Joe Gaebel

Full Stack Engineer,

Surfer

Read my Articles | Mission Statement

Volunteering

Board of Directors, Sydney Zen Centre

2020 to Present

www.szc.org.au

Sydney Zen Centre is Australia's original Zen Buddhist community, founded in 1979. We offer weekly meditation sessions and retreats at our bushland retreat site. Currently serving around 70 members.

Manly Surf Life Saving Club

Active Beach Patrol, 2022 to 2024

Rescue Boat Crew Member, 2022 to 2024

www.manlylsc.com

The Manly Life Saving Club is one of Australia's oldest Surf Life Saving Clubs, founded in 1911. We represent one of the most iconic beaches in Sydney, providing beach safety, maintenance of the aquatic environment, education, and training.

Experience

K&F Fabrications

Sunshine Coast, Australia

Backseat Director,

January 2025 to present

K&F Fabrications is a small aluminium and steel fabrication business on the Sunshine Coast.

We fabricate gates, fences, privacy screens, and custom projects.

I build custom shop floor and business software, handle IT and infrastructure, and work on streamlining operations around the shop. I work with my partner on strategy and operations, implementing equipment upgrades, and shaping our people practices (hiring, values/mission work, org-structure, incentives).

In short - I help modernize and scale a hands-on business outside my usual 9-to-5.

The practices I help instil are:

Principle-centered leadershipLean manufacturing

I build apps for the biz with:

ReactNext.js

Also, we were recently in the Australian Financial Review!

Atlassian

2.5 yrs

Sydney, Australia

Senior Software Engineer,

September 2024 to present

Software Engineer,

May 2023 to September 2024

I spent two years on a Jira platform team delivering significant improvements to performance, scale, and cost efficiency.

Currently, I'm helping to provide a centralised messaging system for all messages across products at Atlassian.

Additionally, I help improve ways of working and engineering practices.

The practices I help instil are:

Extreme ProgrammingLean Software EngineeringLean Product ManagementTest-First ProgrammingPair ProgrammingContinuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment & Delivery

The technologies I use most are:

Spring BootGoogle GuiceAWS SQSPostgreSQLBitbucket Pipelines

I test drive with:

JUnit 5Mockito

Pathzero

6 mos.

Sydney, Australia

Senior Software Engineer,

July 2022 to Jan 2023

Pathzero is on a mission to accelerate the decarbonisation of the global economy. By combining an unparalleled user experience, globally recognised carbon standards, and on-demand sustainability specialists, our digital platform enables organisations around the world to accurately measure, reduce and disclose their carbon emissions information with ease.

At Pathzero I developed the foundation for delivering modern API services with a well tested NestJS boilerplate API following Clean Architecture, Test-First Programming, and implementing the Command and Query Responsibility Segregation pattern.

Additionally I paired with product teams to help with adoption of this API foundation, implementing features, and delivering those features to users.

I helped improve ways of working and engineering practices including test-first programming, one week iterations, running Discovery and Framing workshops, and Lean Inceptions

As well, I operated as the team engineering lead and product manager, implementing the User and Login portal of the platform, writing and sequencing user stories, planning the application architecture, running sprint planning meetings, performing code reviews, and helping implement features.

The practices I help instil are:

Extreme ProgrammingLean Software EngineeringLean Product ManagementTest-First ProgrammingFull Stack DevelopmentPair ProgrammingInfrastructure As CodeContinuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment & Delivery

The technologies I use most are:

NestJSServerless FrameworkAWS LambdaTypeScriptPrismaNode.jsPostgreSQLBitbucket Pipelines

I test drive with:

JestVue Test Utilsmocks-server

VMware Pivotal Labs

4.5 yrs.

Sydney, Australia

Senior Software Engineer,

May 2020 to July 2022

Software Engineer,

Feb 2018 to May 2020

Pivotal Labs partners with organizations worldwide to accelerate the delivery of software and establish best practices for modern application development.

At Pivotal Labs, I did two things:

First, I built and delivered kick ass products in teams and individually.

Second, I upskilled teams of engineers in modern software development practices through bespoke training sessions, workshops, and most importantly, pair programming on those products.

