Matthew is available for hire
Hire MatthewMatthew Jewell
Verified Expert in Engineering
Full-stack Web Developer
Location
Berlin, Germany
Toptal Member Since
October 11, 2021
Matt is a British-born, Berlin-based digital expert with a decade of experience in back-end, front-end, and native application development, Agile methodologies, testing strategies, prototyping, and leading development teams. In addition to full-time and contract development work, he was the CTO for an online staffing company, a technical advisor to a digital health accelerator, and a teacher of web development.
Portfolio
MEMBER
Firebase, Firebase Cloud Functions, Serverless, Node.js, TypeScript, React...
PPRO
Kubernetes, Google Cloud, Node.js, Python, Microservices, Cloud Dataflow, ICE...
StartSteps
Web Development, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, Teaching, Mobile Development
Experience
Availability
Part-time
Preferred Environment
TypeScript, React, Next.js, PostgreSQL, Node.js, React Native
The most amazing...
...project I’ve worked on was overhauling the onboarding experience for a consumer bank in just a few months.
Work Experience
Lead Developer
2022 - PRESENT
MEMBER
- Built and deployed a suite of services in TypeScript on the Firebase platform to support a React Native app, meeting all project deadlines and requirements.
- Developed and implemented key features, including user authentication, real-time data synchronization, instant chat messaging, and push notifications, enhancing the functionality and user experience of the app.
- Conducted comprehensive testing and debugging processes to ensure the robustness and reliability of the services and app, with the potential to scale to millions of monthly active users, minimizing the occurrence of bugs and issues.
- Collaborated effectively with a small team, fostering a productive and collaborative work environment, facilitating knowledge sharing, and contributing to the project's overall success.
Technologies: Firebase, Firebase Cloud Functions, Serverless, Node.js, TypeScript, React, React Native, API/Services Architecture, Instant Messaging
Microservices and Data Pipeline Consultant
2021 - 2022
PPRO
- Migrated an existing microservices system involved in the financial and technical reconciliation of funds collected by one of Europe's largest transaction processing companies.
- Implemented an ETL data pipeline on Google Cloud Platform (GCP) to replace a collection of scripts that had grown into an unmanageable system.
- Migrated financial reconciliation from a Python 2.7 app run on bare-metal data center hardware to a Node.js microservices architecture running using AWS cloud services-based architecture.
Technologies: Kubernetes, Google Cloud, Node.js, Python, Microservices, Cloud Dataflow, ICE, Argo CD, GitLab CI/CD, Cypress, API Testing, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Architecture, Software Design
Web Development Instructor
2021 - 2021
StartSteps
- Taught the basics of web development, working one-on-one with students who had no technical experience.
- Developed a tailored curriculum for each student's interests and career goals.
- Covered concepts, such as the web, HTTP, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL, and worked through code and project examples to teach the concepts and skills required to work as a web developer.
Technologies: Web Development, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, SQL, Teaching, Mobile Development
React Native Developer
2021 - 2021
Nuri GmbH (Freelance)
- Worked in a small team to rebrand Bitwala to Nuri, which involved reskinning the entire app across the website and native application.
- Added regression tests to existing components to ensure the new UI code did not introduce any bugs.
- Served on the rebranding native app team until that project was complete, then the rebranding web team, and eventually the onboarding and growth team.
- Migrated legacy code to use the latest features of React, including Hooks, to improve testability.
- Taught team members about testing methods and promoted a test-first mentality among freelancers and permanent team members.
Technologies: React, React Native, Test-driven Development (TDD), Testing, Front-end Development, UI Testing, Regression Testing, Web Development, Front-end, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Mobile Development
Advising CTO and Full-stack Developer
2020 - 2021
Jolly Technologies
- Developed interactive lessons for the website using React.
- Used Flutter to develop interactive whiteboard software.
- Developed static websites deployed to Firebase using Gatsby.
- Built back-end web applications using Spring and Ktor.
- Managed deployments and security rules on Firebase and Google Cloud Platform for static HTML, single-page web apps, and back-end web applications.
- Acted as a liaison between Jolly Technologies and Jolly Learning, a sister company, to determine requirements for upcoming development work.
