About Me
I am a Senior Full-Stack Software Engineer, Cloud Architect, and AI specialist based in Toronto, Canada. With a passion for architecting resilient systems, I combine enterprise engineering discipline with rapid product craftsmanship.
Full-Stack Software Engineer & AI Systems Architect
Specialized in cloud infrastructure, enterprise AI solutions, large-scale data platforms, and modern web applications.
Throughout my engineering journey, I have architected and deployed solutions across Microsoft Azure, automated complex operations with Terraform, Ansible, and Jenkins, and engineered production AI applications utilizing Azure OpenAI (GPT-4o), Azure AI Search, and streaming telemetry pipelines.
Beyond enterprise systems, I actively build and launch user-facing products, including Vowmi.com (AI-powered resume builder), AlterTale.com (collaborative AI storytelling & multiplayer adventures), and OurBro.com (local travel & cultural immersion).
Technical Expertise
A comprehensive overview of my core technical domains, tools, and platforms cultivated through years of enterprise engineering and product development.
Cloud & DevOps
Enterprise IaC, automated deployment pipelines, and scalable cloud architectures.
AI & LLM Systems
Generative AI integration, prompt design, NLP search, and usage analytics.
Data & Platforms
Large-scale migrations, governance provisioning, and distributed architectures.
Full-Stack Web
Responsive web apps, real-time protocols, modern frontend frameworks, and RESTful APIs.
Professional Experience
A proven track record of architecting cloud platforms, building AI systems, automating enterprise workflows, and delivering high-impact software.
Executive Summary
Brian Ly
Accomplished Senior Full-Stack Software Engineer and Cloud & AI Specialist with comprehensive experience leading enterprise cloud infrastructure, AI integrations, data migrations, and high-performance SaaS development.
- Specialized in Azure, Terraform, Jenkins, Ansible, Databricks, and Cloudflare.
- Proven capability delivering production AI systems with Azure OpenAI GPT-4o and Azure AI Search.
- Builder and founder of live web platforms serving global users.
Education
Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng), Specialized Honours in Computer Engineering
2014 - 2019
Lassonde School of Engineering — York University, Toronto, Ontario
Specialized focus in computer systems, machine learning, computer vision, software testing, software architecture, and distributed operating systems.
Career History
Senior Full-stack Software Engineer
Mar 2024 - Present
Manulife, Toronto, ON
- Contributed to the development of an enterprise chatbot utilizing the GPT-4o model on Azure OpenAI Service, providing intelligent, organization-wide knowledge retrieval.
- Integrated Azure AI Search and advanced prompt workflows to enhance NLP response accuracy for complex domain queries.
- Architected an OpenAI utilization telemetry solution using EventHub message processing to monitor, optimize, and forecast organizational AI consumption.
- Provisioned and automated Unity Catalog via CI/CD pipelines to centralize data governance, access controls, and compliance.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to approve system architecture and drive front-end and back-end best practices.
Full-stack Software Engineer (Data Platform)
Mar 2022 - Feb 2024
Manulife, Toronto, ON
- Designed and automated enterprise Terraform infrastructure-as-code (IaC) templates for rapid provisioning of Azure resources.
- Built automated code promotion scripts for Databricks and streamlined Azure ML model pipeline deployments across environments.
- Engineered and optimized Jenkins CI/CD pipelines, accelerating build velocity and operational reliability.
Data Engineer — EDL Platform Engineering
Dec 2020 - Feb 2022
Manulife, Toronto, ON
- Planned, tested, and executed large-scale data migration from Cloudera HDP/HDF to Microsoft Azure using WANdisco with zero business interruption.
- Automated cloud infrastructure deployment on Azure using Terraform, Python, and Jenkins.
- Managed operations and system tuning across a 700+ host enterprise environment.
Associate Data Engineer — EDL Platform Engineering
May 2019 - Jun 2021
Manulife, Toronto, ON
- Maintained Big Data architectures across Hortonworks Data Platform (HDP) and HDF environments on Microsoft Azure.
- Conducted PoCs for emerging Hadoop and big data analytics tooling.
- Automated routine cluster patching, tuning, and monitoring via Python, Ansible, and Shell scripts.
