Thomas is available for hire
Hire ThomasThomas Findlay
Verified Expert in Engineering
JavaScript Developer
Norwich, United Kingdom
Toptal member since June 28, 2022
Bio
Thomas is a CTO and engineering leader with 13+ years of experience building SaaS platforms and the teams behind them. As Engineering Lead at Kaya AI, he made a core product respond in under a second on large data sets and raised per-engineer throughput by 25% with AI development workflows. As CTO at IQONICS, he built engineering from zero. He wrote two books on enterprise React and Vue and has spoken at React Summit.
Portfolio
Kaya Pay, Inc
TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React, Startups, Full-stack, Architecture, Python...
Findlay Web Tech
JavaScript, Vue, React, Nuxt.js, Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, Firebase, Python...
IQONICS GmbH
React, JavaScript, Node.js, MySQL, Redis, MERN Stack, Full-stack Development...
Experience
- JavaScript - 12 years
- React - 10 years
- Vue - 10 years
- Node.js - 10 years
- Tailwind CSS - 6 years
- Next.js - 6 years
- TypeScript - 5 years
- Nuxt.js - 4 years
Work Experience
Engineering Product Lead
2026 - PRESENT
Kaya Pay, Inc
- Led a team of 12 engineers and client-facing leads responsible for the core product and the company's highest-value client accounts.
- Owned the core product and client roadmaps, turning key clients' needs into PRDs and technical specs and prioritising delivery against team capacity.
- Increased per-engineer delivery throughput by ~25% by building a shared library of AI development workflows, adopted by 17 engineers within two months.
- Made the core product viable for the largest client data sets, cutting key actions and project creation from 10-29 seconds to under 1 second.
- Cut data loading, search, and filtering on large projects from ~15-20 seconds to ~1 second.
- Reduced data loading for non-English users from 30+ seconds to under 1 second by redesigning how dynamic data is translated and localised.
- Designed and shipped Amber Insights, an AI risk-analysis feature that scans project data daily, ranks risks by severity, and routes alerts to the right people.
- Designed an enterprise-grade, policy-based permissions system to prepare the platform for enterprise clients.
- Standardised QA processes across the team, raising release quality and reducing the number of issues reaching clients.
- Introduced structured documentation and a knowledge base of lessons from PR reviews and incidents, making the team easier to scale and onboard into.
Technologies: TypeScript, Node.js, Next.js, React, Startups, Full-stack, Architecture, Python, Real-time Systems, Large Language Models (LLMs), Agentic AI, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Event-driven Architecture, Agentic Workflow Design, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Supply Chain, Logistics & Supply Chain, FANG
Co-owner, Full-stack Web Developer, Mentor, Consultant, Technical Writer, and Book Author
2012 - PRESENT
Findlay Web Tech
- Worked with hundreds of developers and teams and performed various jobs and services that span mentoring, consulting, technical writing, public speaking, workshops and training, and book writing.
- Wrote an advanced React book called React - The Road To Enterprise. It covers best practices, advanced patterns, and techniques for developing large-scale React applications. (https://theroadtoenterprise.com/books/react-the-road-to-enterprise).
- Wrote an advanced Vue book called Vue - The Road To Enterprise. It covers best practices, advanced patterns, and techniques for developing large-scale Vue applications. (https://theroadtoenterprise.com/books/vue-the-road-to-enterprise).
- Wrote technical articles for The Road To Enterprise blog. (https://theroadtoenterprise.com/blog).
- Spoke at the React Advanced London conference about advanced patterns for API management in large-scale React applications. (https://portal.gitnation.org/contents/advanced-patterns-for-api-management-in-large-scale-react-applications).
- Led a React workshop at GDG Memphis on handling APIs in React applications. (https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-memphis-presents-react-workshop-how-to-handle-apis-in-react-applications).
- Participated as a guest on React Wednesdays to talk about best practices for testing React apps. (https://www.telerik.com/react-wednesdays/react-wednesdays-best-practices-for-testing-react-apps).
- Presented Findlay web tech's case study about Vue and sat on the experts' panel during Vue Amsterdam. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8Jw2CFj7g&t=4816s).
- Worked with and mentored hundreds of developers of different levels, from beginners to seniors.
