jives
SEEKING FREELANCE/CONTRACT WORK — I build production software for founders and growing teams. Full-stack engineering across Rails, Vue, and React, with AI-augmented workflows. 25 years of shipping, leading teams, and owning technical direction.
I spent a decade as CTO at EMEX, growing the engineering team from scratch through private equity acquisition. Today I operate through Brightform Technology, working with founders who need senior-level engineering without a full-time hire. The kind of problems where product sense and architectural judgment matter as much as code output.
Past work:
* Led all frontend architecture for an IoT platform processing high-volume sensor data across nationwide deployments. Built real-time building floorplan visualization, time-series HVAC dashboards, and a modular device configuration system.
* First engineering hire → CTO at EMEX. Built the flagship real-time reverse auction platform that drove seven-figure annual sales. Grew and led a team of 6 through acquisition.
Best fit: founders with a clear idea and the budget to move fast. You might have Figma mockups, a vibe-coded prototype, or just a well-defined concept. I bring product direction alongside the engineering.
Location: Hood River, OR
Remote: Yes
Willing to relocate: No
Technologies: Vue, React, TypeScript, Ruby, Rails, GraphQL, Claude Code, Convex, PostgreSQL
Résumé/CV: jasonives.com
Email: [email protected]
SEEKING FREELANCE/CONTRACT WORK — I build production software for founders and growing teams. Full-stack engineering across Rails, Vue, and React, with AI-augmented workflows. 25 years of shipping, leading teams, and owning technical direction.I spent a decade as CTO at EMEX, growing the engineering team from scratch through private equity acquisition. Today I operate through Brightform Technology, working with founders who need senior-level engineering without a full-time hire. The kind of problems where product sense and architectural judgment matter as much as code output.
Past work:
* Led all frontend architecture for an IoT platform processing high-volume sensor data across nationwide deployments. Built real-time building floorplan visualization, time-series HVAC dashboards, and a modular device configuration system.
* First engineering hire → CTO at EMEX. Built the flagship real-time reverse auction platform that drove seven-figure annual sales. Grew and led a team of 6 through acquisition.
Best fit: founders with a clear idea and the budget to move fast. You might have Figma mockups, a vibe-coded prototype, or just a well-defined concept. I bring product direction alongside the engineering.
As someone who has dealt with OCD and perfectionism, I think that could be the case for a lot of people. And the urge to obsessively track everything can be debilitating.
(I used to develop live auction software.)
* User-defined node types * Node properties * Customizable node display & styling * Programmable hooks for various events * Links between nodes * Dynamic "query" nodes
Starting with a web interface.
Location: Oregon, US (Remote)
Experienced full stack Rails developer with a strong focus on product. I partner with companies to see their visions come to life.
Primary Skills:
● Ruby
● Rails
● React
● MySQL & Postgres
● Database modeling & SQL
Product highlights: custom CRM; real-time reverse auction platform; dynamic contract generation.
I have a proven history of working remotely for both startups and established companies. References available.
Please email: [email protected]
EMEX is a rapidly growing online energy broker. We have an innovative reverse auction platform that lets customers buy cheaper electricity and natural gas without the hassle. Our proprietary broker management system powers our internal operations and that of many of our partners.
We're looking for a full-time senior software engineer to join our small team. You'll primarily work on our extensive backend platform and our frontend auction experience. You'd be great fit if you've got strong Ruby skills, love working with large object-oriented systems, and approach your profession with excellence.
Our primary stack: Ruby, Rails, MySQL, Redis, ElasticSearch, React.
If you'd like to learn more or apply, I'd love to hear from you. You can email me at: ives.j [at] emexllc.com.
EMEX is a rapidly growing online energy broker. We have an innovative reverse auction platform that lets customers buy cheaper electricity and natural gas without the hassle. Our proprietary broker management system powers our internal operations and that of many of our partners.
We're looking for a full-time senior software engineer to join our small team. You'll primarily work on our extensive backend platform and our frontend auction experience. You'd be great fit if you've got strong Ruby skills, love working with large object-oriented systems, and approach your profession with excellence.
Our primary stack: Ruby, Rails, MySQL, Redis, ElasticSearch, React.
Ideal candidate will be near Houston, TX or Portland, OR, but I'm open to remote (in US only) for the right person.
If you'd like to learn more or apply, email me at: ives.j [at] emexllc.com.
EMEX is a rapidly growing online energy broker. We have an innovative reverse auction platform that lets customers buy cheaper electricity and natural gas without the hassle. Our proprietary broker management system powers our internal operations and that of many of our partners.
I am looking for a full-time senior software engineer to join our small team. You'll primarily work on our extensive backend platform, and will also improve our frontend auction experience.
Ideal candidate will be near Houston or Portland, but I'm open to remote (in US only) for the right person.
Stack:
- Ruby, Rails
- MySQL, Redis & ElasticSearch
- React and Redux
- RSpec, Capybara and Continuous Integration
What we're looking for: - Strong OO design and development skills
- Expertise in Ruby and RoR
- Curiosity and desire to learn
- Excellent communication skills
- A focus on delivering value
- The ability to see projects through to completion
If you'd like to learn more or apply, email me at: ives.j [at] emexllc.comYears ago I put into practice David Allen's Getting Things Done methodology. While I've significantly customized my own process since then, I still use techniques like immediate capture. When a todo / idea / concern comes up, I quickly capture it in a holding area and get back to what I was doing. Then I intentionally revisit that list at regular intervals to pick off items with my full attention.
Your time will usually be much more fractured than it was a dev, as you track multiple ongoing projects at various levels of detail. If you try to keep everything in your head, you will most likely start dropping balls, and if there's anyone who shouldn't drop balls, it's a PM.
So, my advice: make lists and track the status of everything you can.
"A large percentage of my time as a PM (project manager) was spent making ordered lists." - Scott Berkun [1]