Full stack Umbraco developer

Disney

I worked on a data-driven interface in React displaying real-time data. This involved building custom hooks, integrating with external and Hasura APIs, writing comprehensive unit and integration tests as part of one project in a Lerna monorepo.

In addition to coding, my responsibilities included:
- developing feature proposals
- providing technical, UX and accessibility consultancy on other internal projects, including feature flagging tools and UI libraries
- mentoring junior developers
- cross-team coordination for major feature launches
- input on team’s technical principles

Standout moment: I established the bug triage process during a product launch which reduced reported errors from 24 per day to 0 within two days.

Internal tool

Intel

JavaScript Engineer

I came on to audit and test the API for the P4 Insight product, creating a complete suite of automated integration tests and CLI tests against uniquely complex data that regularly changed shape to adapt to upgrades in the specification of the P4 coding language.

Following on from that, I was brought in to build a feature in React and Node for browsing locally stored P4 files. This involved identifying stakeholder requirements, solution design, build and delivery, and subsequently iterating following alpha testing. The final tool was a web-based browser engine for local files with IDE integration, load optimisation, regex search capabilities and features for improved accessibility and user experience.

In addition to my technical work, I lead process and product quality improvements. This included setting up stakeholder review meeting, implementing sprint velocity metrics, and reducing the technical setup time from 3 weeks to 2 days for new starters. I also created an accessibility roadmap for the product.

P4 Insight

EarthShift Global

I was initially brought in to write a green development roadmap, hiring criteria, and evaluate the status of the existing codebase as a subject matter expert in React and Redux.

Subsequently, I was brought in as interim Frontend Lead for UI development, co-ordinating with a backend team developing APIs in parallel under deadline. This involved building a suite of graphs for data visualisation, advising on application architecture, refining and distributing frontend tasks, and implementing new processes to ensure project success.

Eco Sketch - Lifecycle Cost Analysis

Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful

KNIB brought me on to:
- evaluate their existing IT suppliers
- helped them identify and prioritise their project requirements ahead of developing a brief for them
- develop a project specification and advise on a 6 figure budget
- evaluate tender applicant proposals
- shortlist, interview and select a supplier, advising on technical feasibility, Agile practices, and value for money, as part of a panel
- advise on contract and pricing negotiations with successful applicants


Consultancy for an environmental charity

Bath Spa University

Bath Spa University entered the bootcamp space in 2021. I brought 8 years of coding and bootcamp experience to build a competitive curriculum, and set up essential operational tooling and resources.

This included:
- building prototypes for 8 frontend builds and numerous exercises
- selecting and setting up tooling such as version control, IDE, frontend frameworks, and further resources (e.g. third-party APIs and copyright-free images)
- documenting laptop setup for multiple operating systems.

I also provided assistance hiring, trained teachers and taught students, registered the university in the Jetbrains open source educational institution directory, and arranged industry guest speakers using my regional connections.

Web Development Bootcamp

Seccl

Seccl was an early stage startup building a white-label investment management platform. The product supported custom branding and internationalisation, as well as a Node API providing daily financial data. My specialism was frontend state architecture, storing API data in React and Redux with an emphasis on scalability and performance. I also improved API resilience with comprehensive integration tests and unit tests ahead of the first client rollout. My work on both the frontend and the backend involved functional programming using TypeScript.

In addition to my coding responsibilities, I supported junior developers with code review, learning, pair-working and documentation initiatives. I also facilitated the transition to Agile (Scrum) processes, by coaching the Product Owner on estimation and technical requirements.

Software Developer

Rocketmakers

I worked at this award-winning agency with clients in sectors as varied as clean energy, travel, and luxury rewards to name a few.

As part of my role I built web and mobile applications, both independently and as part of a team. I refactored legacy codebases, and delivered completely greenfield APIs and user interfaces. Some of my more unusual work included geographical search features using PostGIS, mail automation with MailChimp, and co-ordinating with another agency to deliver an iOS app update using their new API.

In addition to my technical work, I introduced code reviews and pair-programming, acted as Scrum Master, and organised regular company-wide lunch-and-learn events.

Mayden

Fullstack development for patient management software.

Senior React and JavaScript developer

Java Services

Personal Project

I wanted to learn react and redux so decided to build a podcast player that linked to a C# Rest API

Digicatcher

I created an app that allows users to create a personalised wedding app to provide information about their wedding to guests with the ability to RSVP and upload pictures among other features.

Wedded

C#, SQL, JavaScript, TypeScript, React, React Native

NRG Barrebody

Develop full subscription on-demand OTT platform for a fitness studio.

Fitness Platform

React.js/FE development

Full stack software engineer

TypeScript, JavaScript, NodeJS, React

Next / TypeScript / React / Redux / C# Developer

The Modern .NET Core Show

I produce, record, and host two podcasts (and co-host a third) covering several topics. This requires me to plan topics, schedule time to record them, arrange for interviews and guests, and produce and maintain several web applications for them.

The .NET Core podcast (https://dotnetcore.show) covers a wide range of topics related to the "core" technologies, interview prominent community members and reached an engaged audience in the tens of thousands - see https://dotnetcore.show/press-kit/ for the latest audience statistics.

