Black-and-white headshot of Derrick Houger

Derrick Houger

Senior Software Engineer

Remote, United States

I build production web applications, API integrations, and product workflows with a focus on maintainability, practical architecture, and real user outcomes.

About

Product-minded engineering. 16+ years shipping production software.

I am a senior full-stack software engineer with experience across React, TypeScript, Angular, Node.js, C#/.NET, and REST and GraphQL APIs. I have spent most of my career building software that ships to real users in production: retail platforms, financial tools, media systems, and complex third-party integrations.

I work best where engineering and product thinking overlap. I care about architecture that stays maintainable as a codebase grows, workflows that support the people using them, and code quality that makes a team faster. I use AI-assisted development tools as a force multiplier, with human judgment driving architecture, priorities, and final decisions.

I am especially drawn to companies working in health and wellness, education, creative tools, or mission-driven software. I work remotely from the United States.

Languages
TypeScript, JavaScript, C#, Python, SQL, HTML, CSS
Frameworks
React, Angular, Node.js, Next.js, .NET / ASP.NET
Data
SQL Server, MySQL, Redis, DocumentDB
Cloud & DevOps
AWS, Azure DevOps, Git, CI/CD, YAML pipelines
Practices
REST APIs, GraphQL, third-party integrations, production support, accessibility

AI-assisted engineering

AI as a force multiplier.

I use tools like Claude Code, GitHub Copilot, and ChatGPT throughout the development cycle: scaffolding, refactoring, test planning, documentation, debugging, and exploring unfamiliar APIs. The tools help me move faster, but engineering judgment stays with me.

Workflow

Scoped agent tasks

I break work into bounded, reviewable tasks and use AI agents for implementation, scaffolding, refactoring, and documentation. The goal is faster iteration while keeping context, constraints, and technical direction in human hands.

Judgment

Human-owned decisions

Architecture, product direction, security considerations, edge cases, testing strategy, and final code review stay with me. AI can suggest paths, but I own the decisions and the results.

Process

Reviewable by default

I work in branches, review focused diffs, commit incrementally, and verify locally before merging. Generated code is treated like code from any other contributor: it needs context, tests, and careful review.

In Practice

Applied in real product work

SceneThread has been a practical testbed for this approach: AI assistance on rich text workflows, entity tracking, imports, and UX iteration, while keeping product vision, architecture, and quality decisions under human control.

Selected Work

Selected work.

Private Project

SceneThread

A private, in-development writing tool for fiction writers who need better tools for managing continuity across complex stories. Writers organize a project into scenes, tag the entities that matter, and record what changes or becomes true at each point in the narrative. Built with React, TypeScript, and modern full-stack web development, with a focus on product UX and structured data modeling.

scenethread.app

Source code is private.

Production Work

Automotive Retail and DMS Integrations

Production integrations between retail software and external automotive systems. Built and maintained third-party integrations with MarketScan, DealerTrack, Motive Retail, and others, including complex API payloads, field mappings, validation rules, and edge case debugging across deal, pricing, and vehicle data domains.

Production Work

Startup Product Engineering

Full-stack product engineering at Black Box Stocks and Webbuy, building and shipping user-facing features in complex codebases, improving product workflows, and delivering reliable changes in fast-moving team environments.

Experience

Where I have worked.

Feb 2022 – May 2026

Senior Software Development Engineer

Webbuy

Full-stack features and third-party integrations for an automotive retail platform using Angular, TypeScript, Node.js, GraphQL, and MySQL.

May 2021 – Jan 2022

Software Development Engineer

Black Box Stocks

Product features and UX improvements for a user-facing financial technology platform using C#, React, and MySQL.

2009 – 2020

Software Development Engineer

Microsoft, contract roles

Multiple roles across Xbox Live Events, Xbox Video Marketplace, Universal Storefronts, and internal teams, working on media systems, live streaming, content management, CI/CD pipelines, and accessibility.

Contact

Open to new opportunities.

I am open to senior full-stack, product-minded, or integration-heavy engineering roles. Remote-first, United States. If my background looks relevant, I'd be glad to connect.