Peter Varga

Software Engineer

About

I am a pragmatic software engineer with an entrepreneurial mindset who understands your product and crafts with a user-first approach, delivering clean architecture using cutting-edge technology.
I love prototyping and building complex web applications from scratch. I also get excited when it comes to "replacing all the parts of a rusty airplane on the fly and safely landing with a new shiny jet."
I am looking for projects with a clear product vision where I can take responsibility and create a positive impact with my technical solutions and expertise.

Experience

V7

V7 Labs 

London, UK (remote)

2023 - Present

Senior Frontend Engineer (freelancer)

Originally joined V7 to work on their AI-powered annotation platform, which was tech-wise in the sweet spot of my interests (performance-intensive rendering and drawing on canvas). However, I later had the opportunity to work on the company's newest GenAI automation tool, V7 Go, and embraced the challenge to run a marathon at a sprinter's pace, successfully bringing it to production.

  • Continuously advancing V7 Go, the company's newest GenAI automation tool (Typescript, Vue.js v3)
  • Contributed to V7 Darwin, the company's flagship computer vision AI product (Typescript, Vue.js)

GeoSphere Austria

Austrian Weather Services (ZAMG) 

Vienna, Austria

2018 - Present

Software Engineering Consultant (freelancer)

My collaboration with ZAMG, the Austrian Weather Services (now known as GeoSphere), began in 2017. Since then, our compact yet highly effective freelance team of three software engineers has collaborated with meteorologists and scientists on several interesting and challenging software projects.

Our most exciting project so far is the European Weather Warning System. It aggregates warnings from EU member countries and provides them to data reusers such as Apple, Google, IBM, Foreca, and others. Our system is the source of all severe weather warnings displayed in native weather apps (iOS, Android), Google Search, Google Maps, AccuWeather, and many other platforms.

I have learned about the specialized and scientific domains of meteorology, GIS, online maps, and the programming language Elixir.

  • Built the official European Weather Warning System, Meteoalarm.org (Vue.js, Elixir)
  • Prototyped a weather observer data collection platform (Vue.js, Elixir, Json Schema).
  • Created a new Weather Warning Reporting SPA for Myanmar (Vue.js).
  • Built the production-ready version of Wettermelden and Trustedspotter services (React.js)

refurbed.com

Refurbed GmbH. 

Vienna Austria

2020. May - 2021. Nov

Lead of Frontend Development (freelancer)

As the technical lead for frontend development, I was not only a part of the engineering management but also collaborated closely with the Product and Design departments. Beyond making architectural decisions, planning features, and overseeing the frontend aspect of the entire platform, I also played a role in the hiring process.

I gained insights into management, product development through A/B testing, and broadened my understanding of the eCommerce domain in general.

  • Planned and oversaw the development of a new back-office SPA (Vue.js, Vuetify, gRPC).
  • Assisted in introducing and implementing an agile (scrum) workflow in two frontend teams.
  • Participated in HR interviews and pre-selection, hired two teams (10+ frontend devs).
  • Constructed a new CI pipeline for frontend apps using Gitlab CI/CD.
  • Contributed to the maintenance and development of several legacy interfaces.

codenotary.io

CodeNotary Inc. / vChain Inc. 

Houston, Texas, USA (remote)

2019. Jan - 2020. May

Senior Frontend Engineer (freelancer)

At this engineering-focused US-Israeli DevSecOps we developed a blockchain-based Digital Asset Notarization Platform over 10 months with a lean founding team. This platform played a pivotal role in the company securing $7M in its Series A funding round in December 2019. During this period, I was responsible for prototyping and building various frontend solutions.

I gleaned insights into the dynamic world of US startups, the importance of rapid prototyping, swift iterations, and most critically, the 'can-do' attitude.

  • Built web apps for file notarization and verification (Vue.js)
  • Built Open Source JavaScript library for digital asset notarization and verification
  • Prototyped Several DApp components (Web3, Ethers.js on a private Parity blockchain)
  • Built and maintained a dashboard application for the notarization platform (Vue.js, Vuetify)
  • Built browser extensions and Electron apps with features like FS access, Notifications
  • Designed UI/UX, created wire frames, mockups for various projects and prototypes
  • Enhanced UX for CLI - scripts for smooth CLI installation experiences on linux and mac

whatchado.com

Whatchado GmbH. 

Vienna, Austria

2016. Sept - 2019. Jan

Senior Frontend Developer (employee)

Bootstrapped, developed and rolled out the first version of the currently online video platform using React.js.

