James Belch
Senior Frontend/Full-Stack Engineer
- ja*****@gmail.com (email available on request)
Montreal, QC, Canada
Technical Skills
Frontend
React 18
React Hooks
Next.js (SSR/ISR)
TypeScript
JavaScript (ES6+)
Vite
HTML5
CSS3
Tailwind CSS
Material UI
Backend & APIs
Node.js
Express.js
Python (FastAPI)
ASP.NET Core
REST APIs
JSON
GraphQL
Authentication (JWT)
Authentication (OAuth2)
WebSockets
Real-time APIs
Data & Messaging
PostgreSQL
MySQL
MongoDB
Redis
Entity Framework
DevOps & Tooling
Docker
GitHub Actions (CI/CD)
Azure
AWS
Vercel
Linux (Fedora)
Jest
Playwright
AI-assisted development: ChatGPT and Claude Code for refactoring support, architectural exploration, and problem decomposition within VS Code–based workflows.
Automation & RPA
UiPath (RPA)
Blue Prism (RPA)
Python scripting for automation
Technical Experience
Software Engineer
Invoke Inc
January 2021 to December 2025
- Designed and delivered modern, responsive web applications using React, TypeScript, and API-driven architectures, supporting data-rich information workflows for internal users operating across multiple devices and browsers.
- Built and evolved frontend systems with a strong focus on semantic HTML, modern CSS layout techniques (Flexbox and Grid), and performance optimization to ensure fast, accessible, and maintainable user interfaces.
- Optimized React-based interfaces handling large datasets, including virtualized views with hundreds of thousands of records, maintaining responsiveness and usability in data-heavy research and reporting workflows.
- Collaborated closely with product owners and business stakeholders to translate evolving requirements into scalable technical designs, supporting rapid iteration while maintaining long-term code quality and system reliability.
- Improved frontend and full-stack codebases through refactoring, code reviews, and adherence to accessibility standards (WCAG), raising overall quality, consistency, and maintainability in an agile team environment.
Freelance Developer
Marketplug
October 2018 to August 2019
- Stabilized a production React-based marketplace by diagnosing and resolving critical layout and CSS issues, restoring cross-browser and cross-device UI consistency for active users.
- Refactored legacy class-based React components into modern hook-based patterns using TypeScript, reducing state complexity and improving maintainability and developer velocity.
- Implemented OAuth2 authentication flows (Google and Facebook), coordinating frontend React changes with Node.js and Express backend services to secure JWT-based user sessions.
- Collaborated asynchronously with a distributed team using GitHub pull requests and Slack, clearly communicating trade-offs, reviewing changes, and delivering fixes under tight freelance timelines.
Work Experience
Independent Contractor
Foodora / Uber Eats
February 2015 to June 2021
- Operated reliably in a high-volume, time-sensitive environment, consistently meeting delivery SLAs while maintaining clear communication with customers and platform support teams.
Conductor
CN Rail
February 2008 to September 2014
- Led safety-critical rail-yard operations under strict regulatory constraints, coordinating with dispatch and on-call teams while making sound decisions in high-pressure, time-critical situations.
Education
Diploma in Software Development, 2019–2021
LaSalle College, Montreal, Quebec
- Graduated with honors while working full-time, focusing on full-stack JavaScript and .NET development.
- Completed a capstone project building a multi-tenant scheduling platform using React, Node.js, and SQL Server.