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Ben Kafka
Summary of Have worked over twenty five years in software engineering, with large
Experience public companies like Optum/UHG, ATT and Salomon Smith Barney,
medium size companies such as NuSkin/BigPlanet, Flowserve,
Financial Fusion as well as a number of small established businesses
and startups.
Was involved with Java, J2EE and the Web early on and worked on the
Unix Kernel while at Bell Laboratories. Have extensive experience with
J2EE, Spring and Hibernate. I’ve mentored junior and senior
programmers throughout my career.
Programming Java, JavaScript from the old days: C, C++, Perl, PL1, Cobol
Languages
Scripting Languages Maven, Ant, JavaScript, SQL, AWK, Shell, HTML, CSS, etc.
Operating Systems Windows, Linux, Unix
Protocols Tcp/Ip, HTTP, XML, JDBC, JMS, MQ Series
App Servers Tomcat, JBoss, Websphere, Weblogic, Glassfish
RDMBS Oracle, SqlServer, DB2, PostgreSQL, MSSQL
Technologies J2EE (MDB’s, JMS, Servlets, JSP, JSF, JDBC, EJB (just a little), JNDI),
Richfaces, Primefaces, Struts, Tiles, Hibernate, UML, Spring, SNMP,
SMTP (old), LDAP, SQL,, GIT, SVN, CVS, Junit
Security Fortify, WebInspect, Josso, Https, Digital Certificates, Security Dynamics
Ace SecureID Server, LDAP naming service authentication
Tools/Frameworks IDEs (Eclipse,Idea, Webstorm), Build-related( Maven, Ant, Anthill Pro,
Cruise Control), Programming Frameworks (Spring, Hibernate, J2EE),
Best Practice frameworks (Emma, PMD, Findbugs, Checkstyle, Sonar,
Junit), UML (EA), Database (ERWIN, TOAD), JProfiler, Microsoft
Office (pretty much everything)
Methodologies Agile and Waterfall models
Education 1977 NYU NYC,NY
Bachelors/Mathematics
Seven Courses toward Masters in Computer Science from Columbia
University and Stevens Institute of Technology
Professional
Experience
10/2007-1/2014 Optum Insight
• Assigned to investigate and pick a mobile JS technology for a
mobile UI Toolkit. This included tech stack and dev environment.
• Managed onshore and offshore Java development teams in India
and the Ukraine. Travelled to India to train them. (Hyderabad)
• Conceived, developed, architected and co-product owned an
innovative Java/JSF based web framework called the UI Toolkit.
Twenty of our projects/products utilized it at Optum. Its purpose
was to present a portfolio of our products with a common look
and feel, constrain our tech stack and provide reusable
navigation, components and functionality through property
configuration.
• Led developers in best practices e.g. CI, test driven
development, source code and security checkers
• Architected, designed and coded in Java a Performance and
Functional test suite for our claims cleansing product.
• Managed an offshore team developing a multithreaded
framework for analytics. Involved JNI, Webservices
• Architect for Reporting (BIRT), Java coded Interfaces (837,XML,
IMF/EMF, Facets) for our medical claims processing product
• Designed and coded a JBOSS clustered environment increasing
performance 100% for each additional server added. This was
done using J2EE/JMS.
• Worked as a technical architect troubleshooting varied projects
we’d acquired through mergers.
• Set up single-signon for multiple servlets utilizing Josso
• Wrote XSD for our proprietary XML protocol.
5/2005-10/2007 MPI
• Working as a lead developer for company involved with
automotive software.
• Utilizing Xtreme programming environment and pattern oriented
development.
• Developed/architected Java software which crawls websites and
collects the information in Database tables, Xml content and
Lucine indices.
• Wrote a database logger which helps keep track of our
production distributed environment
• Set up agile tools such as Cruisecontrol, Junit suites and
CheckStyle.
