Summary

Hi! My name's Jeff Larsen, I'm a junior full-stack developer and responsive web designer looking for work in the Ottawa area. My strengths are in HTML, CSS, jQuery, Rails, and Photoshop. I also have deep experience with Drupal 7 and the WetKit (WxT) distribution including site building, theming, and module development.

Technical Skills

Markup and Languages

  • HTML5 and XHTML
  • CSS
  • JavaScript and jQuery
  • XML and XSLT
  • WET-BOEW 3 and 4
  • ASP Classic (VBScript)
  • SQL
  • Ruby on Rails
  • PHP
  • C# and ASP.NET

Content Management Systems

  • Drupal 7 and Wetkit
  • WordPress
  • OpenText Website Management (Reddot)

Database Systems

  • MySQL
  • Oracle DB
  • SQLite
  • PostgreSQL

Applications

  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Fireworks
  • Adobe DreamWeaver
  • Eclipse IDE
  • Microsoft Visual Studio
  • Adobe Flash
  • Adobe Illustrator

Work Experience

Web Designer

Public Service Commission of Canada –Present

I provide a broad range of skills and deep technical knowledge to the web team, coordinating with communications advisors to fulfill client needs.

  • Implement updates to web content on four websites (two internal, two external).
  • Enhance functionality of web forms.
  • Convert large (30+ page) documents to web format.
  • Assess and resolve accessibility issues.
  • Support web operations with technical knowledge and expertise.

Web Applications Officer

Canada Border Services Agency –May 2016

A multi-faceted role with regularly-scheduled maintenance duties, in addition to content and application development tasks.

  • Performed daily quality assurance (QA) on new and modified Intranet content for seven agency branches and seven national regions, processing over 100 requests per month.
  • Assisted branch and regional Intranet coordinators with technical, presentational, and accessibility-related issues.
  • Designed and developed a web-based database of International customs arrangements with keyword search and faceted filtering, using an Excel file as the data source.
  • Created an XML processing object in VBScript to parse, merge, and transform XML files for use in dynamic web content.
  • Converted WET 3 external homepage to WET 4, including dynamically-extended UI components.

Web Communications Officer (Co-op Student)

Canadian Institutes of Health Research January 2014–December 2014

I completed three consecutive 4-month terms as a co-op and summer student at CIHR, with steadily-increasing responsibilities and task complexity.

  • Fulfilled over 200 service requests to create and modify fully-validated informational pages in both official languages during first 4 months of employment.
  • Quickly assigned elevated responsibilities and privileges due to demonstrated competence.
  • Assisted in annual WCAG accessibility evaluation of CIHR's CLF 2.0 public-facing website.

Intranet Renewal Project March–December 2014

I helped CIHR's Web & Internal Communications team migrate the organization's Intranet to a new content management system (Drupal/Wetkit).

Planning Phase:
  • Participated in brainstorming, naming, sorting, and UX exercises.
  • User testing participant
  • Added migratory metadata to all approved content
Development Phase:
  • Implemented theme changes including template (PHP/HTML), CSS, and SVG modifications.
  • Custom home page with dynamic slider, dynamic Views panes, and multilingual poll with aggregated results.
  • Fixed bug in Drupal core preventing backlinks table from being populated on a Multilanguage site.
  • Implemented Multilanguage taxonomic breadcrumb trails.
Post-Deployment Phase and Feature Development:
  • Views-based combined faceted/keyword search with custom module for interface features.
  • Fully developed 'draft content' system with static-dynamic sidebar content association.
  • Full document management system with direct-download routing, draft versioning, and a custom module for preserving filenames across versions.
  • Performed extensive research into Drupal module capability, user-documented issues, community-contributed patches, and API documentation to implement features, resolve bugs, and write custom modules.
  • Detailed documentation of features and workflows.
  • Bug fixes and team support.

“[Jeff] exceeded our expectations and provided much needed technical expertise. We would not have met our timelines nor would the site have been as successful at is was had [he] not stepped up!”

Letter of reference

Front-End Developer (Research Assistant)

MicroMetrics, Algonquin College ‐ Office of Applied Research and Innovation –
  • Hired through Algonquin College's Office of Applied Research and Innovation to assist an Ottawa-based start-up (MicroMetrics) in the development of a web-based survey creation application using Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Bootstrap, and jQuery.
  • Modified and updated responsive, WordPress-based external website.

Support/Maintenance Staff (Summer Student)

National Research Council –
  • Tested dozens of valves individually for suitability in the construction of a new facility, resulting in the discovery of a manufacturer defect.
  • Cleaned and organized large industrial facilities using pallet jacks and indoor cranes.
  • Sifted through bags of vacuumed sawdust, detritus, and metal shavings to find 3 pebble-sized casting fragments that stakeholder requested for lab testing.

Web Content Developer (Summer Student/Contractor)

Canada Post Corporation –
  • Designed, developed, and implemented an application using XML, XSLT, and jQuery to deliver tutorials for various SAP work processes.
  • Created a form in ASP Classic (VBScript) that exported and emailed an Excel spreadsheet to reduce process time related to employee self-scheduling.
  • Implemented & amended redesign of SAP and IT intranet support site.
  • Transitioned from Summer Student (4 months) to part-time contractor (4 months) to full-time contractor (12 months).

Education

Various Web Development Courses

CodeSchool.com –Present
  • Front-End Foundations (HTML & CSS)
  • CSS Cross-Country (CSS)
  • Front-End Formations (HTML5 & CSS3)
  • Fundamentals of Design (Typography, Colour, & Layout)
  • Journey Into Mobile (Responsive Web Design)
  • JavaScript Road Trip Part 1 (JavaScript Basics)
  • JavaScript Road Trip Part 2 (JavaScript)
  • JavaScript Road Trip Part 3 (Intermediate JavaScript)
  • Rails for Zombies Redux (Ruby on Rails)
  • Git Real (Git)

Internet Applications and Web Development

Algonquin College –

Courses completed include: Web Programming, Database Design and Administration, Network Operating Systems, Web Application Development, and Web Project Management.

Mechanical Technician – Toolmaking (Ontario College Diploma)

Algonquin College –
  • Manufactured and constructed tools and fixtures from raw materials according to specifications.
  • Programmed CNC machines according to material, tool, and machine limitations.
  • Designed and programmed parts using CAD/CAM software.

Mechanical Engineering

Concordia University –

Courses completed include: Applied Ordinary Differential Equations, Mechanical Engineering Drawing, Materials Science, Applied Advanced Calculus, and Thermodynamics I.

Pure and Applied Science (Diploma of College Studies)

Champlain Regional College –

Pre-university program with an emphasis on Mathematics and Physics. Electives included Experimental Physics, Statistics, and Astophysics.

References are available upon request.