The practices I advocated for:

AgileExtreme ProgrammingLean Software EngineeringTest First ProgrammingFull Stack DevelopmentPair ProgrammingContinuous IntegrationContinuous Deployment / Delivery

The technologies I used most:

Spring BootNode.jsReactVueReact NativeAngularKotlinJavaTypeScriptTailwindCSSCSSPostgreSQLRabbitMQKubernetesAWS

I test drove with:

Testing LibraryJestEnzymeJUnit 5MockKMockitoWireMockDetoxCypressTestCafeSelenium

Products I've helped build:

MyRIS Appointment Manager

MyRIS Team at Sonic Healthcare

Helped build and scale the appointment manager used across Sonic imaging centres in Australia. Responsible for helping hire and upskill Sonic's in-house engineering team with modern software engineering practices.

AngularTypeScriptDotNetTailwindCSSKubernetes Angular Testing LibraryTestCafeWireMock

Car Insurance Quotes

Serenity Team at IAG

Rapidly developed a fully functional motor insurance quote web-app that dynamically generates UI inputs and controls based on metadata provided by IAG backend systems. Provided architecture analysis and productization advice to enable third parties to seamlessly integrate.

ReactReact HooksTypeScriptNode.js JestReact Testing LibraryWireMockTestCafe

COVID Safe Check-in

Mobile App team at Service NSW

Helped deliver venue check-ins for COVID-19 contact tracing on the Service NSW Mobile App within an extremely short timeline. Led the backend development and system integrations. Responsible for millions of checkins across NSW.

React HooksReact NativeReduxTypeScriptNode.jsFirebase JestReact Testing LibraryDetoxWireMock

Vehicle Registration Renewal

RMS Transactions team at Service NSW

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/renew-vehicle-registration

Led the replacement of the legacy system into a Test-Driven and easily maintainable Spring Boot application, enabling significant cost savings from system stability.

Spring BootKotlinReactTypeScriptApigee JUnit 5Spring Boot TestMockKJestTestCafeWireMock

COVID-19 Test Result Notifications

Mobile App team at Service NSW

Led the Mobile App Team in delivering COVID-19 test results through push notifications in the Service NSW Mobile App. Responsible for delivering tens of thousands of COVID-19 test results per day.

React NativeReduxTypeScriptNode.jsFirebase JestReact Testing LibraryDetoxWireMock

Government Payments Platform

Payments team at Service NSW

Helped the Payments team build the NSW Government Payment System, responsible for processing tens of millions of dollars daily.

Spring BootKotlinVueVueXES6+RabbitMQPostgresApigee JUnit 5Spring Boot TestMockitoJestWireMockCypress

Contractor Licence

Service For Business at Service NSW

https://mybusiness.service.nsw.gov.au/transactions/electrical-individual-contractor-licence/ready-to-start

Led the transformation of the time-consuming contractor licence application form into a digital experience, enabling significant time savings for Tradespeople and back office staff.

Spring BootKotlinReactReduxES6+PostgresApigee JUnit 5Spring Boot TestMockitoJestTestCafeWireMock

Active Kids and Creative Kids vouchers

Vouchers and Rebates team at Service NSW

https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/campaign/active-kids

Helped the Vouchers and Rebates team create the Active Kids/Creative Kids voucher website and backend system from scratch to replace the legacy application.

Spring BootKotlinVueVueXES6+PostgresApigee JUnit 5Spring Boot TestMockitoJestCypress

Notification API

Tell Government Once team at Service NSW

Helped the TGO team create a microservice responsible for maintaining citizens most recent contact information and contact preferences. If you've gotten an email notification from Service NSW, it's gone through this API.

Spring BootKotlinReactES6+PostgresApigee JUnit 4Spring Boot TestMockitoJestCypress

Cafe, Restaurant and Small Business application

Service For Business at Service NSW

https://mybusiness.service.nsw.gov.au/dashboard

Helped Service NSW digitize forms for opening a cafe, restaurant, or small Business

Spring BootKotlinReactUnistoreES6+PostgresApigee JUnit 5Spring Boot TestMockitoJestCypress

ValConnect

CoreLogic

Helped CoreLogic build and deliver a mobile app for quickly performing property assessments.

