John Gifford

Mountain View, CA · (408) 828-4186 · john@jrgifford.com · LinkedIn

Principal Software Engineer · Senior Android Developer · Full Stack Engineer

Hands on software engineer with over a decade of building scalable platforms and leading mobile and backend projects. Proven track record in Android development, API architecture, and cross platform delivery for B2C and B2B solutions. Strong foundation in Java, Kotlin, Python, and cloud technologies with end to end experience from concept to production.

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Experience

Lead Android Engineer · Principal Software Engineer · Director of Engineering — Innit Inc.

Redwood City, CA · Feb 2017 – Aug 2025

• Led architecture, design, and development of Innit's Android app from inception, including smart display integrations, modern UI and offline first features.
• Designed and implemented backend API services (Java, Kotlin, Python, Scala) on AWS and GCP; integrated third party services such as Auth0 and analytics platforms.
• Built and maintained companion web applications with Vue.js, Node.js, and TypeScript to complement the mobile ecosystem.
• Mentored engineers, conducted code reviews, and guided architecture decisions across mobile and backend teams.
• Managed cross functional teams while continuing to contribute directly to codebases and architecture.

Android Software Engineer — ShopWell Labs

San Carlos, CA · Jul 2015 – Feb 2017

• Lead Android developer for ShopWell consumer nutrition app with over two million lifetime downloads.
• Built barcode scanning, nutrition scoring, and personalized recommendations.
• Developed backend and mobile features in close collaboration with product; contributed across the full lifecycle.

Android Software Engineer — Trimble Navigation (formerly YottaMark)

Redwood City, CA · Fall 2013 – Jul 2015

• Built and maintained iOS and Android mobile applications for enterprise supply chain tracking.
• Implemented cloud data sync, event logging, and farm to store traceability features.
• Supported and improved legacy applications in production.

Projects

Phil Android App — 2017 – 2025

Android and iOS apps for diabetes management in France. Averaged 4.5+ stars and 15K monthly active users.

ShopWell Nutrition Android App — 2015 – 2017

Dietary recommendation app with barcode scanning and nutrition scoring. 2M+ lifetime downloads; acquired by Innit in 2017.

Retail Insights Android App — 2013 – 2015

Enterprise food supply chain tracking for farm to store traceability with robust cloud sync.

Skills

Primary: Android, Kotlin, Java, Jetpack Compose, Coroutines, REST APIs, System Design

Additional: Python, Scala, Node.js, TypeScript, Vue.js, AWS, GCP, CI/CD, Auth0

Education

B.S. in Computer Science — University of California, Santa Cruz (2009–2013)