Brian Tran
Software Engineer
About
I’m a backend-focused software engineer who loves turning complex problems into scalable, reliable solutions. I started as an actuarial analyst but fell in love with programming while building tools to streamline workflows for my team—so much so that I joined a software engineering team to help develop a new pricing application from the ground up. I have hands-on experience with Java, Python, SQL, Spring Boot, and ETL pipelines, and thrive in Agile, collaborative environments. Driven by curiosity and impact, I enjoy building systems that make work simpler, smarter, and more enjoyable for users.
Work Experience
LIDP Consulting Services
Venice, FL
August 2023 – Present
Software Engineer
LIDP empowers life insurance carriers to succeed in the digital age by providing innovative technology solutions and expertise to tackle complex challenges. They combine deep industry knowledge with advanced technology to deliver custom solutions and drive continuous improvement across the insurance sector. At LIDP, I design, develop, and maintain backend applications and APIs using Java, Spring Boot, Docker, and SQL, collaborating with clients and QA teams to implement custom features, resolve issues, and ensure scalable, reliable software delivery.
Highlights
- Design, develop, and maintain backend software for life, health, and annuity insurance clients, improving processing efficiency and system reliability
- Build APIs and applications with Java 11, Spring Boot, Docker, and SQL, enabling scalable integrations and reducing deployment time
- Partner with clients and QA teams to resolve JIRAs and production issues, cutting turnaround times and improving customer satisfaction
- Gather requirements and deliver custom features and enhancements, increasing client adoption and product usability
- Contribute to core codebase and client-specific branches using Git and CI/CD, improving release consistency and reducing defects
- Rewrite legacy code to improve performance and scalability, reducing algorithmic complexity from O(n^5) to O(n^2) and significantly boosting efficiency
- Support Agile workflows with sprint planning, code reviews, and continuous integration practices, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality software
ICW Group
San Diego, CA
June 2016 – Present
Intermediate Actuarial Analyst
Quoting more than $3.5 billion annually, ICW Group Insurance Companies is the largest privately held insurance company domiciled in California. I develop and maintain the logic for pricing our workers compensation line and work closely with various departments such as DevOps, DBA, and Underwriting to ensure timely and accurate production releases. I also conduct various analyses to ensure our rates are fair and reflect the latest trends. I have built several applications to automate much of my department's tasks and to facilitate handling large amounts of data using various languages such as Java, Python, R, SQL, VBA, Batch scripts, etc. I'm also currently developing for our XML and Excel based pricing API, building out JSON test cases for our QA work using Postman, assisting our development team in porting existing code from various languages to Java, debugging and implementing fixes for our nightly SQL ETL pipelines, and a host of other responsibilities.
Highlights
- Designed and built ETL application in VBA using Factory and Reflection Patterns to process over 30 Excel tables of varying dimensions and locations for upload to a normalized SQL database
- Rebuilt SQL ETL stored procedure to random sample warehouse data up to a specified size, reducing an iterative 21-pull process down to a single pull
- Automated data cleaning, uploading, and manipulation tasks using VBA, R, SQL, and Python
- Debugged SQL ETL pipelines with over 15,000 lines of code
- Pair-programmed with Java developers to build pricing webservice API using Spring Boot
- Conducted actuarial analyses on loss forecasting, credibility weighting, territorial segmentation, and other studies to offer competitive prices
- Designed JSON test samples for testing webservices using Postman
- Worked with end users to define SRS for new features
- Trained new and rotational staff on writing clean, reusable, and scalable code
Awards
-
September 2019
ICW Group
Elevate Award
The Elevate Award is a prestigious award provided to ICW Group Team Members who exemplify the core values of the organization and go above and beyond their roles and responsibilities.
Contact
Escondido, CA USA
Education
-
2013 2016
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
B.S.
Applied Mathematics
Skills
Frontend
Beginner
HTML
CSS
Flex
Backend
Intermediate
Java
Spring
REST API
Python
MSSQL
MySQL
RDBMS
JavaScript
Other
Intermediate
Git
Docker
API
Redis
R
SOAP
REST
Postman
XML
JSON
Linux
JIRA
WSDL
YAML
Statistics
Mathematical Modeling
Forecasting
Interests
Cooking
Grilling
Sous Vide
Vietnamese
Hot Sauce
Guitars
6-String
7-String
8-String
Photography
Wedding
Portrait
Travel
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Bodybuilding
YAARRGHHHH