2022
Contributed to Greggs' digital platform modernisation as Senior Frontend Developer, integrating StoryBlok headless CMS with their Vue.js frontend and gaining first exposure to the Mediator pattern in their C# backend architecture.
Greggs engaged me through a UK recruiter for an inside IR35 contract focused on their digital platform modernisation. The role centred on integrating StoryBlok headless CMS with their Vue.js frontend - building components that enabled live preview within StoryBlok's authoring experience and implementing new content collections to support their expanding digital estate.
The team was small but focused: two to five developers alongside product ownership and Scrum facilitation. Greggs' digital platform was substantial - spanning public-facing websites, internal systems, mobile apps, and e-commerce capabilities, with what appeared to be a microservices-driven backend architecture. While my focus was the frontend and CMS integration, I gained valuable exposure to their C# backend patterns, including my first encounter with the Mediator pattern - an approach I've since come to appreciate and adopt in my own architectural decisions.
This engagement ran concurrently with the early stages of my Spa Space work. The timezone difference made this manageable: Greggs work in UK mornings, Spa Space in the afternoons when the US team came online. However, Spa Space quickly evolved from a planned three-month support role into something far more substantial - my technical strategy proposal attracted acquisition interest, and I found myself increasingly drawn into executive-level technical decisions.
After two months, I made a deliberate choice. Greggs represented solid, structured enterprise development work. Spa Space represented an opportunity to operate at a strategic level - defining architecture, influencing business direction, building toward technical leadership. I chose the path that aligned with where I wanted my career to go, and Spa Space became the engagement that would eventually lead to my Fractional CTO role.
Reduced page load times from 12-30 seconds to 2-3 seconds for a French airline logistics platform through strategic caching implementation, while identifying deeper database architecture issues that would require significant restructuring to fully resolve.
View moreTechnical Architect for the UK's leading property transaction platform (PropTech), designing relational authorisation for complex multi-party workflows, automating documentation across 390 repositories, and building AI-powered codebase intelligence using MCP and RAG - delivering enterprise-scale architecture while mentoring teams and establishing standards.
View moreBuilt event-driven sensor integrations for a Ministry of Defence security contractor, implementing MQTT-driven workflows for hardware-based security systems that support automated drone deployment at sites including decommissioned nuclear facilities and Heathrow Airport.
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