Hello There!

I'm Nick Perkins

Crafting digital magic one line of code at a time!

  • Location Clayton, North Carolina
  • E-mail nickperkins [at] protonmail.com
  • Phone +1 (9one9) six49-3nine77

Download My Resume

Hello! I’m Nick Perkins. Former Development Manager at Codesmith Development, LLC that lead a 20+ engineering team which led to a successful acquisition of the company. I was previously a Lead iOS Engineer specializing in Mobile Software Engineering. Experienced with all stages of the web and mobile development cycle for software applications. Well-versed in numerous programming languages including Swift, SwiftUI, Objective-C, PHP, HTML, and Javascript. Strong background in design with a natural eye for making products simple and visually captivating. Challenges and new ideas excite me so let’s connect so I can hear how I can help you achieve your goals as a company or organization.  I am also an individual that is always seeking to be culturally competent in international hearing and Deaf social circles.

Key Skills

Swift
SwiftUI
Objective-C
HTML & CSS
PHP
GitHub / Version Control
Firebase/AWS
Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator/In-Design
Sketch
Core Data
Final Cut Pro X
CMS
MapKit & Mapbox

Personal Skills

Creativity
Team Player
Leadership
Hyperpolyglot
Problem-Solving
Public Speaking
Cross-Cultural Competence
Cross-Cultural Communicator
Language Learner
Mandarin
American Sign Language
Oral Storytelling (Orality)

Portfolio

B4UFLY: Drone Airspace

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

B4UFLY: Drone Airspace

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

Kittyhawk partnered with the FAA to help them develop their B4UFLY app.  If you ever buy a drone in the United States this app is listed in the manual for pilots to download to understand the airspace they are about to fly in.

Visit FAA website

Kittyhawk: Air Control

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

Kittyhawk: Air Control

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

Enterprise iOS app to help drone pilots fly compliantly utilizing LAANC, admin created workflows, and a simple and informative in-flight experience.

Kittyhawk Drone Ops & Airspace

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications

Kittyhawk Drone Ops & Airspace

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications

First Kittyhawk iOS app written in Swift

PrecisionFlight for DJI Drones

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications

PrecisionFlight for DJI Drones

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications

Key developer for the PrecisionFlight iOS app that utilized DJI commercial and enterprise drones (Matrice 100/200/600, Mavic Pro and Phantoms) to capture aerial imagery data using built-in and advanced interchangeable sensors (Visual, Thermal, Multi-spectral). Crucial in implementing pivotal legacy code changes to Swift 4.1, developing new features, improving the quality and performance of the application for our customers, automating release and testing of the app to the App Store and HockeyApp using Jenkins, as well as putting in place important security changes to protect and obfuscate data. Actively involved in QA for the app both in the office and out in the field as well as helping develop a better marketing presence on the new Apple App Store along with delivering UI/UX designs and ideas to make the app a better experience for our customers. Worked on an Agile/Scrum team using Jira and Git. Vast experience using the DJI SDK, Core Data, MapKit, iCloud, GCD, MVC, MVVM as well as incorporating dependency libraries such as Alamofire, Mapbox, AWS, Fabric, and Mixpanel into the project.

PersistChat

Full Stack iOS Phone App Mobile Applications

PersistChat

Full Stack iOS Phone App Mobile Applications

A fictitious chat app that persists in Core Data.  The application has a custom UITabBarController and loads recent messages generated when the application loads. The user can send messages to friends in the recent list and also simulate new messages that are incoming.  I created this application to learn more about Core Data Stack and how to implement it in future projects.

Food Genie: Decide Where To Eat & Find Restaurants

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

Food Genie - iOS iPhone App

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

Food Genie was actually a project I did back during my days of doing web development at Electronic Solutions.  Many of my co-workers could not decide on where to eat, so I made a small web application to randomly pick a place to eat locally.  Today I have taken that idea and created this iOS app using Swift 2.3, Cocoapods, and a lot of coffee.

Making wishes about where to eat come true! Food Genie takes the worry and “I don’t knows” out of deciding what’s to eat, by becoming that unbiased third-party. Finding a new restaurant or pub is now fun and reliable thanks to Food Genie.  It is available in the App Store and it was voted Top 10 iOS app released in February 2017 by PhoneDog and featured by Megan Morrone and Leo Laporte on the TWIT.tv Network show iOS Today.  It is also available to hunt on Product Hunt.

Spin The Food Genie Wheel

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

That idea became my final project at The Iron Yard.  In three weeks I was able to connect to Yelp’s API, retrieve local restaurants and populate a wheel with six random choices.  The user spins the wheel and using their pan gesture it selects one for them to try. The application was made entirely in Swift except for two Cocoapods which were used for networking.

