Summary
Kirk Rader is a seasoned software engineering consultant with 11 years of professional experience and a longer history of freelance systems work spanning embedded, server and desktop platforms. He blends hands-on implementation (C++, C#, Java/JEE) with architecture and team leadership, having driven features for DIRECTV DVRs, casino gaming systems, and service-oriented platforms at companies like Vubiquity and Mattel. Kirk has led engineering teams and established software governance, CI/CD, and best practices to scale delivery across complex media and enterprise systems. He frequently operates as a contractor or direct hire, managing full project lifecycles from requirements through regression testing and deployment. Based in McFarland, Wisconsin, he pairs a pragmatic engineering mindset with a humanities background (BA in Philosophy), which informs clear requirement translation and technical communication. Notably, his career includes deep domain experience in constrained embedded environments and large-scale broadcast/service ecosystems, a less obvious bridge between low-level firmware and cloud/JEE services.
11 years of coding experience
17 years of employment as a software developer
University of California, Los Angeles
English