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Nicholas Pezza

Senior Software Engineer
pezza.co

Contact Info

Open Source

Solid Cable
Created and maintain Solid Cable, a database-backed Action Cable adapter. Promoted to the Rails GitHub organization and new the default Action Cable adapter in Rails 8.(GitHub: rails/solid_cable)
ActiveInsights & ActiveError
Developed two Rails engines: ActiveInsights tracks response times and RPM within Rails applications without relying on third-party services, and ActiveError monitors and logs errors natively within Rails apps.(GitHub: npezza93/activeinsights, npezza93/activeerror)
RediSearch Gem
Created a Ruby gem to interface with Redis’ RediSearch module, offering seamless integration with Ruby on Rails applications. (GitHub: npezza93/redi_search)
ttags
A CLI tool written in Rust to generate ctags using Tree-sitter queries to create more accurate ctags. (GitHub: npezza93/ttags)

Languages & Frameworks

  • Ruby
  • Ruby on Rails
  • Hotwire(Turbo & Stimulus)
  • Kamal
  • JavaScript
  • Solid Queue/Cache/Cable
  • ERB/HAML/Slim
  • SCSS & SASS
  • TailwindCSS
  • Rust

Programming Tools

  • Git/GitHub
  • SQLite
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • RediSearch
  • Sidekiq
  • Heroku
  • Elasticsearch
  • AWS
  • Cloudflare

Work Experience

beehiiv

Senior Software Engineer | Mar 2025 - Present
  • Improved the subscriber database by restructuring how custom subscriber data is stored, enabling publishers to more easily organize and segment audiences based on attributes like dates, numbers, text, booleans, and lists. This allowed for advanced subscriber targeting and significantly reduced query times.

Working Not Working

Senior Software Engineer | Apr 2022 - Feb 2025
  • Sole developer responsible for all aspects of development using Ruby on Rails, Turbo, and Stimulus, including AWS infrastructure, feature engineering, bug resolution, and performance optimization.
  • Developed NTRNL, an enterprise version of Working Not Working, built with Ruby on Rails, Turbo, and Stimulus, enabling companies to track and better utilize their internal talent with customizable features for each client.
  • Transitioned the deployment process from Capistrano to Kamal, and migrated our custom Cloudinary file upload solution to ActiveStorage integrated with R2. Implemented the Solid suite of database-backed adapters—Solid Cable and Solid Cache to replace Redis for Action Cable and caching functionalities—and swapped DelayedJob with Solid Queue for Active Job.
  • Collaborated with UI designers to reimagine the creative user sign-up process, introducing automatic pre-filling of images and videos for projects to streamline onboarding by scraping the users’ portfolio page.
  • Partnered with UI designers to overhaul the employer onboarding experience, simplifying job creation and introducing free and quarterly subscription tiers, each with different capabilities.
  • Built a cold outreach application in Ruby on Rails with SQLite, designed to automate lead generation for the platform. The app scraped job posting sites for specific job titles, evaluated fit for the platform using AI, identified hiring managers, and initiated contact through a sequence of email templates.

N2 Publishing

Senior Software Engineer | Sep 2015 - Apr 2019 — Dec 2019 - Apr 2022
  • Lead developer on a team that created a Rails application that tracks and progresses publications through the entire print process by utilizing digital press APIs until they are ultimately shipped to increase efficiency and gather insight. Worked with product managers to hone requirements, develop required tasks and sprints.
  • A maintainer of a large, legacy, order entry and payment application that was built using Ruby on Rails in an Agile environment. Some of the larger features completed include refactoring how commissions are determined and displayed, scoping the application to handle different publication products with separate business rules and production schedules, refactoring the API for payment processing, analyzing and fixing performance issues. Some of my other responsibilities included reviewing, merging, and deploying code changes, and investigating bug tickets.
  • Developed and tested features for a new publication management system, that utilizes Ruby on Rails, which tracks publications' design status, aid communication between clients and ad designers, increase productivity, and decrease costs.
  • Created and maintained a Rails engine for managing single sign-on and off for all of N2’s distributed systems using SAML.

Spoonflower

Senior Software Engineer | Apr 2019 - Dec 2019
  • Improved and resolved performance bottlenecks of a Rails API by using various techniques such as caching, removing n+1 queries, and refactorings which resulted in the average response time being reduced by an order of magnitude.
  • Led a team that refactored cart processing and order architecture in a Rails API to accommodate the launch of new product categories in the marketplace.
  • Consulted with project managers for feasibility to implement requested features to meet project deadlines.
  • Reviewed, merged, tested, and deployed code changes for a Rails 6 API and a Rails 3 application.
  • Investigated and resolved bug tickets from customers for a Rails 6 API and a Rails 3 application.

Education

California University of Pennsylvania

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science | Aug 2011 - May 2015
  • 4.0 GPA with minors in Mathematics and Chemistry
  • Arthur and Millicent Gabriel Merit Award Recipient (outstanding grades in major and high moral standards)