Experience | Education | Hobbies | Blog!
I'm an Engineering Leader with 16 years experience across software delivery, strategy and management. I put my broad and objective experience to best use by shaping the strategic direction of technology startups. In my spare time, I make functional, wheel-thrown ceramics.
Tech Skills : JavaScript / TypeScript (Node.js), Kotlin (Spring), React, Vue, AWS / Azure, K8s, Docker, Serverless (AWS Lambda).
Cork, 2022 - Present Senior engineering leader responsible for mentoring, evaluating and developing high-performing teams.
- Accountable to the CPO for guiding and mentoring an engineering team (6 people).
- Be a technical leader and contributor within a team (50% Hands-on, 30% People, 20% Strategy).
- Manage team composition, technical governance and career development paths.
- Communicate effectively – both up and down – to create trustful, collaborative working relationships.
- Uphold a high standard of code quality and health with regular review and technical debt management.
- Identify risks and blind-spots, communicate early and take action to mitigate or close gaps.
- Create a coherent engineering strategy, which is aligned to the business and product strategies.
London / Cork, 2020 - 2022 Staff Engineer leading the integration effort for a no-code automation platform.
- Grow a remote, fledgling Professional Services team from 1 person to 16 people globally.
- In year 1, grow pipeline revenue from €0 to €500k, contributing to a 20% uptick in ARR.
- Build a best-in-class integration platform through an SDK framework and public REST API’s.
- Reinforce L2 support capability by leveraging 3 partners across our network.
- Introduce training on BRYTER best practices in partnership with our Customer Success team.
- Build a suite of custom microservices for enterprise customers with non-standard requirements.
- Translate business requirements and communicate to internal and external stakeholders.
London, 2017 - 2020 Senior Stack Engineer leading a team who build distributed applications and core backend infrastructure.
- Lead a cross-functional team of Developers, Designers, Business Analysts to deliver prototyped concepts in support of client pitches.
- Product Owner for a consensual data access platform.
- Assistant architect on FAB Mobile, a mobile banking platform for First Abu Dhabi Bank.
- Partner with DevOps to deploy Docker containerised services using Gitlab CI, Kubernetes and AWS / IBM Cloud.
- Select, train and mentor a team of junior developers in an organic, non hierarchical environment.
- Deliver a range of customer-centric web applications using REST API driven, scalable microservices.
London, Nov 2014 - May 2017
Business Development specialist, employing an analytical and consultative approach to Client Relationship Management.
- Designed and project managed the global implementation of a “service satisfaction” platform to enhance Citi CRM analytics.
- Implemented a Excel VBA “proof of concept” before integrating a solution within a Citi proprietary CRM platform.
- Host bi-monthly Service Team meetings to capture client specific enhancements across Product, Operations, Technology partners.
London, 2011 - 2014
Senior team member with ownership of the Operational client relationship for the UK and Scandinavian Sales desks
- Self-taught and incorporated VBA and SQL into controls around the flow of Cash Settlement notices, reducing paper requirement by 50%.
- Built a reconciliation tool to reduce human interaction and associated errors.
- Board-Member for a Diversity Group. Grew network from a team of 3 to an 11 person committee, which ran 3 annual internships with an 85% employment rate.
Germany, 2007 - 2011
Captain, promoted to the position of Second in Command for a Squadron of 100 Cavalry Soldiers.
- Command a detached, self-sustained unit of 24 soldiers during combat operations in the Middle East.
- Mentored the professional development of my soldiers with complex problems ranging from post-traumatic stress to financial insolvency.
- Direct advisor to the Commanding Officer (Lt. Col) on the change of equipment care policy for military vehicles and assets worth £36m.
Makers Academy (May - July 2017)
- Graduated top of my class at Europe's premier coding boot camp.
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) (Jan - Dec 2007)
- Commissioned as an Officer from the national centre of excellence for leadership.
University of Newcastle upon Tyne (Sep 2002 - Jul 2006)
- BA (Hons) Economics & Business Management.
- Currently studying for AWS Certified Developer - Associate certification
- FCA Approved person.
- Investment Management Certificate Level 4 qualified
CorkJS / CorkSec - I am a community member of these monthly meet-up groups. Ceramicist - I make hand-crafted, functional, wheel-thrown pottery. Find me at chrisharrop.ie Sports - I am a keen skier, rower and rugby player