Experience / John Hedley II
Technology changes. The responsibility remains.
My career has crossed development, architecture, requirements, consulting, modernization and long-term ownership of production systems. AI is the newest capability I bring to that work.
The through-line
I began building software before the web existed. I worked through the move from DOS to Windows, desktop applications to the web, and web scripting to more structured application architecture. The tools changed. The recurring work was understanding the problem, deciding what should exist, designing appropriately and delivering something people could depend on.
That history informs how I approach AI. Models add remarkable new capability, but implementation still has to account for requirements, integration, reliability, security, cost, usability, stakeholder alignment and operational ownership.
I’m applying 35 years of experience to what comes next.
Selected experience
QwickRate / Infusion / OptimaFI
Technical delivery and modernization lead, client engagement through Solve First Consulting. Helped turn QwickAnalytics from a PDF-oriented reporting service into an interactive fintech SaaS platform, now Call Report Insights. The resulting platform added 810+ new subscribers and represented $2.6M+ in annual recurring revenue by year-end 2023.
Worked directly with principals and banking experts to define the product, originate its architecture and early customer-facing features, and sequence delivery. Led cross-functional technical work across .NET, Java, React, IT and business stakeholders while preserving existing data services.
Also delivered an Excel financial-analysis add-in and SEC 13F institutional-ownership research capabilities, from data ingestion and SQL Server design to reporting. Introduced a release-readiness rule that protected testing and stakeholder validation before weekend releases.
Solve First Consulting
Independent technology consulting vehicle for client delivery and selected applied AI work. Recent work includes the Keating Family Medicine Opportunity Map, RefactIQ, and the SFC Outreach Engine.
MedMasters.com
Founding technical lead, officially VP of Software Development. As the sole active software technologist in a four-person startup, turned a healthcare recruiting concept into a working SaaS for job search, candidate sourcing and social interaction.
Banker’s Dashboard
Lead developer. Modernized a banking SaaS from Classic ASP to C#/.NET, then carried product evolution and maintenance forward with its founders. Provided technical direction to a junior developer and participated in hiring interviews.
CyberQuest Systems
Lead developer and contract technical point of contact. Expanded work from one Lowe’s loss-prevention audit application to 12 procedural audit and self-assessment systems, working with district and regional managers on requirements, delivery and support.
Earlier work
Earlier roles included independent consulting, application development at Arthur Andersen and computer programming in the United States Air Force. Each involved direct contact with the people using the software, from requirements through delivery. I hold an associate degree in Computer Science from the Community College of the Air Force.
Where I want to work now
I’m interested in senior roles in AI implementation and enablement, technical program leadership, technology delivery and adjacent positions where experience across business and engineering is useful. I’m comfortable between executives, users, architects, engineers, vendors and AI specialists—turning ambiguous intent into decisions a team can build and support.
My role does not require being the deepest specialist in every technology in the room. It requires understanding the technology and the business well enough to lead the work responsibly.