Technical Architect

Four architecture stories, not four versions of the same commerce brief.

• 01 · Digital commerce / franchise retail

  Cake Box & Ambala

  Omnichannel platform transformation

  Technical Architect · Apr 2026 – present

  Appointed as the technical decision-maker for a multi-brand omnichannel programme across more than 300 UK and French locations, with ownership of architecture across Shopify, Google Cloud middleware, OneStock OMS, identity, fulfilment and third-party channels.

  locations across the UK and France

  300+

  orders in the first month

  50,000+

  average order value

  £55

  fewer franchise support tickets

  15%

  Architecture and delivery+–

  Components

  • Shopify — commerce layer
  • Hydrogen / Next.js — headless storefront
  • Google Cloud middleware — product and customer integration layer
  • OneStock — central order orchestration
  • Contentful — content management
  • Microsoft Entra ID — SSO, RBAC and store-level permissions
  • BubbleHouse — loyalty
  • EPOS Now — EPOS
  • n8n — workflow automation
  • DPD — shipment
  • Postcodes.io — store location
  • Flutter — consumer of the Google Cloud layer

  Integrations

  • Product, customer and order data move from source systems into a tailored OneStock implementation, including channel-specific POS documents, nutritional data and French translations through Shopify Markets.
  • A Google Cloud integration layer pulls Shopify product and customer data, sanitises it and serves consumers including Hydrogen and Flutter.
  • BubbleHouse is connected with EPOS Now.
  • Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat orders are normalised through n8n into the OMS.
  • Entra ID SSO and store-level permissions grant franchise, kiosk and hybrid-store users access to the correct OMS locations.

  Decisions

  • Migrate from Magento to Shopify and Hydrogen, with OneStock as the central order orchestration layer for Cake Box UK, Cake Box France and Ambala.
  • Design Entra ID SSO, role-based access and store-level permissions so franchise, kiosk and hybrid-store users reach the correct OMS locations.
  • Replace Loqate with Postcodes.io after identifying a store-location cost of approximately £10,000 per month.
  • Set direction for a reusable Google Cloud integration layer instead of further point-to-point integrations.
  • Roll back a phased low-traffic cutover when a required OMS production release was unavailable, then complete launch the following evening.

  Delivery

  • Own the solution architecture across commerce, OMS, cloud middleware, identity, fulfilment and new sales channels, reporting options, risks and cost implications to senior leadership.
  • Architected the migration from Magento to Shopify and Hydrogen, with Google Cloud middleware and OneStock as the central order orchestration layer for Cake Box UK, Cake Box France and Ambala.
  • Directed a blended delivery group of internal engineers, a programme manager, data analysts and QA, alongside agency engineering, project management and business analysis resources.
  • Governed vendor selection, onboarding and SOW delivery across OneStock, BubbleHouse, Nosto, Descope, Swanky and Vita Mojo.
  • Planned a phased low-traffic cutover across Cake Box UK, France and Ambala, including the rollback when a required OMS production release was unavailable.

  Outcomes

  • Made the rollback decision when a required OMS production release was unavailable, resolved the dependency and completed launch the following evening.
  • Replaced a Loqate store-location solution costing approximately £10,000 per month with Postcodes.io, meeting the requirement at a fraction of the cost.
  • Within the first month after launch, the platform processed more than 50,000 orders across channels with a £55 average order value; franchise support tickets fell 15%, bounce rate fell 5% and SEO authority was maintained.
  • The same architectural foundation supported Cake Box's nationwide D2C launch.

  View the full role

• 02 · Digital commerce / DTC

  Starbucks | Inviqa

  DTC architecture and phased beta

  Shopify Technical Lead · Dec 2024 – Apr 2025

  Worked with Inviqa on behalf of Starbucks, which was launching a dedicated direct-to-consumer website aimed at enhancing the customer experience. Brought in to lead the Shopify implementation to support entry into direct online sales. Faced with a three-month deadline for a beta launch, provided guidance on feasible Shopify solutions, considering Liquid storefronts and headless architectures, and advised on leveraging existing membership programme APIs for a phased rollout to a select group of consumers while maintaining the global brand identity.

  Architecture and delivery+–

  Components

  • Shopify

  Delivery

  • Consulted on Shopify capabilities, ensuring alignment with the brand's technical constraints and ambitions.
  • Guided the team on leveraging APIs for enhanced functionality within set timelines.
  • Designed a strategy for a phased website launch, maintaining exclusivity and brand consistency.
  • Facilitated clear communication and alignment between the development team and stakeholders.

  Outcomes

  • Through a series of collaborative meetings and workshops, distilled needs into a comprehensive client proposal that received positive feedback and set the foundation for project success.

  View the full role

• 03 · Fashion / Shopify Plus

  Lucy & Yak

  International commerce and engineering transformation

  Senior Full Stack Engineer · May 2023 – Sep 2024

  A global Shopify Plus fashion house based in the UK, generating £3,500,000+ in monthly revenue and handling 1,200,000+ monthly sessions. Recruited to future-proof the codebase and implement systems, significantly enhancing the development team's efficiency and effectiveness. Pivotal in transitioning the team from being merely functional to operating at an optimal level in a high-growth e-commerce environment.

  monthly revenue

  £3.5m+

  monthly sessions

  1.2m+

  international markets

  200+

  market switch-over

  3 hours

  Architecture and delivery+–

  Components

  • Shopify Plus
  • Shopify Markets
  • Shopify Pixels
  • Checkout Extensibility

  Delivery

  • Instilling development structure: agile culture, introducing processes and sprints to streamline operations.
  • Leading development: spearheaded projects, driving innovation and delivery of high-quality results.
  • Tech insight and adoption guidance: provided insight into emerging technologies and guided the department on adoption aligned with business goals.
  • Managed relationships with external agencies: ensuring seamless integrations and completion of projects.
  • Weekly reporting to stakeholders: ensuring clear communication of development progress and milestones.

  Outcomes

  • Established documentation and guidelines to standardize practices and enhance code maintainability.
  • Loyalty programme: successfully integrated an award-winning programme, enhancing customer engagement.
  • Streamlined issue tracking and project management by implementing a robust ticketing system, improving response times and team coordination.
  • Conducted regular mentoring/peer coding sessions, fostering a culture of continuous learning.
  • Personalisation integration: adopted split testing to enable data-driven decisions, enhance user experience and increase conversion rates.
  • Seamless Shopify market access: executed a seamless transition to expand into 200+ international markets, with the switch-over completed within three hours and no business disruption.
  • Checkout extensibility: migrated scripts and checkout functionality to Shopify Pixels and bespoke apps.

  View the full role

• 04 · Healthcare

  Sirkka Networks

  Healthcare platform / cloud and infrastructure transformation

  Senior Technical Officer · Nov 2021 – Nov 2022

  Healthcare start-up tasked with providing affordable healthcare to all via a secure in-house digital platform, with offices in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Brought into the team to offer direction and lead Sirkka's transition away from COVID-centred products to health services.

  Architecture and delivery+–

  Components

  • AWS
  • Microsoft Azure
  • Docker Swarm
  • Kubernetes
  • Auth0

  Delivery

  • Led IT department, consisting of a Frontend Engineer, Backend Engineer, Data Analyst and contractors.
  • Provided insight into current and future technologies aligned with the company's vision.
  • Planned and delivered the rollout of new microservices.
  • Oversaw schema design and the launch of new products and services.
  • Oversaw the design, development and rollout of the "Sirkka 3.0" web platform.
  • Migrated from AWS to Microsoft Azure in line with health industry best practice.

  Outcomes

  • Encrypted customer data, enabling role-based access control (RBAC).
  • Worked closely with the internal team to ensure COVID-related products met entry requirements.
  • Created a cloud-agnostic platform.
  • Expanded the team based on departmental needs.
  • Migrated from Docker Swarm infrastructure to Kubernetes orchestration.
  • Integrated Auth0 for user authentication and authorisation.

  View the full role

Code, then applications, then systems, then teams, then business.

