Hi, I'm Justin Smith
Senior Backend / Data Infrastructure Engineer — Python, distributed systems, APIs, and real-time data integration (CDC).
Currently building connectors + CDK (connector development kit) capabilities at Estuary.
Remote (Starkville, MS) • contact@justinsmith.sh • LinkedIn • Resume
What I do
I build data-infrastructure systems that move data reliably at scale: connectors, async pipelines, checkpointing/state, APIs, and streaming.
Recent impact (selected):
- Enabled data capture for 6,500 Stripe Connected Accounts with 500,000+ concurrent streams (zero data loss). PR #2467 • follow-up: PR #2812
- Led zero-downtime migration for 20+ enterprise customers by re-architecting a legacy Airbyte wrapper into a native async Python connector (preserved 100% historical data). PR #3409
- Cut recovery log storage costs by 80% with JSON merge-patch checkpointing. PR #3068
- Previously at Camgian: helped secure $8M in follow-on contracts via edge-based data microservices; improved Kafka throughput by 300%.
- Previously at Camgian: built/operated high-throughput streaming systems (Kafka, async ingestion) handling GBs/minute.
Signature strengths
- Connector correctness: state, pagination edge cases, rate limits, retries, backfills, data quality
- Async + performance: asyncio/concurrency tuning, throughput optimization, reliability under load
- Production ownership: incident response, investigations, operational improvements, customer impact delivery
Open-source proof
Most of my open-source work lives inside Estuary’s connectors repo.
Beyond work
First-gen engineer, disc golfer (MA1), husband, and builder of side projects.
Expand for the full story
- First-generation college graduate; non-linear path into engineering (dropped out and returned two years later)
- Disc golf competitor (MA1) and builder of software projects around the sport (including form/video analysis).
- I run a small LLC helping local businesses with websites + HIPAA-compliant email setups (small scale; quality-first).
- Husband + dog owner (English Springer Spaniel named Scout).
- I enjoy practical/DIY projects away from the screen too (home gym buildout, lawn care, drainage work, etc.).
Tech stack (expand) - languages • data • infra • delivery
| Category | Technologies |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Languages | Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, SQL, Go |
| Backend | Asyncio, FastAPI, Pydantic, REST, GraphQL |
| Frontend | React, Tailwind, Shadcn, Radix UI, Zustand |
| Data | Kafka (Connect/Streams, Avro), PostgreSQL, TimescaleDB, InfluxDB |
| Cloud/Infra | AWS (EC2/ECR/S3), Docker, Terraform, Linux, Lima/Mise |
| CI/CD | GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins |
Contact
If you’re hiring, collaborating, or want to talk data infrastructure + connectors: