Platform & Engineering Strategy | Hands-on or Strategic Delivery
Learn MoreI'm a technical leader who believes the best software is built by empowered teams working with purpose, not just process. With over 17 years of experience specialising in PHP/Laravel ecosystems, I've led engineering efforts across full-stack systems, legacy modernisation, and platform scaling—always balancing technical depth with real business outcomes.
I'm equally comfortable architecting systems and writing production code as I am stepping back to focus on strategy, team development, and long-term technical direction. Whether the challenge is performance optimisation, system redesign, or fostering a high-trust engineering culture, I bring a pragmatic, delivery-focused mindset.
I'm now looking for a role where I can help shape engineering direction—hands-on or hands-off—depending on what the team and organisation need to thrive.
Specialising in PHP/Laravel with extensive experience in cloud infrastructure and platform architecture.
Building high-performing engineering teams through mentorship, clear processes, and fostering a culture of ownership.
Delivering tangible outcomes with infrastructure cost reductions of up to 52% and performance improvements of 40%.
Architected a transition from legacy microservices to a modern, scalable architecture that reduced infrastructure costs by 52% while improving system reliability and performance.
Designed and built external-facing APIs for global publishers and book sellers, along with internal microservice APIs that streamlined content delivery workflows.
Implemented Redis caching layers and query optimisations across high-traffic systems, reducing response times by 40% and improving user experience.
Led multiple AWS migrations using infrastructure-as-code (Terraform) and containerisation (Docker), consistently achieving 30-50% cost reductions while improving scalability.
Established automated deployment pipelines using GitHub Actions and Bitbucket, reducing deployment times by 60% and improving release reliability.
Embedded security-first practices with automated vulnerability scanning and comprehensive monitoring (Sentry, New Relic), reducing MTTR by 30%.
Birmingham (Remote) | 2023 - April 2025
Leading technical strategy and delivery for a global technology publisher, with hands-on architectural oversight and code contribution.
Tech Stack: Laravel, Vue.js, Redis, AWS, Inertia.js, Node.JS, TailwindCSS, React, PostgreSQL, Docker, GitHub Actions, Sentry, Meilisearch, REST APIs, Event-Driven Architecture, HTML/CSS
Warrington (Remote) | 2022 - 2023
Tech Stack: PHP, Laravel, Nuxt.js, Vue.js, Inertia.js, Redis, MySQL, AWS, TailwindCSS, Bootstrap CSS, Electron, SQLite
2016 - 2022
Birmingham (Remote) | 2020 - 2022
Developed NLP-based taxonomy engine, built REST APIs, and restructured team delivery practices, improving velocity by 30%.
Rossington, Doncaster | 2018 - 2020
Rebuilt internal CRM using Laravel, migrated to AWS, and delivered £120K+ in savings through infrastructure consolidation.
Kirmington, Grimsby | 2016 - 2018
Built custom Laravel applications, refactored legacy PHP codebases, and delivered £167K+ in new business through technical leadership.
2012 - 2016
Web Manager — The Dash Group (2014 - 2016)
Modernised internal systems and workflows, aligning digital strategy with business objectives and improving site performance.
Web Developer — Nixon Design (2012 - 2014)
Delivered responsive, high-impact websites across a varied client base, enhancing UX and improving project delivery efficiency.
A technically adept engineering leader with extensive hands-on expertise across development, cloud infrastructure, and platform architecture. Equally comfortable setting technical direction or diving into the code to unblock problems, I thrive on blending strategic leadership with practical problem-solving to drive successful technical outcomes.
PHP/Laravel expertise with production experience in Vue.js, Inertia.js React, and Alpine.js frontend frameworks. Strong SQL background (PostgreSQL/MySQL) and implementation of Redis caching for performance optimisation.
Extensive AWS architecture experience (EC2, Lambda, Fargate) with Docker containerisation and infrastructure-as-code using Terraform. Established CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions and Bitbucket with automated testing and security scanning.
Designed and implemented microservice architectures, event-driven systems, and RESTful APIs consumed by internal and external clients. Embedded Agile/Scrum methodologies with Test-Driven Development practices and comprehensive monitoring using Sentry and New Relic.
"I believe in creating engineering environments where technical excellence meets business value—building teams that combine innovation with reliability, and developing leaders who drive both technological advancement and commercial success."
I'm currently exploring new opportunities where I can help shape engineering direction and create impactful technical solutions. Whether you have a specific role in mind or just want to connect, I'd love to hear from you.
Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, UK