Nicholas George Wieland ngw

Backend lead for OPEN, a complex Ruby on Rails procurement management system serving IFAD's international operations.

Key contributions: built comprehensive help system (backend + frontend), implemented file upload functionality with ActiveStorage, enhanced internal journal system, and resolved critical backend bugs impacting system reliability.

Architected multi-locale support (English, French, Spanish) with multi-currency handling for international operations across different regions.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, ActiveStorage

Built Data Catalogue web application from scratch, leading a development team of junior engineers.

Designed and implemented JSON API endpoints enabling ministries to upload data catalogues, with automated background job system for HTTP endpoint synchronization. Containerized entire application and established CI/CD pipeline for Heroku deployment.

Provided technical mentorship to junior developers throughout the project lifecycle. MVP delivered successfully, securing funding for continued development.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Docker, Heroku

Backend architect for MVP launch across web, iOS, and Android platforms, bringing cryptocurrency wallet access to African markets.

Developed critical microservices including administration service (Rails with SSO authentication) and user management service. Orchestrated service communication via HTTP APIs across distributed architecture.

Successfully scaled infrastructure in response to rapid user growth, collaborating with DevOps team to handle increased traffic loads.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, Grape, PostgreSQL, Docker, AWS

Backend developer on the Connect team, contributing to multiple microservices across Soho House's distributed architecture, including profile-service, checkin-service, and hook.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Docker, RabbitMQ, Kubernetes

Core contributor to the Early Career Framework application, supporting teacher professional development across England.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Docker, GitHub Actions

Led dependency management and security vulnerability remediation across multiple production applications.

Orchestrated cloud migration strategy: containerized legacy applications with Docker, implemented security scanning pipelines, and deployed to AWS infrastructure with CI/CD automation via CircleCI and Jenkins.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, AWS, Docker, CircleCI, Jenkins

Lead backend developer for complete platform rewrite, architecting microservices-based solution.

Designed and built multiple microservices, developed custom CMS administration panel, and collaborated with external teams on main portal rebuild.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, AWS, Kubernetes

Solo backend developer for Book a Secure Move API, managing prisoner transport logistics across UK prison system.

Normalized complex data structures, implemented document upload system with ActiveStorage, and built webhook infrastructure for real-time event notifications.

Gained expertise in API documentation with Swagger and JSON API specification compliance.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, AWS, Kubernetes, Swagger, JSON API

Tech lead maintaining video hosting platform and architecting microservices migration following Dacast merger.

Balanced legacy application maintenance with new feature development while planning and executing service decomposition strategy.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, AWS, Serverless Framework

Evaluated existing application and led development relocation from Ljubljana to London.

Recruited and mentored junior developer, selected modern technology stack (Rails + Elm), and rebuilt entire platform including AWS infrastructure with guidance from The Scale Factory engineers.

Successfully implemented functional reactive programming with Elm for frontend, demonstrating ability to adopt emerging technologies.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, Elm, AWS

Payments team member developing unified administration interface for all company services, built from scratch with Phoenix Framework and PostgreSQL.

Built authentication layer for Ruby API endpoints and developed Elixir library enabling cross-service communication between Phoenix admin application and Ruby microservices.

Stack: Ruby on Rails, Elixir, Phoenix Framework, PostgreSQL

During my short stay I helped in the development of their new E-Commerce site . I was the only developer working for them and I had to manage the project with external developers: the website was very complex as Antonioli is available worldwide and has to take care of the different tax rates and regulations and also have a very thorough administration interface to allow non techinical users to manage the products and the sale process.

I also had to maintain their legacy website, which was a disgraceful mess in RubyOnRails 2.0 developed by many people in the time span of more than 6 years.

The technologies involved were Ruby and RubyOnRails, the new website was built using the Spree framework.

I worked with the founders to build the Sportboom website project from the ground up, starting from a website in PHP/MySQL that I was in charge to port to RubyOnRails/PostgreSQL with many new features.
A very important part of the job was to obtain good rankings on the main search engines, and to accomplish this I had to work close to a SEO and implement all the features he needed. The company wanted to build a marketplace for sport enthusiasts were users could find recreation activities to engage at the cheapest price.

I also had to search and hire a designer and a junior developer to help me out as part of the job.

The technologies involved were Ruby and RubyOnRails, with PostgreSQL as database.
I could also use Bootstrap for the first time to build the frontend.

I obtained a seed fund from H-Farm to develop an idea I had while at my previous job.

I implemented the whole StyleJam platform again from the ground up.
The startup was a reinterpretetion of the old CSS Zen Garden where designers could enter their personal data and style with CSS a common page with their data and their own designs, pretty much like Carbonmade meets the CSS Zen Garden.

I developed the Zooppa website from the ground up, caring about the implementation, maintenance , architecture, and taking every technological choice from the very beginning.
Zooppa generates high quality video and graphic design content for advertising campaigns. Marketers and agencies from the world’s top brands use Zooppa’s crowdsourcing platform to connect with an online creative community of over 350,000 members.

I managed the product for clients like Google, Microsoft, Sun, AT&T, Samsung, Fiat and many others, interacting with their development teams on a daily basis.
I also built the development team from the very beginning hiring the developers, designers and system administrators I needed.

The tecnhologies involved were Ruby and RubyOnRails on a MySQL RDBMS.

I helped the team to startup the company, rewriting a Java application in Ruby on Rails. The rewrite was a huge success, the codebase was completely covered by tests so we’ve been able to release a product with very few defects and a reduced / cleaner codebase.

Hotchalk leverages data and technology to support all phases of the student life cycle, and enables industry-leading student retention and graduation rates. The site had more than 30k registered users on the first day, and is now helping hundreds of schools to keep pupils, teachers and parents connected.

The tecnhologies involved were Ruby and RubyOnRails on a MySQL RDBMS.

I worked with the Assembla team to the initial implementation of their Breakout system, a website very similar to what Github became years later, but based on svn and trac, and aimed at helping developers hosting their source code and manage the whole development team.

Initially, Breakout was written in Ruby and RubyOnRails on a MySQL RDBMS. It also used extensively Subverision and Trac.

I authored a chapter of the first book in italian language about Ruby Ruby per applicazioni web, explaining how to use databases in Ruby. The book is still around and I find mentions of it pretty much everywhere on italian IT groups.

After my first work experience I wanted to gain as much experience as I could, so I started to work as a consultant for many italian companies while working myself on some free software projects like the Application Server Zope.

My customers included Monte dei Paschi di Siena (they still has some of my systems in production), Telecom and many others.

I wrote everything I could, from websites to client software for Fax Servers. The languages involved were mainly Python, PHP and to a minor extent Java.

At neato I built their e-commerce, their CRM systems and I administered their servers.
It was my first working experience and I learned a lot.

The e-commerce site was in PHP, ported from an ASP3 site. The CRM in Zope. Their 3 servers were using FreeBSD and hosting some internal services.

I always loved animals and dogs in particular, and I wanted to build something to help stray dogs find a new home.

I developed the PetsWantPats website to help people in search of a new dog to find the perfect match.
PetsWantPats is a search engine that lets dog shelters list their dogs for adoption.

The entire project is financed by me and is a nonprofit.

The website is in RubyOnRails with some Javascript. I wanted to experiment a bit and learn in the process, that's why the whole frontend is in HAML.
The DBMS is PostgreSQL and the search engine is built around Elastic Search.