Tabs & Spaces is a podcast which presents a "pub chat"-like conversation. The three hosts (Zac Braddy, James Studdart, and myself) talk about the aspects of software development that aren't as technology-specific. Previous topics have been: interviewing, office politics, the lies that we tell to ourselves and others, whether you should learn the latest technologies, etc.

The Waffling Taylors podcast is a podcast about video gaming, the industry around it, and some of the developers who are changing how we experience video games (and related entertainment) daily. It has been a long-held belief for mine that video game development can be one of the most challenging arenas for developers to work in, and my interviews for this show prove it as they get to the details of what it is like to be a games developer in the 21st century.

Producer and Host

Williams F1

I was engaged by Williams Racing to work solo on a project which had encountered a number of serious challenges in relation to both code quality and release cadence. The code base for this project was first written almost half a decade prior to my working on it, and had no test coverage; this meant that the long change history was done with almost no assurance that changes wouldn't cause regressions or failures in other areas.

At the start of my time working alongside Williams Racing, I was tasked with getting to grips with the code base - one that very few engineers in the business knew much about. I spent some time documenting how the code worked, adding integration tests for known good inputs and expected outputs, and adding metrics and logging to the project. The metrics and logging were almost as important as the tests and documentation, as there was almost no visibility into which areas of the code base were being used.

"Code which isn't exercised should be exorcised." - Chris Zimmerman of Sucker Punch.

.NET Development Expert

Servita

I was engaged by Servita to augment their existing team on a project which had encountered a number of serious challenges in relation to both code-quality and release cadence. The code base for this project was purchased from a previous supplier, and required reviewing and getting into a running state before any other work could be completed.

At the start of my time working alongside Servita on this project, the code base was not in a running state, and I was the only engineer on the project. I was required to get to grips with a large, complex code base (around 50,000 lines), provide a review of the quality, and get it in a running state within days - which I achieved.

After getting the code base in a running state, my aim was to build a stable DevOps pipeline for the project. This would allow for greatly increase velocity for delivering new features as they were added.

I was also tasked with double-checking the quality of the code that other engineers were providing. This required careful, considerate communication with the other engineers, providing constructive feedback as I went.

Consultant

Packt publishing

I was one of the technical reviewers for Modern Distributed Tracing in .NET, a book which focusses on Open Telemetry and modern .NET, published by Packt.

My work as a technical reviewer has required me to read through chapters of each book and provide feedback on:

- Clarity of the topic being discussed
- Correctness of code samples
- Correctness of technical points raised
- What the reader will learn
- Whether there are points which are not covered in the text

This is a demanding, yet very rewarding position to be in. It requires my communications skills to be at their best, and for me to focus on the correctness and clarity of the technical content.

Although there was one other technical reviewer, I was in charge of reviewing the content in chapters 7 through to 15 - the second half of the book.

Technical Reviewership

I was one of the technical reviewers for the book "Event-driven Microservices Architecture in .NET 7", published by Packt.

My work as a technical reviewer has required me to read through chapters of each book and provide feedback on:

- Clarity of the topic being discussed
- Correctness of code samples
- Correctness of technical points raised
- What the reader will learn
- Whether there are points which are not covered in the text

This is a demanding, yet very rewarding position to be in. It requires my communications skills to be at their best, and for me to focus on the correctness and clarity of the technical content.

Although there was one other technical reviewer, I was in charge of reviewing the content in chapters 5 through to 13 - the majority of the middle of the book.

Odondo

I was engaged by Odondo to join a small team of contractors whose focus was on building onto and maintaining an agency-built Python and React-based application suite.

The application suite required some new features to be added before an in-house team could take over its development and maintenance. This required me to build out several new Web API features (using Python), work with Postgres databases, and build out React-based components (using Atomic design patterns).

The additions to and maintainance of the code base that I worked on where built entirely using Domain-driven Design (requiring a deep understanding on the domain problem that each feature would solve), and Test-driven Development. This ensured that the features I shipped could be relied upon when it was released into the wild.

Logtrade

LogTrade engaged my services to aid in building and maintaining their Internet of Logistics project as I have a proven background in shipping .NET-based solutions and my ability to quickly get a detailed understanding of a project.

I was tasked with the following goals:

- Replace an inefficiently implemented API test framework, written in Python using Robot Framework
- Build an MVP product which would allow their IoL system to create and manage smart contracts, using the latest in .NET technologies
 -Implement an entirely new React application which would be added to an existing suite of React applications

I also consulted on the start of a project which would use GraphQL to allow their clients and customers to utilise their APIs with much more ease. During my time working alongside LogTrade, it was decided that the GraphQL project would be temporarily shelved.

Disruptive Global Logistics Project

SAGE

SAGE Publishing engaged me on a contract to build an MVP for a data-mining application for their entire corpus of published literature.

The project consisted of working alongside a React developer and a data scientist to build a WebAPI project (using .NET Core 3.0). This Web API was hosted within a multi-application docker compose based application network with both the React application and a Python execution engine.

Working with the React developer, we created a system which allowed the user to drag and drop components which represented data science operations to build up a script to run on a sub-set of the SAGE Publising literary corpora.

Expert, freelance React engineers