Senior PHP Application Engineer & Architect

Anton Stupak

Romeoville, IL • 305-***-**** • ************@*****.***

https://www.linkedin.com/in/antonvstupak/

Professional Summary

Senior Application Engineer and PHP expert with over 20 years of full-stack development and web content leadership experience, including 10+ years in the competitive US market. Deep proficiency in core PHP (OOP, TDD) for building and maintaining custom systems, alongside modern frameworks. Extensive background designing REST APIs for scalable, data-intensive applications. Proven track record leading web-application redesigns, content-platform modernization, and cross-functional digital initiatives that improve accessibility, usability, SEO, and business outcomes. Deep expertise in WordPress architecture, custom theme/plugin development, HTML/CSS, and WCAG-compliant frontend delivery. Strong background leading, coaching, and empowering teams while partnering with stakeholders and customers on co-design discussions to resolve strategic and operational issues in Agile environments. Seeking Senior PHP / Application Engineer roles to drive technical excellence and impactful business outcomes. Technical Skills

● Languages & Frameworks: PHP (20+ years, OOP, TDD, WordPress, Symfony, Laravel), JavaScript

(ES6+), TypeScript/TSX, jQuery, Node.js, Vue.js, React, Angular, ExtJS

● Frontend & UI: HTML5, CSS3/SCSS, Responsive Design, D3.js, Web Animations, SVG, pixel-perfect UI implementation, email templates, landing page design & optimization

● Content Management & Platforms: Advanced WordPress (custom themes, plugins, multi-site, ACF, performance tuning), CMS administration, content architecture

● Build Tools & Development: npm, yarn, Webpack, Vite, Git

● AI & LLM Integration: Junie CLI, Claude Agent, Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot, MLX framework, OpenAI-compatible servers, function/tool calling, multi-turn AI agents

● APIs & Architecture: REST APIs, SOAP, GraphQL, Microservices, JSON

● Databases & Messaging: MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, RabbitMQ

● Design, UX & Accessibility: UI/UX Design, Information Architecture, Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, WCAG/ADA & Section 508 compliance, SEO, A/B Testing, Semrush, usability analysis

● DevOps & Tools: Docker, Git, PHPUnit, Xdebug, Postman, Elastic Stack, AWS, Azure, Linux (CLI, Shell Scripting)

● Testing, Performance & Observability: Unit/integration testing, performance optimization, telemetry, accessibility compliance

● Methodologies & Leadership: Agile (Scrum, Kanban), project management, estimation & analysis, leading junior developers, cross-functional stakeholder influence, PCI/PII Compliance Professional Experience

Software Engineer

International Code Council, Country Club Hills, IL • 2024 – 2026

● Led the redesign and modernization of the ICC Evaluation Service (ICC-ES) web platform, reducing technical debt, improving maintainability, and establishing the roadmap for future modernization through detailed analysis, effort estimation, and prioritized technical recommendations.

● Guided the development process, mentoring engineers on WordPress best practices, code quality, accessibility standards, and delivery timelines while ensuring adherence to brand guidelines and security protocols.

● Delivered pixel-perfect, responsive user interfaces across the corporate website ecosystem using WordPress, PHP, JavaScript, REST APIs, HTML5, CSS/SCSS, and Semrush, significantly improving performance, maintainability, and WCAG/ADA accessibility compliance across browsers, screen resolutions, and locales.

● Applied UX/UI Design, System Design, Information Architecture, Typography, and Visual Hierarchy principles to create consistent, scalable interface patterns, producing wireframes, high-fidelity UI mockups, and visual assets in Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

● Coordinated engineering, product, marketing, and content teams, translating complex business requirements into structured, user-centered solutions through iterative design, testing, and feedback cycles.

● Accelerated development velocity and code quality by implementing AI-assisted workflows (local LLMs and IDE agents) for debugging, refactoring, architecture planning, and full-stack implementation across PHP, JavaScript, SQL, CSS/SCSS, and Dockerized environments. Senior PHP Developer

Sphera Solutions, Chicago, IL • 2022 – 2023

● Modernized and enhanced a PHP/Symfony + ExtJS SaaS platform used by global industrial leaders to manage corporate carbon footprints, Scope 3 emissions, net-zero strategies, and regulatory compliance (CSRD, SEC), reducing technical debt while improving system maintainability, reliability, and long-term scalability.

● Developed test-driven backend services for processing large-scale environmental and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) datasets (20,000+ emission factors), optimizing performance, accuracy, and auditability while strengthening the platform's architecture for enterprise sustainability reporting.

● Refactored legacy components, improved code quality, and optimized the performance, scalability, and reliability of Linux-based, data-intensive workloads supporting regulatory compliance and enterprise sustainability reporting for thousands of organizations worldwide, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver a more robust and maintainable application. PHP Developer

Zacks Investment Research, Chicago, IL • 2020 – 2022

● Developed scalable PHP backend services and RESTful APIs powering a high-traffic financial analytics platform, serving thousands of concurrent users with real-time market data, research, and analytics.

