Gavin Lynch

Gavin Lynch

Engineer building platforms at scale across media, commerce, and enterprise.

SOFTWARE

ENGINEER

Passionate about building robust platforms and scalable systems. Specialize in transforming complex requirements into clean, production-grade architecture.

CORE

CAPABILITIES

Identity & Access Management

SSO, RBAC, OAuth2, audit-ready authorization services

Design and implement end-to-end authentication flows, fine-grained role-based permissions, and audit-trail workflows across enterprise platforms. Build secure authorization services that meet compliance requirements while staying transparent to end users. • Integrated Passport.js authentication strategies across Node.js applications • Implemented Okta SSO and identity federation for enterprise clients • Configured Microsoft 365 and Active Directory integration for corporate environments • Developed Shibboleth-based authentication for academic and research institutions

Passport.js Passport.js Okta Okta Microsoft 365 Microsoft 365 Active Directory Active Directory Shibboleth Shibboleth

Backend Platforms

APIs, microservices, GraphQL, event-driven architecture

Build scalable API layers, service orchestration patterns, and real-time data pipelines using Node.js, Ruby on Rails, and GraphQL. Architect event-driven systems with message queues and pub/sub patterns for high-throughput workloads.

TypeScript TypeScript Python Python Ruby Ruby FastAPI FastAPI Express Express Fastify Fastify MongoDB MongoDB PostgreSQL PostgreSQL SQLite SQLite

Cloud & Infrastructure

Infrastructure as code, serverless architecture, distributed systems

Design and deploy cloud-native applications using AWS services including Lambda, S3, CloudFront, RDS, and EC2. Provision infrastructure programmatically with AWS CDK (TypeScript/Python), declaratively with CloudFormation templates, and manage resources via AWS Management Console. Implement observability with CloudWatch, architect event-driven systems with SQS/SNS, and deploy, manage, and monitor distributed applications at scale.

AWS Lambda AWS Lambda AWS CDK AWS CDK CloudFormation CloudFormation AWS S3 AWS S3 CloudFront CloudFront AWS RDS AWS RDS CloudWatch CloudWatch

Frontend Engineering

React, component libraries, design systems, SSR/SSG

Build reusable component libraries at scale with Storybook-driven development, theming engines for multi-brand deployments, and performance-optimized rendering strategies. Deep experience with React, Next.js, TypeScript, and modern bundlers.

React React Next.js Next.js TypeScript TypeScript Storybook Storybook Tailwind Tailwind

Data & Content

CMS platforms, search, ETL, encrypted data pipelines

Build headless CMS integrations, Elasticsearch indexing pipelines, and ETL workflows for millions of encrypted records. Design content syndication systems and data migration strategies for enterprise-scale content operations.

PostgreSQL PostgreSQL Elasticsearch Elasticsearch Redis Redis MySQL MySQL GraphQL GraphQL

RECENT

PROJECTS

Excelwind

Excelwind

TypeScript

Declarative, JSX-based Excel generator with Tailwind-style styling

Excelwind lets you build .xlsx files using a custom JSX runtime and a Tailwind-inspired className API for styling. It renders spreadsheets through ExcelJS, supporting formulas, row/column merging, cell-level images, named ranges, and template expansion from existing Excel files.

The library includes a full validation pipeline, processors for conditional styling and row-level transforms, and a Group component for composing reusable sections. Designed for enterprise reporting workflows where spreadsheet output needs to be version-controlled, tested, and generated programmatically alongside application code.

TypeScript TypeScript Bun Bun tsdown tsdown
GitHub Documentation

unblessed-contrib

Terminal UI

Terminal UI library bringing blessed-contrib to unblessed with full truecolor support

A comprehensive extension that modernizes blessed-contrib for contemporary terminal environments, delivering rich data visualization and dashboard capabilities with cutting-edge color rendering.