Technologies: Flutter, React, Google Cloud, Firebase, Dart, TypeScript, Kotlin, Spring, Ktor, Front-end Development, Back-end Development, Full-stack, Web Development, Startups, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Front-end, Back-end, Gatsby, APIs, Mobile Development, Software Design
Project Lead
2020 - 2021
Golden Eggs Investment Services (Freelance)
- Organized the project from a simple brief to a detailed plan.
- Served as the lead developer and coordinated the work of designers and freelance developers to deliver the project.
- Created a full-stack application using React, GraphQL, Node.js, and PostgreSQL.
Technologies: React, Next.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL, JavaScript, TypeScript, GraphQL, Full-stack, Front-end Development, Back-end Development, Agile Project Management, Startups, Front-end, Back-end, APIs, Serverless
CTO
2018 - 2020
Online Staffing Company
- Created an MVP from an initial POC built by freelancers into a working, secure, and well-tested platform ready for consumer use.
- Built a continuous delivery pipeline with end-to-end and unit testing.
- Owned responsibility for career development for interns and junior team members.
- Worked on a back end, mostly in Node.js, with some microservices built in Python.
Technologies: Next.js, Node.js, CSS, PostgreSQL, Heroku, Continuous Delivery (CD), Test-driven Development (TDD), Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Unit Testing, Testing, REST APIs, APIs, Python, NumPy, Back-end Development, Microservices
Project Lead
2017 - 2018
Innovitas Vitae (Freelance)
- Developed a chatbot app in React Native to collect temperature readings and other healthcare information.
- Built a back end in Ruby on Rails to securely store health data in accordance with privacy and data protection laws and regulations.
- Created a continuous deployment system that reployed code to AWS Elastic Beanstalk and Expo.
Technologies: React Native, React, Ruby on Rails (RoR), TypeScript, Ruby, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Continuous Deployment, Back-end Development, REST APIs, Back-end, APIs
Infrastructure Engineer
2017 - 2017
Kenkou GmbH (Freelance)
- Used Docker to ship the same environment to our production servers on AWS ECS that developers could use locally. This helped to eliminate issues in production that could not be reproduced in development environments.
- Spiked server technologies for a new project by recreating a prototype server in Node.js, Java, Spring, Kotlin, Elixir, Python, and Go to test performance and find a good fit for engineers already on the team.
- Removed security holes in the codebase by encrypting secrets stored in version control. This made it easy to manage and revoke access to privileged keys without relying on third-party services while all data remained within the VCS.
Technologies: Docker, Docker Compose, CircleCI, REST APIs, APIs
Entrepreneur in Residence
2016 - 2017
Startupbootcamp
- Worked simultaneously with 12 startups, from MVP to Series A, as they worked through the Startupbootcamp Digital Health accelerator program.
- Provided guidance and hands-on assistance for all aspects of technology within a digital health business, covering strategy, back end, front end, native apps, infrastructure, and support.
- Used a variety of technologies, including Node.js, WordPress, Swift, Android, AWS SES, Elastic Beanstalk, and Docker.
Technologies: Node.js, Swift, Apple HealthKit, Android, Java, Kotlin, Amazon Web Services (AWS), PostgreSQL, MySQL, Back-end, Front-end, Full-stack
Senior Software Developer
2016 - 2016
Sainsbury
- Worked on internal software projects that supported one of the UK's largest supermarkets.
- Played a key role in a large-scale transformation of a huge enterprise from Waterfall to Agile workflows. This change affected everyone, from C-level executives to new hires like myself.
- Used TypeScript, GraphQL, and Jest, leveraging the benefits of static type checking and code generation within front-end code.
Technologies: React, Node.js, GraphQL, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Jest, Front-end, Serverless
Senior Software Developer
2014 - 2016
Roxi
- Wrote the first line of code on a software project, which is now deployed on hardware across the world.
- Developed initial software prototypes to work with a variety of hardware solutions, aiming to ship a new category of device with its own interaction methods. This required close coordination with the product team and other stakeholders.
- Worked with low-power Android devices at 1080p resolution while keeping acceptable frame rates for full-screen animations and transitions, which meant that profiling and code optimization were essential.
Technologies: JavaScript, Android
Front-end Developer
2014 - 2014
Osper (Freelance)
- Assisted a junior developer in refactoring the front end of an existing application as the company focused on improving software stability and security and reducing bugs.
- Learned and applied additional best practices for security and privacy while working with the personal and financial data of young people aged eight and above, which I keep with me to this day.
