CHAKA ALLEN

5 Long Lane  Berwyn, PA 19312

/in/chakaallen

senior software engineer
Active Secret Security Clearance

Highly accomplished professional with an extensive track record of innovation and success. Skilled in developing highly complex software, modules, platforms, and frameworks leveraging C, C++, Python, and Pthreads technologies to meet the needs of commercial, financial, and DoD institutions.Excellent with solution development, UML diagram development, software debugging, and design analysis. Interested in leveraging Object Oriented development skills towards Java projects.

Extensive expertise in all facets of software development life cycle, from requirements analysis and design through coding, testing, rollout, and enhancement. Skilled in use of GDB debugging based technologies. Experienced with building systems in scripting languages, like Python, Perl, and Ruby. Extensive RedHat Linux experience with BASH scripting skills.

Analytical problem solver, with proven ability to quickly analyze issuesand apply solutions to increase capability, increase functionality, and improve performance. Successful in adapting to new environments, technologies, and changing business requirements. Comfortable with software processes and metrics, like CMMI. Utilize professional online book resources to continually stay on top of my software skills.

Core Competencies:

Software Development Life Cycle Management
Object Oriented Development (OOD) Approach
Modular & Reusable Components Best Practices
UML Use Case & Sequence Diagram Development / Team Training, Mentoring & Collaboration
Project Planning, Tracking & Monitoring
Issue / Defect Identification & Resolution
Customer & Partner Relationship Management

Professional Experience

Consultant2008 to Present

Principal & SeniorSoftware Engineer / Consultant

Retained by multiple companies to develop new and next generation of complex products, platforms, and systems to support the delivery of large-scale programs for commercial and DoD projects. Accountable for full life cycle development of assigned projects, from capture of requirements through design, implementation, testing, release, and problem resolution. Establish and enhance relationships with team members, leadership, and customers. Train and mentor software engineers on new tools and best practices.

Selected Projects & Achievements:

Contracting with Bank of America (10/2012 to present) developing risk management tool to help mitigate operational risk

-Developing Python 2.6 modules to build rich user interfaces within proprietary Quartz framework to manage capital factors and amounts, inherent risk, residual risk, and other metrics within Basel II categories of risk. Tool is supported and backed by PMO office as product that provides capabilities not previously available to the Lines of Business who are our customers, allowing for centralization of data, UI code built on standardized internal framework, and functional programming design.

-Supporting Beta release of product, addressing global business needs and customer defect submissions through JIRA. Providedhighly robust optimization to landing page for the application by caching data and providing proper read-modify-write code to prevent optimistic locking clashes. Selected as part of main team focused on performance enhancements and upgrades to other areas of the software as a result of my work on the landing page.

-Participate in regular Agile sprint cycles, addressing requirements for UI development. Connected UI to Oracle database, as well as internal file system that served as database.

-Developing code using decorators, list comprehensions, generators, OOD, functional programming, introspection, unit tests, multiple staging environments, and global team remote collaboration

Contracting part time with Siemens (5/2013 to present) developing software to support SOARIAN health care product TIBCO deployment

-DevelopingPython 2.6modules to ease deployment automation. Utilizing decorators and inspect module for code introspection to help determine process inefficiencies without prior knowledge of workflow. Providing expertise regarding new SVN installations to be used to support customer product deployment. Reducing the dependency on certain abstractions by simplifying the code and making deployment easier to support.

Recruited by Idirect LLC (10/2011 to 10/2012) to advance critical project for satellite internet communication equipment, created to support Ka band satellite technology for use in providing internet services on planes, ships, and remote locations

-Designed, implemented and tested Acquisition Server in C++ on RHEL 6, used to authenticate remotes prior to acceptance into network. Ported tens of thousands of lines of code for use in new system from CVS to Git. Led institution wide integration team for first drop of software, coordinating efforts with principal engineers to successfully demonstrate system to customers. DevelopedC++classes to implement data plans, akin to cell phone plans, for use in selling bandwidth to distribution partners. Modified Makefilesto support new automated build system using Jenkins.Developed code using JSON for file processing.

-Built oneUML design in two weeks for a proxy client used to transmit statistics to a proxy server. Mentored junior engineers and new contractors. Helped potential contractors prepare for interviews with Idirect, with one being hired.