React NativeReduxES6+JavaSpring DetoxJest

Telstra Essential Sales Assistant

Telstra

Built an internal application used by the sales organization as a one-stop-shop for supporting enterprise sales.

KotlinSpring BootReactReduxSemantic UIES6+Apigee JestJUnit 4Spring Boot TestCypress

Prepaid Recharge

Telstra

https://www.telstra.com.au/mobile-phones/prepaid-mobiles/prepaid-recharge

Built the system to collect payments and reinstate service for Telstra's prepaid service customers.

KotlinSpring BootReactReduxES6+ JestSpring Boot Test

Mavenlink

2.5 yrs.

San Francisco, California

Software Engineer,

Jul 2017 to Feb 2018

Engineering Consultant,

Sep 2016 to Jun 2017

Engineering Intern,

Jun 2015 to Jun 2016

Mavenlink is a project management and resourcing suite used by the likes of Coca Cola and Salesforce.

Rotated across multiple feature teams doing full-stack pair programming and test-driven development on production features. Experienced Lean Product Management while working with PMs with week-long sprints, User Centered Design while working closely with designers, and Extreme programming from doing pair programming day to day with incredibly talented teams.

Led a team to develop the core search capabilities on Mavenlink user-generated content using ElasticSearch.

Started a software consultancy and hired engineers to contract with Mavenlink. Led development of invoice templating system used by thousands of Mavenlink customers. Designed and implemented a library used across Mavenlink to parse and format international currencies.

As a Mid-level Engineer on the Business Intelligence team, I built and maintained an ETL that converts relational data into a data model for business analytics. As well, I worked on the support team where I investigated complex system bugs and designed comprehensive solutions.

The technologies I used most were:

RubyRailsES6+ReactElastic Search

I test drove with:

JasmineJestRSpecSelenium

Sightline Innovation

6 mos.

London, Ontario

Software Developer,

Sep 2014 to Mar 2015

Sightline is a machine and deep learning cloud services company.

I joined a small team in charge of creating a web app to visualize realtime traffic data. We were a team of students given a massive codebase where UI elements were generated with XML, and communicated with a Node backend using an RPC architecture. We weren't given any onboarding, and we were to either sink or swim.

By a deadline we were to prove that our team could add full stack features to this codebase. Despite our team trying, we couldn't crack it.

A friend and I pulled an all-nighter to figure it out a day before this team's plug was pulled. We managed to figure out the intricacies of generating UI elements, interfacing with the backend over RPC, and integrating with the database. This massive effort saved the team and allowed us to move forward developing features on this project.

Went on to lead the team in architecture patterns such that we could parallelize feature development and integrate features seamlessly.

The technologies I used most were:

Node.jsSencha ExtJSMongoDBPostgreSQL

Reviews

Pathzero

Rhett Blanch

Head of Platform Architecture, Pathzero

I have had the pleasure of working with Joe over the past six months, and I am consistently impressed by his technical skills and desire to take on board the "view of the customer". A set of workshops he ran with the Engineering team have helped guide decisions on improving the platform.

Joe is a great communicator, always making sure to keep the team informed and on track through direct collaboration or running training.

Joe is proactive, recommending improvements processes and practices.

He is a great asset to any team.

Feb 3, 2023 - Rhett managed Joe directly at Pathzero

John van der Loo

Senior Frontend Engineer, Pathzero

Joe has been amazing to work with. Our working relationship has been short-ish, but during that time it has become clear that he is an incredibly smart and passionate software engineer. During his time at Pathzero, Joe has really improved our testing foundation and strategies – the guy is incredibly passionate about Journey/Integration tests so that user journeys are represented throughout.

Straight up engineering isn't the only thing he cares about. Joe has been involved in improving our processes and strategy for working together. By mapping out solutions, and perhaps most importantly, understanding the value of and seeking the input of others while doing this. He's built out some great frameworks that we'll continue to use for gathering input and mapping user journeys. Joe also communicated findings very clearly to engineers and management alike, and he was able to communicate effectively to both audiences.

Personality wise, Joe is kind, warm, and has a good sense of humour, all of which helped him to quickly build a rapport with the team.

