Jon Richards
Senior Web Developer
Tech Lead
Accomplished and enthusiastic software engineer with over ten years of hands-on development experience. As a self-taught developer, I am proactive, adaptable and always ready to learn.
My experience includes contributing to a variety of commercial applications; from bespoke internal dashboards to full enterprise platforms that serve hundreds of thousands of active customers.
My most recent roles have included being the tech lead for mixed discipline teams. I have enjoyed both the challenge of handling multiple tech operations as well as the mentoring of junior colleagues. I like to lead by example and create a productive office environment.
Skills
- Technical Leadership – 3-4 years, Mentoring, Agile Training, Estimates, Solution Design, Workshops
- Frontend Development – 10+ years, Typescript, React, Redux, Vue, Vite, Webpack, HTML
- Backend Development – 2-4 years, Node.js, Go, C#, MongoDB, SQL, REST, GraphQL
- AWS Cloud – 4-5 years, Lambdas, EC2, DynamoDB, CodePipeline, Serverless Applications
- CI/CD Practices – 6+ years, Version Control, Unit/Integration Testing, Pipelines, Jenkins, SonarQube
- DevOps & Infrastructure – 3+ years, CDK, Terraform, Architectural Patterns
Employment
GlobalLogic (Hitachi) – Digital Consultancy
Working on a data-visualisation product for Hitachi Energy/Rail. Aggregating thousands of points of geospatial data from a wide variety of sources (power, healthcare, rail, demographics) and unifying it for real-time analysis.
2023-Present – Technical Lead
Managing 15-20 developers to present map data in a performant, highly customisable web app.
- Led solution design and development across the product, guiding FE team to build clean, scalable React code.
- Directing BE team (Java, Python) to optimise API performance & normalise data from mixed sources.
Mentoring 5-10 typescript developers, ranging from bootcamp graduates to senior engineers.
- Training teams to work in a professional environment. Helped the team complete effective code reviews.
- Encouraging best development & delivery practices. Advised on branching strategies, and CI/CD pipelines.
- Mentoring and one-to-one meetings to discuss personal development plans.
- Creating interactive (food based) demos to make learning fun and memorable.
Developing automated strategy to migrate the application for future customers
- Scripted infrastructure as code (IAC) pipelines with Terraform.
- Documented AWS service architecture including config, AWS build pipelines and third-party integrations.
Sharp Gaming (Betfred) – Enterprise Gambling Platform
Working on a large-scale migration project to bring the Betfred digital system fully in-house. Now fully migrated, Betfred serves tens of thousands of daily customers with a multi-million-pound weekly turnover.
2021-2023 – Lead Developer
Member of the Centre of Excellence team, working closely with enterprise architects on how to make the most of AWS Managed services.
- Research, design, and documentation for new technologies (AWS, micro-frontends, progressive enhancement).
- AWS Serverless Solution Design (Node.js, TypeScript, CDK, ApiGateway, CloudFront, Lambda, S3).
- CI/CD Implementation for microservices (Jenkins, SonarQube, Pact testing, Docker, Module Federation).
- Mentoring/supporting team members across ongoing delivery projects.
2019-2021 – Senior Developer
A senior member of the games team, producing a service stack suitable for multiple gaming product requirements (Slots, Live Casino, Jackpots, Bingo).
- Complex gambling integrations with strict requirements. (UKGC compliance, responsible gambling, KYC).
- Custom CMS focused on games content (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js, MERN stack).
- Frontend games integrations (React, Redux, REST).
2017-2019 – Web Developer
Part of the greenfield team setting up the foundations for a new cross-product platform (Gaming, Sportsbook, Account Management, Payment System).
- Future-proof React & Redux architecture. Scalable modular codebase with high unit test coverage
- Server-Side React app (custom Express based SSR solution).
- WebSocket for real-time sport events, serving high performance betslip data.
Education
- University of Bolton – 3D Games Art, Bachelor of Arts (Hons) First Class
- Bay House College – A Levels, Maths A, Physics B, Graphics C
- Bay House Secondary School – GCSE's, 12 A*-C grades including Maths A*, ICT A, Physics A
Interests
A positive and social team culture is important to me. I like to regularly work in office where possible, and take part in socials.
In my free time I enjoy playing board and card games with friends. I like to keep in touch with colleagues from previous jobs, and we regularly attend game nights and pub quizzes. I try to keep fit by swimming 2-3 times a week, and I also join walking trips.