Ken Downey

Resume

Experience & skills

Frontend Engineering | Design Systems | AI Output Governance

Frontend and design-system leadership across public sector, fintech, insurance, and ecommerce — with growing depth in AI-enabled interfaces and agentic systems.

Skills

Frontend

  • React
  • React Hooks
  • React Context
  • React Router
  • React Redux
  • TypeScript
  • JavaScript (ES6+)
  • HTML5
  • CSS3/SCSS
  • CSS-in-JS (MUI, styled-components)
  • SPA architecture
  • SSR / Next.js
  • Gatsby
  • Routing
  • State management (Redux)
  • Responsive design
  • Dashboards and data-heavy UIs
  • TailwindCSS
  • TanStack Start
  • TanStack Query
  • SaaS applications
  • Animation libraries (GSAP / GreenSock)
  • Semantic HTML
  • ARIA
  • WCAG-aware implementation
  • Accessibility testing

Design systems

  • Design systems and component libraries
  • Design tokens (color, typography, spacing, motion)
  • Figma, Tokens Studio, and Zeroheight design-to-code workflows
  • Storybook
  • Design system governance and contribution guidelines
  • Figma handoff and design-to-code alignment
  • USWDS/PGOV
  • Versioning and deprecation strategies (semantic versioning, deprecation paths)
  • Documentation and adoption support
  • Technical documentation
  • Frontend platform and developer tooling
  • Release automation
  • Platform governance
  • Monorepos (multi-package design systems)
  • NPM package publishing
  • GitHub Actions
  • GitHub Workflows

Accessibility

  • Semantic HTML
  • ARIA
  • WCAG-aware implementation
  • Accessible component design
  • Keyboard navigation
  • Accessibility auditing
  • Accessibility testing
  • axe (accessibility testing)
  • Screen reader testing
  • Section 508 compliance
  • a11y

Backend & APIs

  • Node.js
  • Express.js
  • REST API design and integration
  • REST APIs
  • GraphQL
  • Twilio API
  • Working with SQL-backed systems via API layers
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL
  • SQLite
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • MongoDB
  • PHP
  • Restify

AI tools

  • Cursor AI
  • Claude Code
  • OpenAI APIs
  • Human-in-the-loop AI systems
  • ChatGPT/Claude-style LLMs for coding assistance
  • AI-assisted test and documentation generation
  • Prompting and supervising AI output (not blind trust)
  • Agentic workflows
  • Prompt engineering
  • Retrieval-Augmented Generation
  • MCP (Model Context Protocol)
  • Ollama
  • n8n

Testing

  • Jest
  • Vitest
  • React Testing Library
  • Cypress
  • Playwright
  • unit tests
  • integration tests
  • end-to-end tests
  • Visual snapshot testing
  • Accessibility testing
  • axe (accessibility testing)
  • Screen reader testing
  • Section 508 compliance
  • PHPUnit
  • WCAG
  • a11y
  • accessibility
  • accessibility testing

Infrastructure & ops

  • Linux/Unix (since ~1993)
  • VMware (virtualization)
  • Rack-mount servers
  • On-prem data center setup
  • LAN/WAN networking
  • WiFi and router/switch configuration
  • Phone systems and VoIP
  • Backups and business continuity planning
  • CI/CD pipelines
  • Docker
  • Vagrant
  • Ansible
  • AWS

Experience

  • Founder / Product Engineer — candidate profile, fit analysis, trust architecture, and AI systems

    HonestFit.ai

    2025-12 – Present · Remote, Nevada, USA

    AI-assisted career technology, conversational and voice workflows, candidate profiles, job-fit analysis, targeted resumes, application kits, interview preparation, trust/verification, public profiles, API/integrations, local-model routing, cost-aware inference

