# Zach Howard
**Embedded & C++ Developer | ESP32 Firmware, Audio DSP & IoT**

Oshawa, Ontario, Canada · zachdhoward@proton.me · github.com/zdhoward · tools.zachtech.ca

## Summary
More than a decade of hands-on work across IT, custom development, QA and DevOps for multiple companies and studios (freelance since 2013).

## Skills
- Embedded: ESP32, Arduino, C++ firmware, USB serial, TFT touch displays, Raspberry Pi
- Also Used: Additional languages used in past work and projects: C#, C++, C, PHP, Java
- Languages & Tools: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, SQL, REST APIs, Git, GitHub
- Scripting: Bash and PowerShell scripting

## Experience

### Owner / IT Services, ZachTech | March 2026 – present
Oshawa, ON area
- Founded ZachTech, a local IT services business, and am building its client base.

### QC Lead, Eterio Realities | March 2025 – March 2026
Victoria, BC
- Worked directly with developers to integrate testing and quality practices throughout development.

### Associate Quality Designer, Electronic Arts | March 2024 – June 2024
Vancouver, BC
- Created and maintained QA test passes for Frostbite engine changes and validated new features and workflow changes.

### QA Specialist, embedded at Electronic Arts, Keywords Studios | April 2020 – March 2024
Vancouver, BC
- Embedded QA on the Frostbite Build Tools team, working directly with software engineers on internal developer tools and workflows used across AAA game projects.
- Validated changes to internal build systems and developer workflows and created testing strategies for complex engineering systems.

### IT Coordinator, Mountain West Studios | September 2018 – April 2020
Vancouver, BC
- Developed backend systems for automated video rendering and delivery, and automation for business workflows.

### Product Specialist, Saved By Technology (now Long & McQuade Pro) | January 2016 – August 2018
Toronto, ON
- Delivered workshops on audio programming and Max/MSP.

### Earlier roles
- Freelance since 2013: server deployment, database migrations, and custom Max/MSP audio tools for musicians.

## Projects
- Built AIUsageMonitor (open source, v1.14.1): an ESP32 touchscreen desktop display with C++/Arduino firmware, fed over USB serial by a Python collector, showing AI subscription quotas and live system telemetry. (https://github.com/zdhoward/AIUsageMonitor)
- Founded ZXAudio (zxaudio.ca): VST3 audio plugins built in C++ with JUCE, including the PHASE//ZERO phaser, plus open-source DSP and UI component libraries. (https://zxaudio.ca)
- Home network on UniFi gear connecting two Unraid servers, a Raspberry Pi OS host, and other single-board computers and IoT devices.

## Education
- Seneca College — Computer Programming & Analysis, 2011 – 2014