Designing and managing the technology backbone of one of the largest collegiate esports programs in the U.S.
Title
Technical Operations Manager
Timeframe
January 2020 - December 2024
Languages & Frameworks
JavaScript (React, Node.js), Python, PHP, MySQL, HTML/CSS, Discord.js
Infrastructure
Oracle Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Docker, CDN services
Tools
OBS Studio API, Google Analytics, Git, AirTable, Trello, WordPress, REST APIs
Awards & Nominations
EsportsU Leader of the Year (2024-25), EsportsU Rising Star (Asad Jamal)
Project Overview
Directed the technical infrastructure, automation systems, and analytics platforms for one of the largest collegiate esports programs in the U.S., serving 4,000+ members and 15+ competitive teams. Built and maintained platforms that powered tournaments, content delivery, and real-time competitive insights.
Impact:
- Increased competitive event participation by 96% and boosted stream viewership by 278% through integrated automation and data-informed scheduling.
- Reduced operational overhead by ~25% through automation of repetitive admin tasks.
- Enabled SDG to scale reliably for large events, ensuring high performance and minimal downtime.
Key Engineering Achievements
Infrastructure & Hosting
- Deployed and maintained dedicated game servers (Minecraft, CS2, DayZ, and others) using Oracle Cloud and Azureinfrastructure, achieving 99.8% uptime with proactive monitoring and load balancing.
- Optimized performance with Dockerized deployments and automated nightly backups, reducing downtime risk by ~40%.
- Developed event-specific server images to enable rapid spin-up within 15 minutes for LAN and tournament needs.
Data & Analytics
- Designed and implemented tracking for attendance, match stats, and streaming metrics, stored in relational databases for analysis.
- Used Google Analytics and custom MySQL queries to guide event scheduling, leading to 96% participation growth year-over-year in targeted titles.
- Created competitive performance reports used to justify sponsorship renewals and budget allocations.
Custom Software Development
- Built internal analytics dashboards in React + Node.js + MySQL for tracking member engagement, event participation, and competitive results; led to +39% increase in participation within 6 months.
- Created recruitment and competitive tracking tools in Python and JavaScript to streamline scouting and match preparation.
- Developed Discord bots using Discord.js for automated announcements, match results posting, and member recognition.
Systems Integration & Automation
- Integrated APIs for Twitch, OBS, and player stat services to automate real-time overlays and scoreboards, reducing broadcast update time by 50%.
- Automated tournament check-ins, event applications, and member rewards tracking, cutting admin workload by ~5 hours per week.
- Built content aggregation workflows that pulled news mentions and relevant streams into the SDG site in real time.
Web Development & Optimization
- Rebuilt the Sun Devil Gaming WordPress site with custom PHP modules for roster pages, match histories, and integrated player stats.
- Reduced page load time from ~5.2s to under 2.8s through image optimization, caching, and CDN usage.
- Embedded live streams directly into team pages with auto-detection for when players went live.
Event Technology & Scalability
- Engineered LAN and online tournament tech setups including network configuration, server hosting, and AV streaming equipment.
- Implemented scaling strategies to handle 500+ concurrent stream viewers and 150+ in-game participants without performance loss.
Security & Reliability
- Configured firewalls, role-based access control, and automated backup systems for cloud and web infrastructure.
- Prevented a near-miss data loss incident during a hardware failure by restoring the site from an automated backup within 30 minutes.
Additional Media