The Genie Has Spoken

iOS Phone App Mobile Applications UI/UX Design

After the user spins the wheel and it lands on a space a color coordinated overlay appears with information about the restaurant selected and if you click the overlay it will take you to the Yelp mobile website or iPhone app to get further details and directions.

Work Experience

NOV 2021 - SEPT 2023

Codesmith Development, LLC

Development Manager

As Software Development Manager and Lead iOS Engineer, I collaborated with a diverse team of 25+ members, including Software Engineers (Swift, SwiftUI, React Native, PHP Laravel, Typescript), UI/UX designers, Project Managers, and Business Analysts, to deliver agile software solutions for our clients while considering the entire development ecosystem.

I took the initiative to streamline our development processes by implementing Bitrise/Bitbucket Pipelines (CI/CD) for easier build deployments to production and testing. I also championed the need for QA to review engineer work during sprints and before client launches, which resulted in improved product quality.

As part of my role, I improved the efficiency of our engineering team by optimizing the Jira workspace, creating a proper workflow, and ensuring individual permissions and roles were well-defined. Additionally, I actively listened to the team's needs, providing them with necessary tools and resources, and conducting regular 1v1 meetings to ensure they were performing at their best.

My efforts along with an amazing engineering and product team resulted in a successful acquisition of the company by my former CEO Joey Harris and CMO, Mike Martin.

JUL 2021 - NOV 2021

Codesmith Development, LLC

Lead iOS Engineer

During my tenure as Lead iOS Engineer, I made the team more efficient and we successfully launched two mobile SwiftUI/Combine Framework iOS applications and provided ongoing support for a client's RxSwift/Swift application (TrueLabor). I also established a robust code checking workflow and organized the mobile team under industry development standards.

OCT 2018 - NOV 2021

Aloft.ai (Formerly Kittyhawk)

Head of Mobile Engineering / iOS Engineer / Contract Consultant

Working on an Agile team developing three award-winning iOS applications. Kittyhawk (Free), Air Control (Enterprise Customer Application) and B4UFLY (FAA’s app for drone pilots). All three apps are written primarily in Swift and either SwiftUI/UIKit utilizing the Mapbox SDK, DJI SDK, Combine Framework, Realm database as well as CouchbaseDB Lite database. In January of 2020 was promoted to lead the mobile team. I supervised four mobile developers, led team meetings, planned our tickets and work ahead, got my Part-107 certification and tested both the Android and iOS apps before release as well as coordinated our company roadmap with the product and design teams. I am heavily involved in feature design and development of all three products while also leading the mobile team.

JUN 2017 - APR 2018

PrecisionHawk

Mobile Application Developer

Key developer for the PrecisionFlight iOS app that utilized DJI commercial and enterprise drones (Matrice 100/200/600, Mavic Pro and Phantoms) to capture aerial imagery data using built-in and advanced interchangeable sensors (Visual, Thermal, Multi-spectral).

FEB 2017 - MAR 2017

Silbo, Inc.

iOS Developer (Contract)

Was responsible for developing a prototype iOS mobile application for a startup seeking Venture Capital funding. Under NDA.

APR 2016 - JUNE 2016

The Iron Yard

Mobile Engineering Student

During the 12-week intensive training I learned Swift, Objective-C, GitHub, MVC, iOS SDK, TDD, how to utilize RESTful APIs, Firebase, JSON, and Cocoa Pods in my various projects. I also had plenty of experience coding on a team. I made several iOS apps and in my final project I designed and coded in Swift, Food Genie, an app that helps people decide where to go eat based on their current location.

OCT 2008 - MARCH 2016

International Non-Profit

Field Strategy Supervisor

My family and I moved overseas and began teaching written English (Bilingual-Bicultural approach) to Deaf children at local Deaf schools while also sharing our faith. I learned several sign languages while traveling to various countries. I was a field strategy supervisor for several units. I was responsible for strategy and vision for our team as well as team building. I was responsible for monthly and yearly meetings with my team. I also worked on marketing, web development, and graphic design projects for a local company in South Asia as well as with the non-profit because of my unique skill set.

OCT 2004 - AUG 2008

Antioch Baptist Church

Associate/Youth Pastor

Taught the Bible to middle and high school students as well as got them actively involved in their community. We did many community projects as well as construction projects in various states. Led several church mission trips to Asia. Was responsible in aiding the lead pastor, Dr. M. David Chambers, with visitations and preaching on Wednesdays and Sundays.

OCT 1999 - DEC 2004

Electronic Solutions, Inc.

Web Developer

To become the web developer at ESI I had to go out in the community and get businesses to want me to design and develop a website
for them. The position wasn't needed nor was their business at the time. I designed and coded several websites for this local internet provider. I was responsible for design, coding, testing, and customer service.

