About Me

Full Stack Developer (September 2019 - Current)

Working on full stack React / Node / Typescript / ReactNative stack with PostgreSQL and MongoDB.

Projects of note

Helping to break a monolith into separate services by building a new service to handle loyalty and promotions. Splitting up the frontend into multiple microfrontends.

Building a new promotions centre UI to allow promotions to be created and edited

Migration of users from separate tables in SQL db to a single table with roles and permissions attached

Migration of resources between AWS regions

Implementation of an in house UI library

Implementation of 3DS payment

Optimising page performance by breaking out the pages requiring SEO from a SPA and statically generating them.

Server Developer (June 2019 - September 2019)

Worked on NodeJS servers for free to play mobile games.

Deploying to kubernetes I worked with strict Typescript to help build real time game servers for a new title - this included server side physics calculations.

Optimum memory and computational performance in Node was highly important.

Software Engineer (March 2019 - June 2019)

Working as part of an agile team. We write our tech in Javascript. We work in a microservice infrastructure and my responsibilities involve maintaining the various services that provide data to the static pages that drive bookings.

Our frontend pages are written in React with our back ends primarily Expressjs. I have been a major contributer to an in house static site generator as well as surrounding technology.

We use a combination of cloud services to implement our CI and service infrastructure and I have got my hands dirty with all of it including deploying to S3 and dealing with cache, dealing with SQL and Redis, passport authentication and deployment to Kubernetes clusters.

Unqualified Teacher of Computing (September 2017 - August 2018)

Planning and delivering lessons to secondary students as an assistant to a main class teacher. I learned important time management skills and working to strict deadlines with delivery of marking and planning.

Store Manager (September 2014 - August 2017)

Full responsibility for the running of a food store. Ultimately responsible for satisfying the requirements for availability of products, effective profit and loss, minimising costs and delivery of excellent customer service.

In this role I was fully responsible for dealing with payroll and HR matters arising in store, ensuring legal compliance, managing the schedules for the team and most importantly coaching and guiding my team to deliver what was required to get the products to the customer.

Team Manager (July 2012 - September 2014)

Acting as a deputy to a store manager. I was second in command of the running of a food store. Responsible for leading and coaching the team as well as delivery of the smooth and effective running of the store. Responsibilities included ensuring legal requirements were met, dealing with scheduling and payroll and ensuring high standards of customer service were delivered by the team.

Team Leader (May 2010 - July 2012)

Promoted to this position in my final year of University due to my proactive nature and leadership skills. Responsibilities included leading a small team of up to 5 people on a shift while ensuring the customer service levels were maintained in store. I was also responsible for opening/closing a store and handling cash in the absence of a more senior member of the team.

Team Member (May 2005 - May 2010)

Part time job during education. I was responsible for replenishment of shelves and serving customers on the checkout. I dealt with customer queries and provided excellent customer service.

While I'm no master of wine or expert in any way. I'm super passionate about the emerging 'new world' wines that are being produced here in England, especially in my home county of Kent. How better way to celebrate the area I live in than drinking a spot of Kentish bubbles or visiting a local vineyard? Support local!

Even though this is my job, it is also a passion and I devote hours of time to finding out about new tech, expanding my horizons and the skills I can bring to my work and the people I work with. I feel like you can never be knowledgeable enough about the tech surrounding web apps and I strive to constantly improve and learn, refining my skills along the way.

I love to get out into nature. A long walk in the countryside or a hike up a hill is so simple but so pleasing. A pass time of mine! One of my proudest achievements was hiking Scafell Pike (Okay I know it is only a small mountain but I enjoyed it!)

I have studied the Japanese language for around five years. This is due to the amazing time I have had travelling in Japan in the past. I love to learn more about the culture, cook the food and expand my ability to speak the language. I can read and write a bit - am I fluent? Not at all, but I'm proud of the progress I have made learning one of the most difficult languages there is for an English speaker!

This video game series is what got me into development in the first place - my very first website was a primitive one based on this game series! Unfortunately it has died a death now but at the time it was top stuff, I promise! I still love the series and will be eagerly playing the ff7 "remake" series.