Robert Lester

Frontend Software Engineer

Robert Lester

I design and build web applications with React, Next.js, and TypeScript, and I ship them with a fleet of AI agents that I direct and approve.

This site covers who I am, how I build with an agentic workflow, my full work history and skills, and how to reach me.

See my experienceGet in touch
Pixel-art portrait of Robert Lester

Player 1

About

I specialize in users. From interfaces to experiences, my goal is to create things that just work.

I still design and I still code. What changed is how much I can ship. I run a small fleet of AI agents (Wes, Archie, Cody, Penny, Bugsy, and Otto), and each one owns a part of the job: scoping, architecture, engineering, design polish, QA, and deploys.

I talk to the fleet through Grok Bot, and the agents do their work in Cursor. Every change lands as a pull request with a Vercel preview, and nothing merges, deploys, or shows up in the Ship Log until I approve it.

The part I'm proudest of is boring on purpose. Every agent uses the same shared skills, written playbooks for triage, specs, testing, review, and deploys, across every project. Mobile apps, web platforms, client work, and this site all get the same process, not one-off prompts.

  • UI/UX Design

    User-centered interfaces and flows, from wireframe to polished pixels.

  • Product

    Taking ideas from concept to production with the team that ships them.

  • Front-end

    HTML, CSS, JavaScript, TypeScript, and React that hold up in the real world.

  • Brand & Illustration

    Logos, print, and illustration that give a product its personality.

Most recently Lead Frontend Software Engineer at Perfected Claims. More on the process in the workflow, the Ship Log, and the stack.

How I build

One idea in, one pull request out.

This is the studio behind every project: me at the front, two places the work happens, one shared library of skills, six agents, and the apps they touch. Hover, tap, or tab through the map to see what each part does.

Fleet map: Robert, Grok Bot and Cursor, the shared fleet skills layer, six agents, and their connected appsROBERTCursorGrok BotSHARED FLEET SKILLSWes WrightCoordinatorArchie TektonArchitectureCody ShipleyEngineeringPenny PixelDesignBugsy CheckettQAOtto DeployDeploysGitHubVercelSupabaseGmailGoogle CalendarLinearNotionFigmaUsed across · This site · Mobile apps · Web platforms · Client work
  1. 1 · The humanRobertBrings the idea, approves the result.
  2. 2 · Where work happensCursor: Where the agents write code. Cloud agents work on a branch, run the checks, and open the pull request.Grok Bot: Where I talk to the fleet. I drop an idea in chat, and it gets routed to the right agent with the right context.
  3. 3 · Every run goes throughShared fleet skillsEvery agent pulls from the same library of skills: written playbooks for how we triage a bug, write a spec, test a fix, review a PR, and ship a preview. The playbooks travel with the agent, so the mobile apps, the web platforms, client work, and this site all get the same process instead of one-off prompts.
  4. 4 · The agents
    • Wes WrightCoordinatorTurns a loose idea into a scoped brief, splits it into tickets, and keeps the rest of the fleet pointed the same way.
    • Archie TektonArchitecturePicks the shape before anyone writes code: data model, routes, what lives on the server, and what can break.
    • Cody ShipleyEngineeringWrites the code, runs lint, typecheck, and build, and opens the pull request with a real description.
    • Penny PixelDesignOwns the look. Takes a working first pass and polishes type, spacing, motion, and the brand details.
    • Bugsy CheckettQAReproduces the bug, writes the failing test first, and checks the preview before anything gets approved.
    • Otto DeployDeploysRuns the Vercel side: projects, env vars, previews, and, only with my go-ahead, production.
  5. 5 · Used acrossThis site · Mobile apps · Web platforms · Client work
Read the full workflowSee what shipped

Experience

  1. Lead Frontend Software Engineer

    Perfected Claims

    October 2025 – October 2026

    • Built a unified design system and component library with React, Next.js, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS for internal and external apps, shipping it into new internal products as they launched.
    • Took over frontend lead from an outside agency on We Are Erin (Canary), a confidential nationwide platform built with Erin Brockovich's team for reporting corporate and environmental harm, and delivered the working prototype over a six-to-seven-month build.
    • Led the frontend rebuild of an internal tort management system for handling cases, documents, claimant data, and users, taking the platform to near-beta.
    • Helped lead the adoption of AI workflows across the engineering team to automate development tasks, speed up code reviews, and ship 10x to 20x more work while keeping code quality high and maintainable.

