Software engineering leader in Dallas, TX. Currently Engineering Manager at R1 RCM, owning two products: a private ChatGPT-like platform with enterprise security guardrails (Azure OpenAI, RAG, document intelligence) and a BI analytics application serving internal and executive stakeholders. Previously Principal Software Engineer / Lead at Microsoft across nearly two decades (2002–2013, 2015–2023) on Fortune 500 and US federal engagements — Kubernetes, IoT, software-defined vehicles, and Azure SDK for Rust. Started building on Azure before general availability.
- Leading delivery of an enterprise AI platform (RAG, document chat, Azure OpenAI) and a BI analytics product.
- AI-assisted engineering. Using Claude Code and GitHub Copilot daily; building and refining custom agents; coaching my team on where AI tooling earns its keep.
- Rust — contributor to the Azure SDK for Rust (Storage, Data Lake, Key Vault, core error handling); see rickrain/azure-sdk-for-rust.
- Kubernetes & cloud-native platforms — rickrain/k8s-volumes.
- Microsoft Press author (Azure):
- Implementing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (Exam 70-533 Reference Guide) — 1st Edition (2015), 2nd Edition (2017)
- Microsoft Azure Essentials: Azure Web Apps for Developers (2015)
- Blog: rickrainey.com — practical notes on Kubernetes, Azure, cert prep, and dev setup.
- Past speaking: Microsoft TechEd, TechReady, Channel 9, multiple Global Azure Bootcamps.
- LinkedIn — in/rickrain
- Stack Overflow — rick-rainey
- Blog — rickrainey.com