    • React
    • TypeScript
    • TanStack Start
    • TanStack Router
    • Tailwind CSS
    • Node.js
    • PostgreSQL
    • Drizzle ORM
    • Vitest
    • Playwright
    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • pnpm
    • Docker
    • Nginx
    • Stripe
    • authentication and session flows
    • WebRTC
    • OpenAI Realtime API
    • OpenAI-compatible inference APIs
    • OpenRouter
    • Ollama
    • local model routing
    • task-contract architecture
    • LLM telemetry
    • CSV/rollup exports
    • REST APIs
    • admin metrics
    • public profile systems
    • schema validation
    • deterministic policy filters
    • JSON repair/normalization
    • prompt engineering
    • CI/CD
    • Designed, built, launched, and operate HonestFit as a candidate-first platform for conversational career capture, shareable professional profiles, explainable job fit, targeted resumes, application kits, interview preparation, and trust-backed public signals.
    • Own the full product lifecycle across UX, React/TypeScript frontend architecture, Node services, PostgreSQL/Drizzle data modeling, authentication, billing, email, Docker/Nginx deployment, CI/CD, telemetry, security hardening, and production operations.
    • Architected a strict product boundary where HonestFit owns truth, trust, policy, retrieval boundaries, and public exposure, while models are limited to bounded tasks like parsing, extraction, ranking, rewrite, and synthesis.
    • Implemented a task-contract-based ModelManager architecture and migrated core seams into explicit contracts: jd_parsing.v1, intake_extraction.story.v1, evidence_ranking.fit.v1, resume_rewrite.targeted.v1, and fit_synthesis.v1.
    • Built deterministic evidence-ranking and fit-assembly boundaries so final fit structure stays owned by HonestFit logic instead of drifting into freeform model behavior.
    • Built real-time voice and conversational workflows with explicit session lifecycle, transcript review, and user-controlled artifact creation.
    • Implemented targeted resume generation with bounded evidence packs, anti-invention guardrails, source-link enforcement, and deterministic PDF assembly.
    • Built public candidate profiles with candidate-controlled visibility, share readiness, public fit analysis, and claim-level trust signals grounded in structured evidence.
    • Designed and shipped a first partner API surface for candidate public projection and candidate-scoped fit analysis, with scoped API keys, rate limiting, and partner-facing docs/OpenAPI reference.
    • Implemented Stripe-hosted Checkout, Billing Portal, webhook-based subscription sync, paid entitlements, and post-checkout account-state UX for Free and Pro plan packaging.
    • Built task-invocation telemetry, durable storage, admin metrics, CSV export, and daily/weekly rollups to measure token usage, route share, fallback/degradation rates, and workload economics by task.
    • Created workload and growth modeling artifacts to compare serverless inference vs fixed GPU infrastructure and to guide pricing, margin, and local-model activation decisions.
    • Improved local-model viability by diagnosing and fixing schema/repair/config mismatches, raising local route success for multiple seams while keeping policy and trust boundaries intact.
    HonestFit.ai →

  • Senior Frontend Engineer (Contract) — design system architecture & platform

    City of Portland – Bureau of Technology Services

    2025-02 – 2025-09 · Remote, USA

    Public Sector, Internal Tools, Design System, Accessibility, Component Libraries, screen readers, WCAG, Section 508, USWDS

    • React
    • TypeScript
    • Design System
    • Design Tokens
    • Component Library
    • Figma
    • Tokens Studio
    • Zeroheight
    • GitHub Actions
    • Storybook
    • USWDS
    • PGOV
    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • GitHub Workflows
    • npm
    • pnpm
    • Jest
    • Vitest
    • Playwright
    • React Testing Library
    • Visual Snapshot Testing
    • Accessibility Testing
    • WCAG
    • 508 compliance
    • axe
    • CI/CD pipelines
    • Set frontend architecture and technical direction for the design system, including component patterns, API design, theming and tokens, versioning strategy, testing approach, and adoption guidance used across multiple product teams.
    • Architected and implemented @cityofportland/design-tokens as a design-to-code pipeline connecting Figma, Tokens Studio, Zeroheight, GitHub Actions, and automated CSS, JSON, and npm deliverables.
    • Led the creation and rollout of a React/TypeScript component library and design system used across multiple internal and public-facing city applications.
    • Implemented accessible component patterns aligned with WCAG, ARIA, keyboard navigation, and semantic HTML best practices.
    • Developed @cityofportland/component-library (React + USWDS/PGOV) with accessible, reusable components published to npm.
    • Built and maintained npm publishing workflows including semantic versioning, automated builds, changelogs, and versioned releases for downstream teams.
    • Owned frontend testing strategy for the component library, writing unit tests with Jest and React Testing Library.
    • Implemented visual snapshot and accessibility testing to guard regressions before rollout.
    • Created Storybook documentation, live demos, and training sessions to support design system adoption and self-service usage across departments.
    • Established platform governance for reusable components, technical documentation, versioning, implementation standards, and design-to-code parity with UX designers and frontend engineers.
    • Used AI tooling such as Cursor to scaffold components, tests, and documentation while manually reviewing and refining the output.
    Design tokens – GitHub →Component library – GitHub →Component library – Storybook docs →Component library – npm →Design tokens – npm →

  • Senior Frontend Engineer (Contract)

    ICF – Child Welfare Information Gateway (childwelfare.gov)

    2023-05 – 2024-06 · Remote, USA

    Federal Programs, Government Contracting, Content-Rich Web Apps, Drupal, GraphQL, Accessibility, Static Site Generation

    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • Drupal
    • React
    • Gatsby
    • Next.js
    • TypeScript
    • GraphQL
    • REST APIs
    • Jest
    • React Testing Library
    • Cypress
    • Playwright
    • Accessibility Testing
    • WCAG
    • 508 compliance
    • axe
    • Built and maintained accessible, responsive React/Gatsby frontends on headless Drupal systems for large-scale public government services serving millions of users.
    • Owned features such as faceted search, filtered lists, and multi-step publishing flows from requirements through implementation.
    • Integrated with GraphQL and REST APIs under strict accessibility and content standards.
    • Focused on clear loading, error, and empty states to support non-technical users.
    • Wrote unit, integration, and end-to-end tests for key workflows using Jest, React Testing Library, and Cypress.
    • Built a React UI that validates LLM output against design system constraints, using structured rendering and fallback handling.
    • Served as a go-to engineer for ambiguous problems, defining architecture and implementation approaches with design and product partners.
    Child Welfare Information Gateway →

  • Senior Frontend Engineer (Contract)

    American Express – One DLS Design System

    2022-11 – 2023-04 · Remote, USA

    Design System, Financial Services

    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • React
    • TypeScript
    • Design System
    • Storybook
    • Jest
    • React Testing Library
    • Accessibility Testing
    • Contributed to One DLS, a React/TypeScript design system underpinning multiple American Express web applications.
    • Implemented complex cross-product components with clean, composable APIs.
    • Collaborated with designers and product teams to evolve shared patterns while managing breaking changes responsibly.
    • Reviewed pull requests and improved frontend quality practices across the team.
    • Helped teams adopt the system by clarifying usage guidelines, props, and migration paths.

  • Senior Frontend Engineer (Contract)

    Intel Corporation – Spark Island (OnePDM) Design System / Component Library

    2022-05 – 2022-10 · Remote, USA

    Design System, Component Libraries, Web Components, Internal Tools

    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • React
    • TypeScript
    • Tailwind CSS
    • Web Components
    • Design System
    • Storybook
    • Jest
    • React Testing Library
    • Playwright
    • Led frontend work on Spark Island, a React + Tailwind design system adopted across multiple Intel internal applications.
    • Designed and implemented accessible, responsive UI primitives with clean, composable APIs.
    • Built React and Web Component based UI primitives so the same design system could be used across multiple application frameworks.
    • Partnered with designers and product engineers to translate Figma patterns into reusable, token-driven components.
    • Created documentation and interactive examples to support adoption, including usage guidelines, prop tables, and demos.
    • Contributed to versioning and rollout strategy so updates to the library could be shipped safely without breaking dependent applications.

