Building Reliable Systems: Lessons from Production
2 min readEngineering
What I've learned about building systems that don't break when you need them most
Engineer and writer, loves building accessible web experiences for everyone.
Get in touch
Available for work
Values.
The web should work for everyone, but right now only 3.7% the web are free of detectable WCAG failures. That means the vast majority of the web is shutting people out without even realising it. I think that's worth caring about, and it's something I actively try to fix in everything I build.
Work.
Most of my career has been in high-scale engineering. I started at TUI building booking platforms used by millions of travellers across Europe, including a dedicated travel site for the NHS. From there I moved into consultancy and helped ship Sky Glass, working on the streaming and entertainment features for their next-generation TV platform.
My longest chapter was at ASOS, where I spent over three years deep in the logistics and warehousing side of the business. I built the systems that handle stock intake, reconciliation, returns and order tracking across their global supply chain. The kind of work that's invisible when it's running well.
After ASOS I spent time at Heatly as Staff Engineer, working on architecture and tooling for a SaaS platform built around heat pump installations.
Right now I'm at Frasers Group in their Digital Data team, building the data pipelines that power digital experiences across Sports Direct, Frasers, GAME, Evans Cycles and Jack Wills. A big part of the current work is a multi-cloud replatforming effort, moving infrastructure from AWS and on-premise systems over to Azure.
About Me.
I've been in tech for over ten years. I enjoy the work most when there's a genuine problem to solve and the codebase still makes sense when you return to it months later.
Where I've been
I graduated with a first in Computer Science from Teesside University (opens in new tab), something I'm still quietly proud of, and jumped straight into the industry with an internship at a startup building niche travel websites. From there I spent time at various startups, which was a world away from anything I knew but taught me a lot.
Things moved quickly after that. I joined TUI and got to work on some of the biggest travel websites in Europe, then spent time in consultancy helping launch Sky Glass, one of those rare projects that actually makes the news. My favourite chapter was ASOS, where I worked deep in the logistics and warehousing systems that keep millions of orders moving.
I'm back in the fashion and ecommerce world now, working at Frasers Group in Digital Data, building the data pipelines that power some of the biggest fashion names out there.
Outside work
Martial arts, ice hockey and motorsport fill most of my spare time. I live with my dog, love the outdoors, and try to see the world as much as possible. I write here occasionally about my thoughts and whatever I'm picking up as the world spins, if you want to follow along.
My Thoughts.
Why Web Performance Matters More Than You Think
2 min readWeb Development
The hidden costs of slow websites and how to measure what actually matters
TypeScript Tips That Changed How I Code
2 min readDevelopment
Five TypeScript patterns that make code more maintainable and less error-prone
Get in touch.
I'm happy to talk about work, side projects or engineering in general. Email me or say hi on LinkedIn (opens in new tab).