Jul
2020
Became AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
Initial certification on AWS
I am a software engineer contractor with over 10 years experience in the finance sector. As a keen advocate of the Agile manifesto, I habitually use test driven development and adhere to the SOLID principles.
I have worked on a broad range of projects using a large variety of technologies. I specialise in working with 3rd party data providers to allow clients to view or interact with their data in a secure manner. I have experience leading small teams and have acted as scrum master on several projects.
I am a very conscientious developer and am always looking out for my clients best interests. Unlike some contractors, I will stay until the job is done and will not be looking out for the next better paid job. My experience means I'm comfortable leading teams and can communicate well with other business units. Also, as a scrum master I am comfortable running sprint planning, daily stand up and retrospective meetings.
There seems to be a lot of traction around JavaScript being used as both server and client side languages. This combined with a sever-less architecture I believe will become the norm. SAAS using micro-services will also become the standardised approach.
In terms of the finance sector, the walls seem to be coming down for the large financial institutions. The open bank project and launch of other on-line only banks means the consumers will benefit. I fear a large security breach could shake consumer confidence and potentially prevent some of these innovations.
Please review the services that could help you
Implement best practice integration from any 3rd party service.
Build and running of custom Cron jobs to perform regular tasks.
Implement client side consumers of internal/external APIs
Manage projects in an agile manner. Delivering business value at the end of every sprint
Please see below some featured projects I've worked on.
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Jul
2020
Initial certification on AWS
Jul
2019
Start of a new journey.
Jun
2018
Joined to help clear backlog of backend PHP API tickets.
Nov
2017
Completed the 3 day ITIL Foundation course and passed the final exam.
Jun
2016
Joined to implement several complex projects. These included client on-boarding, GDPR implementation, appropriateness questionnaire and machine learning API
Apr
2014
Acted as scrum master for the beta ground up re-write project. Developed the trading modal and client on-boarding for the beta project. Helped deliver white label trading platforms.
Jun
2013
Qualified from the course that covered Agile principles and Scrum.
Jun
2010
Completed all 3 exams required to gain the qualification.
Oct
2008
Trained and acted as scrum master on the payroll project. Developed main Portal for client holding access. Implemented CLI scripts for imports and automation of releases.
Apr
2006
Developed sections on the main Digital Look site including the personal finance section and i-look.
Jul
2004
Helped deliver a multitude of digital solutions for local businesses.
Aug
2001
Gained a 2-1 BSc degree from De Montfort university
Jun
1998
3 A levels in Maths and Science
Jun
1996
10 including maths, English and Science
I've worked with a lot of software developers in the financial services sector over the last 25 years and very few have stood out like Nick in terms of his abilities and levels of professionalism. Nick worked within our digital strategy team for nearly two years and was instrumental in the delivery of several new features including customer on-boarding and our public API. A great team player who regularly interacted with senior business stakeholders to ensure a smooth and efficient process from requirements gathering through to delivery.
Nick was always one of the most skilled, diligent and hardworking members in my team. His ability to communicate effectively at all levels sets him apart from his peers. Nick always embraced change and quickly picked up new skills whilst always maintaining high quality code. His personable and approachable nature afforded him to both lead and participate in the development team and communicate well with the wider business. I'd be happy to have Nick on my team anytime.
I had the pleasure of working with Nick for several years at Raymond James where he was the team lead for the software development function.
As is the case with all the best software engineers I've worked with, Nick was always on the lookout for ways of working more effectively. He was consistently able to balance the benefits of introducing good governance and processes with the flexibility to deliver high-quality results quickly and on schedule.
His consistently positive and enthusiastic approach made him both a valued manager and hands-on participant in every project he was involved in and I wouldn't hesitate to work with him again should the opportunity arise.
Nick initially joined us as a junior developer focusing on Microsoft technologies but it soon became apparent he's a capable and talented software engineer and quickly progressed into a more senior role responsible for a wide range of technologies and a diverse range of projects.