Technologies: JavaScript, Vue, React, Nuxt.js, Next.js, TypeScript, Node.js, Firebase, Python, PHP, Tailwind CSS, Express.js, Fastify, HTML, CSS, Bootstrap, jQuery, MongoDB, JSX, React Redux, SCSS, Sass, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Prisma, UI Design, User Interface (UI), Full-stack, SaaS, Mongoose, Material UI, REST, Stripe, Stripe API, Front-end, Redux, Redux Thunk, Affiliate Programs, PostgreSQL, HTML5, MySQL, Technical Writing, Serverless, Amazon Web Services (AWS), User Experience (UX), Responsive UI, Twilio API, Payment APIs, Figma, Netlify, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Vercel, Axios, React Router, Docker, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, Redis, SendGrid, MERN Stack, Full-stack Development, Supabase, Large Language Models (LLMs), Compliance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cloud, Architecture, Vibe Coding, AI-generated Code, Supabase Auth, Vite, API Connectors, FastAPI, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, Cloudflare, WebSockets, GitHub Actions, Error Handling, React Native, Payments, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, OpenAI API, Back-end, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability, Algolia, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Mobile App Development, GraphQL, Event-driven Architecture, Agentic Workflow Design, Startups, Agentic AI, Google Analytics, Expo, Astro, ComfyUI
Lead Engineer | Fractional CTO
2024 - 2026
IQONICS GmbH
- Consolidated three separate codebases into a single multi-tenant white-label platform — designing tenant-specific theming, row-level data isolation, shared infrastructure with logical separation, and custom domain/subdomain routing per tenant.
- Designed and built a granular policy-based RBAC permissions system from scratch — role and role-group based, controlling access across both client-side and server-side functionality, fully multi-tenant aware.
- Identified and remediated SQL injection and path traversal vulnerabilities through hands-on penetration testing and security audits. Implemented Datadog monitoring for ongoing security observability.
- Resolved a critical production bottleneck where invoice/voucher PDF generation blocked the entire server for 60+ seconds by offloading computation to dedicated worker processes, restoring full server availability.
- Replaced full-page loading states with prefetch-on-hover navigation so data was ready before users navigated, eliminating perceived load times entirely. Optimized MySQL queries across the platform.
- Built Playwright E2E test suites that automated quarterly financial accuracy verification—running calculations and comparing generated voucher/invoice PDFs against expected outputs—replacing hours of manual QA.
- Stabilized a legacy JavaScript codebase by introducing comprehensive JSDoc annotations, delivering in-IDE type checking without a full TypeScript migration. Reduced runtime bugs.
- Built a queue-based file upload and processing system using BullMQ for reliable data handling at scale, enabling stakeholders to submit data for financial calculations.
- Introduced a database migration system with rollback support and multi-tenancy awareness, replacing entirely manual database upgrades that had been error-prone and risky.
- Established the engineering function from scratch—designed the hiring process, recruited all staff, owned code reviews, set up CI/CD, and mentored developers.
Technologies: React, JavaScript, Node.js, MySQL, Redis, MERN Stack, Full-stack Development, Large Language Models (LLMs), Compliance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI Tools, Cloud, Architecture, Vibe Coding, AI-generated Code, Vite, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, GitHub Actions, Error Handling, Multi-tenant SaaS, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, OpenAI API, Back-end, Claude, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Chatbots, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Event-driven Architecture
Full-stack Web Developer | Consultant | Mentor
2018 - 2025
Freelance
- Worked with hundreds of clients and developers of different levels and performed 2,500 sessions and jobs. The jobs comprised various tools and technologies involving front-end, back-end, and mobile development.
- Received over 1,200 5-star reviews from satisfied clients.
- Mentored new and seasoned developers on modern JavaScript features and frameworks.
- Performed project code reviews and provided recommendations on improving the project's architecture, improving security, and writing cleaner, more flexible, extensible, and maintainable code.
- Debugged and fixed thousands of issues in many different codebases quickly and efficiently.
- Performed mock interviews to help new and seasoned developers prepare for their technical interviews.