1. Cake Box & AmbalaTechnical ArchitectApr 2026 – present+–

   Appointed as the technical decision-maker for a multi-brand omnichannel programme across more than 300 UK and French locations, with ownership of architecture across Shopify, Google Cloud middleware, OneStock OMS, identity, fulfilment and third-party channels.

   locations across the UK and France

   300+

   orders in the first month

   50,000+

   average order value

   £55

   fewer franchise support tickets

   15%

   bounce-rate reduction

   5%

   Responsibilities

   • Own the solution architecture across commerce, OMS, cloud middleware, identity, fulfilment and new sales channels, reporting options, risks and cost implications to senior leadership.
   • Architected the migration from Magento to Shopify and Hydrogen, with Google Cloud middleware and OneStock as the central order orchestration layer for Cake Box UK, Cake Box France and Ambala.
   • Defined how product, customer and order data move from source systems into a tailored OneStock implementation, including channel-specific POS documents, nutritional data and French translations through Shopify Markets.
   • Directed a blended delivery group of two internal developers, a programme manager, two data analysts and two QA specialists, alongside approximately ten agency developers, two project managers, QA and business analysis resources.
   • Established acceptance criteria with the QA lead and governed integration quality across APIs, middleware and target systems. Supported a dead-letter queue and retry capability designed by the backend engineer to identify, investigate and safely reprocess dropped orders.
   • Designed Entra ID SSO, role-based access and store-level permissions for franchise, kiosk and hybrid-store users, supporting more than 300 Cake Box franchise users and over 30 Ambala stores with access to the correct OMS locations.
   • Translated warehouse requirements into bespoke Ambala picking, packing, nutritional-label and DPD shipment flows, then led hypercare to optimise the OMS experience for fast fulfilment. The same architectural foundation supported Cake Box's nationwide D2C launch.
   • Planned a phased low-traffic cutover across Cake Box UK, France and Ambala.
   • Set the direction for a reusable Google Cloud integration layer that pulls Shopify product and customer data, sanitises it and serves consumers including Hydrogen and Flutter, reducing future point-to-point integrations and code debt.
   • Governed vendor selection, onboarding and SOW delivery across OneStock, BubbleHouse, Nosto, Descope, Swanky and Vita Mojo. Connected BubbleHouse with EPOS Now and enabled a solutions partner to normalise Uber Eats, Deliveroo and Just Eat orders through n8n into the OMS.
   • Identified that the existing Loqate store-location solution cost approximately £10,000 per month and directed a Postcodes.io alternative that met the requirement with fewer API calls.

   Outcomes

   • Made the rollback decision when a required OMS production release was unavailable, resolved the dependency and completed launch the following evening.
   • Replaced a Loqate store-location solution costing approximately £10,000 per month with Postcodes.io, meeting the requirement at a fraction of the cost.
   • Within the first month after launch, the platform processed more than 50,000 orders across channels with a £55 average order value; franchise support tickets fell 15%, bounce rate fell 5% and SEO authority was maintained.
   • The same architectural foundation supported Cake Box's nationwide D2C launch.

   Technology

   • Shopify
   • Hydrogen
   • Google Cloud Platform
   • OneStock
   • Contentful
   • Microsoft Entra ID
   • BubbleHouse
   • EPOS Now
   • n8n
   • DPD
   • Postcodes.io
   • Shopify Markets

   View the case study

2. SwankySenior Full Stack EngineerApr 2025 – Mar 2026+–

   Led the delivery of complex e-commerce projects for a diverse range of clients, including HarperCollins, ARNE and MuscleFood. Combined technical execution with client-facing responsibilities, shaping technical strategies, pitching solutions, and driving implementations across traditional Shopify Liquid storefronts and headless architectures.

   engineers in teams overseen

   up to 4

   Responsibilities

   • Lead new build projects from ideation to launch, delivering high-quality, performant Shopify storefronts.
   • Pitch technical solutions to clients, recommending approaches for both headless and traditional builds.
   • Translate designs from Figma into pixel-perfect, responsive Shopify themes, ensuring brand consistency and attention to detail.
   • Integrate Shopify stores with third-party systems, ensuring seamless data flows and extended functionality.
   • Build custom Shopify apps to meet specific client requirements.
   • Manage and mentor teams of up to four engineers, providing guidance and setting technical direction.
   • Maintain clear communication with senior leadership through weekly progress updates.
   • Facilitate daily and weekly development standups to drive collaboration and accountability.

   Technology

   • Shopify
   • Shopify Liquid
   • Figma
3. Starbucks | InviqaShopify Technical LeadDec 2024 – Apr 2025+–

   Worked with Inviqa on behalf of Starbucks, which was launching a dedicated direct-to-consumer website aimed at enhancing the customer experience. Brought in to lead the Shopify implementation to support entry into direct online sales. Faced with a three-month deadline for a beta launch, provided guidance on feasible Shopify solutions, considering Liquid storefronts and headless architectures, and advised on leveraging existing membership programme APIs for a phased rollout to a select group of consumers while maintaining the global brand identity.

