed)

Austin, TX
1996 – 1999

Delivered interactive multimedia and UI design services to major B2B clients across tech, entertainment, and industrial sectors.

  • Designed and prototyped human interfaces, SAP/R3 interaction models, and rich media experiences.
  • Clients included: Human Code, Compaq, Dell, Disney, Frog Design, GSD&M, Halliburton, IBM, Motive, Motorola, National Instruments, and Mattel.

Director of Technology

Austin, TX
1995 – 1996
Digital Arts

Led technology strategy and innovation for a growing multimedia agency, driving business expansion and technical delivery.

  • Provided vision for emerging technologies, new product concepts, and strategic opportunities.
  • Designed user interfaces and developed interactive software for B2B and creative projects.
  • Contributed to rapid company growth from 5 to 25 employees through technical leadership and business development.

Programmer

Austin, TX
1992 – 1994
frogdesign.com

Developed interactive multimedia software for CD-ROM platforms, supporting high-profile design and tech clients.

  • Created Director-based experiences and prototypes, including the Dual project for frogdesign’s innovation group.
  • Delivered multimedia solutions for major clients including Texas Instruments, Commodore, AMD, and Grundig.

Systems Administrator

Austin, TX
1989 – 1992
RJL Graphics

Managed production systems and support workflows for a graphics and prepress studio, ensuring reliability and client satisfaction.

  • Handled instrument calibration, process control, and PostScript/debugging for design pipelines.
  • Managed workflow coordination, resource allocation, and client support across print and digital operations.
  • Delivered file conversion services and image retouching for high-fidelity output.

Systems Manager

Holiday, FL
1986 – 1989
Holiday Diagnostic Clinic

Oversaw IT infrastructure and process optimization for a busy medical clinic, blending systems administration with operational efficiency.

  • Managed over 32 Macintosh systems and maintained a robust AppleTalk network.
  • Installed and maintained redundant S-100 CP/M minicomputers for clinical operations and data redundancy.
  • Handled report generation, daily backups, telephone systems, and improved patient flow processes.

Apprentice

Tarpon Springs, FL
1984 – 1986
Electronic Systems Processing

Supported electronics design and PC system assembly for a hardware services company, gaining hands-on experience across technical and operational tasks.

  • Assisted in electronic design, repair, and resale of Micom leased line multiplexers.
  • Built and configured custom PC systems for commercial use.
  • Contributed to general production duties, including vehicle painting and shop operations.

Technical Proficiency

Languages: Python, Ruby, TypeScript, Bash, Terraform, Golang, Java
Frameworks: Django, Rails, HTMX, React, Vue
Cloud & DevOps: AWS (ECS, S3, IAM, etc.), Docker, Terraform, GitHub Actions, GitLab CI/CD
Infrastructure: Kubernetes, Control Tower, VPC, VPN, SDN, QEMU, VMWare
Data & Storage: PostgreSQL, Aurora, Redis/Valkey, MySQL, Elasticsearch, QDrant
Observability: Datadog, Sentry, Fluent Bit, Nagios, Munin
Messaging & APIs: Kafka, RabbitMQ, SMPP, OpenAPI, GraphQL
Tooling & IDEs: PyCharm, IntelliJ, VS Code
Operating Systems: Linux, macOS, Windows
Specialties: Barcode/GS1 systems, Voice/SMS Integration, Embedded Systems, Edge Networking


Other Interests

Hands-on builder with a passion for complex systems at all scales - from analog electronics and microcontrollers to CNC machining and RTOS development. Ongoing projects span chemistry, audio amplifier design, high-voltage electronics, 3D printing, and home automation. Enjoy blending hardware, software, and physical fabrication to create functional, beautiful, and durable systems.