Chris Wood, Developer in London, United Kingdom
Chris is available for hire
Hire Chris

Chris Wood

Verified Expert  in Engineering

Software Developer

Location
London, United Kingdom
Toptal Member Since
January 18, 2013

Chris is a skilled architect and developer with fifteen years of commercial experience working for startups and small software-based businesses at all levels, ranging from individual software engineer to CTO. He's designed systems, led teams, and managed infrastructure to meet business goals.

PythonGitSQLLinuxWindowsPostgreSQLFlaskSQLAlchemyAmazon Web Services (AWS)HerokuNode.jsDjangoQlikViewTypeScriptReact

Portfolio

Tab
Java, Swift, React, Flask, SQLAlchemy, PostgreSQL, Python
YunoJuno
JavaScript, Django, Python
CrisisCleanup (via Toptal)
JavaScript, Python, Google Maps

Experience

Python - 15 yearsJavaScript - 10 yearsJava - 6 yearsNode.js - 4 yearsDjango - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Subversion (SVN), Git, Eclipse, Vim Text Editor, Windows, Linux

The most amazing...

...system I've designed and implemented was a global call generation platform to generate and analyze hundreds of thousands of telephone calls per year.

Work Experience

Founder & CTO

2015 - 2020
Tab
  • Co-founded a payments and bookings platform for travel businesses in emerging markets (primarily LatAm); backed by Y Combinator. The system has transacted tens of millions with merchants in over 30 countries.
  • Designed and built (on AWS & Heroku) a multi-currency payment/accounting system (Python, Postgres, SQLAlchemy), with a gateway cost optimization algorithm and rule-based fraud/misbehavior detection.
  • Implemented a sophisticated product pricing engine, supporting variable seasons, consumer categories, and external iCalendar inputs (Pandas).
  • Introduced and managed the development of client web applications (Flask, React), APIs (Falcon), and iOS and Android apps (Swift and Java, experimental React Native).
  • Hired and managed a team of five developers in London and remotely.
  • Sold to initial customers in-person in Guatemala.
Technologies: Java, Swift, React, Flask, SQLAlchemy, PostgreSQL, Python

Django & Back-end Developer

2013 - 2014
YunoJuno
  • Delivered back- and front-end features for version 2 and 3 relaunches of YunoJuno.com.
  • Improved handling, messaging, and automation of the system monitoring freelancer availability.
  • Improved the search function, including by freelancer email address.
  • Implemented functionality for one-click importing of references from LinkedIn and email.
  • Rebuilt the freelancer search results view (using responsive HTML) to feature a new user scoring and static ranking metric.
  • Streamlined static asset compilation and introduced public CDNs to boost page load times.
  • Introduced a graph-based social network layer to support teams of freelancers.
Technologies: JavaScript, Django, Python

Developer

2013 - 2014
CrisisCleanup (via Toptal)
  • Made wide-ranging front and backend improvements to the open-source codebase, including a complete redesign of the admin interface.
  • Added support for the management of multiple disasters (hurricanes, floods, wildfires) within a single application instance.
  • Added functionality for importing existing data (by flexible CSV).
  • Added CMS features for use by non-technical administrators.
  • Implemented an auto-complete search feature functioning in parallel with data entry to reduce duplicates.
  • Migrated the entire project to GitHub.
Technologies: JavaScript, Python, Google Maps

CTO

2008 - 2011
Revector
  • Architected and delivered two major iterations of automatic telephone call generation platform, which generated hundreds of thousands of telephone calls per year from across the globe to detect international bypass/refile.
  • Developed a web-based business intelligence add-on for enhanced client reporting.
  • Opened and headed up the London office. Hired and managed a team of three software developers (plus interns).
  • Liaised with clients, GSMA members, and third-party companies for R&D and product white-labeling.
  • Wrote initial marketing materials and co-ran trade show presences.
Technologies: MySQL, PHP, Linux, GSM, RTP, SIP, Java, Python

Software Developer

2007 - 2008
Dothomes.com/Extate/Byteplay
  • Redeveloped and operated all web crawlers (Python, MySQL) to cover around 500,000 properties in the UK.
  • Crawled USA properties at the time of launch, covering approximately 1.5 million properties.
  • Designed and deployed competitor analysis.
Technologies: MySQL, Python

Founder

2006 - 2007
Codical
  • Founded an experimental venture to create an environment for hosting funded, self-supported open-source and “mixed-source” software.
  • Undertook broad literature review across software, economics, and IPR.
  • Prototyped a code tracking system (developed in Python) and incentive model.
  • Wrote and pitched business and marketing plans.
Technologies: MySQL, Python

Cambridge Auction

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cambridgeshire/content/articles/2005/05/18/cambridge_auction_feature.shtml
Organized a charity auction in Cambridge. Oversaw website development, print media, and remote bidding. Stage-managed the evening, leading a team of twelve. The event raised over £20,000 and was continued in later years.

Personalized News Service

Developed a personalized, noise-limited consumer news service. Technologies used include Python and MongoDB for the back end and Flask, AngularJS, and responsive Bootstrap for the front end (with Django for prototyping).

Speech Summarization with Syntactic Sentence Detection

An academic project to assist text summarization by detecting sentences' probabilistic analysis of syntax, using the RASP parser.

The resulting software was able to put sentence markers back into Jabberwocky by Lewis Carroll: "Twas bryllyg and ye slythy toves did gyre and gymble in ye wabe *STOP* All mimsy were ye borogoves and ye mome raths outgrabe"

Python Testing Crawler

https://github.com/python-testing-crawler/
A crawler for automated functional testing of a web application.

Languages

Python, JavaScript, SQL, TypeScript, Swift, Java, Bash, Less, CSS, HTML, PHP, Elixir

Frameworks

Django, Flask, React Native, Selenium

Libraries/APIs

SQLAlchemy, React, Node.js, Pandas, jQuery, Google Maps

Tools

Git, NGINX

Platforms

Amazon Web Services (AWS), Heroku, Linux, QlikView, Windows, Google App Engine, Docker, iOS, Android

Storage

PostgreSQL, Redis, MySQL, MongoDB

Other

SIP, RTP, GSM

2004 - 2005

Master's Degree in Computer Speech, Text, and Internet Technology

Cambridge University - Cambridge, UK

2001 - 2004

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

Cambridge University - Cambridge, UK

Collaboration That Works

How to Work with Toptal

Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.

1

Share your needs

Discuss your requirements and refine your scope in a call with a Toptal domain expert.
2

Choose your talent

Get a short list of expertly matched talent within 24 hours to review, interview, and choose from.
3

Start your risk-free talent trial

Work with your chosen talent on a trial basis for up to two weeks. Pay only if you decide to hire them.

Top talent is in high demand.

Start hiring