Education

2023 - Present

Masters in Computer Science, Specialization in Computing Systems

Georgia Institute of Technology

2009 - 2011

Intercultural/Multicultural and Diversity Studies, Orality

Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

2004 - 2008

Biblical Studies, History, And Secondary Education, B.A

The College at Southeastern

1999 - 2001

Information Systems, A.A.S

Piedmont Community College

I first got into developing websites back in the late 90’s with Geocities. Yes, that was hard to type. Went to community college and got a good general education in C++, HTML, ASP, computer networking, software architecture and graphic design all while working at Electronic Solutions as their only web developer.  I left web development professionally to pursue Christian ministry.  I completed a degree in History and Secondary Education after completing 6 months of student teaching at Wake Forest-Rolesville High School. I then moved overseas and worked with Deaf people teaching English (Bilingual-Bilateral approach) and translating the Bible into sign language.  I continued my cross-cultural education by receiving 30 master-level credit hours towards a degree that I decided not to complete in order to pursue software development professionally once again.

My Clients

References

  • I hired Nick in 2021 to lead our iOS development team. He was able to grow our mobile processes to exactly where I had hoped he would take it. His ability to understand the details with mobile technology really set him a part and allowed our small team to grow. Soon after hiring Nick, we promoted him to Development Manager where he thrived in lead the charge for our development team processes and procedures. We quickly grew to ~20+ head count that reported under Nick, which was a direct result of his abilities to ensure our customer deliverables were being met. An added benefit was how he invested in each development team member for their professional goals. I would happily hire Nick again for my team any day.

    Joey Harris Former CEO at Codesmith Development, LLC
  • Nick is an exceptional software development manager and iOS developer. His contributions have enabled us to develop highly effective and efficient solutions, delivering reliable, secure, and well-organized products to our clients on time. His expertise in Swift was of paramount importance. Additionally, his proficiency in the deployment process for the App Store and his ability to seamlessly integrate necessary components to meet our client's requirements were invaluable. Nick's skills as a software development manager and iOS developer have unquestionably played a fundamental role in the growth and success of Codesmith.

    Giancarlo Bianchi Backend Engineer at Codesmith Development, LLC
  • Nick was our development manager at Codesmith and I had the pleasure of working with him and watching him manage our team of developers. Nick has a roll-your-sleeves-up attitude where he gets things done. He sees opportunities for improvement, whether that is with operations or with talent, and he is an agent of change. Because he is a talented iOS developer himself, he speaks the language of the development team but he also understands organizational goals and the value of a high-performing team. Nick also has a big heart and genuinely cares about people. He is a family man who has his priorities straight. He is a real asset to any team and I highly recommend him.

    Mike Martin Former CMO at Codesmith Development, LLC
  • Nick has been an amazing lead for the team showing wisdom and experience from a technical perspective, and empathy and flexibility in his position as a manager. Even more so when he had to lead a remote and distributed team across the globe, showing his kindness and will to make everyone feel part celebrating our cultural differences.
    He has helped us grow both professionally and personally, he will definitely be a great addition to any team or organization.

    Leonardo Toccaceli Frontend Engineer at Codesmith Development, LLC
  • For the past 2 years, I worked directly with Nick on various projects and during that time I appreciated his leadership skills and relaxed personality. Nick is organized, dependable, and a great problem solver. Not to mention he is a team player which makes it very easy to work with him. An example of his leadership was when the Mobile team needed a team lead, Nick stepped up to the plate and assumed the role without hesitation. He provides invaluable feedback with positive reinforcement. Any team is lucky to have a team player like Nick.

    Hing Tang Lead Frontend Engineer at Kittyhawk.io / Aloft.ai
  • Nick was a relief to have leading the mobile team for Kittyhawk. He constantly went above and beyond in order to keep the product and the team on track. He wore multiple hats with ease. Any team that has Nick apart of it is a team that is going to be successful

    Jeffrey Cripe iOS Engineer at Kittyhawk.io / Aloft.ai
  • Nick is a rare breed. In my 9+ years of working with developers from various teams, backgrounds and skill sets I’d be hard-pressed to name anyone who is more well suited for team and product leadership than Nick. As a contributor, he’s humble yet confident. Professional, yet funny and likable. Knowledgeable, yet seemingly always curious to learn and grow. Logical and pragmatic, yet extremely creative. And, as a bonus, he has a keen eye for user experience design, while also being quite adept at quickly conceptualizing and sketching up design proposals, when collaborating on product direction. As a leader, he will motivate you through frequent positive reinforcement for what you do well and motivate you to become better by deftly helping you see where you can improve, without making you feel judged or condescended towards. He inspires the people who work with him or for him, as a good leader does. And he leads by example, in the trenches, from the front. He’ll wear as many hats as needed to help a team succeed. Whether it’s voluntarily jumping on QA tasks, delivering quality code, leading his team or having consistent impact within product and strategy meetings with Design, Sales, Customer Success and Stakeholders. Nick shines on many levels.

