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Summary

Decisive, operations-focused front end lead with management experience who leads from the front and drives results. Skilled at creating and delivering innovative marketing-led web applications based on a thorough understanding of clients' business needs and technical requirements. Capable of leading a team of diverse developers, designers and testers to deliver robust software solutions in an Agile environment. These skills are underpinned by a wealth of technical development experience of close to 20 years across private and public sectors.

Has a high level of literacy and believes in transparency and open communication at all levels to drive business results and achieve goals. Works well under pressure and always seeks to learn and improve in order to achieve goals personally, professionally and in business.

Key Achievements

  • Won three industry awards for CreatedRed Media for inbound marketing campaigns for our clients
  • Delivered a new e-commerce web solution for a local aggregate supplier that boosted transaction rates 100%, conversion rates by 200% and resulted in a revenue increase of 270%
  • Developed a revamped online store for a dog food manufacturer that helped increase traffic by 65% and has grown monthly sales by 17%
  • Planned and implemented inbound marketing campaigns for North Yorkshire County Council that enabled traffic growth by 167%, grew landing page conversion rates to over 26% and delivered 600 new leads for the business in our 9-month contract.
  • Became a published author of a popular book on learning to code and getting hired in the tech industry, and a popular online course, The Beginner's Guide to Real World React.
  • Coding mentor to over 50 students, helping place aspiring developers in junior roles.

Work experience

Lead developer

2021Present
Global Bridge
Heading up the development department in this ed-tech start-up, leading a team of diverse developers at different experience levels to build and maintain the company's core digital products serving a growing customer base of over 50,000 users. Products are built on a variety of technologies including .NET Core, MVC, React, Node, and GraphQL, all hosted across the Azure and Netlify platforms.
Led large-scale migration of core administration product from C# .NET Core code base to separated frontend client based in React.
Reporting directly to the CEO, as the development lead I occupy a core, technical role in the senior leadership team, being actively involved in the decision-making process of the business and its product direction.

Senior Frontend AWS Engineer

20202021
Voice Foundry

Building and deploying bespoke React software solutions for clients, migrating clients' call centre systems to Amazon Connect cloud platform. Working within a small team to architect AWS services, such as Lambda, Dynamo DB, Amplify framework, CloudFront. AppSync and more. Embedding into client and third-party teams as part of a consultancy role.

Senior UI Developer

20192020
IAM Cloud

Working within a small, close-knit team of developers in a 100% remote environment. As the lead frontend developer, I have an architectural responsibility to plan out and develop new UI layers to our core products. We work in an agile environment across a Microsoft technology stack. At the frontend we develop in React, using modern, ES6 JavaScript, to build application management portals and responsive query builders used by millions of people each week.

Duties include:

  • Planning sprint work
  • Working with the leadership team to create the product vision and drive development roadmaps
  • Writing clean, maintainable ES6 code using React and Webpack, testing using Jest and enzyme.
  • Contributing to open-source projects and releasing in-house utilities to the open source community
  • Developing brand guidelines and branded design system for frontend components
  • Writing blog content alongside the marketing team
  • Conduct code reviews and collaborative coding sessions
  • Contribute to product architecture and developer alongside senior director team
  • Bug hunting and troubleshooting across application suite
  • Ownership of the frontend area of our products; making technical decisions where necessary, based on team input and feedback

Senior Frontend Developer

20192 months due to redundancy
Bytemark Hosting

Working alongside a close-knit development team in an AGILE delivery process to build out a number of web applications. We use modern development frameworks, such as React and Angular to build internal customer account management platforms, as well as external hosting panels and management consoles.

Senior Frontend Developer

20182019
University of York

Responsible for the frontend delivery of marketing projects. As part of the Digital Platforms team, I plan sprint work, manage the frontend team and have spent a great deal of time modernising development habits and processes, as well as overhauling the frontend code base from legacy platforms to more modern web apps.

Duties include:

  • Managing junior frontend developers
    • Holding regular 1:1 meetings
    • Planning and coordinating work between our team and external teams
    • Reviewing and implementing improvements to working habits and processes
    • Conducting code reviews
    • Leading personal development review meetings
    • Handling complaints and personal difficulties of team members to help them achieve their best
  • Planning and prioritising sprint work
  • Coordinating external teams where involved in particular projects
  • Implementing QA processes such as peer code reviews and coding standards automation (e.g. Codacy)
  • Implementing CI/CD practices using GitHub and Semaphore CI (our build server of choice)
  • Documentation - both technical and non-technical
  • Using modern JavaScript development habits, environments, and frameworks, including ES6/ES2015, Webpack, Babel, Node.js, Yarn.
  • Visual regression testing
  • Migrating legacy code projects, such as Grunt.js based apps
  • Redeveloping entire campus map project using Google Maps API
  • Development against sprint objectives to enhance a highly trafficked website
  • Planning and carrying out regular/scheduled code releases

Co-founder

20142018
CreatedRed Media

Taking responsibility for the technical planning, implementation and marketing delivery side of the business, my responsibilities included:

  • Hiring team members across development and sales departments
  • Leading personal development reviews
  • Coaching and mentoring junior employees, aiding with apprenticeship program
  • Design and architecture of client web solutions (marketing and e-commerce websites)
  • Undertaking detailed project research depending on client/project needs - e.g. Keyword analysis, buyer persona development, campaign planning, content analysis, user journey mapping.
  • Liaising and coordinating with multiple internal and external teams to ensure smooth scheduling and delivery of projects
  • Communicating technical requirements to non-technical clients and stakeholders
  • Introducing and reviewing development and working practices that support inter-team and inter-business collaboration - e.g. in-house departments, third-party developers/suppliers/platforms, occasionally on behalf of clients
  • Maintain and enhance the current Software Development Life-cycle (SDLC)
  • Compile and supply regular status reports to internal stakeholders and external clients on projects
  • Assist in the planning & coordination of monthly project work (hot-fixes, content creation, campaign monitoring, etc.)
  • Reviewing and improving project pipeline, reducing scope creep and business risk whilst delivering on client/project requirements, ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget and to high-quality standards
  • Oversee new product and content releases
  • Writing creative and engaging briefs for clients and external agents
  • MAMP tech stack with large frontend component including Vue.js, jQuery, native JavaScript, built upon WordPress foundation
  • Managing small team of employees across digital marketing and business development functions, including senior and apprentice level

Senior Software Engineer

20132014
Legend Club Management

Working with project management to deliver bi-weekly software releases on time and within budgets. Used Agile and SCRUM approach in a Microsoft tech environment (C#, .Net MVC, SQL Server 2008) built on test-driven development (TDD) processes. Heavy frontend mix too involving MVVM frameworks such as Knockout.js, Jasmine testing framework.

Ran feedback meetings and acted as SCRUM Master where needed. Contributed to high-quality code standards and continuous improvement of development practices.

Frontend UX/UI Developer

20122013
Zolv

Based in creative department developing web apps on frontend tech stack. Focused on UX/UI efficiency and quality, liaising with clients and end-users, documenting interaction behaviour.

Ecommerce Web Solutions Developer

20102012
PureNet Solutions

Designing and developing bespoke e-commerce and CMS solutions using C# and Asp.NET 2.0 for large clients such as the BuyDirect group and West Ham United. A senior member of the dev team, mentoring junior members, contributing to operational efficiency and delivery of client project work.

IT Infrastructure Engineer & Java Developer

20042010
Yorkshire Ambulance Service

Designing and developing several internal and external online applications, websites and intranets.