● Designed and implemented multithreaded automated data-processing pipelines that reduced manual analysis time, significantly increased throughput, and accelerated the delivery of financial research and analytics.

● Led performance optimization initiatives that significantly improved the performance of the corporate website, reducing page load times, enhancing user experience, and increasing overall platform reliability.

● Architected real-time monitoring dashboards using Elasticsearch, Kibana, and data visualization tools, providing live visibility into system performance, data flows, and platform health.

● Built internal tools and applications for financial modeling and large-scale data manipulation, streamlining complex analytical workflows and enabling faster, more accurate insights for the research team.

Senior Software Engineer I

Pizza Hut Connect, Chicago, IL • 2018 – 2020

● Delivered major enhancements for PizzaHut.com, a high-traffic consumer platform serving millions of monthly users, including the complete redesign of the pizza builder functionality for the "$5 Line-Up" experience that directly supported major marketing campaigns.

● Led the migration from PHP 5 to PHP 7 across critical services, delivering substantial gains in application speed, reduced server costs, and improved long-term maintainability.

● Designed and built internal developer tools, including a Redis management console and comprehensive API testing suite, significantly increasing engineering velocity and reducing debugging time.

● Implemented end-to-end observability using the ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, and Kibana), custom logging pipelines, and D3.js visualizations, enabling real-time monitoring, faster incident resolution, and improved platform visibility.

● Created PowerShell automation scripts to streamline operational workflows, reduce manual tasks, and improve system reliability.

Web Developer

Chubb Insurance, Miami, FL • 2017 – 2018

● Developed PCI-compliant middleware for secure insurance sales and payment processing, integrating PHP applications with REST/SOAP services, OAuth, and Azure cloud infrastructure while supporting enterprise integrations and secure digital transactions.

● Coordinated and mentored junior developers in delivering responsive frontend solutions, email templates, and product-specific microsites for Latin American markets, ensuring code quality, accessibility, performance, and brand consistency.

● Applied UX/UI Design, Information Architecture, Visual Hierarchy, Typography, and Interaction Design principles; created wireframes, high-fidelity mockups, and interactive prototypes to align stakeholders and validate concepts early.

● Leveraged user research, Hotjar analytics (heatmaps and session recordings), and A/B testing to identify friction points, optimize layouts, micro-interactions, and conversion-driven user flows, improving engagement and customer experiences.

● Designed and delivered six responsive, mobile-first marketing and insurance microsites with pixel-perfect interfaces focused on clarity, accessibility, performance, and conversion optimization.

● Conducted performance tuning, security assessments, and code optimizations to enhance reliability and maintainability across cloud-based digital platforms. Web Developer

Pangea, Fort Lauderdale, FL • 2016 – 2017

● Developed responsive WordPress frontends and high-conversion marketing landing pages for web hosting and digital services, delivering pixel-perfect UI implementation with semantic HTML5, advanced animations, micro-interactions, and cross-browser optimization.

● Applied strong UX/UI principles including typography hierarchy, layout consistency, interaction states, and responsive behavior across devices while ensuring WCAG accessibility, SEO best practices, and optimal performance.

● Delivered multiple production websites and landing pages featuring clean, structured UI with smooth transitions and motion design that enhanced user engagement without compromising performance or accessibility.

Earlier Experience

2001 – 2016

● Delivered full-stack PHP and frontend solutions for agencies, freelance clients, and advertising firms across the US and Ukraine, building SPAs, custom CMS platforms, high-conversion landing pages, and email templates with strong emphasis on pixel-perfect UI and performance.

● Designed and developed semantic, accessible HTML5 interfaces with advanced web animations, micro-interactions, SVG effects, and responsive behaviors, ensuring excellent usability, visual hierarchy, and reduced cognitive load across devices.

● Engineered bespoke inline-editing custom CMS solutions using PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, and jQuery, creating intuitive content management workflows tightly integrated with the frontend presentation layer.

● Collaborated closely with designers and creative teams (including at Ikone International, a Miami-based advertising agency) to translate high-end visual concepts into production-ready, interactive websites — delivering a continuous pipeline of marketing sites each month while maintaining strong design fidelity, typography, spacing systems, and interaction quality.

● Long-term role at Kyiv National University (2002–2011): Developed and maintained web platforms, interactive presentations, and the official university website. Additional notable project: custom website for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) supporting the “Elections in Ukraine” initiative.

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science

Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, Kyiv, Ukraine Academic Program: Information Technologies of Project Design Diploma Thesis: “Information Technology for Developing and Maintaining Multi-Tier Web Applications” Languages

English (Fluent) • Ukrainian (Native)

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