Julian Matherson
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Julian Matherson

Senior Software Engineer | Product Engineer

I build and maintain Rails products that people use under real operational pressure. My recent work is ClearLink: patient records, prescription workflows, documents, messaging, admin tools, and connected phototherapy device support. Before that I worked on event ticketing, financial-planning simulations, automotive messaging, sports ordering, and early open-source Rails work. I am best in product teams that need calm debugging, practical architecture, and code that is easy for the next engineer to change.

Technical core

Ruby on Rails is my main tool. I use PostgreSQL, Redis, Hotwire, Stimulus, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, REST APIs, webhooks, background jobs, and secure file/device workflows when the product needs them. I care most about the boring parts that keep production software healthy: permissions, data constraints, auditability, deployment risk, clear UI behavior, and debugging from the running system.

I prefer Rails-centered interfaces over unnecessary front-end weight. The code I like writing has clear models, small controllers, service objects only where they earn their keep, database rules where correctness matters, and interactions that are fast enough to trust. I am comfortable in Git, Linux, SSH, Docker, Aptible, S3, CI, logs, and release work.

Languages

Ruby, JavaScript, HTML, CSS

Frameworks

Ruby on Rails, Rails 8 patterns, Hotwire, Stimulus

Databases & state

PostgreSQL, Redis, database constraints, records, permissions, auditability

APIs & workflows

REST APIs, webhooks, background jobs, secure file and device workflows

Systems & tools

Git, Linux, SSH, Docker, Aptible, S3, CI workflows

Development support

AI-assisted research, code review prep, test planning, documentation, and release notes

Domains

Healthcare, financial planning, event technology, automotive messaging, sports ordering platforms

Experience

Senior Software Engineer | Phothera, formerly Daavlin Feb 2024 - Present | Remote / Texas

Healthcare and phototherapy software platform serving clinicians, patients, operations teams, and connected medical device workflows.

  • Own and extend production Ruby on Rails features for ClearLink, including patient records, prescription workflows, device operations, admin tooling, messaging, and document handling.
  • Build and maintain workflows that connect the Rails application to medical device behavior, internal support needs, and infrastructure concerns such as secure access, logs, files, and operational state.
  • Implemented remote device support tooling that helps operations teams perform safer resets and maintenance actions with less manual intervention.
  • Partner with CTO, device engineering, support, and operations stakeholders to convert ambiguous platform needs into scoped Rails changes that can ship safely.
  • Support rebrand and platform transitions while preserving production reliability for users already depending on the system.
  • Use AI-assisted development carefully for code review preparation, implementation planning, documentation, test case generation, and release notes without delegating ownership of correctness.
Ruby on Rails Developer | QuintEvents Jan 2023 - Feb 2024

Event management, ticketing, upgrade, and operations software supporting live event schedules.

  • Developed event management, ticketing, and upgrade flows in a production Ruby on Rails application.
  • Used Hotwire and Stimulus to ship interactive interfaces while keeping the stack Rails-centered and maintainable.
  • Improved API endpoints and database queries used by internal tooling and external consumers.
  • Worked with product and operations staff to align technical changes with event requirements, deadlines, and release windows.
Ruby on Rails Developer | Virtue Capital Management / Simplivisor Jan 2022 - Dec 2022

Financial planning and simulation platform for financial advisors and CPAs.

  • Built Ruby on Rails features for Simplivisor, a financial planning application used to model advisor scenarios and client-facing projections.
  • Reworked the simulation engine to support JSON-configured scenarios instead of a small set of fixed planning options.
  • Improved simulation performance enough to support interactive use and faster review by advisors.
  • Modeled cash flows, annuities, and time-based financial events in a way that kept results traceable and understandable.
  • Worked directly with the founding advisor to validate financial logic, edge cases, and presentation of results.
Ruby on Rails Developer | Snapcell Jul 2021 - Dec 2021

Video-centered customer engagement and messaging software for the automotive industry.

  • Implemented newsletter and autoresponder features in a Ruby on Rails product used for customer engagement.
  • Refactored backend services to improve maintainability as product usage and feature surface area increased.
  • Integrated external messaging and analytics services used by customer-facing workflows.
  • Released features on short timelines while preserving existing behavior in a live SaaS product.
Junior Ruby on Rails Developer | StartupDev / StadiumDrop Jan 2021 - Jun 2021

Concessions ordering platform integrated into sports venue and team application workflows.

  • Contributed to the REST API supporting food ordering inside the Dallas Cowboys application experience.
  • Worked with an external vendor to keep integration behavior stable during live event conditions.
  • Assisted with deployments and release processes in a startup environment.
  • Wrote production Ruby on Rails code under senior developer review.
Ruby on Rails Apprentice | Abdullah Hashim / PerfectQuran Jun 2020 - Dec 2020

Faith-based Rails application and reviewed open-source learning work.

  • Apprenticed under a senior Ruby on Rails developer with emphasis on practical Rails development.
  • Contributed to reviewed open-source Rails work while learning MVC structure, Git branching, pull requests, and testing basics.
  • Built early discipline around reading existing code before changing behavior.

Selected work

  • ClearLink device and patient operations: production Rails work spanning patient records, prescriptions, documents, messaging, dashboards, and connected device support.
  • Simplivisor simulation engine: JSON-configured financial scenario engine with improved performance and traceable advisor-facing outputs.
  • QuintEvents live event workflows: ticketing and upgrade functionality built around operational deadlines and event-specific requirements.
  • StadiumDrop API contribution: REST API work for a sports venue ordering flow connected to a professional team application.

Working style

I work best when the product context is close to the code. I ask enough questions to avoid guessing, keep changes small enough to review, and use the running application as the source of truth. I can own work independently, but I do not treat ownership as isolation: the best results come from clear tradeoffs, direct communication, and releases that support the people already using the system.