This company offered my first genuine startup experience, where I learned to integrate seamlessly into a diverse startup team. I was afforded significant freedom to research and utilize cutting-edge technologies of the time, such as React SSR.

  • Conducted in-depth research on isomorphic JS development with Node.js and React (SSR)
  • Developed a POC for core features of the new platform, an Isomorphic SSR React.js app
  • Architected and took part in the development of the platform's frontend core
  • Played an active role in making product and backend architectural decisions
  • Gradually migrated the legacy PHP platform frontend to the new React-based system
  • Led the frontend development of most of the components
  • Set up a unit testing environment using Jest
  • Introduced a Component Library complemented with custom tools, such as Storybook
  • Established and maintained an advanced build chain for the SSR React app (Webpack v2-3)
  • Contributed to the development of a new CI/CD pipeline (using Gitlab CI/CD and Docker)

easybooking.com

Zadego Ungarn Kft. 

Eisenstadt, Austria,
Sopron, Hungary

2016. Jan - 2016. Sept

Senior Frontend Developer (employee)

Assisted the Austrian travel expert in outsourcing development to Hungary, leading the Hungarian team and managing various frontend projects.

This experience taught me how to work remotely while being part of an international company, directly engaging with C-level management, aligning business interests, and navigating product decisions in tandem with technical requirements.

  • Development of numerous single-page applications using Angular.js versions 1.x and 2.x.
  • Module development and support for legacy systems using Backbone.js and jQuery
  • Office management, as well as contributions to administrative tasks and hiring processes

binvision

Binvision Ltd. 

Sopron, Hungary

2006 - Present

Software Developer, Co-founder (owner)

Binvision Ltd., my own software venture, was born from my entrepreneurial spirit during my university years, over 15 years ago. Throughout this period, I have delivered a myriad of software development projects as a contractor, catering to a diverse clientele – from individuals to major corporations and agencies. Beyond the realm of software development, I've occasionally donned the hats of a team leader, project manager, DevOps specialist, and even a UI/UX designer. Some notable projects include:

  • Rika.at (2019) B2B and B2C websites for a European heating-technology firm
  • Erste Bank (2019) Prototype for a Financial Advisor Single Page Application (SPA)
  • Autopro.hu (2018) CMS migration for a leading Hungarian automotive industry magazine
  • Whatchado.com (2014) frontend development of the platform's previous (php) version
  • Daytrader Talents (2013) high-speed day-trading platform tailored for an investment firm
  • Cross-Platform Invoicing Application (2012) for an Austrian enterprise
  • 3 (Three) Telecommunication (2011) landing pages for the German arm of the global telco.
  • University of West Hungary (2011) statistics and analytics system
  • .. and countles of websites, apps, plugins for SMEs across various industries (2006-2013)

Coding Skills - up-to-date knowledge from the last ~ 3 years

Frontend

  • JavaScript
  • TypeScript
  • Vue.js
  • Alpine.js
  • React.js
  • HTML5
  • CSS/SCSS/Tailwind
  • Cypress
  • Jest

Backend

  • Node.js
  • Elixir
  • Go
  • Php
  • Phoenix Fw. (Elixir)
  • Craft CMS (Php)
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL

DevOps

  • Docker / Kubernetes
  • Ansible
  • Github Actions
  • Gitlab CI/CD
  • Bare metal Linux

Over the past 15 years, I've worked with numerous technologies, always embracing an open-minded approach to languages and tools. My drive to learn keeps me eager to explore new tech advancements.

Education

Business Informatics

MA/MSc (not graduated)

University of Sopron / University of West Hungary (2010 - 2012)

  • Teaching assistant (Web programming for BA students)
  • Invited speaker on early career entrepreneurship (2014, 2015, 2016)

Business Informatics

BA/BSc

University of Sopron / University of West Hungary (2005 – 2009)

  • Several semester-long projects on Microsoft Server architecture
  • IT Specialist at the Student Government of the University (2007-2009)
  • Organizer and volunteer at 'eKlub' University Computer Club (2006-2009)

Languages

Hungarian - Native proficiency

English - Professional working proficiency

German - Elementary proficiency

Profession-related Activities

  • Gitlab Bug Bounty - found a high severity (8.1/10) security issue in Gitlab's OAuth process. I was also one of the winners of Gitlab's Bug Bounty Contest in 2019
  • Regular participation at technology meetups in Vienna (2013-2023)
  • Participation at conferences, workshops, startup-events, hackathons

Other Activities

  • Reading books, listening audiobooks
  • Film Photography
  • Cycling (Gravel, Road)
  • (Trail) running, Hiking
  • Skiing (Cross-country and Back-country)