Brian J. Dillard - JavaScript/User Interface Technical Lead

Strong technical leader who can collaborate effectively with business and product owners.
Proficient JavaScript architect capable of building entire frameworks and modernizing legacy code.
Experienced development manager dedicated to mentorship, coaching, training and documentation.
Detail-obsessed, jack-of-all-trades Web developer with strong server-side and database skills.
Passionate advocate for the end user with a proven track record of developing powerful, usable interfaces.
Successful, results-driven professional with a wealth of experience dot-coms, start-ups and agencies.
Internet/eCommerce veteran with a diverse skill set: technical, creative and editorial.

UI Technologies: JavaScript, Ajax, JSON, JSONP, CSS, DHTML, HTML, XML, XSD, XSL.
UI Libraries/Tools: jQuery, jQuery UI, Prototype, Script.aculo.us, Ext, Base2, Firebug, JsLint, JsUnit, Selenium, Squish.
UI Strategies and Approaches: SEO, analytics, web standards, progressive enhancement, user experience design, usability, i18n, white-label.
Web Application Platforms: SOA, Ruby on Rails, WordPress, JSP, Spring, PHP, ASP.
Server-Side Technologies: Apache, Tomcat, Jetty, Stellant, Radiant, MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, PL/SQL.
Programming Methodologies: Agile, scrum, test-driven development.
Development Tools: TextMate, IntelliJ IDEA, Git, Accurev, SVN, CVS, VMWare, Confluence, Jira, Bugzilla, AppleScript.
Graphics: Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, Fireworks; functional design skills that complement an art director’s.
Editorial: Strong writer/editor of everything from blog posts and conference presentations to site copy and documentation.

Recruited, trained and led six-person user interface team in feature development and maintenance of Ajax/SOA-based online trading application.
Accelerated business development by re-architecting a home-grown, 2006-era Ajax framework into a modular, scalable platform.
Improved conversion rates by rebuilding account signup application from scratch using jQuery, jQuery UI, JSP and SOA.
Empowered product leads by implementing asynchronous Google Analytics and other business intelligence packages across multiple web properties.
Put marketing/SEO strategy in the hands of business leaders by leading migration from JSP to WordPress and supervising rollout of custom A/B testing framework.
Collaborated with information architect on site-wide usability standards.

Set company standards for view-layer code: JavaScript, CSS, markup, progressive enhancement.
Wrote multiple weekly blog, tutorial and opinion pieces for Agile Ajax, Ajaxian and IBM developerWorks.
Spoke at industry conferences including Web 2.0 Expo and The Ajax Experience.
Developed a variety of Ajax-powered user interfaces for internal and client projects. Core technologies: jQuery; Ruby on Rails; hand-coded CSS, XHTML and JavaScript.

Managed final launch of company’s new, fully accessible, internationalized white-label travel platform. Tracked maintenance metrics. Prioritized bugs. Oversaw content-management upgrades. Managed relationship between UI team and rest of stack. Drove cross-team solutions to platform-level defects.
Contributed significantly to platform-wide JavaScript/Ajax architecture by managing global scripting namespace; overseeing use and test cases; and maintaining focus on tight, reusable components.
Developed code-review process for 25-member user interface team. Led whiteboard sessions and design checkpoints.
Set coding standards and developed SOPs and training materials for entire UI team.

Oversaw development of the travel-package path for the company’s new white-label travel platform. Collaborated on functional and technical requirements, information architecture and final implementation.
Managed UI project teams in rollout of new features, including Air Plus Car packaging path. Estimated work, prepared detailed technical specs and managed resources locally and offshore.
Built new features from scratch, including hotel user reviews and stand-alone Attractions booking path.
Coded and managed reusable, platform-level JSP components including layouts, page definitions, modules, decorative panels and custom tags.
Built object-oriented JavaScript components from scratch.
Won two separate Power of One awards for exceptional effort on development of new features.

Performed a full range of front-end programming tasks for this rapidly expanding online travel site.
Refactored legacy XHTML, CSS and JavaScript code into a fully standards-based architecture.
Transitioned antiquated JSP code into a Tiles-based render framework using JSTL and custom taglibs.
Contributed significantly to the relaunch of sibling sites CheapTickets.com and Lodging.com.

Developed complex, consumer-facing DHTML applications for this major airline’s new booking engine.
Served as technical lead on projects including flight-search calendar interface; seat maps; comprehensive client-side form validation; site-wide navigational overhaul; and global JavaScript architecture.

Developed internal and consumer-facing Web/database applications for a variety of clients, including a non-profit advocacy group, a large real-estate firm and an Internet photo-sharing start-up.

Helped sell the idea of customized products to a mass audience at the Internet’s No. 1 beauty site, an eCommerce provider of personalized skin-care, hair-care, cosmetics and fragrance products.
Built customization interfaces—database-driven, highly interactive DHTML apps—for new products.
Designed beta tests to quantify click-through, purchase and revenue for alternative user interfaces.
Worked with senior management, designers and marketers to develop, program, implement and document automated loyalty programs essential to the company’s rapidly changing business model.
Programmed, tested and deployed simplified site-wide navigation using DHTML and JavaScript.
Replaced third-party legacy code by writing extensive JavaScript, DHTML and CSS libraries.

Built and maintained sales/support/SDK site for RealTick, then the market-leading desktop stock-trading platform.
Prototyped the Web site for Archipelago ECN, now part of the New York Stock Exchange.

Worked full-time on daily campus paper, The State News, and helped launch its first Web site.
English major.
Journalism minor.