JUSTIN HAWKES
AI Systems Builder

I build production AI systems that make real operations measurably smarter.

From architecture to deployment. Sixteen years an engineer across multiple industries — I find the system that slows people down, and I build the fix.

For most of that time I've worked inside real operations, teaching myself to build the tools the job needed, then the AI systems that do it better: AutoCAD and VBA, then Excel and Power Platform, then Python, now AI and LLMs. Which means I've been the actual user of the systems these tools are meant to improve.

16 yrs
engineer · multiple industries
2
production AI systems built solo
~112K
lines of source shipped
Open
where the impact is seen
What I've built

Atlas — a production AI operations platform

Live in production

A production AI operations platform at my current employer. It runs retrieval over the company's own documents and returns cited answers, ingests source material through a deterministic pipeline, and carries an observability layer — all on Azure with managed identity.

Why it matters: I originated the initiative and built it solo — from the architecture through the deployment — and delivered the executive demo. I don't just build it; I run and harden it in production.

PythonRAG / retrievalReact / TypeScript PostgreSQL · AzureObservability

Nova — my own multi-agent assistant

Personal R&D

Specialized agents acting as doers under one orchestrator, with scheduled automation, persistent memory, and deterministic multi-agent workflows. Real agentic experience — not a wrapper around a single prompt.

Why it matters: proof I don't build one thing and stop. I build systems continuously, and I build the tools that build the tools. This is where I push the frontier before it shows up in the work.

Multi-agent orchestrationPythonScheduled automationSQLite

RepoLens

Open source

A portable, zero-install tool that makes any AI-assisted codebase searchable and self-checking: a ranked find-index plus a typed corpus linter, config-driven and standard-library only.

Why it matters: my first original open-source tool — designed from scratch, run through three adversarial reviews, with everything that didn't earn its place cut.

Python stdlibSQLite FTS5View on GitHub

Mesh

Hardware + firmware

A rural Meshtastic LoRa mesh network — long-range, solar-friendly radio comms that keep working with no internet and no cell signal.

Why it matters: systems thinking past pure software — hardware, firmware, and resilience.

MeshtasticLoRaembedded
The through-line

The pattern goes back to the start. Early in my career I built a parametric generator that compiled form inputs into a manufacturable 3D model and turned an 8-hour drafting job into about 30 seconds. Every stop since, I've found the system that slows people down and built the fix. I ship, learn, and ship again — faster than most.

Get in touch

Let's build something that makes the work smarter.

Open to Forward-Deployed and AI-engineering roles where the impact is real and seen. Drop me a line — I read every message.

Justin Hawkes · AI Systems Builder Louisville, KY · Remote