Overall, Joe is an incredibly solid software engineer and I would not hesitate in the slightest to recommend him for a position and I genuinely look forward to working with him again in the future.

January 25, 2023 - JVDL worked with Joe at Pathzero

Carrie Markel

Senior Product Designer, Pathzero

Joe is that rare breed of developer who can think through and execute complex technical problems while just as easily switching to conversations around design and product.

His thoughtful questions and attention to detail have helped me think through problems more deeply as a designer while also pushing our team to adopt better processes for working together more effectively.

On top of it all, Joe's warm demeanour and sense of humour make it easy and enjoyable to work with him every day. I'll truly miss him and hope we'll work again together down the road.

January 23, 2023 - Carrie worked with Joe at Pathzero

Daniel Hay

Engineering Team Lead, Pathzero

I worked with Joe for six months, and in that time he designed a complete rebuild of our core server side code and an overhaul of our testing strategy.

Joe develops solutions that take input from everyone, that are sane, robust, and that would meet anyone's standards for excellence.

Joe is a very talented and knowledgeable engineer, but more important than that, he is an outstanding solution builder and communicator.

January 24, 2023 - Daniel worked with Joe at Pathzero

VMware Pivotal Labs

Amjad Sidqi

Senior Director, Roam Digital

It's hard to put into words just how valuable Joe is to Pivotal Labs Sydney. Joe is one of a kind developer. He exudes passion and commitment for understanding the problem space and breaking it into small chunks that help deliver value to market as soon as possible. I've seen Joe take unmanaged backlogs by the scruff of the neck and put together plans for teams to get started. Being an awesome developer he leads by example and ensures quality is not sacrificed for speed.

How is Joe able to do this? Very rarely have I come across a software engineer with the facilitation skills of Joe. He works with teams that gravitate towards his magnetic personality, earning trust and respect immediately. I have seen him facilitate user story mapping sessions where gaps in the team's knowledge would have normally blocked a team from delivery. Joe can bring clarity and helps teams to not over-think or engineer solutions all while having a great time. Joe brings teams together and helps a normal team become great!

As the manager of Pivotal Labs Sydney Joe gives me huge confidence, I have been able to staff him on greenfield projects, rewrites, mobile app developments, and complex legacy strangulations. Whatever the industry, project, or technology Joe has the maturity, clarity of thought, professionalism and consulting skills to help ensure great outcomes are achieved for users and our clients. As a software engineer Joe earns my highest recommendation.

October 25, 2020 - Amjad managed Joe directly at VMware Pivotal Labs

David Julia

Engineering Leader, Netflix

Joe is a really solid engineer, who looks beyond just engineering to make sure that whatever project he's on is setup for success. On the engineering front I've been impressed by Joe's ability to quickly pickup new concepts, apply them, and explain them back to people. Over the last few years I've seen Joe's understanding of various kinds of systems and architectures grow as he's solved problems in different domains. Both in terms of engineering and in general, Joe is also a very effective communicator who seeks first to understand where others are coming from before jumping in with an opinion. Glad to have Joe on the team!

November 2, 2020 - David managed Joe directly at VMware Pivotal Labs

Fede Lopez Laborda

Software Development Manager, Amazon

Joe was my report for almost 3 years. I was struck at how quickly he adapted to the team and started adding value since day 1. He rapidly became a key team member, respected by his peers and clients. He does not hesitate to lead the most challenging tasks and bring them to completion. His ability to write clean code is unparalleled, he always makes sure the code scales and edge cases are tested. He also leads the team and makes sure they build the right thing by raising awareness when developers are distracted or the backlog is unclear. I would be privileged to have Joe in my team again and I am happy to recommend him, he is a great asset for any company looking for talent.

October 26, 2020 - Fede managed Joe directly at VMware Pivotal Labs

Joseph Bonifacio

Principal Product Engineer, Service NSW

Joe has a very unique gift of being able to drive a team towards success with not only his technical expertise, but also his dynamic energy. His passion and excitement for the work he his involved in extends beyond himself as he is always putting the teams success at the forefront. He was paramount to the success of our team in critical features we have developed and really led from the front from day one. Joe is as technically gifted as they come, and when you combine that with his ability to communicate and engage with people, then you have a very rare gift which he uses to elevate those around him towards success.

