Ernest Phillips

Sacramento, CA • thehighlysensitiveprogrammer@gmail.com
github.com/ernest-phillips • linkedin.com/in/ernestlphillips

Summary

Software engineer focused on maintaining and optimizing critical user-facing services, with expertise in accessibility, performance optimization, and system reliability.

Work Experience

Software Engineer @ GitHub (Aug 2021 - Present)
Sacramento, CA (Remote)

Lead engineer for 20+ legacy services supporting core GitHub features (Stars, Contributions, Profile Management)
Designed and implemented ML-powered academic verification system for GitHub Honor Roll, reducing manual verification time by integrating AI image processing and geolocation validation
Optimized critical GraphQL queries for large-scale operations, resolving timeout issues for organizations with 50k+ members
Spearheaded accessibility improvements across multiple features, achieving WCAG compliance and enhanced screen reader compatibility
Architecting deprecation strategy for legacy services, improving security and operational efficiency

Community Manager @ GitHub (Jun 2021 - Aug 2021)
Remote

Developed and executed community-building strategies resulting in measurable YOY engagement growth
Provided data-driven community sentiment analysis to inform product decisions

Technical Support Engineer II @ GitHub (2019 - 2021)
Remote

Provided expert support for GitHub Pages deployments and custom domain configurations
Specialized in guiding enterprise customers through Git workflows and GitHub features
Contributed to technical documentation and knowledge base improvements

Technical Support Engineer @ Sepasoft (2017 - 2019)
El Dorado Hills, CA

Supported Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) software implementation
Developed Python scripts for automation and customer solutions
Collaborated with development team to improve product features based on user feedback

Technical Skills

Languages & Frameworks:
Ruby on Rails, TypeScript, React.js, Python, GraphQL

Infrastructure:
Docker, MySQL, Git

Areas of Expertise:
System Design, Query Optimization, Accessibility (A11Y), ML Integration

Education

Computer Software Engineering (2018-2019)
Thinkful (Remote Bootcamp)

BFA Illustration (1999-2004)
School of Visual Arts, NY