Staff Software Engineer · 25+ Years

Karl Hill

Cloud · Platforms · Engineering Leadership

I architect systems, lead teams, and ship software that matters — from disaster-response platforms at NASA to mission-critical aerospace systems at Jacobs/BlackLynx.

LinkedIn karlhillx@gmail.com GitHub

Available for select consulting

01 — Why Me

I Build

Cloud-native platforms on AWS. Containerized services with Docker and Kubernetes. High-traffic web systems. Secure CI/CD pipelines. Built to last and operate reliably at scale — not just to demo well.

I Lead

Engineering teams from roadmap to release. 1:1s, onboarding, PR standards, definition of done — the unglamorous work that turns a group of developers into a high-performing team that ships consistently.

I Deliver

Predictable execution, every sprint. I translate mission needs into sequenced plans, manage stakeholders across technical and non-technical audiences, remove blockers, and ship.

25+

Years of Experience

1.5M

Monthly Visitors — NASA PLATFORMS

$105M

Platform Acquisition Value

~60%

Efficiency Gained via Automation

02 — Experience

Current Role

Staff Aerospace Software Engineer

Jacobs · Chantilly, VA

Sept 2025 — Present

Lead delivery for cloud-native mission-simulation and telemetry services. Own planning, refinement, demos, and stakeholder alignment end-to-end.
Own team health and execution — coaching, 1:1s, onboarding, and delivery discipline across multi-repo, multi-environment systems.
Set and enforce engineering standards: repo/branch governance, PR reviews, Definition of Done, and documentation to reduce integration risk.
Drive DevSecOps and release governance via CI/CD, automated testing, quality gates, and security checks to shorten feedback loops.

Lead Software Engineer

NASA / SSAI

Lanham, MD

Dec 2017 — Sept 2025

Architected NASA's cloud-based Flood Mapping System on AWS, delivering near real-time satellite-derived flood products to support global disaster response.
Rebuilt the NASA Earth Observatory — a platform serving ~1.5M monthly visitors — improving performance, UX, and SEO.
Built a high-performance Ceph-based file + metadata platform, improving large dataset discovery and access for researchers.
Delivered an automated content registry workflow that boosted data collection efficiency by ~60% and accelerated researcher access.
Implemented GitLab CI/CD + Docker + Kubernetes delivery — automated deployments, repeatable releases, reliable stakeholder approvals.

Sr. Software Engineer

InformedDNA

St. Petersburg, FL

Jan 2016 — Dec 2017

Architected a Laravel-based case management platform reducing operational costs by $30K/year.
Led CRM enhancements improving client retention and contributing ~15% revenue growth through better lifecycle workflows and reporting.
Spearheaded platform upgrades and security improvements, doubling incident response efficiency and strengthening operational readiness.

Earlier Career

1997 — 2015

Ticomix, Inc.

Sr. Software Engineer · Washington, D.C. · 2012–2015

SugarCRM solutions for 20+ clients including VDOT and Kastle Systems. Cut delivery backlog ~90%, improving predictability and customer satisfaction.

Sabre Corporation

Software Engineer · Bethesda, MD · 2010–2012

PHP applications for global travel clients. Mentored junior developers through pairing and code review.

Dante Inc.

Principal Software Engineer · Arlington, VA · 2007–2010

Java solutions for Comcast and Mastercard improving operational efficiency by ~40%. Led Scrum delivery from planning through retros.

Verizon Business

Software Developer · Herndon, VA · 1999–2005

Built Finium, the managed security-services platform that drove a 10× increase in client engagements and supported a $105M acquisition by MCI/Verizon.

Advantage Industries, Inc.

Sr. Software Engineer · Columbia, MD · 1997–1999

Built database-driven enterprise applications automating client workflows and eliminating manual bottlenecks. Foundational role in production software delivery and data modeling.

03 — Selected Work

Laravel AWS

NASA · 2017–2025

NASA Earth Observatory

Rebuilt NASA's flagship Earth science publication platform for 1.5M+ monthly visitors, improving editorial workflows, accessibility, performance, and long-term information architecture.

Python Docker AWS

NASA · 2017–2025

Flood Mapping System

Built near real-time satellite flood mapping pipelines that turn raw sensor data into geospatial products for global disaster-response partners.

PHP Linux NGINX

NASA · 2017–2025

Direct Readout Laboratory

Delivered a near real-time satellite data hub for ingesting, reformatting, and distributing science products to operational and research users.

PHP MySQL ElasticSearch

NASA · 2017–2025

ESSCOR

Built a searchable Earth science data portal with standardized metadata, access controls, and streamlined ordering for research partners.

Laravel MySQL RESTful APIs

InformedDNA · 2016–2017

InformedDNA Platform

Unified clinical genomics case management, counseling routing, billing reconciliation, role-based access, audits, and automated documentation.

Java SQL Server Security

Verizon Business · 1999–2005

Finium

Built managed security-service tooling for provisioning, monitoring, and incident workflows that helped drive 10x engagement growth and a $105M acquisition.

04 — Research

Co-author

GeoHorizons

Published online May 2026

A Web-Based High-resolution Global Water and Flood Mapping Platform

Peer-reviewed publication describing the Global Water and Flood Mapping System, a NASA-supported platform for high-resolution surface water and flood products derived from commercial satellite data.

F. S. Policelli, A. J. Kettner, K. Hill, and D. Maloney. GeoHorizons, 1(1), gh2025-7.

DOI: 10.1144/gh2025-7

05 — Technical Stack

Languages

Python TypeScript Java PHP Bash

Cloud & Infra

AWS Docker Kubernetes Helm (OCI) Ceph

Delivery & CI/CD

GitLab CI GitHub Actions Bitbucket Release Automation

Web & UI

React Node.js Laravel Vite Tailwind OpenAPI/Swagger

Data Platforms

PostgreSQL MySQL MongoDB Redis Elasticsearch

Leadership

Agile / Scrum Team Coaching Roadmapping DevSecOps Stakeholder Mgmt

06 — Open Source

github.com/karlhillx ↗

07 — Certifications & Education

PSM II

Professional Scrum Master™ II

Scrum.org

Verify ↗

PSD I

Professional Scrum Developer™ I

Scrum.org

Verify ↗

PSPO I

Professional Scrum Product Owner™ I

Scrum.org

Verify ↗

CSM

Certified ScrumMaster®

Scrum Alliance

Verify ↗

Education

B.S. Computer Science Coursework

University of Maryland

Associate of Arts, General Studies

Howard Community College

Project Management

Rutgers University