October 24, 2020 - Joseph worked with Joe at Service NSW

Christian Warren

Principal Engineer, Service NSW

I worked with Joe on an engagement between Pivotal and Service NSW, working on one of the most complex and important transactions. It's difficult to put into words the extent of Joe's drive and enthusiasm - he was relentless in pushing the project forward, but always cheerful, and fun to work with. His understanding of the current systems involved were spot on and he literally became an expert in a matter of weeks (something which has taken me years at SNSW). Also technically brilliant, very knowledgable across the full stack, genuinely interested in his work and a great teacher to boot. I consider myself lucky to work with Joe - as I finished the engagement with a lot more knowledge than I started with thanks to him.

October 28, 2020 - Christian worked with Joe at Service NSW

Gary Barnett

Executive Manager, IAG

It's been a pleasure to work with Joe for around 5 months on a Pivotal engagement with IAG, he has impressed with his ability to understand the objectives of our initiative, his outstanding software engineering and with the clarity and engaging nature that he has interacted with our stakeholders. I would highly recommend Joe and look forward to the next opportunity to collaborate again.

March 8, 2021 - Gary worked with Joe at IAG

Ozlem Eskicioglu

Group Product Director, Service NSW

Joe is a rare find - the type of team mate who energises those around him and galvanises them towards an outcome. An excellent coach and communicator, Joe has a real knack for simplifying the complex and getting everyone on the same page. An asset to any team.

May 14, 2021 - Ozlem worked with Joe at Service NSW

Elizabeth Bridge

Senior Product Manager, Sonic Healthcare

I've been working with Joe for several months now, he has an enthusiasm and vibrance worth cloning. Joe brings a wealth of engineering knowledge to the team and he is a great communicator, ensuring he always communicates for mutual understanding. It's been a pleasure working with Joe and I will miss his energy when he moves to another engagement.

April 4, 2022 - Elizabeth worked with Joe at Sonic Healthcare

Mavenlink

Paulette Carlson

VP of Engineering, Mavenlink

Impressive colleague. Stellar human. Curious soul. I worked closely with and had the privilege of coaching Joe through his year long internship at Mavenlink. Joe brings a thoughtful and committed attitude to anything he chooses to do - he's fiercely caring, exceptionally courageous and wicked smart. From a coaching standpoint, I learned quickly that Joe only asks hard questions. His willingness and capability to take action on interesting and challenging problems, whether they relate to code or interpersonal dynamics, make Joe someone with exceptional integrity on the job and in his personal life. One last thing, he may as well make 'adventurous fun seeker' his middle name because he's always up to something to make his life and the lives of those around him more interesting. Do not miss out on an opportunity to get to know or work with this man.

October 28, 2016 - Paulette managed Joe directly at Mavenlink

Andrew Huth

Staff Software Engineer, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative

Joe and I worked very closely together, and he was critical to the success of our team. No one cares more about continuously improving themselves, or about doing whatever it takes to help a team succeed. Also, Joe proved extremely technically capable. He participated in several large-scale projects, and managed one implementing ElasticSearch. Thank you Joe, for being a great teammate!

July 14, 2016 - Andrew managed Joe directly at Mavenlink

Sightline Innovation

Morgan Moskalyk

Founder & Computer Researcher, Deep6

It's rare that you come across standout talent like Joe. Joe is always the first and most willing developer to take on the hardest tasks during lengthy sprints. With great enthusiasm and character, Joe ventures through unchartered territory with little guidance proving consistent results. A valued member of our team as both a developer and teammate, I am confident in Joe's technical capacity as much as I am with his leadership direction amongst the rest of the team to get the job done. My honest opinion is that every development team needs a 'Joe'.

February 18, 2015 - Morgan managed Joe directly at Sightline Innovation

Education

Western University

Bachelors of Engineering Science: Software Engineering

London Ontario, Canada

Let's Talk!

Joe Gaebel

Github | LinkedIn | Mission Statement | Articles

joe@joegaebel.com