Chosen by Vectorworks, Inc (9/2011 to 10/2011) to contribute to web based payment system, built on Django framework. Developed payment processor using Paypal, on Windows OS, Python 2.6.

Selected by General Dynamics Robotics Systems (6/2011 to 9/2011) to develop software in support of Autonomous Navigation Systems (ANS) development for the Brigade Combat Team Modernization (BCTM) program. Program developed autonomous navigation software for ground based vehicle transport.

-Developed software for Leader-Follower Autonomous navigation using C++ on RedHat Linux 5.3, where two autonomous vehicles operate in convoy with no driver control. All code developed in C++ on Linux platform. Modified state machine software to solve navigation solution failure at start of run, using Abstract Factoryand Singletonpatterns as part of buffer management solution. Utilized sconsPython based build system and MercurialPython based configuration management system. Code was installed on vehicle and tested in field tests, within my first month of work.

-Created several Leader-Follower Autonomous state simulations, including multi-follower state simulations.Used HawkNL COTS softwarefor socket communication between state machines run in multiple processes. UsedNMLlibrary for buffer management. Used SQLite database to store scenarios for later retrieval or transfer.

Retained by Honeywell, Inc (12/2010 to 6/2011) as a core member of team to support the Brigade Combat Team Modernization (BCTM) Program focused on providing enhanced ISR and maintenance capabilities to soldiers in combat.

-Implemented key components of the Maintenance Reasoner to track progress of maintenance requests submitted by warfighters leveraging C++, XML, XSLT, QT, and DB2 technologies. Maintenance Reasoner is a process that communicates with threads from a thread pool using a connectionmanager interface. Queueing is done using a template singleton and Double Checked Locking pattern with Pthreads mutex to provide a multithread-safe singleton unique for each template argument. XML is processed using QT to simulate commands. Requests, states, and actions are stored in DB2 database tables and processed based on command requests using DB2 CLI interface in C++. Utilized Factory and Prototype Design Patterns as part of C++ DB2 CLI abstraction. Also, processed search queries for XML formatted maintenance manuals using PERL.

Chosen by BAE Systems (01/2009 to 11/2010) as a member of the Sensor Image Processing Lab to develop new data analysis tools for $1.4 billion contract to build the Common Missile Warning System, the next-generation laser countermeasures system protecting helicopters and attack aircrafts against heat-seeking missile threats.

-Designed and enhanced the sensor image analysis tools leveraging C, C++, FORTRAN, and PV-WAVE technologies to increase resolution and level of rendering within the sensor.

-Modified decompression algorithm in MATLAB that provided the ability to replicate behavior on OpenVMS platform and allow development teams on Windows to render and analyze data produced from algorithms.

-Created new C++ tools to ease the development of sensor image map model. Completed translation to C and integrated POSIX threads to enable concurrent execution with GUI tool developed in PV-WAVE.

Brought in by Innovative Concepts / Elbit Systems (10/2008 to 01/2009) to create simulation software to emulate new features being implemented into the Improved Data Modem (IDM) V304, an extremely rugged data communications terminal utilized for harsh environments by DoD.

-Developed software leveraging Python v2.4.4 to simulate the over the air communications within the IDM modem under real conditions.

-Created software to validate locking behaviors utilized in the communication protocol in the 1553 bus interface.

-Collaborated with product development team to enhance validation software for the demonstration of next generation of modem platform.

Recruited by Vertex, Inc. (5/2008-10/2008) to build an Enterprise Test Integration & Automation Suite that strengthened integration testing and automated the configuration of Vertex Enterprise, an end-to-end solution that integrates all tax processes.

-Analyzed and transformed basic proof-of-concept code into a fully automated suite leveraging Python 2.5 that provided the means to validate performance of web services utilized to deliver tax management services to corporate clients and automatically configured the application server leveraging SendKeys module in Python.

SUSQUEHANNA INTERNATIONAL GROUP (Bala Cynwyd, pa)2007 to 2008

Senior Software Engineer – Statistical Arbitrage Group

Recruited by this global technology-powered financial trading firm to develop, enhance, and support the Arbitrage Trading Strategy Framework utilized to simulate, validate and strengthen trading strategies created by Analysts for proprietary trading on stock markets across the country.

Selected Projects & Achievements:

Created new tools leveraging C++ and Python on Linux to enhance overall success of trading strategies. Developed interfaces for computing skew amongst collected data sets, provided statistical data on collected ticket data, and enable rending on Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs).Planned and ported trading strategies from C++ to Python that reduce development timeframe leveraging SWIG. Modified strategies to enhance transition into Python, and tested and validated accuracy of strategies and data following conversion.

Developed tools and scripts to capture and report on success of strategies and improve decision-making. Collected, processed, and rendered data co-located at various sites to deliver business intelligence to team.

ALLIANT TEKSYSTEMS (woodland hills, ca, 5/2005 TO 5/2007)2005 to 2007

Senior Software Engineer

Chosen for key DoD Advanced Anti Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM) Program to enhance the AGM-88 High-Speed Anti Radiation Missile (HARM) to improve accuracy and range, and to counter radar shutdown and other targeting avoidance techniques. Designed and implemented software to enhance the range and accuracy of the missile leveraging C++ on Windows across a CMM Level 3 environment.

Selected Projects & Achievements:

Implemented Guidance and Autopilot software utilizing C++ on Windows to calculate trajectory of missile and determine wing motion based on computations derived from navigation position information. Created Ruby scripts to configure desktop simulation inputs and parse simulation output data. Used Ruby scripts to produce charts for presentation to analysis group.Created UML Use Case and Sequence Diagrams for new development utilizing Artisan UML tool. Produced preliminary and critical design review packages for presentation to peers and management for approval.

Analyzed and ensured that Guidance and Autpilot software met established CMM Level 3 standards. Adapted software to meet development standards and recommended the implementation of methodologies to enhance testing.Developed software to simulate flight of the missile leveraging C++ on Windows, encompassing desktop simulation, hardware-in-the-loop simulation, and chamber simulation and test.

NORTHRUP GRUMMAN, XONTECH DIVISION (van nuys, ca, 6/2003 to 5/2005)2003 to 2005

Senior Software Engineer

Recruited by Xontech and kept on following acquisition by Northrup Grumman to develop core modules to support Ground Based Missile Defense (GMD) System simulation prior to delivery to DoD. Collaborated with development team to design and implement modules to simulate functionality of radar systems, and detection systems across a CMM Level 3 environment.

Selected Projects & Achievements:

Developed software to model operation of radar beam dispersion leveraging C++, AWK, and Perl under Solaris UNIX. Analyzed radar algorithm design documents and legacy code, and created software to simulateradar search beam selection.Designed capability to smooth and collate large in-phase/quadrature (I-Q) radar image data sets into an integrated visual image map leveraging Interactive Data Language (IDL). Manipulated existing radar image processing algorithm, and integrated a vector overlay of ocean current mean velocity into image map to create a complete flow analysis tool for future development efforts.

TERADYNE (AGOURA HILLS, CA, 5/1998 to 6/2002)1998 to 2002

Senior Software Engineer / Software Engineer

Originally brought in as a Software Engineer and promoted within 18 months to Senior Software Engineer within the VLSI Test Division to build complex testing systems for leading semiconductor manufacturers. Contributed to developing multiple components to increase functionality and test components prior to integration.

Education & CREDENTIALS

Master of Science in Computing Engineering

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Ames, IA (1998)

Bachelor of Science in Computing Engineering

IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Ames, IA (1996)

Placed Top 10% nationwide on William Lowell Putnam Mathematics Competition, 1994

Publication

Chaka A. Allen, Jennifer L. Davidson, “Steganography Using the Minimax Eigenvalue Decomposition,” Proc. SPIE Conference on Mathematics of Data/Image Coding, Compression and Encryption, vol. 3456, pp. 13-24, July 1998

Technology Proficiency & Knowledge

Languages: / C, C++, Python, ADA, Ruby, SQL, MATLAB, FORTRAN,BASH Shell Scripts,STL
Software & Tools: / POSIX Threads, XML, HTML, UML, ClearCase, Rational Rose, PV-WAVE, VectorCAST, Design Patterns, scons, Mercurial, NetBeans, HawkNL, NML, TCP/IP, WireShark, wxWidgets, Git
Databases: / DB2, SQLite
Platforms: / RedHat Linux 5.3 and 6.2, Solaris / UNIX, MS Windows