About Me


My name is Ben Knight. I am a full-stack developer based in Tasmania, Australia. I have worked in consulting and product development across various sectors, including startups, enterprise systems, and mobile applications. Currently, I am a product developer for a SaaS application focused on workforce rostering.

Get in touch with me: benthomasknight@gmail.com - LinkedIn


Work Experience

Senior Software Engineer

Playvox by Nice

2021 - Present

  • JavaScript
  • Typescript
  • SQL
  • Node.js
  • Mongodb

Full stack development for a SaaS application focused on workforce management in contact centres.

My focus for the past year has been on the optimisation engine that powers the scheduling component of the product. This involved both backend and frontend components, including the design of APIs, libraries, and user interfaces. As part of the company's tech day, I designed and built the core user interface for this feature, and it was so well received that it has since been developed as a product feature.

Prior to this, I served as the lead developer for many of the user interface upgrades and redesigns of the product, transitioning away from the dated design of the initial startup product.

Some of my highlights in this role include:

  • Designing and building the optimisation algorithm. The core concept involves processing forecasting data per task and optimising workforce allocation and scheduling across thousands of shifts, while balancing constraints such as breaks, shift preferences, skill requirements, and labour law compliance. The algorithm was required to be highly performant.
  • Event driven application design in AWS
  • Creating tools to help the release process and monitor production
  • Vastly improved UI performance and usability. I have been a core advocate for implementing better interfaces to enhance product usability, as well as introducing improved descriptions and documentation within the application itself.

Senior Software Engineer

RXP

2016 - 2020

  • JavaScript
  • ServiceNow
  • Node.js
  • SQL
  • React

Led a team of developers focused on Managed Services across a range of products.

As a developer, I worked on a core set of ServiceNow applications. During this time, I helped design, develop, and maintain both existing and new features. I later transitioned to leading a team of developers working on a variety of projects for different clients using diverse technologies.

Some of the highlights include:

  • Betfair Australia Mobile App - A React Native based mobile application for online betting.
  • Aurora Plus web app and mobile app - The mobile and web application for monitoring power usage and payments for Aurora Energy customers in Tasmania.
  • Various ServiceNow applications as a certified developer.
    • Transport for NSW Service Portal
    • Downer Group Service Portal and field services mobile application
    • Australian Catholic University Service Portal
    • Internal Integrations with customer ticketing systems

Software Developer

ICS Multimedia

2014 - 2016

  • JavaScript
  • C#
  • SQL

Building and maintaining a content management application for government agencies both nationally and internationally.


Recommendations

Throughout my career as a developer, I have encountered several tools and courses that I highly recommend:

  • Josh W Comeau - A blogger and course creator offering exceptional courses on modern web development and CSS.
  • Wallabyjs - A test runner that significantly simplifies testing for JavaScript and TypeScript projects.
  • Advent of Code - An annual series of programming challenges that are both engaging and educational.
  • Astro - A modern static site builder used to build this blog.