   Responsibilities

   • Consulted on Shopify capabilities, ensuring alignment with the brand's technical constraints and ambitions.
   • Guided the team on leveraging APIs for enhanced functionality within set timelines.
   • Designed a strategy for a phased website launch, maintaining exclusivity and brand consistency.
   • Facilitated clear communication and alignment between the development team and stakeholders.

   Outcomes

   • Through a series of collaborative meetings and workshops, distilled needs into a comprehensive client proposal that received positive feedback and set the foundation for project success.

   Technology

   • Shopify

   View the case study

4. Lucy & YakSenior Full Stack EngineerMay 2023 – Sep 2024+–

   A global Shopify Plus fashion house based in the UK, generating £3,500,000+ in monthly revenue and handling 1,200,000+ monthly sessions. Recruited to future-proof the codebase and implement systems, significantly enhancing the development team's efficiency and effectiveness. Pivotal in transitioning the team from being merely functional to operating at an optimal level in a high-growth e-commerce environment.

   monthly revenue

   £3.5m+

   monthly sessions

   1.2m+

   international markets

   200+

   market switch-over

   3 hours

   business disruption

   0

   Responsibilities

   • Instilling development structure: agile culture, introducing processes and sprints to streamline operations.
   • Leading development: spearheaded projects, driving innovation and delivery of high-quality results.
   • Tech insight and adoption guidance: provided insight into emerging technologies and guided the department on adoption aligned with business goals.
   • Managed relationships with external agencies: ensuring seamless integrations and completion of projects.
   • Weekly reporting to stakeholders: ensuring clear communication of development progress and milestones.

   Outcomes

   • Established documentation and guidelines to standardize practices and enhance code maintainability.
   • Loyalty programme: successfully integrated an award-winning programme, enhancing customer engagement.
   • Streamlined issue tracking and project management by implementing a robust ticketing system, improving response times and team coordination.
   • Conducted regular mentoring/peer coding sessions, fostering a culture of continuous learning.
   • Personalisation integration: adopted split testing to enable data-driven decisions, enhance user experience and increase conversion rates.
   • Seamless Shopify market access: executed a seamless transition to expand into 200+ international markets, with the switch-over completed within three hours and no business disruption.
   • Checkout extensibility: migrated scripts and checkout functionality to Shopify Pixels and bespoke apps.

   Technology

   • Shopify Plus
   • Shopify Markets
   • Shopify Pixels
   • Checkout Extensibility

   View the case study

5. Sirkka NetworksSenior Technical OfficerNov 2021 – Nov 2022+–

   Healthcare start-up tasked with providing affordable healthcare to all via a secure in-house digital platform, with offices in London, Edinburgh and Manchester. Brought into the team to offer direction and lead Sirkka's transition away from COVID-centred products to health services.

   Responsibilities

   • Led IT department, consisting of a Frontend Engineer, Backend Engineer, Data Analyst and contractors.
   • Provided insight into current and future technologies aligned with the company's vision.
   • Planned and delivered the rollout of new microservices.
   • Oversaw schema design and the launch of new products and services.
   • Oversaw the design, development and rollout of the "Sirkka 3.0" web platform.
   • Migrated from AWS to Microsoft Azure in line with health industry best practice.

   Outcomes

   • Encrypted customer data, enabling role-based access control (RBAC).
   • Worked closely with the internal team to ensure COVID-related products met entry requirements.
   • Created a cloud-agnostic platform.
   • Expanded the team based on departmental needs.
   • Migrated from Docker Swarm infrastructure to Kubernetes orchestration.
   • Integrated Auth0 for user authentication and authorisation.

   Technology

   • AWS
   • Microsoft Azure
   • Docker Swarm
   • Kubernetes
   • Auth0

   View the case study

6. Crabtree & EvelynSenior Full Stack EngineerJan 2021 – Oct 2021+–

   Responsibilities

   • Managed eight regional websites across Europe, the Americas and APAC.
   • Managed version control, gatekeeping incoming code from internal developers and partners.
   • Worked closely with Design to ensure pixel-perfect delivery.
   • Worked with e-commerce teams to ensure the smooth rollout of new themes.
   • Collation of patch notes.
   • Oversaw region-specific consultancy and development.
   • Created and reinforced development best practice.

