Stephen Brown II

hire@stephen.brownii.email
(443) 219-4559 · Delaware, OH
GitHub github.com/StephenBrown2 LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/stephen-brown2 resume.brownii.co
Profile

Software engineer with a Linux systems administration background, combining 9 years of software and automation engineering experience with 6 years administering Linux systems. Specializes in Go, Python, and TypeScript. Delivers secure, reliable, and testable code with end-to-end ownership and a focus on developer productivity. Uses Claude Code and Codex for implementation, review, and verification, including multi-agent coordination and shipped React features for Actual Budget.

Experience
-
Senior Software Engineer -
JumpCloud · Remote
  • Hardened agent security for approximately 800,000 managed devices by encrypting sensitive fields without migration downtime
  • Designed and led a tamper-resistance and uninstall-protection initiative across all operating systems
  • Raised code quality across 20+ repositories through review standards and shared tooling adopted within a 250+ engineer organization, reducing defects and rework
  • Served as the primary Linux technical resource during design and implementation
  • Mentored junior developers on code quality, version control, and security best practices
  • Developed a Linux PAM module and tray application using AI for on-device password management, achieving user experience parity with Windows and macOS
  • Integrated AI assistance into workflows, reducing research and proof-of-concept development time by an estimated 25-50%
  • Modernized CI/CD with self-hosted runners, eliminating VPN dependency and reducing build wait time by up to 30%
Software Engineer 3 -
JumpCloud · Longmont, CO
  • Founded a Linux-focused team, expanding from 3 to 6 engineers to implement features across device agent and backend services
  • Served as subject matter expert on Linux agent behavior, packaging, and PAM internals
  • Developed and maintained a Go on-device agent using gRPC and Protobuf, serving approximately 75,000 Linux devices within a fleet of 750,000 managed devices
  • Introduced Zig-based static compilation to enable amd64 and arm64 support across 10+ Linux distributions
  • Maintained the Node.js legacy monolith, preserving service routing while functionality transitioned to Go microservices
Rackspace
-
Software Developer -
Rackspace · ObjectRocket · Remote
  • Created and maintained Python services and libraries, delivering features across 12+ Go microservices deployed on Docker, OpenShift, and Kubernetes
  • Improved software reliability through code reviews, coding standards, and static analysis tools
Automation Engineer I - Jun 2017 - Oct 2019
Global Linux Automation Engineers
Rackspace · Rackspace Technology · Remote
  • Maintained a framework for employee-contributed tools with a unified UI and deployment system using JavaScript, HTML, CSS, Python, Flask, and MySQL
  • Configured deployment tools using Docker, Ansible, and Jenkins, and designed Jenkins 2.x Pipeline for pull request testing
  • Conducted code reviews and provided feedback to establish best practices and maintain code quality
  • Collaborated with a UK-based team as the sole US member
Automation Engineer I -
Global SysAd Maintenance Team
Rackspace · Rackspace Hosting · San Antonio, TX
  • Implemented an automated migration of scheduled maintenances to consolidate calendars, saving weeks of manual work
  • Reversed the traditional scheduling process to improve customer experience
  • Built reusable Python automation scripts to streamline routine infrastructure tasks and reduce manual intervention
Linux System Administrator I - Jan 2014 - Jun 2017
Global SysAd Maintenance Team
Rackspace · Rackspace US, Inc. · San Antonio, TX
  • Automated VM migration and restoration with custom shell scripts, reducing downtime and simplifying maintenance
  • Developed a custom UI to display upcoming services from the maintenance calendar backend
  • Implemented maintenance-template features with Jinja2 and a React tool for automatic numbering
Linux System Administrator I -
Global Technical Support - Enterprise (2nd shift)
Rackspace · Rackspace US, Inc. · San Antonio, TX
  • Installed, configured, updated, and troubleshot customer services including operating systems, web servers, databases, application servers, and mail
  • Implemented features and resolved bugs in internal Python projects, including a password retrieval CLI and login automation tools
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs
-
Linux System Administrator - Apr 2011 - Dec 2013
Bloomberg School Of Public Health, Knowledge for Health Project
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs · Baltimore, MD
  • Maintained and automated CentOS servers supporting Drupal multisite deployments on physical and virtual hosts, with LAMP stack and Apache Solr search indexes
  • Designed Puppet configuration management to maintain and deploy applications on development and production servers
  • Led team adoption of Git and a development > staging > production deployment workflow
Junior Linux Systems Administrator -
Bloomberg School Of Public Health, Knowledge for Health Project
Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs · Baltimore, MD
  • Maintained and automated CentOS servers hosting 30+ websites for the K4Health project
  • Hired as a contractor; brought on as full-time employee within 6 months
Software Test Specialist - Tier 3 Escalations -
MICROS Systems · Columbia, MD
  • Analyzed and diagnosed the most difficult customer-reported issues
  • Documented issues for developer and QA teams to remedy
Counter Operations Agent -
Geek Squad · Baltimore, MD
  • Diagnosed client issues, checked in computers for service, and maintained customer relationships through the repair process
