jb_JAKE BROWNSOFTWARE & SYSTEMS Let’s connect

ENGINEER. BUILDER. ALWAYS CURIOUS.

Serious systems.
Curious mind.

I’m Jake—a software and systems engineering lead.
I connect complex technology to the people who depend on it.

From payment infrastructure to spacecraft simulators,
I bring a systems perspective, a security mindset,
and the curiosity to keep asking “what if?”

Explore my work GitHub
>_ Thoughtful engineering. A little hacker energy.
HUMAN BEHIND THE CODEJB / 001
Jake Brown smiling inside a spacecraft simulator
JAKE BROWNSOFTWARE ↔ SYSTEMS
Right at home where software meets hardware.
A FEW PLACES I’VE
PUT CURIOSITY TO WORK BLUE ORIGIN Optimizely JPMorganChase REDMARSINDEPENDENT VENTURES

01 / SELECTED WORK

Built with curiosity.
Designed with intent.

Security tools, human-centered experiments,
and a few ideas that reach beyond Earth.
Here’s what I’m building.

05 PROJECTS
MCC-RedMars launch director console showing a two-stage hot-fire training simulation, propellant tanks, procedures, and telemetry trends.
REDMARS / SIMULATION/01

MCC-RedMars

A mission control training environment connecting spacecraft simulation, telemetry, procedures, and evidence-based evaluation.

ReactTypeScriptFastAPIWebSockets
Script Junky’s green terminal-inspired artwork: Think deeper, build safer systems, do good.CURIOSITY IS THE STARTING POINT.
OPEN SOURCE / LEARNING/02

Script Junky

A local field school for terminal fluency, ethical security work, and the habit of following evidence.

PythonSQLiteShell
TripWire observation dashboard showing risk classifications, a findings review queue, and local evidence for an application bundle change.
OPEN SOURCE / OBSERVABILITY/03

TripWire

A host-observation instrument that makes system changes, supporting evidence, and visibility gaps easier to investigate.

SwiftmacOSSQLite
SystemsSim running a Dijkstra graph demo with connected nodes A through F and live simulation controls.
REDMARS / SYSTEMS PROTOTYPING/04

SystemsSim

A visual workspace for connecting subsystem blocks, defining behavior, and exploring live power and data flow.

FlutterDartJavaScript
Acronympass login page explaining how six letters become a memorable personal story.
PERSONAL / AUTHENTICATION RESEARCH/05

Acronympass

A mnemonic authentication prototype exploring the connection between random codes, personal stories, and recall.

PHPJavaScriptSQLite

02 / EXPERIENCE

Real systems.
Real responsibility.

Hands-on engineering and technical leadership
across aerospace, developer tools,
and critical financial infrastructure.

2022 — PRESENT

Blue Origin

AEROSPACE & SIMULATIONAdvanced Hardware & Software Applications LeadLunar Permanence · HLS Training Simulator Lead

Leading distributed simulation and hardware-in-the-loop environments for lunar crew and console operator training.

  • Own the path from requirements and flight-vehicle design integration to deployment and operational readiness evaluation.
  • Coordinate training hardware planning, procurement, and integration with external partners, including NASA Johnson Space Center.
  • Develop remotely faultable power and subsystem training infrastructure, mentor engineers, and support technical recruiting.

Previously led New Shepard simulator technical direction, multidisciplinary teams, and planning exceeding $2.3M. Built real-time C++ and Python infrastructure emulating flight hardware and rocket subsystems, and used flight data to improve simulator fidelity.

THE PROGRESSION

Mar 2025 — PresentApplications Lead · HLS Training Simulator

Dec 2024 — Mar 2025Responsible Engineer · New Shepard Training Simulator

Jan 2024 — Dec 2024Functional Manager · Software Engineering

Jan 2022 — Jan 2024Simulation Software Engineer III

2021 — 2022

Optimizely

DEVELOPER EXPERIENCEStaff Software EngineerPreviously Senior Software Engineer

Owned Python and Java SDK development, with contributions across a broader language SDK ecosystem.

  • Built and maintained SDKs, greenfield projects, proofs of concept, and developer documentation.
  • Led technical reviews and improvements to engineering practices and development processes.
  • Supported customer-facing production systems on call, technical interviewing, and mentorship.

Public contributions include forced-decision APIs, proxy support, dependency maintenance, and fixes to experiment and variation lookup behavior.

THE PROGRESSION

Dec 2021 — Jan 2022Staff Software Engineer

May 2021 — Dec 2021Senior Software Engineer

2018 — 2021

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

PAYMENTS & FINANCIAL INFRASTRUCTURESenior Software EngineerAuthorization platforms · Legacy modernization

Built low-latency financial infrastructure and helped modernize critical payment systems while coordinating application security.

  • Managed repository security upkeep for the Authorization platform and served as a subject matter expert for CI/CD, source control, and open-source security.
  • Contributed to COBOL-to-Java modernization, Java APIs, and Mastercard Gateway integrations.
  • Worked on the Apple Pay pilot program and served as a judge at several company hackathons.

Hands-on work spanned C/C++, Java, Unix, HP NonStop Tandem, Kafka consumers and brokers, and data delivery to data lakes.

THE PROGRESSION

Jan 2020 — Apr 2021Senior Software Engineer

Jan 2019 — Jan 2020Associate Software Engineer

Mar 2018 — Jan 2019Software Engineer

BEFORE THAT

Skyline Communications · Telecom Systems Developer 2017–2018
Royal Canadian Air Force · Pilot in Training 2012–2017
MBright · Contract Developer 2010–2012

A path through software, aviation, and systems.
It turns out the connections are the interesting part.

IN THE OPEN / DEVELOPER EXPERIENCE

Good tools make
other people better.

At Optimizely, I owned Python and Java SDK development and worked across the SDK ecosystem, including JavaScript. The work lives where developer experience meets correctness: clear APIs, reliable behavior, and fewer surprises.

Explore my contributions
java-sdkJAVA / #451

Forced-decision APIs

Added APIs to set, get, and remove forced decisions in OptimizelyUserContext.

python-sdkPYTHON / #347

Correct experiment lookup

Fixed decision behavior when multiple feature flags contain duplicate experiment keys.

java-sdkJAVA / #441

Proxy support for SDK users

Enabled a custom HTTP client to support customer proxy configurations.

03 / THE HUMAN PART

I’ve always wanted
to know how it works.

And then, how to make it work better.

I’m a software and systems engineer with a background that runs through military aviation, payments, developer platforms, and aerospace simulation. I’m happiest at the intersection—where code meets hardware, a technical decision meets a human need, or a big idea becomes something you can actually use.

That’s the thread behind my own projects, too. Script Junky turns terminal practice into investigative judgment. TripWire is about understanding the evidence. RedMars is a place to explore how we prepare people and systems for what comes next in space.

I care about thoughtful architecture, honest engineering, and sharing what I learn. Serious about the work. Still having fun with the terminal.

Space & aviationEthical securitySystems thinkingTeaching & mentorshipRetrowave, always

GOOD WORK STARTS WITH A CONVERSATION.

What could we
build together?

Have a complex problem, an interesting role,
or an idea worth exploring? I’d love to hear it.

Let’s talk
Jake.GetElementById@gmail.com

Open full-size image

The question

The approach