  • • 100% blessed-contrib backwards compatibility - Drop-in replacement for existing blessed-contrib applications
  • • Full truecolor support - First-class 24-bit RGB color rendering with per-widget color mode control (Monocolor/B&W, 16, 256, and Truecolor)
  • • Enhanced Canvas APIs - Extended core libraries with advanced drawing primitives for complex visualizations
  • • Modern Markdown rendering - Completely rewritten with integrated syntax highlighting for code blocks
  • • Experimental Diff component - Purpose-built for AI code-assisting tools and version control interfaces
unblessed-contrib screenshot
Node.js Node.js TypeScript TypeScript
GitHub

nvim-window-wrapper

Lua

Neovim helper for cycling window navigation

Lua plugin for Neovim that provides intuitive cycling window navigation, wrapping around splits and tabs for a seamless editing workflow within the Neovim ecosystem.

Lua Lua Neovim Neovim

Hypervizier

Coming Soon

A meta-framework bridging the gap between AI + deterministic codegen

Framework-agnostic codegen tools designed to maximize AI capability by minimizing token usage with predictable codegen patterns.

TypeScript TypeScript Node.js Node.js

Garden

Coming Soon

A NestJS suite of Domain Driven Design and Schema-Driven tools

Rapidly prototype back-end services with clean, ergonomic, automated type systems available for both back and front end.

TypeScript TypeScript NestJS NestJS Node.js Node.js

20 YEARS OF

EXPERIENCE

Empty.Engineering

Founded a consulting practice focused on platform engineering, frontend architecture, and AI-augmented development for enterprise clients.

2022 - Present
TypeScript TypeScript React React Node.js Node.js Next.js Next.js NestJS NestJS Tailwind Tailwind OpenAI OpenAI SQLite SQLite SQL SQL PostgreSQL PostgreSQL MongoDB MongoDB Bun Bun Redux Redux Knex Knex AWS CDK AWS CDK CloudFront CloudFront AWS SQS AWS SQS AWS SNS AWS SNS AWS S3 AWS S3 AWS EC2 AWS EC2 AWS RDS AWS RDS AWS ELB AWS ELB CloudFormation CloudFormation Route 53 Route 53 AWS IAM AWS IAM Ruby Ruby Python Python

CNN

Led core platform work across a headless CMS ecosystem, revived revenue-critical syndication systems, and designed authorization services with audit workflows.

2020 - 2022
Node.js Node.js Vue Vue PostgreSQL PostgreSQL MongoDB MongoDB Redis Redis Elasticsearch Elasticsearch AWS Lambda AWS Lambda GraphQL GraphQL Python Python

Yum! Brands

Built a unified commerce foundation used across Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and KFC internationally. Delivered component libraries, i18n workflows, and encrypted data migrations.

2018 - 2020
React React Node.js Node.js PostgreSQL PostgreSQL Redis Redis Storybook Storybook Tailwind Tailwind AWS Lambda AWS Lambda

J. Walter Thompson

Owned frontend architecture for internal platforms and public sites at a 150+ year global advertising agency. Built an internal social network for 10,000+ employees.

2011 - 2018
Node.js Node.js Vue Vue React React MongoDB MongoDB WordPress WordPress AWS Lambda AWS Lambda AWS EC2 AWS EC2 AWS ELB AWS ELB AWS S3 AWS S3 Drupal Drupal PHP PHP Zend Zend Joomla Joomla KeystoneJS KeystoneJS Backbone.js Backbone.js

SubscriberMail

Worked on Ruby-based templating engine for email marketing company. Created Ruby on Rails CMS for clients with specialized needs. Created early-era Single Page App for secure archive of marketing material for financial services companies. Personally redesigned the entire Web Application, from an iframe-based web app to modern HTML/CSS standards, according to my own personal design, in 1 month's time.

2007 - 2011
Rails Rails Ruby Ruby MySQL MySQL WordPress WordPress PHP PHP XML XML CSS CSS JavaScript JavaScript

SELECTED

WORK

Global Media Platform

CNN

Led core platform work across a headless CMS ecosystem serving one of the world's largest news organizations, reviving revenue-critical content syndication and building authorization services with full audit-trail compliance.

  • • Revived revenue-critical RSS syndication system
  • • Designed authorization service with audit workflows
  • • Improved build performance across rendering engines
Node.js Node.js Vue Vue PostgreSQL PostgreSQL Redis Redis Elasticsearch Elasticsearch AWS Lambda AWS Lambda GraphQL GraphQL

Global Commerce Platform

Yum! Brands -- Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, KFC

Built a unified commerce foundation deployed across multiple brands and countries, delivering shared component libraries, internationalization workflows, and secure data migrations at enterprise scale.

