Michael Ocana

Technical lead responsible for architecting and delivering high-fidelity digital experiences for global brands. This role focuses on building scalable, component-based architectures using modern Drupal versions and Acquia’s enterprise suite within a fast-paced production environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise Drupal Engineering: Lead the development and maintenance of sophisticated web platforms using Drupal 9, 10, and 11, focusing on custom module development and seamless API integrations.
• Low-Code/Component Architecture: Architect and implement design systems using Acquia Site Studio (formerly Cohesion), enabling rapid, flexible page building while maintaining strict brand governance.
• Full-Stack Implementation: Develop dynamic, high-interactivity features using PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, and Ajax, ensuring a seamless blend of backend logic and frontend performance.
• Acquia Cloud Operations: Manage the full application lifecycle on the Acquia platform, including environment configuration, deployment workflows, and performance tuning for global traffic.
• Frontend Excellence: Build responsive, pixel-perfect, and accessible interfaces using HTML and CSS, ensuring cross-browser compatibility and adherence to modern UI/UX standards.
• Database & Optimization: Optimize MySQL database schemas and queries to ensure high availability and rapid content delivery for content-heavy brand sites.
• Technical Leadership: Drive production efficiency through code reviews, technical documentation, and the implementation of best practices in component-based development and CI/CD pipelines.

Lead technical architect and developer responsible for the delivery and maintenance of global, high-scale web platforms. This role focuses on implementing enterprise-grade solutions across the full Drupal lifecycle, from legacy support to cutting-edge versions, while optimizing performance within the Pantheon ecosystem.

Key Responsibilities

• Full-Spectrum Drupal Development: Lead the architecture, development, and migration of multi-site ecosystems across Drupal 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, ensuring modern coding standards and security compliance.
• Custom Module Engineering: Develop complex, high-performance backend features and third-party API integrations using PHP and MySQL to meet global business requirements.
• Platform Operations: Orchestrate deployment workflows and environment management on Pantheon, leveraging multidev, automated testing, and advanced caching (Varnish/Redis) to ensure 99.9% uptime.
• Advanced Frontend Implementation: Create seamless, responsive, and accessible user experiences using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ajax for high-interactivity components.
• Database & Performance Optimization: Architect and tune MySQL schemas and sophisticated queries to handle large-scale content distribution and high-concurrency traffic.
• Technical Governance: Drive technical excellence through rigorous code reviews, documentation, and the implementation of best practices in Headless Drupal and CI/CD pipelines.

Technical lead specializing in the end-to-end delivery and maintenance of enterprise-level Drupal ecosystems. Responsible for architecting scalable solutions, managing complex version migrations, and optimizing high-performance applications within the Pantheon hosting environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Drupal Architecture & Lifecycle: Oversee the full development lifecycle from legacy Drupal 7 maintenance to modern implementations in Drupal 8, 9, 10, and 11, ensuring seamless migrations and architectural integrity.
• Custom Module & Backend Engineering: Develop high-performance backend logic using PHP and MySQL, creating custom modules and API integrations to meet specific business requirements.
• Frontend & UX Development: Engineer responsive, accessible, and dynamic user interfaces using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Ajax for enhanced client-side interactivity.
• Platform Management: Leverage Pantheon for streamlined DevOps workflows, managing multidev environments, automated deployments, and advanced caching configurations.
• Database & Query Optimization: Design and tune MySQL schemas and complex queries to ensure site stability and rapid data retrieval across large-scale content repositories.
• Technical Leadership: Act as a subject matter expert for Drupal best practices, conducting code reviews and providing strategic guidance on security, scalability, and technical debt.

Technical lead responsible for architecting and developing high-concurrency enterprise applications, leveraging modern PHP frameworks and advanced search technologies to deliver scalable, data-driven solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Framework Specialization: Design and implement complex backend architectures using PHP Zend Framework and Symfony, ensuring modularity, security, and high performance.
• Search Engine Integration: Architect and optimize ElasticSearch implementations to provide high-speed, relevant search capabilities and real-time data analytics across large datasets.
• Full-Stack Engineering: Build responsive and dynamic user interfaces using JavaScript, jQuery, and CSS, ensuring seamless integration with PHP-based RESTful services.
• Legacy Management: Oversee the maintenance and transition of existing Perl/CGI systems, ensuring continuous operation and integration with modern application stacks.
• Database Architecture: Design and tune MySQL databases, focusing on schema optimization, complex query performance, and data integrity for enterprise-scale platforms.
• Technical Leadership: Lead architectural reviews and mentor development teams on best practices in design patterns, automated testing, and CI/CD workflows.

