Available for freelance & contract work

Software that
actually ships.

I'm Steve Rose — a senior software engineer based in San Diego with 25+ years of experience building enterprise Java systems, iOS apps, healthcare data integrations, and custom web tools. I work directly with clients. No agency markup. No hand-offs.

Get in Touch See What I Do

What I Build

📱

iOS App Development

Native iPhone and iPad apps built with SwiftUI, SwiftData, and CloudKit. I handle the full stack — from App Store submission to in-app purchases and subscription management. Three published apps and counting.

Swift SwiftUI SwiftData CloudKit StoreKit App Store

🌐

Custom Web Applications

Full-stack web tools built to solve specific business problems — not off-the-shelf software that's 80% of what you need. Java/Spring Boot backends, React frontends, MySQL or SQL Server databases.

Spring Boot React Java MySQL REST APIs AWS

🏥

Healthcare IT & HL7 Integration

Deep experience with healthcare data standards most engineers have never touched. HL7 v2/v3, XDS/IHE profiles, CDA documents, and HIPAA-compliant system design. Built and maintained a county-wide immunization registry for 18+ years.

HL7 IHE / XDS CDA HIPAA CDC IIS SOAP/WSDL

📄

Technical Documentation & Layout

Most engineers can't design. Most designers don't understand the technical content. I do both — user guides, API docs, compliance manuals, and training materials that are accurate, clear, and professionally laid out using Affinity Publisher.

Affinity Publisher API Docs Compliance Docs User Guides App Store Assets

Why Work With Me

I've been writing software professionally since the late '90s. I've worked on systems that handle millions of patient records, tax returns for millions of users at Intuit, and iOS apps that are live in the App Store right now.

What I bring that a junior contractor doesn't: I've seen what goes wrong. I've designed data models that outlasted the companies that commissioned them. I've built HL7 interfaces that have been running for 18 years. I know where the bodies are buried and how to avoid digging new graves.

I work directly with you — no project managers, no hand-offs, no communication overhead. You get a senior engineer who can talk to your stakeholders, read your requirements, and ship working software.

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Intuit — TurboTax Online Contract Java Engineer, 2024–2025. Production microservices on AWS during peak tax season.

San Diego Immunization Registry 18+ years architecting and maintaining a HIPAA-compliant county public health system serving millions of records.

3 Published iOS Apps Game Spinner, Sourdough Buddy, and Busy Bee Time Tracker — all live on the App Store, built with SwiftUI and CloudKit.

Software Partners — Partner Became a partner after 9 years delivering custom software for government and enterprise clients.

B.S. Computer Science & Business University of Kansas. Both sides of the table.

Published iOS Apps

Three native apps built with SwiftUI — available on iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Each one designed, developed, and published independently.

Busy Bee Time Tracker

Track time by client, project & task — no ads, no clutter.

📱 iPhone · iPad · Mac

A straightforward time-tracking app packed with features that won't clutter your screen or make you sit through annoying ads. Easily track your time across multiple clients, projects, and tasks. Built with SwiftUI, SwiftData, CloudKit sync, and full subscription management via StoreKit.

SwiftUISwiftDataCloudKitStoreKit

Sourdough Buddy

Your go-to helper for all things sourdough bread.

📱 iPhone · iPad · Mac

Manage ingredients, track recipes, and experiment with hydration levels and flour ratios. With an iCloud account, all your recipes and ingredients stay in sync across iPhone, iPad, and Mac automatically.

SwiftUISwiftDataCloudKitStoreKit

Free

Game Spinner

A free electronic spinner for your favorite party games.

📱 iPhone · iPad · Mac

An electronic replacement for the spinner board in classic party games like Twister — built for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Completely free with no ads. Open source: the full SwiftUI source code is available on GitHub.

SwiftUISwift

Source

Public GitHub Repositories

Open source projects including Game Spinner's full SwiftUI source code.

View on GitHub

Who I Work With

Healthcare IT

Health Systems & Clinical Software Vendors

You need HL7 integration work, HIPAA-compliant system design, or a developer who already understands IHE profiles and clinical data standards without a 3-month ramp-up.

iOS / Mobile

Startups & Indie Developers

You have an app idea and need someone who can take it from concept to App Store — including the parts most developers dread, like in-app purchases, subscriptions, and CloudKit sync.

Local Business

San Diego SMBs

You're running a business on spreadsheets and workarounds. You need a custom tool — a scheduling system, a client portal, an internal dashboard — but not a $200K enterprise software project.

Enterprise Java

Teams That Need Senior Backup

Your core team is stretched. You need a contractor who can pick up Spring Boot work, own a service, and not need hand-holding. I've been doing this since before your junior devs were born.

Documentation

Tech Companies & Healthcare Orgs

Your software is solid but your documentation is a mess. I write and design technical docs, user guides, and compliance materials — with the visual polish of a designer and the accuracy of an engineer.

Government / Defense

Contractors & Public Agencies

Experienced with government project delivery, HIPAA compliance, and the kind of long-term system stewardship that agencies actually need. San Diego clearance-friendly.

Software thatactually ships.

What I Build

Why Work With Me

Published iOS Apps

Public GitHub Repositories

Who I Work With

Let's talk aboutyour project.

Software that
actually ships.

Let's talk about
your project.