  2. Frontend Software Engineer

    Trazi

    August 2024 – October 2025

    • Supported and maintained seven production websites built with Vue.js and Nuxt.js, delivering bug fixes and new features to improve user experience and site performance.
    • Developed and optimized responsive frontend components using Vue, Nuxt, and SCSS, ensuring consistency across devices and browsers.
    • Collaborated with cross-functional teams to troubleshoot issues and roll out feature updates in a fast-paced Agile environment.
    • Assisted in extending and maintaining a custom CMS built with Vue, implementing new functionality and resolving bugs to enhance content management, billing, and customer data workflows for all owned production websites.

  3. Senior Software Engineer

    Fund That Flip/Upright

    November 2021 – June 2024

    • Created and implemented a global UI component library and design system using React, Tailwind CSS, and Storybook based on Figma design files.
    • Developed CI/CD workflows and commit pre-hooks to automate coding standards, testing, and versioned releases that resulted in an increase in code readability and productivity.
    • Refactored and built a complex marketing website with a documented style guide, integrating with the business applications ecosystem using Webflow, React, AWS, and Figma.
    • Developed a many-to-many rollover system for users to manage investments effortlessly that increased user engagement by 40%.
    • Implemented an end-to-end OIDC OAuth authentication and onboarding system across multiple user-facing applications that increased user engagement and sign-ups by 25%.
    • Established testing and coding standards, improving product reliability and team efficiency, resulting in faster feature development and overall better user experience.

  4. Digital UX/UI Designer & Developer

    Launch That (Asbestos.com)

    October 2019 – November 2021

    • Created and implemented a standardized brand guide and design system for Asbestos.com.
    • Created and implemented web designs and pages to help increase web traffic and conversion rates.
    • Created and implemented a new design style that assisted in increasing web traffic and click rates by over 100%.
    • Implemented a new company-wide design process using Figma (cloud-based design application) that allowed for increased visibility, productivity, and efficiency on how web pages are designed, developed, and reviewed.
    • Developed new inline content CTAs, increasing click-through rates by over 150% and conversions by over 16%.

  5. Application Developer & Designer

    Lunar/Launch That

    October 2017 – October 2019

    • Created and implemented a global design system that transformed into a UI component library using React.
    • Owned the design and UI/UX of all applications and digital assets for the company.
    • Continuously evolved the development process through a reinforced software development lifecycle (CI/CD).
    • Assisted with designing and developing several enterprise-level applications from idea to public release:
      • Uplink - sales process text and web messaging solution that auto-synced with Salesforce.
      • TicketBeam - ticketing management system that auto-synced all of the sales data to a tracking tool in Salesforce.
    • Created and defined best practices for coding, unit testing, and source control.
    • Experience using JIRA to keep track of tickets and tasks through a weekly sprint cycle.
    • Worked with TypeScript, JavaScript, React, Redux, Apollo, Jest, Enzyme, SASS, GraphQL, MobX, and Aphrodite.
    • Used design tools such as Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, Sketch, and InVision Studio.

  6. Project Manager

    Intelity

    March 2017 – October 2017

    • Used all available business resources to ensure technical issues were addressed and resolved.
    • Managed customer implementation processes, working with analysts, designers, and engineers to resolve blockers.
    • Produced detailed user stories and facilitated agile sprints using JIRA.
    • Ensured high-quality deliverables and technical issue resolution.

  7. Project Assistant

    Walt Disney World

    November 2014 – March 2017

    • Partnered with various teams to implement new applications at WDW resorts.
    • Conducted user acceptance testing and provided debugging, testing, and implementation support.
    • Created strategic reporting solutions and testing execution summaries.
    • Triaged technical issues impacting the guest and cast experience related to MyMagic+ (Disney Software).

Skills

Languages
TypeScript / JavaScript / Node · CSS / SASS · HTML
Frameworks & libraries
React · Redux · Next.js · Vue · Nuxt · Tailwind · Material UI · Jest · RTL · Firebase · Vite · Storybook · AWS · GraphQL
DevOps & AI tooling
GitHub Actions · Terraform · AWS CDK · AI-assisted development and review workflows
Design tools
Figma · Sketch · Adobe Creative Suite · Webflow

Education

  • Full Stack Web Development Certificate

    University of Central Florida

    2017

  • Associate in Arts

    Cleveland Community College

    2012

Contact

Startup, non-profit, or small business: tell me what you're building and I'll get back to you.