    Michael Joyce Sole Product Designer at Kittyhawk.io / Aloft.ai
  • It was a pleasure to work along side Nick at Kittyhawk. His wealth of technical and product knowledge was essential to our design and scoping process so that we could deliver impactful features within challenging time constraints. He was critical in leading the technical design of mobile features and guiding the team through a project's completion while continuing to write code, maintain our classic iOS app, and conduct regular QA. The mobile team excelled under his leadership and guidance because of the active role Nick played in making sure he knew all of the details for them to be successful. His ability to listen, provide relevant feedback, and adapt to a changing landscape makes him not only a great member of a team but a great leader who ensures others are able to do their best work.

    Talton Figgins Product Manager at Kittyhawk.io/ Aloft.ai
  • Nick is a very talented developer, and is an even better leader. The time I spent with him was extremely fruitful, and I learned a lot from him. He is very passionate about all he does, and strives to be the best he can be in everything.

    Richard Jacobsen Senior Application Developer at Kittyhawk.io / Aloft.ai
  • Nicholas was great to work with in every way. He was extremely communicative and helpful in setting up the scope of the project, and gave regular detailed updates on his progress, made very useful suggestions and independent contributions to its success, and in all ways went above and beyond in our effort. I would highly recommend him and would be very excited to be able to work with him in the future on additional projects.

    Brian Burris SkyTubeLive.com / Upwork.com Client
  • I had the opportunity to work with Nick on the PrecisionFlight mobile application, and he has contributed to our product and culture in an invaluable way. Nick has made a myriad of contributions to the product, from developing marketing material, creating storyboards for new designs, and automating our release process to improve team productivity. In his role as an iOS developer, Nick has both developed brand new features for our app and helped transform our legacy code into a cleaner and more scalable codebase - all while fixing bugs and improving the product however he could. He has always made sure he could deliver on anything that was expected of him, displaying a powerful work ethic that is difficult to come by. His sense of humor and proclivity for puns always made our team meetings and chats entertaining, and is one of the many things I will miss about him as a member of our team. Nick is a spirited and capable developer that will elevate the performance and spirit of any company.

    Ricky Hopper Technical Lead at PrecisionHawk
  • Since I’ve met Nick I’ve been impressed with his extensive knowledge in iOS development. He is a highly skilled developer and has great debugging skills. It was a great experience to work with you and I enjoyed every time we pair programmed to knock out bugs. I highly recommend Nick to any mobile development team. Wish you the best in your next opportunity man!

    Josh Puente Lead iOS Engineer at PrecisionHawk
  • Nick was an ideal student during his time at The Iron Yard. He was a top performer in class, and always helped his peers without being directly asked to do so. His final project Food Genie was really impressive, and he is the only one from his class to go beyond the program requirements to get it in the App Store. After he graduated, he came back and volunteered his time to teach a few of our free intro classes. Nick is just a great person overall, and I look forward to seeing where his path takes him. If you get a chance to work with him, you’re very lucky!

    Stacey Krug Campus Director at The Iron Yard
  • Nick is an excellent learner and always pushed the UI to do more than what the assignments asked of him. He was customizing TableView Cells before his classmates understood what a protocol was. He's a persistent worker and is constantly looking to learn a new way to solve a problem. His design work on his final project, Food Genie, went above and beyond our expectations.

    Jeff Ligon, PhD
    Jeff Ligon, PhD Mobile Instructor at The Iron Yard
  • I hired Nick to work on our SCC2 iOS app. He did a fantastic job, especially with the UI. He always went above and beyond what I asked him to work on. I will definitely hire Nick in the future to help with other apps.

    Photo of Tom Williamson of DTS Software
    Tom Williamson Programmer at DTS Software

My Interests

I enjoy playing and watching various sports, but basketball is by far my favorite.  I dabble in photography, enjoy traversing the globe, engage in the occasional online multiplayer, watch movies with my family, enjoy teaching professional and spiritual content, all while enjoying a fresh cup of coffee.

  • Sports
  • Photography
  • Travel
  • Video Games
  • Watch Movies
  • Teaching
  • Coffee Connoisseur

Contact Me

Feel free to contact me

  • E-mail nickperkins [at] protonmail.com
  • Phone +1 (9one9) six49-3nine77
  • Location Clayton, North Carolina USA