2/2005-5/2005 Consulting
• Developed Service Middleware in Java for Medical Infomatics
utilizing XML, Oracle, Weblogic for Non-Profit Company
• Worked in Agile Xtreme programming environment
• Utilized Spring framework for dependency injection and AOP
• All work was test driven utilizing JUnit functional and stubbed or
mock object tests
• Made extensive use of patterns e.g. Strategy, Façade, Visitor,
etc.
4/2004-2/2005 Flowserve
• Developed and architected various Struts/Java applications
utilizing Websphere and Oracle.
• Developed numerous portlets utilizing Java and Struts under the
IBM Portal Server
• Evaluated and implemented various technologies for the firm e.g.
Mercury Test Suite, WASD for Portal, VMWare
• Involved in Sarbannes/Oxley auditing to identify gaps in
compliance.
1/2003-4/2004 Consulting
• Worked on various development projects for a NASDAQ
company using Struts/Java, Oracle and Tomcat
• Designed, mentored and coded a Workman’s Comp web/servlet
application for Walmart utilizing Struts, DB2 and Hibernate
• Designed and implemented ecommerce sites based on
Java/Struts/Tiles/Plugins/Linux/Jakarta technologies for selective
customers via an ASP model which I currently host
• Wrote a Java/Struts/Tiles/Linux servlet based web application for
a food storage company that allowed regular expression
searches on its catalog. Also provided the content and look and
feel.
• Wrote a Java/Struts/Tiles/Linux servlet based web application for
a manufacturer that allowed regular expression searches on its
catalog. . Also provided the content and look and feel.
11/2001-1/2003 Communitect
• Designed and coded in Java a cellular text messaging reminder
service utilizing J2EE technology; JSP, Servlets, Struts MVC and
JDBC
• Utilized Struts/JSP to implement the presentation layer
• Designed the database utilizing UML
• Researched and introduced Junit into the development
environment so that regression testing could be performed on
the applications
• Led a team of Developers and Consultants while engaged in
heavy coding. Responsible directly to the CEO to deliver product
on time
• Involved in heavy research to enable Communitect to create
bridge kits between our software and the dental practice
software. Client software was coded in C
• Designed and coded much of the standard infrastructure in the
product; logging, error handling and gateway related functionality
• Responsible for IT functionality; monitoring machines, service,
backups, digital certificates, UPS and routers
2/2000-9/2001 Financial Fusion (Division of Sybase)
• Acted as Senior Technical Architect and Lead Developer
• Architected and developed in Java Financial Fusion’s servlet
based web banking software to work with bank back end legacy
systems for banking and bill pay services. Utilized TCP/IP, XML,
HTTP, OFX, CORBA, IDL, EJB, MQ Series, EDS and AFS
• Wrote architectural blueprints utilizing UML for development and
QA
• Performed gap analysis and SOW’s for customers and was
involved with Use Case Implementation using UML
• Wrote numerous applications and SQL scripts utilizing an Oracle
database.
• Designed extended schemas for professional services
• Designed and developed a flexible logger alert application
• Managed a technical team to deliver our banking solution to
National and International banks
• Created a client application that interfaced to our middleware
server using EJB’s
• Created a JNDI interface to Netscape’s LDAP to replace our
reliance on Oracle for directory services
• Designed and developed a CORBA client/server to bridge our
consumer product with a third party business product
• Ported our CEFS servlet 2.2 based code to the Websphere
platform
• Led SWAT teams to diagnose high severity problems at the
banks
4/98-2/2000 Big Planet/Nuskin
At Nuskin
• Performed as a Senior Developer and hands on Development
Manager
• Led a team of 12 backend web programmers working with
Weblogic, Java, Servlets, Oracle, SAP, Forte and XML.
