Karl J. Haworth

karlhaworth.com
me ( at ) karlhaworth.com

About
Passionate and innovative professional specializing in application and cloud architecture, software delivery, and team collaboration. Recognized for rapid learning, creative problem-solving, and a track record of implementing successful technical solutions. Extensive experience in leading technical strategies, enhancing efficiency, and driving organizational improvements through innovative approaches.

Experience
Principal Staff Engineer, Sr Principal Architect - Developer Accelerator Product Group (DevOps/DevEx), Product Agility
American Airlines
March 2023 - Present
Worked in the Product Agility organization supporting the solution, strategy, and planning of technical implementations
  • Collaborated with other Architects in Technology and Transformation to provide direction for Developer Accelerator
  • Led discussions with Product Technical Leads and Technical Delivery Managers to determine technical strategy and skills required
  • Aligned product group strategies with enterprise initiatives and principals
  • Assisted engineers in selecting solutions that met business requirements and long-term goals
  • Collaborated with neighboring organizations to incorporate networking design considerations
  • Partnered with Engineering team to streamline redeployment and configuration of major infrastructure, resulting in a 300% increase in efficiency and enhanced SLAs and KPIs
  • Ensured backlog reflected appropriate technical solutions to achieve product objectives and priorities
  • Responsible for finops practices within an organization where financial savings were established and improvements to budget forecasting were made
  • Designed layered security solution in partnership with secrets management team and platform to ensure security in dynamic environments, including Kubernetes and GitHub actions utilizing OpenID Connect (OIDC)
  • Implemented secure base images and image scanning protocols for enterprise utilizing GitHub Actions, enhancing security measures
  • Improved Enterprise CI/CD pipelines and actions through collaboration with external teams to ensure success while reducing time to complete
  • Contributed to open source initiatives through updates, capability enhancements, security fixes, and improvements in Dockerfile security in helm charts and Backstage plugins
  • Led multiple proof of concepts (POC) and beta programs to introduce various services and products to the enterprise
  • Implemented Automated Delivery Governance utilizing the Sigstore framework to attest to artifacts produced in CI/CD processes along with Supply-chain Levels for Software Artifacts (SLSA) provenance and signing
  • Contributed to overall GitHub Actions testing plan for internally provided workflows and actions using test repositories, test workflows, and ephemeral repositories while applying Software Development methodologies
  • Identified and resolved areas of technical debt
  • Actively participated in Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DEI) sessions and trainings to promote diverse perspectives
  • Supported hiring processes, description creation, and candidate selection at various job levels
  • Contributed and worked on logging strategies utilizing FluentBit with structured logging
  • Created solution for distribution of pull secrets using Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) with OpenID Connect (OIDC) to remove all long lived tokens related to internal registries
Senior Principal Developer, Product Technical Lead - Developer Experience, Product Agility
American Airlines
June 2022 - March 2023
Worked in the Delivery Transformation organization creating architectural solutions for automation using DevOps methodologies
  • Developed overall strategic technical plans and crafted architecture strategy for shared Kubernetes clusters for enterprise use
  • Mentored, guided, and supported developers across American Airlines IT
  • Developed the overall automation strategy and managed complex integrations between multiple teams
  • Acted as a subject matter expert in automation architecture
  • Architected and worked with team to implement additional Global Traffic Management (GTM) automation capabilities for Payment Card Industry (PCI) workloads
  • Facilitated knowledge transfer sessions on Network Routing, Domain Name System (DNS), and Global Traffic Management (GTM) to support Kubernetes automation
  • Led team in parallel programming and design strategies to expedite project completion
  • Enhanced reliability and recoverability of vendor-based infrastructure implementations through skill enhancement in binary and artifact management team
  • Contributed to product group strategy and roadmaps
  • Directed knowledge transfer sessions to foster transparent knowledge sharing
  • Supported hiring panels, description creation, and candidate selection at multiple job levels
Principal Programmer, Product Technical Lead, Developer Experience
American Airlines
January 2021 - June 2022
Led architectural solutions for automation using DevOps methodologies within the Delivery Transformation organization
  • Developed overall strategic technical plans and created architecture strategy for a developer portal used across all American Airlines information technology
  • Mentored, guided, and supported developers across American Airlines IT department
  • Developed and executed strategic technical plans and architecture strategy for shared Kubernetes clusters for enterprise use
  • Architected, built, and operated a Kubernetes Operator to reduce the native Kubernetes manifest, communicate with Global Traffic Management (GTM) providers (Akamai and Infoblox), and create ephemeral environments based on Pull Requests
  • Worked with teams to troubleshoot application migrations to Kubernetes and provide ongoing support
  • Decreased overall Enterprise time to deploy meshed cross-region Kubernetes clusters using internal networks using GitHub Actions and Terraform