  • • Delivered custom component library and theming engine
  • • Implemented i18n and localization workflows
  • • Executed ETL for million-plus encrypted records
React React Node.js Node.js PostgreSQL PostgreSQL Redis Redis Storybook Storybook Tailwind Tailwind AWS Lambda AWS Lambda

Agency-Scale Internal Systems

J. Walter Thompson -- 150+ year global agency

Owned frontend architecture for internal platforms and public-facing sites during the digital transformation of one of the world's oldest advertising agencies, including an internal social network connecting 10,000+ employees worldwide.

  • • Built internal social network for 10,000+ employees
  • • Delivered corporate website rebrands and SEO upgrades
  • • Integrated SSO, search indexing, and content tooling
Node.js Node.js Vue Vue React React WordPress WordPress AWS Lambda AWS Lambda

Compliance & Archival Tools

SubscriberMail -- SaaS for financial services

Developed early single-page applications for SEC-compliant email archiving and marketing analytics, serving financial services teams with strict regulatory requirements.

  • • Built early SPA for SEC-compliant email archiving
  • • Designed canvas-based data visualization tools
  • • Created CMS and campaign integrations
Rails Rails Ruby Ruby MySQL MySQL WordPress WordPress

Terminal UI Modernization

Open-source -- unblessed

Modernized the blessed terminal UI ecosystem with truecolor support, maintaining full backward compatibility while expanding the component library for the Node.js terminal UI community.

  • • Implemented truecolor support with per-widget color modes
  • • Built 100% blessed API compatibility for migrations
  • • Expanded blessed-contrib component compatibility
Node.js Node.js TypeScript TypeScript

LANGUAGES, TECH,

& TOOLS

Languages

TypeScript
TypeScript
SQL
SQL
Ruby
Ruby
Python
Python
6502 ASM
6502 ASM

Frameworks & Libraries

React
React
Next.js
Next.js
NestJS
NestJS
Redux
Redux
Express
Express
Fastify
Fastify
FastAPI
FastAPI
Flask
Flask
Rails
Rails
Vue
Vue
WordPress
WordPress
Tailwind CSS
Tailwind CSS
Vite
Vite

Runtimes, Build Tools & Dev Tools

Node.js
Node.js
Bun
Bun
Deno
Deno
esbuild
esbuild
tsdown
tsdown
Webpack
Webpack
Storybook
Storybook

APIs & Data

GraphQL
GraphQL
PostgreSQL
PostgreSQL
MongoDB
MongoDB
MySQL
MySQL
SQLite
SQLite
Redis
Redis
Elasticsearch
Elasticsearch
Knex
Knex
Prisma
Prisma
Drizzle
Drizzle
Kysely
Kysely
TypeORM
TypeORM

Cloud & Infrastructure

AWS Lambda
AWS Lambda
AWS CDK
AWS CDK
CloudFront
CloudFront
AWS S3
AWS S3
AWS EC2
AWS EC2
AWS RDS
AWS RDS
AWS ELB
AWS ELB
AWS SQS
AWS SQS
AWS SNS
AWS SNS
CloudFormation
CloudFormation
Route 53
Route 53
AWS IAM
AWS IAM
CloudWatch
CloudWatch

AI & Tooling

OpenAI
OpenAI
Cursor
Cursor
OpenCode
OpenCode

Dev Environment

Neovim
Neovim
tmux
tmux
iTerm2
iTerm2

DOWNLOAD

RESUME

Gavin Lynch -- Senior Software Engineer

Full resume available as PDF

  • 20 years across enterprise, agency, and startup environments
  • Platform architecture for media, commerce, and identity systems
  • Full-stack: React, TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, Ruby on Rails
  • Open-source maintainer and contributor
Download PDF

LET'S WORK

TOGETHER

Chicago, IL

US Central Time

Ho Chi Minh City

Indochina Time

CST / ICT

Flexible overlap for US and APAC teams

Get in touch

hey@gavin-lyn.ch

Built by Gavin Lynch. Based in Chicago, working globally.