Will A. Email & Phone Number

Workington, Gb

Workington, Gb

As a Technical/Solution Architect, I was key in delivering four bespoke online services for the Government’s Energy Bill Support Scheme Alternative Fund (EBSS-AF). With an expected eligibility cohort exceeding one million users, the schemes were delivered in partnership with over 400 local councils. The services were successfully rolled out in under four months in challenging conditions. This role required complex integration with third-party datasets, strong authentication and authorisation controls, and working in close collaboration with policy stakeholders and external suppliers.More recently, I was a key part of a discovery project looking into the viability of an existing government service called The Energy Technology List and a private beta phase project for another energy service called Non-Domestic Digital Energy Advice Service. In both projects, my role as a Solution Architect required me to analyse and design the digital infrastructure, tech stack and delivery, working closely with the product owners, the technical team and other key policy stakeholders.

Various

In the summer of 2021, I boldly decided to pause my software development career and dive headfirst into the enchanting world of Greek island hopping. Armed with only a backpack and recording equipment, I embarked on an epic journey to explore the sun-kissed shores and azure waters, documenting every moment of my adventure for the world to see on my fledgling online platforms.For nearly three mesmerizing months, I roamed from one island to another, immersing myself in the rich tapestry of Greek culture and soaking up the breathtaking landscapes. While most of my escapades were solitary, I was blessed with the occasional company of cherished friends and family who joined me on this odyssey of discovery.Upon my return to the UK, I found myself drawn to a different rhythm of life. Trading lines of code for lively conversations, I embraced a stint in Azure support with a sprinkle of bartending at a local hotel. This unexpected detour provided a welcome change of pace and honed my communication skills in ways I never imagined.The following summer beckoned me back to the Greek islands with promises of new adventures and undiscovered treasures. This time, I stretched my stay a tad longer, dancing delicately within the confines of Schengen regulations post-Brexit. Juggling remote work with island hopping, I found a delicate balance that allowed me to indulge my wanderlust without breaking the bank.Both journeys were nothing short of transformative, a whirlwind of personal growth and self-discovery. Through the solitude of solo travel, I unearthed hidden depths within myself, forging meaningful connections with fellow wanderers along the way. Each step of the journey was a testament to the boundless possibilities that lie beyond the familiar shores of routine.

Norwich, United Kingdom

As part of a small team of software architects, I am jointly responsible for overseeing the work of up to 200 developers across the ‘MyAviva’ suite of digital online applications. Key parts of my role include defining coding standards; evolving consistent patterns and practices to ensure efficient development; code reviews and mentoring; and the adoption and integration of new technologies. Recently, this has included spearheading the migration to .NET Core and a containerized, cloud-based architecture.Our team also develops and maintains a microservice-based API layer that now underpins several key areas of Aviva’s digital online business, handling thousands of requests per minute with zero downtime since its inception.When required, I am also tactically deployed to key projects to ensure successful delivery of business-criticalsystems. Most recently, fully re-writing a legacy payment application into .NET Core 3.1 and delivering it from inception to production-ready in under 12 weeks.

Norwich, United Kingdom

I joined Aviva as a Lead Developer on an initial 6-month contract in January 2015 as a key part of their Global team in the rollout of the ‘MyAviva’ online ecosystem. Initially delivering the platform to Aviva in France, my contract was extended a further 6 and then 12 months to deliver fully localized versions for Italy, Canada, Poland, and Singapore.As a Lead Developer, I was responsible for all aspects of the technical implementation including shaping user stories, time and cost estimation, code reviews, mentoring other team members, and production deployments.On several occasions, I travelled to meet our European colleagues and discuss implementation plans for the delivery of their MyAviva platform.

Norwich, United Kingdom

As Systems Engineering Lead my focus is primarily on infrastructure for a large scale distributed on-line gaming platform written in C# and utilizing WCF technology. Recent projects include implementing a log-shipping system to make text-based log files indexed and searchable via a central web interface, using a combination of primarily linux-based tools including LogStash, RabbitMQ, ElasticSearch and Kibana. This involved the configuration of 15 Linux-based hosts to provide scale for processing up to 11,000 log messages per second at peak times and with a total storage capacity in excess of 5Tb.Other key projects included the migration of our platform code-base from .NET 3.5 to 4.5.1 and from Entity Framework 4 to version 6. As a key member of the development team I also provided guidance to other team members and regularly conducted code reviews to ensure company coding standards were adhered to. Working in a scrum-style environment I was a key member of our scrum team, being involved in backlog grooming, feature estimation and ensuring my team achieved all sprint objectives.

Norwich, United Kingdom

Contracted to implement a variety of WCF services to facilitate communication between several third-party gaming providers and my client’s internal gaming platform. Using a combination of TDD and the Kanban agile methodology, working from detailed specification documents I designed, implemented and tested the WCF services to ensure correct communication with the external systems, liaising with the third-party providers and my client’s internal development team as required.

Norwich, United Kingdom

As CTO I had overall responsibility for the development and implementation of all technical strategy for Brand Conversions. Managing a team of 4 developers, two designers and an online marketing manager in the delivery of various bespoke projects as well as the ongoing maintenance of our core business platforms. My role was very much a 'hands-on' position - maintaining and enhancing our products on a daily basis using the latest .NET technologies including Entity Framework 4 and ASP.NET MVC3. When required I produced detailed documentation including functional and technical specifications as well as user documentation for consumption by our wide range of clients. On many occasions I have travelled throughout the UK to meet clients, discuss their ongoing requirements and provide technical guidance in the brokering of new business deals.

In August 2007, Silvertap Ltd was dissolved by its directors and I became part of a new company, Silvertap Marketing Solutions Ltd. Through the initiative I had shown as a Software Developer I was offered the role of Lead Developer and I took on the responsibility for supervising a small team of 2 developers and a web designer, and assisted in the recruitment of an online marketing manager.During my time as in this role I gained valuable leadership experience as well as the ability to manage my own workload and retain a daily involvement in product development. During this period we developed several new online businesses which proved highly successful and now generate annual turnover in excess of £1million.

On joining Silvertap I was tasked with enhancing two well-established online affiliate websites, each of which generated multi-million pound revenues. During this time my major project was enabling the sites to support multiple languages via localized resource files, providing functionality for users to select their desired language and thus enabling foreign visitors to use both sites in their native language.

AHSL is a leading provider of healthcare software for the NHS and private sectors. My role as a developer was to enhance their "ICE..." suite of systems that enable hospitals to share information with local surgeries, and for doctors to electronically request medical tests and view test results. I worked as part of a large team of developers and was responsible for several key areas of system functionality including the automation of hospital lab test systems to facilitate integration with our core patient database.During my time at AHSL I developed valuable skills in team working and communication, as well as programming to strict standards to ensure the highest levels of reliability and accuracy for the ICE... platform.

After graduating from the UEA I was employed at Tribal Technology Ltd as a Junior Developer working on their suite of applications for the education sector at the Local Education Authority (LEA) level.During my time I learned to program in C#.NET and as a result became the only Junior Developer to have sole responsibility for managing two software products, working closely with the business analyst to ensure they met the strict requirements of the clients and government guidelines, and the software test team to ensure that the products met their objectives and worked reliably.On many occasions I attended site visits with senior staff to deploy, configure and maintain our software on remote systems as well as discussing our products directly with LEA staff. This required a high level of professionalism at all times as well as excellent communication skills and enabled me to enhance our products further to meet the unique needs of our clients.

Degree, Computer Science

Activities and Societies: Member of UEA Swimming Team, competing in national BUSA events across the UK.Modules included: Networking.

Education record