After nearly 10 years building platforms, teams, and companies. I partnered up and decided to have a go a building my own game studio.Armoured Beans was attempting to take advantage of a current weakness in the market and establish itself as a player in the global games industry by expanding on and reviving the RTS genre.We did this by focusing on the technical limitations and building the technology to allow for seamless scaling of the play area. Effectively allowing for a single physics simulation to to be split across as many servers that would be required to run it. Considering the limitations of the network, this would allow for an almost unlimited number of players to exist in the same world.Once the tech was built the real challenge was building a compelling game to showcase the technology and was ultimately our downfall.

After significant investment from Sequoia, HealthEngine based in Perth expanded strategically into Sydney.I was hired as the Team leader for a new product team set up to find new products and market fit to compliment the existing suite of products.A "hands on" leadership role that required interviewing, testing and hiring senior developers, established process and standards making sure the team could operate as creatively and effectly as possible.Making myself available as a resource I was also a developer on the team.

At Snappr, a startup revolutionizing the world of photography through an on-demand marketplace, I took on the role of Head of Technology. This allowed customers to effortlessly book a photographer, cutting out the usual stress and time involved.Responsibilities:Overseeing software and technology needs.Ensuring the software team worked effectively towards business goals.Achievements:Within the first 6 months, I expanded the engineering team, built the marketplace platform from scratch, and aided in the U.S. market entry.Created a prototype to enter the YCombinator program, spending 5 months in Silicon Valley to build the Snappr platform with the team.Key Contributions:Architected and built the Snappr Single Page Application (SPA) platform, including two SPAs, an API, and several microservices.Implemented a fault-tolerant system for deploying the platform using Docker.Managed a fleet of servers and databases in both the U.S. and Australia.Sourced and hired talent to assemble the engineering team.Led a team of software engineers using Agile methodologies.Successfully expanded and launched the Snappr platform in Australia and the U.S.

At Flamingo, an established startup aiding large financial firms in acquiring and retaining customers for complex products like Insurance and Mortgages, I held a key role in architectural design and technical leadership.Responsibilities:Shaping the product's future through crucial decisions.Coaching and aiding junior team members in skill development.Achievements:Instrumental in migrating the platform from a monolithic PHP application to a Single Page Application (SPA) backed by a micro-service ecosystem, containerized and deployed using Docker.Key Technologies: NodeJS, RiotJS, React, Docker, MongoDB, SymfonyKey Contributions:Built and implemented centralized logging and monitoring of the application suite.Developed an SPA using RiotJS to display and manage System, Analytics, and Software Usage data.Created React components for user administration and file uploading.Designed and built semi-automated deployment using Bash and Docker.Engineered a local version of the software suite for development, enabling new team members to be code-ready in under 4 hours.

As the project lead, I worked closely with the founder to define requirements and select technologies. My role encompassed the design and development of various solutions, including:PHP Development:Designed and built a Retail online travel agency specifically for ski travel accommodation, using CodeIgniter, PostgreSQL, Twig, and Redis.Created an independent intranet for site and listing maintenance.Developed a data collection application for a Ski Travel Expo, capturing user information for marketing and competition purposes.NodeJS Development:Designed and built a multi-threaded, API-driven data interface to collect price data from various providers, supporting both Push and Fetch interfaces, and offering a JSON API for consumption.Front-end Development:Created a fully responsive layout with dynamic images for bandwidth efficiency, using jQuery and Kube.css.Developed a custom animated world map to display serviced locations, utilizing Javascript and 2D Canvas.Implemented flexible navigation and CRUD for intuitive handling of property listings and related data, including properties, locations, files, facilities, prices, availability, deals, discounts, and property operators.Team Building:Coordinated with recruiters and listing providers for talent placement.Conducted interviews and reviews for software development roles.Employed agile development practices using JIRA.Provided both formal and informal training and support.

In my role as head tech Guru, I was the go-to authority for all technical aspects of projects, from technology selection to best practice guidelines. My responsibilities spanned across different domains:Technical Leadership:Designed the architecture and guided front-end developers within chosen frameworks.Managed everything from technical sales, design, back-end, and front-end development.PHP Development:Designed and implemented a proprietary modular MVC for rapid prototype development, focusing on maintenance, security, and authentication.Created a user-friendly CMS with powerful features for designers.Integrated Commonwealth Bank and Westpac payment gateway APIs and implemented Yubikey two-factor authentication.Oversaw the ongoing development of internal applications and transitioned from procedural to Object-Oriented PHP, emphasizing code efficiency and user account security.AJAX Front-end Development:Created a user-friendly interface focusing on speed and usability.Utilized JQuery for cross-browser AJAX support and managed live updates without a full page refresh.Integrated JavaScript and Flash for seamless file uploads.Linux Systems Administration:Managed six RedHat Linux dedicated servers serving over 400 accounts for HTTP and Mail.Team Building:Interviewed and hired developers and contractors, ensuring they aligned with the company's projects.Managed and trained staff in company best practices, including PHP, .NET, and HTML.

Software Development:Developed core internal software including SQL queries and reports in PHP running on Apache, interacting with Informix and MSSQL databases.Created web applications in PHP with MySQL to enhance mail order sales.Designed and expanded the Nexus Suite for Point Of Sale, optimizing user experience and reducing IT support load.Built middleware for ERP database and third-party integration (StarTrack Express, Unidin) and helper software for VMware tools.Implemented various scripts for Windows Domain and designed enhancements for the AdvanceRetail platform.Systems Administration:Maintained Windows Server 2003, including support for Active Directory, WSUS, DHCP, DNS, Terminal Servers, and Print Server.Managed File servers (Quotas, DFS across multiple sites, replication, reporting).Supported Scalix Version 10 and 11 (180 users) with features such as LDAP sync, ActiveSync, Kerberos Authentication, SSO, and Webmail.Maintained Webservers, handled backups, and software updates.Designed and built servers for various applications.Special Projects:Designed and deployed modifications to the AdvanceRetail platform including branch holdings replacement and live store sales overlay.Authored a delta auto-update program integrated with the shell for 100% uptime.

Worked on various interactive marketing websites using Flash and PHP.