Hello, my name is

Jesse Almanrode.

Engineering Leader, Platform & Reliability

I lead teams that keep services running and make them easier to operate. I’m still happiest getting into the details—reviewing a design, trying out a tool, or tracking down what’s behind a reliability issue.

Resume
JA Computing profile image

About Me

JA Computing profile picture

I lead engineering teams working on SRE, platforms, and video services used by millions. I still like being close to the work—reviewing designs, trying tools, and building software.

Away from work, I’m an amateur photographer focused on headshots and landscapes. Take a look at my 500px portfolio—and if you’re around Denver and need a headshot, get in touch!

I also own a Jeep. Meet Stormborn!

A few tools and areas I work with:
  • Python
  • Flask
  • REST APIs
  • MongoDB
  • Kubernetes and Helm
  • CI/CD (Spinnaker; Argo CD evaluation)
  • SRE and SLOs
  • Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK
  • AWS and Linux
  • Scrum and Kanban

Experience

Sr. Manager: Software Dev/Eng - Comcast
May 2022 - present

I lead the SRE and Advanced Troubleshooting team (5 direct reports). Before that, I led teams across platform engineering and CI/CD.

  • Helped raise Stream Quality Index from the 70s to over 90 by finding the causes of low-quality sessions and following fixes through production.
  • Led investigations into SLO misses and playback problems across the video platform.
  • Rebuilt VIPER’s Spinnaker platform on managed services and made it fully redundant before bringing applications back on.
Manager: Software Dev/Eng
May 2018 - May 2022

I joined full-time to lead Linear Operations, then took on Alternate Content Operations too. The teams supported more than 30,000 live channels across partners in the US, Canada, and Europe, including ad insertion and sports blackouts.

  • Moved the IP linear video packager from VMs to Kubernetes and Helm, with Prometheus/Grafana monitoring and ELK logging.
  • Helped launch a software-based sports blackout product and two syndication platforms.
  • Started an SRE team that automated operational work and moved monitoring to an SRE model.
Sr. Dev/Ops Engineer - Apex Systems
Sep 2015 - May 2018
I led IP linear operations across Comcast X1 and syndication platforms, covering video transcoding, packaging, and delivery. I also built the Python command-line toolkit the team used to monitor, troubleshoot, and maintain applications.
Principal Infrastructure Engineer - Level 3 Communications
2014 - 2015
After Level 3 acquired tw telecom, I quickly built applications for the UNIX/Linux, Windows, and storage teams.
Sr. Unix Administrator - tw telecom
2014
I built Python/Flask applications and APIs backed by MongoDB on AWS, including a UNIX admin CLI and a web interface with near-instant process updates. I also built self-service LDAP tools and APIs, plus tools for updating DNS records through Infoblox.
Unix Administrator
2012 - 2014
I led the UNIX team’s development work, automated Red Hat VM builds on VMware and AWS, and brought in version control and an agile workflow for team scripts.
Sr. Systems Specialist - Cabela's
2002 - 2012
I started as an intern and worked my way up to Mac OS Desktop, Mac OS Server Support, and the Linux Server Administration team.

Education

2004 - 2007
Associate of Arts: Information Technology: Computer Programming
Western Nebraska Community College
GPA: 3.9 out of 4.0

Accomplishments:

  • Member of Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society
  • Member of both Dean’s and President’s Lists (differnet semesters)

Extracurricular Activities:

  • Student Tutor in: Biology 101, JavaScript, and C++
2004
High School
Shema Accademy of Home Learning
GPA: 4.0 out of 4.0

Projects

SSHreader
Python OpenSource
SSHreader
A Python module for multi-threading ssh connections.
Homepage
iblox
Python Infoblox OpenSource
iblox
A Python module for interacting with Infoblox API.
Homepage
PickleJar
Python OpenSource
PickleJar
A Python module for managing multiple pickled objects in a single file.
Homepage
Lazy Hippo
Python OpenSource FFmpeg
Lazy Hippo
A Python CLI for performing simple video edits via FFmpeg
DoppelSort
Python OpenSource MachineLearning
DoppelSort
A AI-developed Python tool for finding and matching faces.

Certifications

Red Hat Certified System Administrator (Expired)
RHEL 6–7
Red Hat Certified Engineer (Expired)
RHEL 6–7

Get in Touch

My inbox is always open. Whether you have a question, a project idea, or just want to say hi, I’ll try my best to get back to you!
Mail me