Tech Support Specialist -
On-site technical support for Windows desktops, servers, and networking infrastructure.
Solnet Network and Web Services, LLC. · Baltimore, MD
  • Supported desktops and end-node business networking; ran and terminated CAT5 cabling for 12+ client accounts
  • Resolved virus infections, Outlook issues, PC migrations, and network connectivity issues
  • Wiped and reinstalled Windows XP systems using DBAN, Sysprep, and Clonezilla
Open-source development
Actual Budget
Contributor
Local-first personal finance app built with React and TypeScript. 34 merged pull requests. Current currency-system work is in progress and unpublished.
  • Shipped 14 merged pull requests since May 2026 with Claude Code and Codex, reviewing and testing generated code
  • Improved budgeting and transaction workflows by building user-facing features in React and TypeScript
  • Expanded financial-data handling through currency utilities, import integrations, and supporting automation tools
  • Improved frontend verification through Playwright coverage and parallel local end-to-end testing
  • Developing decimal-precision support to address currency-display bugs and enable account-level currencies and multicurrency budgeting
  • Coordinating multiple AI agents and models across design, implementation, review, and verification while owning architecture and validation
Skills
AI development
AI-assisted development, Claude Code, Codex, T3 Code
Databases
MongoDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite, MySQL
Languages & frameworks
Go, Python, React, TypeScript, CSS, Flask, HTML, JavaScript, Node.js
Systems & cloud
Ansible, Bash, Docker, Git, Linux, AWS, Kubernetes, Jenkins, OpenShift
Architecture
API design, Distributed systems, Protobuf, Software architecture, gRPC
Quality
Automated testing, Code review, Playwright, Static analysis
Projects
Pydantic
Python data validation library. 8 pull requests from 2019 to 2020.
  • 5% parse speed gain by switching from type() calls to __class__ attribute lookup
  • Added subclass encoder support so subclasses of known types serialize with their parent's encoder
  • Introduced JSON benchmark suite, voluptuous comparison benchmark, and docs example linting
Rockstor
Linux NAS platform built on BTRFS, Python, and Django. 9 merged pull requests across 4 repositories.
  • Added ZSTD compression option for BTRFS storage pools
  • Added Jellyfin and FileBot Node plugins to the RockOn plugin registry
  • Wrote go rockon-validator to standardize formatting and validation of JSON app configuration profiles
Home Assistant
Home automation platform (87k+ stars). Contributed 3 PRs in February 2024.
  • Added icon translations to the Teslemetry integration in the core codebase
  • Added health category listing and documentation page for the Airthings integration
Lunch Money v2 API
v2 developer API for Lunch Money (personal finance app), currently in open alpha.
  • Participated in API design discussions and provided feedback during the open alpha phase
HTTPX
Python async HTTP client (15k+ stars). Contributed 2 PRs from 2019 to 2020.
  • Added Early Hints (103) and Too Early (425) HTTP status codes to the status code enum
  • Fixed incorrect function name in the event hooks documentation
TandoorRecipes
Open-source self-hosted recipe manager. Contributed 2 PRs in 2021-2022.
  • Added time unit hint to the recipe edit view for clearer user input
  • Fixed Make_Header and Make_Ingredient text and template reference
isort
Python import sorter (6k+ stars). Contributed 3 PRs from 2019 to 2020.
  • Implemented --ensure-newline-before-comments end-to-end: argument parsing, sorting logic, and Black profile entry.
  • Fixed list value handling when reading settings from TOML config files
Nightscout / CGM Tools
Open-source CGM monitoring ecosystem (cgm-remote-monitor, AndroidAPS, dexcom_reader, AndroidAPSdocs). Contributed 4 PRs in 2020-2021.
  • Fixed sign error in bolus wizard timeshift result in AndroidAPS
  • Updated dexcom_reader for Python 3 compatibility; added device pairing instructions to AndroidAPSdocs
Toolkit for YNAB
Browser extension for the YNAB personal finance app. Long-term contributor with 10 merged PRs from 2016 to 2021.
  • Added Manage Payees for Selected Transactions to the Edit menu
  • Added Auto-fill Payee for Split Transactions feature
  • Fixed highlight color in new-default theme and contributed Python 3 build tooling fixes
actual-multi-account-import
TypeScript plugin for Actual Budget that handles importing transactions from multiple bank accounts in a single operation.
  • Configurable per-account import settings with a unified run command across all linked accounts
fold-budget
Go CLI tool that converts Fold Bitcoin rewards card CSV exports to Actual Budget import format.
  • Parses Fold CSV statements and maps transaction memos to the standard budget import format
hi-fold
Go CLI that calculates HIFO (highest-in, first-out) cost basis from Fold Bitcoin rewards card transaction history.
  • Parses Fold CSV exports and applies the HIFO accounting method for tax-optimized cost basis calculation
actual-wallos-import
TypeScript tool that imports Wallos subscription tracker data into Actual Budget as scheduled transactions (5 stars).
  • Supports both file-based CSV export and direct Wallos API integration
podstats
Go tool that parses podcast OPML subscription files and produces a prioritized episode queue.
  • Parses OPML exports from apps like Overcast and outputs a ranked listening queue
pamparser
Go library for parsing and manipulating PAM (Pluggable Authentication Modules) configuration files.
  • Part of PAM module research at JumpCloud; parses and modifies /etc/pam.d/ configs programmatically