  • Senior React Engineer (Contract)

    Comoto (RevZilla / Cycle Gear / J&P Cycles)

    2021-08 – 2021-10 · Remote, USA

    Ecommerce SPA

    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • React
    • TypeScript
    • Storybook
    • Design System
    • Component Library
    • Ruby on Rails
    • Jest
    • React Testing Library
    • Led the buildout of a greenfield React frontend and ported existing functionality from a Ruby on Rails application.
    • Built a design system and component library with React and Storybook.
    • Drove adoption of component-library patterns, frontend architecture decisions, and Storybook-first development practices.
    • Improved frontend quality through code reviews and shared standards.

  • Senior Frontend Engineer — B2B SaaS, data-heavy workflows

    Clear Capital

    2019-02 – 2021-02 · Reno, NV / Remote

    Real Estate Appraisal Management, High-traffic B2B SaaS, Real Estate Valuation

    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • React
    • Redux
    • TypeScript
    • Storybook
    • Design Tokens
    • Figma
    • Vitest
    • Playwright
    • Jest
    • React Testing Library
    • Built and maintained React/Redux single-page applications used by lenders and investors to evaluate real estate risk in a B2B SaaS environment.
    • Worked in a large enterprise SaaS codebase, building reusable React/TypeScript UI patterns for dashboards, forms, and data-heavy workflows.
    • Owned features end-to-end, from shaping API contracts and data structures through React UI flows, filters, and review tooling.
    • Collaborated closely with product managers and backend engineers to simplify user workflows while keeping performance and maintainability high.
    • Introduced and maintained unit and integration tests for critical workflows using Jest and React Testing Library.
    • Helped the team adopt a design system and component library, including a Storybook-first development style.
    • Helped onboard and mentor new engineers while improving code quality standards.

  • Senior Software Engineer (Contract)

    Talage Insurance

    2018-08 – 2019-01 · Remote, USA

    B2B SaaS, Insurance

    • HTML5
    • CSS3/SCSS
    • React
    • TypeScript
    • Node.js
    • Express.js
    • REST APIs
    • Acted as a true full-stack owner for quoting and policy flows: designed data models, implemented Node.js APIs, built a JavaScript-based PDF generator, and supported rollout and production debugging.
    • Developed React SPAs and Node.js APIs for commercial insurance quoting and policy management.
    • Owned key workflows end-to-end, including UI, endpoints, and data model changes.
    • Designed quoting and policy flows that replaced manual multi-portal processes with a single workflow.

  • Senior Marketing Technologist

    frog

    2017-09 – 2018-01 · San Francisco Bay Area, USA

    React/Redux frontend, headless WordPress, CMS integration, marketing technology

    • React
    • Redux
    • JavaScript
    • Headless WordPress
    • WordPress Multisite
    • Custom WordPress themes and plugins
    • HubSpot
    • HTML5
    • CSS3
    • Maintained and extended frog's React/Redux frontend on a headless WordPress platform.
    • Created HubSpot newsletters and modules, custom WordPress themes and plugins, and migrated satellite properties into WordPress Multisite.

  • Senior Web Developer (Web Developer IV)

    Intel Corporation – New Devices Group (miduapp.com)

    2017-01 – 2017-05 · San Francisco Bay Area, USA

    Full-stack web development, React, headless WordPress, interactive marketing site

    • React
    • JavaScript
    • Headless WordPress
    • GreenSock / GSAP
    • HTML5
    • CSS3
    • Build pipelines
    • Version control
    • Built a headless WordPress site with a React frontend for the miduapp.com team.
    • Created custom GreenSock timeline animations and established build-pipeline and version-control workflows.

  • Software Developer

    Dominican University of California

    2015-05 – 2016-07 · San Rafael, CA, USA

    Higher education, WordPress Multisite, CMS modernization, internal applications and integrations

    • WordPress Multisite
    • WordPress
    • PHP
    • MySQL
    • JavaScript
    • LAMP
    • Ellucian PowerCampus
    • Ellucian Self-Service
    • Jira
    • Confluence
    • Led the migration from an existing CMS to WordPress Multisite and developed custom themes and plugins.
    • Built higher-education integrations, maintained in-house LAMP applications, and led adoption of Jira and Confluence workflows.