Technologies: JavaScript, Vue, React, Next.js, Nuxt.js, Python, Firebase, React Native, PHP, Tailwind CSS, Bootstrap, Node.js, Express.js, Fastify, HTML, CSS, MongoDB, JSX, React Redux, SCSS, Sass, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Prisma, UI Design, User Interface (UI), Full-stack, SaaS, Mongoose, Material UI, REST, Stripe API, Front-end, Redux, Redux Thunk, Affiliate Programs, PostgreSQL, HTML5, MySQL, Technical Writing, Serverless, Amazon Web Services (AWS), User Experience (UX), Internet of Things (IoT), Responsive UI, Twilio API, Payment APIs, Figma, Netlify, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Vercel, Axios, React Router, Docker, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), SendGrid, MERN Stack, Full-stack Development, Supabase, Large Language Models (LLMs), Compliance, Architecture, Vibe Coding, Replit, Vite, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, Cloudflare, WebSockets, GitHub Actions, Error Handling, Payments, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, Back-end, Claude, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Chatbots, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability, Algolia, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Mobile App Development, GraphQL, Event-driven Architecture, Agentic Workflow Design, Startups, Agentic AI, PostHog, Google Analytics, Expo, Astro, ComfyUI
Technical Writer
2018 - 2025
Progress
- Authored 50+ in-depth technical articles for the Telerik blog covering React, Vue, Next.js, and Node.js—targeting intermediate-to-advanced developers with practical implementation patterns.
- Covered advanced topics including API management in large-scale React apps, Vue Composition API adoption, testing strategies with Vitest, and full-stack application architecture.
- Maintained a consistent publishing cadence over nearly seven years, establishing a recognised voice in the React and Vue ecosystem alongside published books and conference talks.
Technologies: JavaScript, React, Vue, HTML, CSS, Redux, JSX, React Redux, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), UI Design, User Interface (UI), Full-stack, REST, Front-end, Redux Thunk, HTML5, Technical Writing, User Experience (UX), Responsive UI, Figma, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Vercel, Axios, React Router, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, Full-stack Development, Vite, Solution Architecture, Error Handling, User Experience Design, Back-end, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Scalability
Lead Developer
2022 - 2024
Celestial
- Led the development of an operations dashboard for a client who performs drone animation shows. The dashboard enables employees to manage the company's assets, such as drones, batteries, equipment, pilots, and more.
- Designed and developed a powerful policy-based authorization system, which allows granular permission control over who can read and modify system data.
- Created a CI/CD deployment process with multiple environments to automatically deploy client and server applications to staging and production environments hosted on AWS.
- Managed all aspects of creating and deploying a CMS that comprises front end, back end, and DevOps.
- Proposed solutions and ideas on how to improve designs and user experience.
Technologies: JavaScript, React, Node.js, Fastify, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Tailwind CSS, tRPC, HTML, CSS, Project Consultancy, APIs, React Router, Docker, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, Full-stack Development, Compliance, Cloud, Architecture, Vite, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, Error Handling, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, Back-end, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Scalability, Amazon S3 (AWS S3)
Web Development Consultant | Freelance
2020 - 2022
Rightsholder
- Provided advice and recommendations regarding scalable project architecture, best practices, advanced patterns, modern JavaScript features, and tooling.
- Created a scalable serverless solution to process millions of entries very quickly.
- Built several features and applications that cover a wide range of functionality like a music search engine, exporting and downloading data, handling payments using Stripe, and processing uploads with millions of entries.
Technologies: JavaScript, Vue, Vuex, Firebase, MySQL, Cloud Firestore, Stripe, Node.js, Python, JSX, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), UI Design, User Interface (UI), Full-stack, REST, Stripe API, Front-end, HTML5, User Experience (UX), Responsive UI, Figma, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Axios, React Router, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, Full-stack Development, Cloud, Architecture, Vite, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, Error Handling, Payments, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, Back-end, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability, Amazon S3 (AWS S3)
Web Development Consultant
2018 - 2020
The Doctors Laboratory
- Led a full front-end migration from jQuery to Vue for a medical laboratory management system used by doctors and clinical staff to manage patients, specimens, and lab workflows.
- Introduced end-to-end testing with Cypress and designed new UI features in Figma for both new and existing clinical workflows, improving reliability and usability across the platform.
- Provided ongoing architectural consulting to the internal team—advising on front-end architecture, advanced Vue patterns, and best practices to raise the team's long-term capability.
- Created and implemented bespoke responsive designs.
- Mentored team members on scalable project architecture, modern JavaScript features, testing, and how to write clean and maintainable code.
