jake nef builds the backend logic that decides who gets paid, and gets it right.

Jacob Nef
(951) 414-9458 ∙ jacob.d.nef@gmail.com ∙ Provo, UT ∙ jakenef.github.io/portfolio ∙ linkedin.com/in/jacob-nef


EDUCATION
Brigham Young University        Graduating Apr 2027
Computer Science Major, Emphasis in Software Engineering        Provo, UT
Minor in Entrepreneurship
* GPA: 3.91 while working 20hr/week concurrently
* President of the BYU Developers Association with over 200 members, collaborated with Adobe
* 2x Dean’s List recipient (Top 5% of class), full tuition scholarship received
* Courses taken: Data Structures, Discrete Structures, Computer Systems, Advanced Software Construction, Web Programming, Algorithm Design and Analysis, QA & DevOps, Software Design


SKILLS
Languages: C#, Java, Python, Typescript | Frameworks: React, Angular | Other: SQL, Git, Claude Code


EXPERIENCE
Awardco        Apr 2026–Present
Back-End Software Engineer Intern        Lindon, UT
* Built the core rules engine backend for an enterprise employee incentives platform product (generating $1.2M/year), designing extensible business logic to support configurable competition types and performant reward calculations for organizations with over 30,000 employees including AT&T
* Pioneered agentic AI tooling to automate engineering tasks, improving team productivity. Identified critical production bugs through testing and code reviews and implemented fixes
* Drove implementation of complex business logic for payouts, identifying edge cases others missed, fail states, and data issues to ensure reliable behavior under real-world scenarios
* Owned the CSV upload epic end-to-end, defining technical requirements, creating 10+ implementation tickets, and delivering scalable backend functionality for bulk data imports


Grouply        Sep 2025–Apr 2026
Full-Stack Software Engineer        Remote / Lehi, UT
* Developed a cross-platform social discovery platform as the sole engineer using React Native, shipping to iOS and Android driving 150 downloads and 33 subscriptions
* Designed a scalable backend, modeling 16 relational database tables and implementing 46 REST endpoints. Set up production, staging, and development environments and efficient CI/CD pipelines
* Engineered an AI recommendation system using the OpenAI SDK and vector embeddings to semantically match users with nearby events based on conversational intent, interests, and host compatibility while implementing prompt guardrails for reliable, production-ready behavior


BYU College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences        Sep 2024–Sep 2025
Web Developer (Full-Stack)        Provo, UT
* Spearheaded development of a college-wide calendaring app in Angular/TypeScript, built to support 2,000+ students and staff in managing events once launched
* Engineered backend data models and APIs with Prisma ORM/tRPC, powering secure role-based access control, dynamic forms, and RSVPs while implementing responsive UIs from designer wireframes
* Facilitated 10+ client meetings to translate functional specs into actionable technical deliverables and collaborated with 2–6 engineers/designers in agile sprints to deliver 9+ projects on time


ACHIEVEMENTS
* Won first place at 4 AI centric hackathons in the last year and participated in 6, earning over $2k in awards