Engineering with context
Hi, I'm Dan Morris — a seasoned Lead System Architect with a passion for turning complex challenges into elegant, scalable solutions. With 15+ years in the field, I've mastered the art of building robust systems that seamlessly integrate sophisticated backend architectures with intuitive frontend experiences.
Professional Journey
Throughout my career, I've collaborated with organizations from innovative startups to industry-leading enterprises. My expertise spans high-performance media processing, immersive theme park experiences, embedded safety systems, and sophisticated distributed architectures.
Philosophy
Technology should empower people. My approach blends technical innovation with pragmatic problem-solving — delivering solutions that are not only cutting-edge but sustainable and impactful. I strive to create systems that make a meaningful difference.
Areas of Expertise
Backend Development
Scalable architectures, API design, and microservices using Node.js, Python, and Java.
Frontend Development
Responsive and intuitive user interfaces using React, Vue.js, and modern JavaScript.
System Architecture
Designing robust, scalable systems with focus on performance, security, and maintainability.
DevOps & Cloud
CI/CD pipelines and cloud infrastructure using AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes.
Platform Reliability
Production readiness, observability, incident response, load testing, and performance optimization.
Technical Leadership
Cross-team architecture, delivery planning, partner integration, mentoring, and production launches.
Applied AI
AI-enabled application architecture, speech processing, LLM integrations, and developer productivity workflows.
Professional Experience
Lead System Architect
Gigantic Playground
Remote
- › Lead backend and platform architecture for large-scale fan engagement and themed entertainment systems
- › Designed resilient event-driven services, caching strategies, autoscaling infrastructure, and deployment workflows across cloud and on-premises environments
- › Directed technical delivery across engineering teams and external partners, from early architecture and prototyping through launch and production support
- › Improved platform security and operability through managed secrets, infrastructure automation, schema validation, observability, and incident response
- › Evaluated and applied generative AI tools to accelerate engineering workflows, prototyping, documentation, and technical exploration
- › Created and maintain public developer tools for secure QR workflows, authentication, release testing, logging, and air-gapped container distribution
Lead Engineer
Valtech
- › Orchestrated development strategies for Universal Studios Theme Parks, Walt Disney Imagineering, and Dolby
- › Pioneered and maintained several widely-adopted open source npm packages
- › Designed enterprise-scale solutions using Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, and Kubernetes
- › Architected cloud infrastructure leveraging AWS Lambda, EC2, CloudFormation, and containerization
Software Developer
Independent Contractor
- › Engineered high-performance web scraping system achieving 1M+ records per hour
- › Developed CRM and marketing automation platform for improved customer engagement
- › Implemented cloud infrastructure utilizing AWS auto-scaling, EC2, RDS, and SQS
- › Designed scalable solutions using Node.js, PostgreSQL, Meteor.js, and MongoDB
Software Engineer
Ciholas Inc.
Evansville, IN
- › Pioneered critical embedded software solutions for mining safety systems
- › Engineered high-precision sports tracking firmware for performance analytics
- › Developed advanced high-frequency location tracking systems
- › Secured two patents: US #9709663 (radio signal location) and US #10904917 (wireless transmission scheduling)
Web Developer Co-op
Ridge Tool Company
Elyria, OH
- › Enhanced legacy systems across ASP, ASP.NET, and Java platforms
- › Engineered WCF Server infrastructure for email processing using C#
- › Developed web CRM system using Apache Struts framework
- › Created REST web services architecture and Android media upload application
Let's Work Together
Whether you need architectural guidance, technical expertise, or a strategic technology partner — I'd love to help.
Get in Touch