Technologies: JavaScript, Vue, Bootstrap, Vuex, JSX, SCSS, Sass, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), UI Design, User Interface (UI), Full-stack, REST, Front-end, HTML5, User Experience (UX), Responsive UI, Figma, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Axios, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, Full-stack Development, Compliance, Cloud, Architecture, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, Error Handling, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, Back-end, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability, Amazon S3 (AWS S3)
Web Developer
2017 - 2018
Newsquest Media Group
- Introduced the team to new front-end tools and technologies, which resulted in increased velocity that allowed team members to develop new features and products much faster than before and allocate more time for training and individual development.
- Worked on a portfolio of job-related websites, which provided services to users across the UK that were built using a wide range of technologies like jQuery, Backbone, Vue, and Python.
- Prepared the architecture and developed most of the client-side features of the new x1Recruiter portal using modern JavaScript tooling and the Vue framework.
- Improved performance of job sites, which resulted in faster loading times and better user experience.
Technologies: JavaScript, Vue, jQuery, Python, HTML, CSS, Vuex, SCSS, Sass, Web Design, Responsive Web Design (RWD), UI Design, User Interface (UI), Full-stack, REST, Front-end, HTML5, User Experience (UX), Responsive UI, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Axios, GitHub, REST APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, RESTful Services, MERN Stack, Full-stack Development, Architecture, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, Error Handling, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, Back-end, Event-driven Programming, Message Queues, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability
Project History
Vue | The Road To Enterprise
https://theroadtoenterprise.com/books/vue-the-road-to-enterpriseVue - The Road To Enterprise is a book that revolves around best practices, advanced patterns, and techniques for developing Vue applications. It covers both Vue 2 and Vue 3 and is a one-stop resource for many crucial concepts that should help you solve and avoid many pain points when developing Vue applications.
This book covers advanced topics like project architecture, cutting-edge techniques for handling async operations and API states, performance optimization, and state management patterns. Each chapter in the book can be read independently so you can immediately dive into the topic that interests you the most.
This book covers advanced topics like project architecture, cutting-edge techniques for handling async operations and API states, performance optimization, and state management patterns. Each chapter in the book can be read independently so you can immediately dive into the topic that interests you the most.
React | The Road To Enterprise
https://theroadtoenterprise.com/books/react-the-road-to-enterpriseReact - The Road To Enterprise is an advanced book that revolves around best practices, advanced patterns, and techniques for developing React and Next.js applications in TypeScript.
It's a one-stop resource for many crucial concepts that should help users solve and avoid many pain points when developing React applications.
This book covers many advanced topics to help you build maintainable, scalable, and performant React applications like scalable project architecture, useful techniques for handling async operations and API states, advanced component patterns, performance optimization, local and global state management patterns, static site generation (SSG) and server-side rendering (SSR) with Next.js and more.
It's a one-stop resource for many crucial concepts that should help users solve and avoid many pain points when developing React applications.
This book covers many advanced topics to help you build maintainable, scalable, and performant React applications like scalable project architecture, useful techniques for handling async operations and API states, advanced component patterns, performance optimization, local and global state management patterns, static site generation (SSG) and server-side rendering (SSR) with Next.js and more.
The Road To Enterprise
https://theroadtoenterprise.comThe Road To Enterprise platform offers two advanced books, React - The Road To Enterprise and Vue - The Road To Enterprise. It also has a technical blog with articles that cover a wide variety of web tools and technologies.
The Doctors Laboratory | Helix Platform
Initially, I worked with The Doctors Laboratory (TDL) on a consulting basis, where I provided advice regarding project architecture and best practices and helped convert their internal Helix platform for managing patients, bookings, reports, and specimens to Vue.
After working together for a while, I joined the TDL team to lead the development of the portal's client-side. This involved designing and developing new features for the platform and working with other front- and back-end developers.
After working together for a while, I joined the TDL team to lead the development of the portal's client-side. This involved designing and developing new features for the platform and working with other front- and back-end developers.
Rightsholder
Rightsholder is a platform with a suite of apps that provides a simple music rights search engine designed with music licensing and synchronization professionals in mind. I worked closely with the Rightsholder's founder to implement a wide variety of features like a fast and efficient search engine for music, uploading tracks, payments, data processing, and more.
x1recruiter
The x1recruiter is a jobs manager platform that recruiters and companies use to create and manage jobs and track applications.
I led the development of most of the client-side features of x1recruiter using modern JavaScript features and tools like Vue, Vue CLI, Webpack, and Babel. Modern tooling allowed for rapid development of new features and shipping an MVP in a short amount of time.
