Hacker News: JamesWH577

New comment by JamesWH577 in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (May 2026)"

JamesWH577 — Mon, 04 May 2026 20:24:44 +0000

Location: Chapel Hill, NC Remote: Yes Willing to relocate: No Technologies: TypeScript, Python, React, Node.js, .NET Core, LLMs (OpenAI/Azure), LangChain, RAG Pipelines, AWS, PostgreSQL, Docker, Kubernetes. Résumé/CV: https://james-website-xi.vercel.app/ (Portfolio) |Github:https://github.com/developer0116 https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-willingham-9775aa106/ Email: jwillingham577@gmail.com

I am a Senior Engineer with over 8 years of experience building scalable full-stack applications and production-grade AI features. I specialize in architecting LLM-powered tools and Rerieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) pipelines that solve complex data problems. I am looking for a senior or founding role where I can build high-impact products from the ground up.

New comment by JamesWH577 in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (April 2026)"

JamesWH577 — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 08:29:51 +0000

Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Remote: Yes (Full-time / Distributed) Willing to relocate: No Technologies: TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, Go, Python, PostgreSQL, AWS (EKS, Bedrock, Terraform), Agentic AI, RAG Pipelines, Vector Databases, C++/CUDA. Résumé/CV: https://james-website-xi.vercel.app/ Email: jwillingham577@gmail.com

I am a Senior Full-Stack and Systems Engineer specializing in "mechanical sympathy"—building high-performance AI infrastructure and real-time distributed systems. Most recently as a Lead Engineer at Pendo, I architected agentic workflows and RAG pipelines that improved user task completion by 40% for over 100k users. Prior to that, I engineered Go-based microservices at Cisco to handle real-time telemetry from millions of global devices.

I thrive at the intersection of 0→1 product build-outs and low-level system optimization. I’m an AI-native developer (Cursor/Claude Code) focused on moving AI from "static prompts" to "autonomous operators" within complex data environments.

Looking for: Staff IC or Founding Engineer roles at engineering-led startups or high-scale infra teams. U.S.-based with a legal entity for 1099 or W2.

New comment by JamesWH577 in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (March 2026)"

JamesWH577 — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 15:52:45 +0000

Location: Chapel Hill, NC Remote: Yes Willing to relocate: No Technologies: TypeScript, Node.js (Express/NestJS), Python (Django/Flask), Go, React/Next.js, PostgreSQL/MongoDB, AWS (Kubernetes/Terraform), AI (RAG pipelines/LangChain), Kafka/RabbitMQ Resume/CV: https://james-website-xi.vercel.app/ Email: jwillingham577@gmail.com Lead Full Stack Engineer | AI & Cloud Architecture | 10+ Years Experience I am a technical leader with a decade of experience building and scaling high-performance SaaS platforms at companies like Pendo, Cisco, and Red Hat. I thrive on solving complex architectural challenges at the intersection of product engineering and infrastructure.Engineering Leadership: Currently serving as Lead Software Engineer at Pendo, where I lead full-stack teams in delivering core SaaS features and establishing rigorous engineering standards for observability and secure coding.AI-Native Systems: Architecting and implementing LLM-powered features and RAG pipelines using OpenAI, LangChain, and vector databases to surface insights from massive datasets.Distributed Systems & Scale: Expert in designing event-driven architectures with Kafka and RabbitMQ, and managing secure, multi-tenant backend services backed by PostgreSQL and MongoDB.Cloud & DevOps: Extensive experience operating containerized services on AWS with Docker, Kubernetes, and Terraform, driven by automated CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, CircleCI).Foundational Rigor: B.S. in Computer Science from UNC Chapel Hill. I focus on performance, long-term maintainability, and clean UI/UX across modern frameworks like React and Vue.js.Looking for Senior or Lead roles in fast-moving teams where I can drive technical strategy and deliver high-integrity software at scale.

New comment by JamesWH577 in "Ask HN: Who wants to be hired? (February 2026)"

JamesWH577 — Tue, 03 Feb 2026 18:27:59 +0000

Location: Chapel Hill, NC (EST) Remote: Yes (Remote only) Willing to relocate: No Technologies: TypeScript, React, Next.js, Node.js, Rust, Python (FastAPI/AI Agents), Java (Spring Boot), PostgreSQL, GCP, AWS. Résumé/CV:https://james-website-xi.vercel.app Email:jwillingham577@gmail.com GitHub: https://github.com/developer0116

I am a Senior/Staff Engineer with 10+ years of experience building and scaling B2B SaaS platforms. Most recently at Pendo and Cisco, I’ve specialized in moving products from "0 to 1" and scaling data-heavy systems to handle millions of real-time events.

What I bring to the table:

High-Scale Infrastructure: Deep experience in PostgreSQL optimization, high-concurrency backends (FastAPI/Java), and building resilient sync engines for MDM and analytics.

-Frontend Craftsmanship: Expert in the React/Next.js ecosystem, focused on building polished, high-performance interfaces for complex data workflows. -AI-Agentic Workflows: Currently building custom LLM agents (Claude 3.5/GPT-4o) to automate "dull" enterprise tasks like schema migrations and data mapping. -Bilingual: Native-level proficiency in Chinese, which has proven invaluable for bridge roles and international data coordination.

I’m looking for a high-agency role (Staff/Senior/Founding Engineer) at a product-led company where I can own core architecture and ship fast.