  • IT Manager / Software Developer

    Headlands Ventures, LLC (Mike's Bikes)

    2010-06 – 2014-07 · San Rafael, CA, USA

    Retail, ecommerce, multi-location infrastructure, internal apps, virtualization, and IT operations

    • Laravel
    • FuelPHP
    • PHP
    • WordPress
    • JavaScript
    • jQuery
    • CSS3
    • HTML5
    • MySQL
    • VMware ESXi
    • Networking
    • Vendor management
    • Owned technology strategy, infrastructure, and software delivery for an 11-store bicycle retailer with approximately $30M in annual sales.
    • Led strategic IT planning, procurement, VMware ESXi virtualization, vendor management, and in-house web and mobile application development.

  • Web Developer

    Freelance

    2007-06 – 2010-04 · California, USA

    Custom web applications, ecommerce, portals, CMS work, and small-business infrastructure

    • HTML5
    • PHP
    • JavaScript
    • MySQL
    • jQuery
    • MODX
    • WordPress
    • Mac/Windows administration
    • VPNs
    • Developed custom web applications, portals, and ecommerce solutions using PHP, JavaScript, MySQL, jQuery, MODX, and WordPress.
    • Built and maintained inter-office Mac/Windows networks and VPNs.

  • Application Developer (Contract)

    Kelly & Swain

    2007-04 – 2007-06 · Folsom, CA, USA

    Insurance billing software and reporting

    • Ruby on Rails
    • Crystal Reports
    • Microsoft Reporting Services
    • Microsoft SQL Server
    • Developed functionality for a Rails-based insurance billing application.
    • Built custom reports with Crystal Reports, Microsoft Reporting Services, and Microsoft SQL Server.

  • Developer / Consultant

    Independent

    2004-06 – 2007-04 · Nevada and California, USA

    Website development, network installation, and systems administration

    • Web development
    • Networking
    • Systems administration
    • Provided website development, network installation, and systems-administration services across Nevada and California.

  • Installation Team Lead

    InformaCorp, LLC

    2003-12 – 2004-06 · Travel-heavy, USA

    Hospitality broadband infrastructure, networking, installation leadership, and client training

    • VDSL
    • Ethernet
    • WiFi
    • RADIUS on Red Hat Enterprise Linux
    • Router and switch installation
    • Power over Ethernet
    • Ethernet over power
    • Cat5 and multi-pair cabling
    • Phone system integration
    • Client training
    • Led an award-winning team delivering guest-internet systems for hospitality clients, including site surveys, planning, installation, reporting, and staff training.
    • Installed and troubleshot VDSL, Ethernet, wireless, RADIUS, routers, switches, server and phone-system integrations, and custom cabling.

  • Information Systems Manager

    O'Hara Energy

    2001-04 – 2001-10 · Reno, NV, USA

    Energy monitoring, operational reporting, Linux infrastructure, networking, and corporate web systems

    • Perl
    • Linux
    • Red Hat Linux
    • Mandrake Linux
    • LAN administration
    • Hardware monitoring
    • Energy-use reporting
    • Web development
    • Developed a Perl reporting system for hardware monitoring and energy-use control in government buildings, helping a client significantly reduce energy costs.
    • Installed and maintained LANs, Linux servers, hardware and software, and the corporate website.

  • Web Developer

    Freelance

    1994-10 – 2001-04 · Las Vegas, NV, USA

    Early internet applications, ecommerce, real-time trading, telecom utilities, and web development

    • HTML
    • CSS
    • JavaScript
    • Perl
    • MySQL
    • DB2
    • XML
    • PayPal integration
    • 3D Studio Max
    • Helped build early internet systems including a real-time diamond trading exchange, a LATA mapping utility, a phone-integrated ecommerce application, and an online sportsbook.
    • Developed web properties for real-estate companies using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Perl, MySQL, DB2, XML, and third-party services.
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