I led the development of most of the client-side features of x1recruiter using modern JavaScript features and tools like Vue, Vue CLI, Webpack, and Babel. Modern tooling allowed for rapid development of new features and shipping an MVP in a short amount of time.
Conference Speaking and Workshops
I have participated in several conferences, meetups, and workshops. Here are some of them:
• React Advanced London
• Advanced Patterns for API Management in Large-scale React Applications.
• https://portal.gitnation.org/contents/advanced-patterns-for-api-management-in-large-scale-react-applications
• GDG Memphis
• React Workshop
• How to Handle APIs in React Applications
• https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-memphis-presents-react-workshop-how-to-handle-apis-in-react-applications/
• React Wednesdays | Best Practices for Testing React Applications
• www.telerik.com/react-wednesdays/react-wednesdays-best-practices-for-testing-react-apps
• Vue Amsterdam
• Findlay Web Tech Case Study
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8Jw2CFj7g&t=4816s
• React Advanced London
• Advanced Patterns for API Management in Large-scale React Applications.
• https://portal.gitnation.org/contents/advanced-patterns-for-api-management-in-large-scale-react-applications
• GDG Memphis
• React Workshop
• How to Handle APIs in React Applications
• https://gdg.community.dev/events/details/google-gdg-memphis-presents-react-workshop-how-to-handle-apis-in-react-applications/
• React Wednesdays | Best Practices for Testing React Applications
• www.telerik.com/react-wednesdays/react-wednesdays-best-practices-for-testing-react-apps
• Vue Amsterdam
• Findlay Web Tech Case Study
• www.youtube.com/watch?v=El8Jw2CFj7g&t=4816s
Education
2019 - 2020
Master's Degree in Advanced Computer Science
University of Exeter - Exeter, UK
Certifications
AUGUST 2020 - PRESENT
Certified Front-end Engineer
An Online Freelance Agency
Skills
Libraries/APIs
React, Vue, Node.js, jQuery, Stripe, React Redux, React Router, REST APIs, React Testing Library, Stripe API, Twilio API, OpenAI API, Scikit-learn, Vuex, Firebase Web SDK
Tools
JSX, Redux Thunk, GitHub, Google Analytics, Expo, Astro, Prisma, Mongoose, Figma, SendGrid, Claude Code, Claude, Jira, Asana, Git, Zoom, Slack, Firebase Authentication, ComfyUI
Languages
JavaScript, Python, TypeScript, HTML, CSS, HTML5, GraphQL, PHP, SQL, SCSS, Sass
Frameworks
Next.js, Nuxt.js, Tailwind CSS, Express.js, Redux, React Native, Cypress, Jest, Vuetify, Material UI, Fastify, Bootstrap, tRPC
Paradigms
Responsive Web Design (RWD), UI Design, REST, Testing, Event-driven Programming, Event-driven Architecture, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Real-time Systems
Platforms
Firebase, Vercel, PostHog, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Netlify, Docker, Windows, Linux, Algolia, Visual Studio Code (VS Code), Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Replit
Industry Expertise
Web Design
Storage
Amazon S3 (AWS S3), MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Redis, Cloud Firestore
Other
Artificial Intelligence (AI), User Interface (UI), Full-stack, Front-end, Technical Writing, User Experience (UX), Responsive UI, Web Development, Project Consultancy, APIs, Axios, Web UI, Web UX, RESTful Services, MERN Stack, Full-stack Development, Supabase, Large Language Models (LLMs), AI Tools, Architecture, AI-generated Code, Supabase Auth, Vite, API Connectors, API Integration, Software Architecture, Solution Architecture, WebSockets, Error Handling, Multi-tenant SaaS, Payments, Third-party Integration, User Experience Design, Firebase Cloud Functions, Back-end, Message Queues, Performance Optimization, Software Design, Audits, Code Review, Code Auditing, Scalability, Mobile App Development, Agentic Workflow Design, Startups, Agentic AI, SaaS, Affiliate Programs, Serverless, Payment APIs, CI/CD Pipelines, Compliance, Cursor AI, Cloud, Vibe Coding, FastAPI, Cloudflare, GitHub Actions, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Chatbots, Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Programming, Data Science, ClickUp, Discord, Internet of Things (IoT), Google Cloud Functions, Retrieval-augmented Generation (RAG), Supply Chain, Logistics & Supply Chain, FANG
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