Featured Projects & Ventures
Live consumer applications, AI platforms, and community products I have built and actively develop. Each project demonstrates end-to-end product design, scalable architecture, and modern full-stack development.
Live Production
Vowmi.com
A high-performance career acceleration platform empowering job seekers to craft professional, ATS-friendly resumes and tailored cover letters in minutes. Incorporates modern layout options, real-time typography styling, contextual AI suggestions, and instant client-side vector PDF downloads.
- ATS-friendly templates engineered for top candidate ranking
- AI-powered content polish and prompt tailoring
- High-fidelity vector PDF generation engine
Live Production
AlterTale.com
A community-powered interactive fiction and multiplayer storytelling platform across 180+ genres. Players step into living worlds, form multiplayer adventure lobbies, make consequential decisions, and watch dynamic branching stories unfold guided by an intelligent AI Game Master.
- AI Game Master generating dynamic, context-aware narratives
- Multiplayer adventure lobbies with real-time turn synchronization
- 180+ storytelling genres and collaborative worldbuilding
Active Platform
OurBro.com
A local experience and cultural travel discovery platform connecting curious explorers with verified locals. Enables authentic cultural immersion, curated hidden spots, neighborhood food excursions, and meaningful human connection that traditional tourist guides miss.
- Verified local guides offering authentic experiences
- Curated hidden gem itineraries and cultural activities
- Mobile-optimized, modern experience discovery UX
In Development
More Projects Coming Soon
I am continuously prototyping and incubating new tools at the intersection of autonomous AI agents, enterprise cloud automation, and distributed systems. More innovative software solutions, open-source repositories, and public SaaS platforms are actively in the pipeline.
- Autonomous multi-agent workflows and task orchestration
- Infrastructure-as-code automation and cloud governance utilities
- Upcoming public beta launches and new SaaS tools
Services & Offerings
Expert consulting and engineering capabilities available for select contract, architecture advisory, and technical collaboration opportunities.
AI Solutions & LLM Engineering
Architecting intelligent conversational agents, Azure OpenAI integrations, semantic vector search, custom prompt pipelines, and real-time LLM telemetry reporting.
Full-Stack Web Development
Building robust web platforms from zero to production. Specializing in modern JavaScript/TypeScript, React, Next.js, responsive layouts, API design, and edge deployments.
Cloud Platform & Azure Architecture
Designing scalable, secure cloud foundations on Microsoft Azure. Implementing automated provisioning, high-availability topologies, network security, and cost governance.
DevOps & IaC Automation
Automating end-to-end infrastructure with Terraform, Ansible, Docker, and Jenkins CI/CD pipelines to ensure repeatable, audited, and fast multi-environment code promotion.
Big Data & Governance
Executing complex enterprise data migrations (Hadoop/Cloudera to Azure), provisioning Databricks and Unity Catalog for centralized access control, compliance, and analytics.
System Performance & Consulting
Performance profiling, cluster optimization, risk mitigation, and technical advisory for cross-functional teams tackling complex architectural challenges.
Testimonials
Feedback and endorsements highlighting the collaborative impact, engineering rigor, and execution speed brought to technical initiatives.
Working with Brian was an absolute pleasure. His deep expertise in AI systems and his ability to deliver innovative, robust solutions under tight deadlines made him an invaluable asset to our team.
Nathan Harrison
Technical Project Manager
Brian is an exceptional engineer with outstanding communication skills. He articulates technical architectures clearly, bridges design and development effortlessly, and always prioritizes the end user experience.
Sarah Wu
UI/UX Lead
Brian is an incredibly reliable professional. His dedication, attention to detail, and ability to troubleshoot complex cluster and deployment issues ensured our project milestones were always achieved smoothly.
Business Analyst
Brian has a deep understanding of both front-end and back-end systems. Working alongside him on LLM applications and automated pipelines showed his ability to solve difficult problems quickly and cleanly.
AI Engineer
Brian's expertise in data engineering and cloud infrastructure is top notch. He designed resilient pipelines, optimized large-scale workloads, and simplified complex workflows for our entire analytics division.
Senior Data Scientist
Get In Touch
Interested in collaborating, hiring, or discussing projects? Reach out directly via the form below or through any of my professional channels.
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Direct Contact
GitHub
Send a Message
Fill out the form below to get in touch. I receive submissions directly and will reply promptly.