  • Showcased expertise in automation architecture as a subject matter expert
Principal Engineer, Developer Experience
American Airlines
June 2020 - January 2021
Worked in the Delivery Transformation organization contributing to the creation of solutions for automation using devops methodologies
  • Orchestrated the planning, architecture, implementation, and management of an InnerSourced Internal Developer Portal (IDP) utilizing Backstage.io
  • Formulated architecture proposals based on identified solution gaps
  • Managed complex issues within functional area of expertise and contributed to overall strategic direction
  • Leveraged multiple Azure Services such as App Services, Functions, Redis, Postgres, Storage Accounts, and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) though Infrastructure as Code (IAC) mainly using Terraform
  • Directed a team of developers as the technical lead, ensuring adherence to Agile best practices
  • Simplified complex designs and implementations through a user-friendly developer portal supported by various backend services
  • Collaborated with stakeholders and end users throughout the software development lifecycle
  • Worked with developers across the company to implement their solutions into an InnerSource framework
  • Developed functionality using React, Typescript, and GitHub Actions
Network Automation Engineer
American Airlines
June 2019 - June 2020
Worked in the Enterprise Network automation organization creating architectural solutions for automation using devops methodologies
  • Created strategic technical plans and proposed architecture for a Networking Automation portal utilizing FastAPI, Kubernetes, Postgres, Redis, RabbitMQ, and Websockets
  • Led complex issue management and contributed to overall strategy in Networking Automation
  • Positioned as a subject matter expert in Network Automation architecture
  • Implemented local development using tools such as docker-compose and Skaffold to ensure local development matched higher environments
  • Developed custom solutions for Cisco Plug-n-Play to streamline network device configuration
  • Executed project management and agile delivery methodologies in a leadership capacity
  • Automated network device onboarding through a self-service portal to enhance proactive response to network issues and improve communication success
  • Documented solutions through data models, configurations, and setup in enterprise code management platforms
  • Ensured deployability and operability of platforms and data solutions in a highly repeatable and predictable manner
  • Provided support to engineers and developers contributing to the Networking portal
Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer, Networking
American Airlines
January 2018 - June 2019
Deployed, optimized, and developed engineering toolsets in the Enterprise Network Services department
  • Planned, created, and documented processes for new platforms
  • Evaluated and rectified the integrity of existing systems
  • Maintained and administered multiple platforms including products from Riverbed, CA Technologies, Infoblox, and Gigamon
  • Managed intricate network data mapping through Gigamon appliances to duplicate data to network capture and security appliances
  • Implemented data monitoring and collection equipment based on diagrams and run-books provided by architect
  • Created new network device collection scripts using Perl for H3C, an unsupported vendor, within CA Spectrum
IT Infrastructure Engineer, Networking
American Airlines
June 2016 - January 2018
Worked in the Enterprise Network Services department with network and application performance monitoring toolsets
  • Installed data monitoring and collection equipment according to diagrams and run-books provided by architect
  • Developed and documented processes for existing platforms
  • Managed and oversaw multiple platforms, including Riverbed and CA Technologies products
  • Automated categorization and summarization of network routes and subnets for troubleshooting solutions
  • Resolved network and network device issues related to routing and administration
  • Designed and implemented an extensive solution for device in-sourcing using SSH and later transitioned to SNMP for increased reliability
  • Enhanced existing tooling to communicate with unsupported Comware H3C devices
  • Collaborated with platform administrators and engineering teams to implement and validate solutions.
Associate IT Infrastructure Engineer (ADEPT)
American Airlines
June 2014 - June 2016
The American Airlines Development Program for Technology (ADEPT) is a college recruiting program created to develop a technical talent pipeline for Information Technology(IT).
  • Configured, installed, and deployed a variety of network devices and services to ensure optimal network functionality
  • Maintained comprehensive technical documentation to track network configurations and changes
  • Resolved escalated networking issues in a timely and efficient manner
  • Conducted regular network maintenance and performed system upgrades as needed
  • Led the planning and integration of legacy carrier networks
  • Achieved Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) certification through participation in Cisco Bootcamp training
Statistical Analyst Intern
US Airways
July 2012 - June 2014
Assisted the Systems Engineering & Operations staff with support, analysis, and reporting.
  • Crafted of performance metric reports using SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) for executive staff
  • Conducted system performance and capacity planning analysis
  • Documented and troubleshooted complex processes within the system
  • Collaborated with software vendors and internal development staff to address and resolve issues
  • Analyzed Mainframe Systems to calculate ceilings, reduce costs, and categorize usage by organization

Technical Skills
Process Automation Internal Developer Portal (IDP) Backstage.io Kubernetes Helm Service Mesh Certificates Cloud Environments Terraform (IAC) Object Oriented Programming Unit Testing Integration Testing TypeScript JavaScript React Express Python Continuous Integration (CI) Continuous Deployment (CD) GitOps Docker GitHub Actions git Rest APIs Relational Databases Agile methodology Networking Global Traffic Management (GTM) Domain Name System (DNS)

Recognition
Thank you Karl for going above and beyond in helping me tackle the complexities of certificates and debugging Docker images!Your in-depth explanations and willingness to dive deep into the technical details were invaluable in not only solving the issue at hand but also in educating me on the technologies and tools to utilize. #Passionate #Selfless
- Sr Developer, IT Applications
Sept 27, 2024
Karl, not sure that I have enough words to say thank you for being not only a strong technical leader, but also a caring one. We are a better team with you as a member!
- Manager, IT DevOps Engineering
Aug 30, 2024
Hi Karl,Thank you for your patience and determination for getting us on board with the right process. I am known to follow what is right but not because it has been considered a dogma. Hence why we had started considering this unorthodox approach. Even though [it] took me some time to get to your approach, we now get it and I am 100% on board. It does deliver all what I was looking with added security, control and tracking.We'll likely get back to you for some implementation details but again thank you again for your time and bringing all the stakeholders together.Regards #accountable #passionate
- Principal Programmer/Technical Lead, IT Applications
Aug 19, 2024

Volunteering
Mentor - Engineering Academy
Oct 1, 2021 - Present
Guidance Board Member - Engineering Academy
Oct 1, 2021 - Present

Community Engagements
Reducing vulnerabilities in Backstage with Chainguard’s Wolfi - Unchained by Chainguard - software supply chain and open source security updates from our experts
May 16, 2024
Backstage Secure Base Image - Backstage Community Session
Apr 17, 2024
Jan 26, 2024
Ecosystem Panel - Analyst Event - KubeCon - CloudNativeCon
Nov 7, 2023
Nov 6, 2023
Backstage at the world's largest airline - The Journey to the Internal Developer Portal
Oct 4, 2023
May 25, 2023
Happy Developers - DevOps Strategies at Scale - American Airlines - Unconference
Apr 20, 2023
Implementing a developer portal - The Engineering Enablement Podcast - DX
Apr 5, 2023
Runway - The Developer Experience Product - American Airlines Tech Blog
Dec 21, 2021

Education
, Albion, Michigan
Bachelor of Arts
Major: Economics and Management
Minor: Statistics
August 2010 - May 2014
Karl Haworth Karl Haworth is from Traverse City in northern Michigan and attended Traverse City Central High School. During his time in high school, Karl found the Engineering Academy (formerly Manufacturing Technology Academy), a national and state award-winning STEM academy where he participated in the National Robotics Challenge (NRC). Karl later attended Albion College in Albion Michigan where he studied Economics, Management, and Statistics. During his studies at Albion, Karl discovered an internship with US Airways in Tempe Arizona where he performed studies of various IT applications and groups for process improvement. After graduation, Karl was given the opportunity to join the American Airlines Development Program for Technology (ADEPT), a college recruiting program created to develop a technical talent pipeline for Information Technology (IT) and continued on with American Airlines for permanent employment.
me ( at ) karlhaworth.com