Sep 2017 – Feb 2026 · 8 yrs 5 mos · Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa · Remote

• Key Clients: Uber, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, The Nobel Peace Prize, Intercom, The Boston Globe, Credit Karma, Sage.
• Architected Modern Web Apps: Delivered enterprise-grade Next.js + React + TypeScript platforms integrated with Sanity and other headless CMSs, using SSR, SSG, and API-driven patterns to scale content-rich experiences with optimal SEO and performance.
• Performance Leadership: Founded 10up’s Web Performance Specialist role, embedding Core Web Vitals thresholds, Lighthouse CI, and performance budgets into workflows. Achieved 30% smaller bundles and 40% faster loads via advanced JS optimization and CDN strategy. Introduced full TypeScript migration reducing runtime errors by 60%.
• Engineering Standards: Authored TailwindCSS and Component Library best practices using React, TypeScript, Storybook, and Jest, enhancing maintainability, accessibility, and design consistency across teams.
• AI-First Delivery: Championed AI-assisted engineering with Cursor, v0.dev, and OpenAI, accelerating prototyping and defining reusable AI patterns for frontend workflows.
• Design–Engineering Synergy: Co-authored Figma Best Practices for Engineers, streamlining design handoff and boosting implementation accuracy and delivery speed.
• AdTech Optimization: Built AmazonTAM and Prebid integrations that balanced revenue and performance, preserving Core Web Vitals while increasing yield.
• Tooling & Infrastructure: Standardized CI/CD using GitHub Actions, Docker, and Vercel. Created internal tools to speed up onboarding and new project setup.
• Leadership & Mentorship: Progressed to Staff-level architect, guiding 5–7 concurrent projects, mentoring engineers, and setting hiring standards for technical excellence.
• Industry Impact: Authored internal Performance and AdTech playbooks, presented at events including a Google lightning talk on frontend performance strategy, establishing 10up as a recognized leader in web performance.

May 2016 – Oct 2017 · 1 yr 5 mos · Cape Town Area, South Africa · On-site

• Notable projects include: WeChat, News24, You Magazine, MensHealth, WomensHealth, RunnersWorld, Coca Cola, Careers24, Property24, Landbou, Go!, TASTE, Soccer Laduma*
• Led and mentored a team of 6 engineers, guiding adoption of modern frontend practices (ES6+, CSS3, modular architecture) and instilling code quality standards that improved delivery consistency.
• Partnered with the CTO and DevOps to design and optimize CI/CD pipelines (Git, Jenkins), significantly improving deployment reliability and release velocity across high-traffic digital media properties.
• Built and maintained a portfolio of 80+ client-facing sites, balancing performance optimization, responsive design requirements, and complex AdTech integrations to meet business goals.
• Streamlined developer efficiency by introducing automation workflows (Composer, Git hooks) and refactoring legacy codebases into maintainable, scalable architectures.
• Collaborated with cross-functional teams (C#, .NET, iOS/Android engineers) to integrate frontend solutions across diverse technology stacks.
• Championed Agile best practices—leading standups, retros, and planning sessions—while cultivating an open culture of mentorship and continuous improvement.
• Earned recognition with a KPI rating of 4/5, reflecting consistent technical impact and leadership contribution.
• Sized and structured architecture to support scaling across multiple high-traffic domains under editorial constraints, ensuring minimal load times even under peak traffic.
• Career Progression This role was pivotal in shaping a strong engineering foundation—scaling frontend practices across a large digital portfolio, refining CI/CD pipelines, and optimizing high-performance websites. The experience laid the groundwork for deeper specialization in **JavaScript frameworks, performance engineering, design systems, and modern developer workflows**, which became the core focus of later roles at 10up and beyond.

Jan 2009 – May 2016 · 7 yrs 4 mos · South Africa, United Kingdom · Hybrid

• Notable clients include: Oxford University Press, Pearson Publishing, Pam Golding, Old Mutual, Reddam House College, Intercape, Africamps, and Ken Follett.
• Delivered bespoke web solutions for 20+ clients across publishing, education, real estate, and media.
• Built and customized WordPress themes and plugins, scaling from brochure sites to high-traffic publishing platforms.
• Designed and developed responsive frontends with HTML5, CSS3, and ES6 JavaScript, ensuring cross-browser and device compatibility.
• Established repeatable workflows using Git and CI pipelines, streamlining collaboration and deployment across distributed teams.
• Introduced SEO, performance tuning, and analytics implementations to maximize visibility and user engagement for client projects.
• Partnered directly with creative studios and design agencies, translating Figma/Sketch concepts into pixel-perfect, performant web experiences.
• Career Foundation: This period provided broad exposure to full-cycle web development — from design handoff to deployment — and laid the groundwork for later expertise in **modern JavaScript frameworks, scalable architectures, and performance-first engineering.