   Outcomes

   • Successfully merged heavily conflicted code.
   • Led team in development and implementation of Web 2.0 and following deployments.
   • Successfully collated themes into one codebase providing flexibility based on region of deployment.
   • Worked closely with teams in multiple time zones.
   • Bespoke loyalty programme API integration; making use of all CRUD operations.

   Technology

   • React
   • JavaScript
   • Node.js
   • Express.js
   • MySQL
   • Docker
   • AWS
7. AppnovationLead Full Stack EngineerOct 2020 – Dec 2020+–

   user accounts migrated

   900+

   Responsibilities

   • Brought in as an e-commerce expert for the development of clients’ headless e-commerce stores.
   • Consulted on the best route forward for the development of stores across EU markets.
   • Present options to international stakeholders and explain market-specific benefits.
   • Advise on integration plugin.
   • Custom theme development, aligned to brand guidelines.
   • Managed a team of in-house developers.
   • Daily stand-ups; breaking down what needs to be created, fixed and considered going forward.
   • Present progress via weekly client demos.
   • Worked closely with the PM, BA, UI/UX team and developers to deliver the project within agreed timescale.

   Outcomes

   • Beta store developed and presented at client’s International 2020 Summit.
   • Worked with Italian fulfilment partners to develop custom payment gateway.
   • Successful project handover to dev team and client.
   • Migrated 900+ user accounts from existing e-commerce store.

   Technology

   • Liquid
   • Ruby on Rails
   • Node.js
   • Express.js
   • MySQL
   • Docker
   • AWS
8. Ralph & RussoFull-stack EngineerJan 2020 – Sep 2020+–

   Responsibilities

   • Oversaw the website structure and styling of international e-commerce stores.
   • Consulted on website redesign and customer flow.
   • Oversee SEO/SEM of 8 international stores.
   • Oversaw partner onboarding and integration.

   Outcomes

   • Developed private section for international VIP customers.
   • Ranked top 3 for ‘Super Luxury’ brands in UK, EU & USA.
   • Bespoke integrations with partners such as Klarna, Zendesk & others.

   Technology

   • Klarna
   • Zendesk
9. Baird & CoDigital Marketing ConsultantMay 2019 – Dec 2019+–

   ROI on £4,000 monthly budget

   5:1

   bounce rate

   55% → 38%

   average sales per day

   4.5 → 6.1

   Responsibilities

   • Led a data-focused business transformation, gaining buy-in from the wider team.
   • Line-managed the marketing team and web development agency.
   • Digital marketing strategy for B2B and B2C channels.
   • Managed SEO/SEM campaigns.
   • Monitor visitor behaviour and traffic [organic and paid].
   • Delivered bi-weekly performance reports in meetings.
   • Propose and oversee data-led website redesign.
   • Developed an in-depth understanding of customer needs and wants.
   • Work in sync with compliance and other internal teams to ensure best practice across solutions.

   Outcomes

   • Achieved a 5:1 ROI on a monthly budget of £4,000 across marketing channels.
   • Reduced website bounce rate from 55% to 38%.
   • Increased the average number of sales per day from 4.5 to 6.1.
   • Curated a customer acquisition strategy across key channels.
   • Redesigned the checkout process, making it easier for customers to complete purchases while still capturing the information needed for compliance.
   • Redesigned the sign-up process, breaking it into digestible stages and removing unnecessary steps.
   • Maintain relationships with Spears Wealth Management, LBMA and other relevant industry partners.
10. HarvardLead Front-End EngineerSep 2018 – May 2019+–

    Responsibilities

    • Lead a team of web developers.
    • Collaborate with stakeholders to establish project parameters and regular project progress.
    • Create solutions, including competitor analysis, site content, sitemaps.
    • Integrate social media applications into websites and blogs.
    • Create interface designs for integration into web applications.
    • Create marketing campaigns and product pitches.
    • Weekly data reporting [audience behaviour, acquisition, etc].
    • Pitch, build and launch of data-focused solutions as outlined in project briefs.
    • SEO/SEM integration across company websites.
    • Web development, maintenance and journey mapping.
    • Data champion; responsible for implementation of tools used across all channels.

Where the work was done, not how highly it is rated.