A Staff Software Engineer.

Staff Software Engineer (iOS)

February 2023 - September 2025

Staff engineer and technical lead in the Message History team across Messenger, Facebook and Instagram, focused on encrypted message history and recovery experiences.

• Rebuilt the Secure Storage onboarding experience in Messenger for iOS with architectural uplift for scalability. This was rolled out globally to over 2B users.
• Designed and integrated shared iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, CloudKit and iCloud KVS libraries for Meta apps.
• Took over technical leadership on the Encrypted Backups team in Menlo Park to derisk Facebook for iOS deliverables.

Technical Lead Software Engineer (iOS)

August 2021 - February 2023

Led iOS delivery for Messenger Message History experiences, taking Encrypted Backups from proof of concept to dogfooding, public tests and launch planning.

• Managed ambiguity, delegated workstreams and negotiated deliverables across engineering, product, design, data science and leadership.
• Planned timelines that helped deliver public Encrypted Backups tests in 2022.
• Built UX, prototypes, instrumentation and promotional campaign work across Messenger and related Meta apps.

Development Team Lead

February 2019 - April 2021

Managed a mobile engineering team while continuing hands-on delivery across Xero Accounting for iOS.

• Managed 9 direct reports and up to 12 indirect reports, from junior to senior iOS engineers.
• Split time between coaching, hiring, feedback, feature work, prototyping, peer programming and mentoring.
• Contributed Bill Sharing, Purchase Order integration and modernisation of the core Bank Reconciliation experience.

Senior iOS Engineer

January 2018 - February 2019

Worked on the Purchases and Bills domain of Xero Accounting for iOS, mentoring graduates and interns while improving app architecture.

• Championed VIPER architecture for the Xero Business app, later evolving into an in-house framework.
• Presented VIPER for iOS at /dev/world 2018.
• Xero was featured by Apple as a Mobility Partner and one of the top five apps to grow your business.

Senior iOS Engineer

January 2017 - December 2017

One of three main programmers on Holo for iOS, delivering a production AR app from prototype to international launch.

• Built major parts of the VIPER architecture, authentication, media playback, capture, sharing, deep-linking and ARKit interaction logic.
• Holo was featured by Apple for ARKit, iPhone X and Best of 2017, and covered by major international tech media.
• Helped the product secure official content and marketing partnerships, including Marvel/Sony for Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Senior & Lead iOS Engineer

January 2014 - December 2016

Served as senior iOS developer and team lead across Auckland and Wellington, embedded with client teams and establishing the Wellington branch.

• Architected apps from the ground up, introduced team standards and practices, and conducted hiring interviews and coding exams.
• Led or programmed major client projects including Kiwibank Mobile Banking, RealMe Now, myIR Mobile, Getty360 and Kiwibank Home Hunter.
• Worked in SCRUM delivery with a focus on VIPER, TDD and BDD.

Contract iOS Engineer at Kiwibank

March 2015 - July 2016

Worked on-site as a contract iOS developer at Kiwibank.

Contract iOS Engineer at Inland Revenue

September 2014 - December 2014

Worked on-site as a contract iOS developer at Inland Revenue.

Co-founder & Lead App Developer

June 2012 - April 2014

Designed and developed Waterboy for iOS, a local-sport app for following games, teams and sideline activity.

• Responsible for the design and development of the entire app.
• Nationally endorsed by sports figures including Kees Meeuws and Ma’a Nonu.
• Waterboy was decommissioned in March 2016.

Software Developer

February 2009 - December 2013

Worked on point-cloud tooling and photogrammetry visualisations for games, technical demos and exhibitions.

• Developed on in-house tools for Areograph and AreoPlayer.
• Built reconstruction and visualisation work for Rio Tinto mining excavations, Otago Settlers Museum and other technical demos.
• Areo received a United Nations World Summit Award for Areograph technology.

Intern Software Developer

November 2008 - February 2009

Worked on Casebook, the photorealistic episodic crime game series.

• I worked on minigame development, localisation, bug fixes and testing for Casebook Demo, Episode II, Episode III and the Trilogy Special Edition.
• Areo received a United Nations World Summit Award for Casebook.

Master of Science in Computer Science*

March 2010 - June 2012

My thesis project, titled “Investigating Filtered Noise”, was an investigation into solid filtered procedural noise algorithms - used in computer graphics for generating textures, animation and modeling.

• My research constructed a survey of procedural noise functions developed since Perlin noise in 1985.
• I created a macOS app to implement and evaluate various noise functions, including computation time, spectral control and FFT for artefact evaluation.
• Investigated functions include Perlin noise, Sparse Convolution noise, 4D noise, Wavelet noise, Sparse Gabor Convolution and more.
• NOTE: Incomplete. Deferred to focus on working in the industry.

Lab Demonstrator

February 2010 - June 2011

Taught web development papers during summer school, semester 1 and semester 2.

• Comp112 - Introductory Web Development 100 Level course. HTML, CSS, Flash, Photoshop.
• Comp212 - Advanced Web Development 200 Level course. HTML, CSS, Unix, PHP, Javascript, Ajax, online transactions.

Summer Bursary Developer

December 2009 - February 2010

Developed a Hang Glider Simulator as a University of Otago summer project, combining immersive graphics, projection and physical interaction.

• Built an interactive hang-gliding simulator using a harness, tracking camera, large domed screen and projector system.
• Combined hardware, distorted mirror projection, camera feed tracking and graphics programming.
• This project was later featured at a conference and in fulldome research contexts.

Bachelor of Science (Hons I) in Computer Science

February 2006 - November 2009

• Graduated with First Class Honours
• Specialised in computer graphics - completed a 3D animation for my honours project.