About
Hi, I’m Zoe Jones, a senior software engineer in Seattle. I lean backend (about 60/40) and have spent nearly a decade building Java and Spring Boot services, microservices, and the frontends that sit on top of them.
What I do
- Backend and distributed systems. Java, Spring Boot and WebFlux, Hibernate, Kafka, Docker and Kubernetes on Azure and Google Cloud.
- Performance work. At Basis, I cut worst-case load times for our largest clients’ REST services from over 10 seconds to under 2.
- Data pipelines. At S5 Stratos, I led design of a Python ETL framework that reduced batch load errors by 75%.
- Security and identity. I built an OAuth2 API gateway in Go at Amdocs, and I run OIDC single sign-on for the shared services on my self-hosted infrastructure. I’m finishing a cybersecurity bootcamp in December 2026.
- Frontends. ExtJS, Angular/TypeScript, and React, with a long-standing interest in accessibility.
What I’m building
- A sandbox for coding agents. A microVM on my NixOS homelab where Claude Code and other agents can build and test, including checking that NixOS configs build, with hypervisor-level isolation and an allowlisted path out.
- A declarative homelab. A multi-machine NixOS fleet managed from one flake, with SSO, encrypted secrets, monitoring, and automated offsite backups. It’s where I explore infrastructure and security, and run my self-hosted services.
- MCP workflows. I’m extending Print Concierge, an MCP server for 3D printing, so agents can draft printing projects and track them as work progresses.
- Blackbird. The homelab’s designated mad science box: a separate two-GPU machine where riskier experiments run without endangering the rest of the fleet. Its 3D-printed frame slides into a single IKEA Kallax cube, with a 4U rack section above the GPUs. I wrote the specs and measured the components, and handed off much of the modeling to Claude. The interactive viewer lets you orbit, explore the assembly, and browse the parts list. I’ll release it on Printables after it is printed and proven out.
- Next up: a small self-hosted inventory app for hardware parts, with an API and MCP access from day one.
Credentials
- Claude Certified Developer, Foundations (Anthropic, 2026)
- Cybersecurity Foundations (Nucamp, 2026); full bootcamp expected December 2026
- M.S. and B.S. in Software Engineering, University of Texas at Dallas
Currently
I’m looking for my next role: backend-leaning full-stack or platform work, ideally remote or hybrid in Seattle. I’m especially interested in teams putting AI-assisted development into practice responsibly, and in security-minded backend work.