Additional open-source contributions: Home Assistant, HTTPX, isort, TandoorRecipes, Nightscout, and Toolkit for YNAB.

Education
B.S. Computer Information Systems
LeTourneau University ·
Generalist Software Engineer  ·  RHCE (140-027-434)  ·  RHCSA (140-027-434)  ·  LPIC-1 (LPI000223384 / ltd26ep79p)  ·  Linux+ (Powered by LPI)  ·  Server+  ·  Security+  ·  Network+  ·  A+ (IT Technician)
Triplebyte: Generalist Software Engineer  ·  Red Hat: RHCE & RHCSA (140-027-434)  ·  Linux Professional Institute: LPIC-1 (LPI000223384 / ltd26ep79p)  ·  CompTIA: Linux+ (Powered by LPI), Server+, Security+, Network+, A+ (IT Technician)
References
“Stephen was a joy to work with at JumpCloud. He takes a very thorough and intelligent approach to engineering and brings with him a wealth of experience and knowledge.”
Benjamin Schneider · Senior Software Engineer at JumpCloud
“Stephen is a very thoughtful, meticulous engineer. I can count on him to understand the nuances of technologies we work with, and leverage them to make our products more robust.”
Scott Thurston · Principal Software Engineer at JumpCloud
“Stephen is a great software engineer with a technical focus in Go, Bash, and device and identity management, along with strong foundational Linux skills. In our time working together, he demonstrated a practical understanding of these technologies and a straightforward approach to problem-solving. He will bring these specific technical capabilities to any team looking to leverage his skill set.”
Jose Palma · Staff Software Engineer at JumpCloud
“Stephen is an exceptional teammate with an impressive command of Linux systems and a proactive approach to software quality. He has a keen eye for system architecture, often identifying edge cases and integration issues before they can escalate. As a curious, tech-forward developer, he elevates the work of everyone around him. I highly recommend him and truly appreciate the opportunity to work alongside him on the devices team.”
Steve Zazeski · Senior Software Engineer at JumpCloud
“Stephen is a rare engineer who's invested in making his team better.
I managed Stephen directly for a year at JumpCloud, after working alongside him for several years before that on the Devices engineering team.
When we needed to improve the security posture of the JumpCloud Agent, one of the most sensitive and widely deployed pieces of software we ship, Stephen designed and drove the project. It's on track for a successful release because of the thought and effort he brought.
What I appreciated most about Stephen was his push to improve his own skills, the product, the infrastructure, and the day-to-day experience of his fellow engineers.
Any team would be lucky to have him.”
Daniel Judge · Senior Engineering Manager at JumpCloud
“I had the opportunity to work closely with Stephen both as his direct manager and later as his skip-level leader, which gave me a unique perspective on his impact over time. Knowing what I know today, I would absolutely hire him again and fight to keep him on my team. Stephen combines deep technical expertise with a strong sense of ownership, consistently identifying opportunities to improve security, developer productivity, and the overall health of our engineering systems. He's also a collaborative teammate who generously shares his knowledge, mentors others, and elevates those around him. Any organization looking for an engineer with strong technical judgment, initiative, and a team-first mindset would be fortunate to have him.”
David Gaffield · Director, Engineering at JumpCloud