Acted as the lead technical architect for the digital presence of a major regional news organization, managing high-traffic web portals and overseeing the transition between different CMS architectures to ensure maximum uptime and performance.

Key Responsibilities

• CMS Architecture & Migration: Managed and optimized large-scale news platforms built on Drupal 6 and Drupal 7, overseeing site migrations, security patches, and complex version upgrades.
• Full-Stack Engineering: Developed robust backend features using PHP and MySQL, ensuring the system could handle rapid content publishing and massive concurrent user traffic.
• Performance Optimization: Tuned MySQL databases and implemented caching strategies to minimize page load times during breaking news events and peak traffic periods.
• Frontend Enhancement: Engineered responsive and interactive news layouts using HTML, JavaScript, and jQuery to improve mobile readability and user engagement.
• Custom Module Development: Designed and implemented custom Drupal modules to facilitate specialized newsroom workflows, including multimedia integration and digital archives.
• Technical Strategy: Provided expert consulting on infrastructure scalability, server-side security, and the integration of third-party advertising and social media APIs.

Led the development and optimization of high-traffic web applications and e-commerce platforms, utilizing a multi-framework stack to deliver scalable, cross-platform business solutions for the Australian market.

Key Responsibilities

• Framework Engineering: Developed and maintained robust web applications using CakePHP and native PHP, implementing MVC architecture to ensure modular and maintainable code.
• Legacy System Maintenance: Managed and optimized complex Perl/CGI environments, ensuring high availability and seamless feature integration for established business systems.
• Database Optimization: Designed and refined MySQL database schemas, focusing on performance tuning, indexing, and data security for enterprise-level applications.
• Frontend Development: Engineered responsive and interactive user interfaces using HTML, JavaScript, and jQuery to improve client-side performance and user engagement.
• System Architecture: Collaborated on the design of scalable backend infrastructures, integrating third-party APIs and managing cross-platform data synchronization.
• Technical Leadership: Provided expert-level troubleshooting and code reviews, maintaining high development standards and security protocols across all digital assets.

Technical lead and consultant responsible for the digital infrastructure of the institution, specializing in the development and maintenance of custom educational platforms and student management systems.

Key Responsibilities

• System Architecture: Managed the development and scaling of the school’s web ecosystem, utilizing Drupal 6 to build custom modules and specialized content types for academic tracking.
• Full-Stack Development: Engineered backend functionality with PHP and MySQL, ensuring a secure and efficient environment for sensitive student and faculty data.
• Frontend Optimization: Enhanced the user interface and institutional portals using HTML, JavaScript, and jQuery to ensure a responsive and intuitive experience for educators and parents.
• Database Administration: Optimized MySQL database performance and integrity, facilitating rapid access to large-scale academic records and reporting tools.
• Strategic Consulting: Provided expert guidance on technical roadmaps, site security, and the integration of third-party educational APIs into the existing Drupal framework.
• Workflow Automation: Designed and implemented custom scripts to automate administrative tasks, such as enrollment processing and automated grade reporting.

Lead developer and technical architect responsible for building, maintaining, and scaling complex enterprise web applications within a diverse technical stack, specializing in high-performance Drupal and Zend Framework implementations.

Key Responsibilities

• Application Architecture: Designed and engineered scalable web solutions using PHP and the PHP Zend Framework, ensuring robust backend logic and efficient system performance.
• Drupal Development: Led the customization and deployment of Drupal 6 platforms, including the creation of custom modules and advanced theme integration.
• Legacy System Integration: Maintained and optimized existing Perl/CGI scripts, facilitating seamless transitions and data flow between legacy systems and modern PHP environments.
• Frontend Engineering: Developed interactive, responsive user interfaces using HTML, JavaScript, and jQuery to enhance client-side functionality and user experience.
• Database Management: Architected and optimized MySQL schemas, focusing on query performance, data integrity, and complex relational mapping for large-scale datasets.
• Technical Leadership: Provided high-level troubleshooting and code optimization strategies to improve application security, stability, and development velocity.