Maintained an international ecommerce platform on Solaris and
was responsible for web architecture, design and development
utilizing UML and project management
• Also managed projects utilizing ASP and VB
At Big Planet
• Utilized Java to develop the sign-up code for the Infogear Iphone
device and NC settop box (similar to Web TV), which uploaded
configuration parameters into the devices
• Designed and developed the ISP signup application from scratch
utilizing server side Java and WAI/CORBA under Iplanet. This
application provisioned our backend databases interfacing with
Oracle, LDAP, Intranet and Vista
• Created a Java to LDAP API for use by the Application
Developers before the existence of JNDI
• Developed a signup and provisioning application for unique
domain names (interfacing with Internic) as well as for the
dynamic web page builder from Netopia
• Wrote a Netscape NSAPI module in “C” to interface with LDAP in
order to translate domain names to DWP offices
• Designed a release process which integrated source control
notification and documentation in an easy to use script so that
Development, Testing, Customer Support, Operations and
Business Owners could use through the lifecycle of the release
• Won a Big Planet award for facilitating communications between
the disparate areas of the organization
4/93-4/98 Salomon Smith Barney
• Senior Developer and Team Lead directing a team of 2
Developers and a Business Analyst. The role of the group was to
provide support for 31 global production web applications related
to fixed income and equity funds
• Created a web extranet consisting of 10 production and 2
development servers from scratch utilizing; Netscape Enterprise
Web Servers, Weblogic Application Servers, LDAP, Servlets,
CORBA, Security Dynamics Ace SecureID Server, Sun’s Jeeves
Server, Apache Web Server and Entrust’s Certificate Server
• Maintained both Salomon public sites and was responsible for
our relationship with Uunet
• Designed and developed many programs/systems in Java, perl,
javascript and HTML
• Designed and developed a controlled release of source code for
both the intranet and internet which audits, mirrors and logs
objects released from our development server to our production
servers
• Developed a system which uses LDAP entitlements to allow
distributed administration of the enterprise server, certificate
requests and requests for Secure ID cards
• Developed a system to allow selected users to control selected
resources based on entitlements
• Designed and developed a Java based monitoring tool to check
connectivity between our servers
• Designed and developed a Java based LDAP API for use in CGI
and Java development environments
• Packaged and supported the Netscape client browser for the
entire Firm of 6500 employees. Our team was responsible for
first line support of the browser and I was personally responsible
for our relationship with Netscape.
• Wrote an SNMP agent in “C” which ran on an AIX system using
the Salomon MIB. The purpose of this was to check for memory,
disk, and CPU thresholds as well as to determine if a process
was alive in the process table and to report this information to a
monitoring application
• Set up a Solaris jumpstart through centralized servers in the
company. Designed and implemented Solaris and SunOS patch
installation procedures and set up centralized Solaris
Answerbook products on central servers for company use
2/91-4/93 ATT Bell Labs
• Performed in the role of Unix System Administrator responsible
for debugging SunOS/Solaris kernel and operating systems
problems for 200 Developers
6/88-2/91 Unix Source Laboratories
• Consultant Kernel and Unix Command Set Developer for SVR5
• Wrote kernel routines to implement B2 security and implemented
B2 security into the Unix command set
1988.1990 Independent Consulting
• Designed, wrote, supported and sold a chiropractic software
package on a Xenix system for Spina Chiropractic offices in
multiple locations in New York
• Performed works as a VAR for Real World Accounting Systems
which included extensive customizations in source code for AR,
GL, AP, PR and Inventory modules
• Supported and performed code enhancements for 3 previous
employers; Munics Information Systems, Saftee Plumbing and
Kafka Industries
1987.1990 Munics Information Systems
• Hired to develop an architecture in “C” for a configurable menu
system
• Wrote API’s in “C” to allow Informix 4GL programs to access low
level functions
1985.1987 Belcore
• Hired as a Mainframe PL1 Developer and helped develop PICS
inventory applications in PL1
1984.1985 Saftee Plumbing
• Hired as a Unix Cobol C Developer and System Administrator
• Developed Cobol and “C” applications for a large Plumbing
Distributor
• Performed as a System Administrator for a 10 user Unix (UNOS)
system to include responsibilities for hardware, network and
software
1980.1984 Kafka Industries
• Managed the family business of 60+ people and computerized
the entire office operation
• Responsible for the manufacturing plant which consisted of
framing, silkscreen, office and general assembly workers.
References Provided Upon Request