- Performed a technical review of the existing codebase, identifying technical debt and prioritizing the improvement of existing code against working on new features.
Technologies: Backbone.js, Cordova, Front-end Development, Front-end
UI Engineer
2013 - 2014
Five Cool
- Created reusable UI components to improve an analytics dashboard.
- Delivered a solution that received data and updated the UI in real time, a feature that enterprise software, such as Google Analytics, was not providing at the time.
- Implemented continuous integration, automated deployment systems, and Agile methodologies on a mature software product.
Technologies: Angular, D3.js, JavaScript, Dashboards
Full-stack Developer
2012 - 2013
Maido
- Worked on projects for major clients, such as Land Rover, Just Eat, and Agent Provocateur. Being on small teams, usually two or three people, for such prominent clients was an amazing learning experience early in my career.
- Partnered with clients that were used to pure Waterfall and sign-off-based work to transition to sprint-based, continuous improvement methodologies.
- Improved the in-house PHP framework that was created to solve specific problems on a small number of projects. We made it more general as the team using the framework grew and the projects they worked on increased in scope.
Technologies: PHP, Full-stack, JavaScript, Front-end Development, Back-end Development, Back-end, Front-end
Web Developer
2012 - 2012
We Love Mobile
- Worked for one of the world's first mobile web development agencies when mobile devices were becoming omnipresent. This provided a unique perspective on a technological revolution in real-time.
- Advanced within a few months from an intern developer to lead developer on projects for big clients, such as Coca-Cola.
- Used web technologies on mobile devices to deliver interactive experiences. This was brand new for many users, who were surprised and delighted.
Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, Web Development, B2C Marketing
Experience
Rebranding Project
http://nuri.comAs the company rebranded from Bitwala to Nuri, I was on a team of freelancers and played a crucial role in rebuilding the UI of an application in production. We delivered a UI that met the expectations of the product team, preserved all the existing functionality in the app, and accommodated new functionality added by other teams.
I collaborated with one other developer to build the initial sign-up flow on native and worked on these screens in the web app as part of a slightly larger team. These screens were critical to the business, and we ensured that no issues were introduced as part of the rebranding effort.
I collaborated with one other developer to build the initial sign-up flow on native and worked on these screens in the web app as part of a slightly larger team. These screens were critical to the business, and we ensured that no issues were introduced as part of the rebranding effort.
aHead Emotional Intelligence
http://www.ahead-app.comBuilt out several features on the back end before the aHead emotional intelligence app was launched in App Stores around the world. Built a notifications system that queued daily reminders (with back off) for users as they progressed through the journey, which increased engagement. The content was pulled from a headless CMS and delivered through Firebase Cloud Messaging.
MEMBER
https://member.appAs one of a small team of senior developers, I have helped build the MVP mobile app and services for a social media application, including photo sharing, DM messaging, push notifications, and privacy-aware services.
Skills
Languages
TypeScript, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, GraphQL, SQL, Ruby, PHP, Dart, Kotlin, Swift, Java, Python
Frameworks
React Native, Jest, NestJS, Next.js, Flutter, Spring, Ktor, Ruby on Rails (RoR), Angular, Cypress
Libraries/APIs
React, Node.js, REST APIs, Backbone.js, D3.js, NumPy
Paradigms
Testing, Unit Testing, REST, Mobile Development, Continuous Deployment, Test-driven Development (TDD), Continuous Delivery (CD), Agile Project Management, Microservices, API/Services Architecture
Platforms
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Firebase, Heroku, Docker, Android, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Kubernetes
Other
Web Development, Front-end Development, UI Testing, Full-stack, Back-end Development, Front-end, Back-end, APIs, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Architecture, Software Design, Research, Regression Testing, Cordova, Dashboards, Startups, API Testing, B2C Marketing, Gatsby, ICE, Argo CD, Firebase Cloud Functions, Serverless, Instant Messaging
Tools
CircleCI, Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM), Prisma, Jekyll, Docker Compose, Apple HealthKit, Cloud Dataflow, GitLab CI/CD
Industry Expertise
Teaching
Storage
PostgreSQL, Google Cloud, MySQL
Education
2008 - 2011
Bachelor's Degree in Anatomy and Human Biology
University of Liverpool - Liverpool, England, United Kingdom
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