Gary Zyriek
Memphis
Summary
Director-level software engineering leader with solid background leading cross-functional development teams. Proven track record in delivering high-quality software solutions and improving development processes. Demonstrated leadership and strategic planning skills.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Director of Software Development Engineering
Independence Pet Group
01.2023 - Current
- Led cross-functional teams to develop and implement software solutions aligned with business goals.
- Oversaw software development lifecycle, ensuring adherence to best practices and industry standards.
- Led software engineering, QA, and Agile teams responsible for API-driven platforms, integrations, and customer-facing applications, aligning execution with enterprise priorities.
- Developed and retained high-performing teams through coaching, clear role expectations, and consistent feedback; coach managers to strengthen leadership effectiveness and accountability.
- Established and reinforced delivery and quality standards - readiness criteria, testing expectations, and sprint discipline - improving predictability while reducing burnout and rework.
- Served as a strategic and technical partner to API consumers, guiding integration design, onboarding, and issue resolution across internal and external teams.
- Defined standards for API design, documentation, versioning, and testing, enabling secure, scalable partner and system integrations.
- Directed implementation of Azure Service Bus to support reliable, event-driven communication across distributed systems.
- Championed observability and reliability practices, improving monitoring, alerting, and incident response using Datadog, Azure Application Insights, Grafana, Pingdom, and Squadcast.
- Implemented synthetic monitoring and uptime validation to proactively ensure site and API availability.
- Designed Power BI dashboards providing executive visibility into code coverage and quality metrics, enabling data-informed quality discussions.
- Led security and compliance readiness, including SOC 2 preparation and GitHub vulnerability assessments, in partnership with IT and security teams.
- Improved Agile delivery outcomes by refining sprint cadence, backlog readiness, and cross-team coordination.
Software Development Engineering Manager
Independence Pet Group
08.2022 - 01.2023
- Led Agile development teams delivering web-based applications and integrations.
- Emphasized delivery readiness through clear requirements, validation, and testing prior to build.
- Communicated progress, risks, and delivery metrics with transparency to leadership and stakeholders.
Senior Manager, Application Development | Manager, Application Development
Inventory Locator Service, LLC
01.2007 - 01.2022
- Led and scaled cross-functional engineering teams delivering enterprise platforms for a $45M business unit, supporting a global, 24/7 marketplace.
- Owned delivery of the company’s first eCommerce platform, enabling new digital revenue channels and modernizing customer engagement.
- Directed enterprise system integrations and API platforms supporting internal business systems and customer-facing applications.
- Built and developed high-performing teams across engineering, QA, and product disciplines, with a strong focus on engagement, accountability, and retention.
- Championed Agile adoption and delivery discipline, improving predictability, quality, and throughput.
- Recognized as a top manager in Boeing Employee Engagement surveys, reflecting trust-based leadership and strong team culture.
Education
Master of Science - Psychology
University of Memphis
MemphisBachelor of Arts - Psychology
Auburn University
AuburnSkills
- Engineering leadership and talent development
- API integration
- Agile project management
- System observability
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Azure cloud services management
- System observability and reliability
Timeline
Director of Software Development Engineering
Independence Pet Group
01.2023 - Current
Software Development Engineering Manager
Independence Pet Group
08.2022 - 01.2023
Senior Manager, Application Development | Manager, Application Development
Inventory Locator Service, LLC
01.2007 - 01.2022
Master of Science - Psychology
University of Memphis
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
Auburn University