Scott Fennell
Verified Expert in Engineering
Full-stack Web Application Developer
Portland, ME, United States
Toptal member since February 20, 2017
Scott has written hundreds of custom web apps and WordPress plugins, with a current focus on Next.js and React. He specializes in 3rd-party API integrations, including Mailchimp, Cloudflare, and Shopify. He is experienced in leading technology teams, is a seasoned public speaker, and has presented at WordCamp Portland and the Google campus in Seattle. He has been published on A List Apart and CSS-Tricks many times. Scott is also a former infantry officer in the US Army.
Portfolio
Experience
Availability
Preferred Environment
WordPress, Cloudflare, Next.js, PHP, JavaScript, React
The most amazing...
...WordPress plugin I've built is a site launch tool. It gives users a WordPress UI for finding, buying, and launching a domain, including Cloudflare and HTTPS.
Work Experience
WordPress Engineering Fellow
Bootstrap
- Oversaw the integration with WooCommerce for custom shopping and selling features.
- Supervised a migration to a new hosting platform, implementing modern techniques for deployment and automated QA.
- Led the efforts to update WordPress core and third-party plugins.
- Provided custom WordPress plugin code for new features.
- Refactored the codebase to use object-oriented programming.
Lead Developer
LexBlog
- Built a WordPress theme framework using the WordPress Customization API that powers hundreds of vastly different designs from a single theme folder.
- Wrote a WordPress plugin for Bitbucket to allow administrators to store, update, and install themes and plugins from private repositories.
- Wrote a Mailchimp plugin for WordPress to allow admins to browse subscriber and campaign data from their WordPress dashboard.
- Created hundreds of responsive WordPress child themes for the largest law firms in the world.
- Established a unit-testing procedure for agencies to use when deploying WordPress plugins.
- Wrote a Cloudflare plugin for WordPress to allow site administrators to quickly empty their Cloudflare cache or enter development mode from a single Ajax-y click in the WordPress admin toolbar.
- Wrote an Intercom plugin for WordPress to allow agencies to easily monitor admin actions such as abandoned drafts, repetitive actions, and other scenarios that merit client outreach.
- Wrote a Twitter plugin for WordPress to provide a "latest tweets" widget with various customizations.
- Incorporated deep knowledge of the WP Engine platform in order to provide value-adds like a live/staging link in the WordPress admin bar.
- Wrote a custom WordPress theme commissioned by the Democratic National Party in the United States.
Full-stack Developer
Miscellaneous Freelance Web Development
- Wrote a WordPress plugin to integrate it with the Mailchimp account of noted science fiction author J. Zachary Pike.
- Created a WordPress plugin to allow members of the public to submit avalanche observations to the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center.
- Developed a custom Shopify theme to allow customers to pick the colors of various wristwatch components.
- Crafted a custom front end for The Foraker Group, the largest nonprofit in Alaska, using Vanilla CSS and JavaScript.
WordPress Expert (via Toptal)
PALISADES CAPITAL ADVISORS HOLDINGS, LLC
- Developed a Three.js/WordPress integration for 3D animations of WooCommerce products.
- Used the GreenSock Animation Platform (GSAP) for a variety of UI animations.
- Served as a project manager/tech lead and oversaw three team members.
WordPress Developer
GreatMates Limited
- Implemented the front and back-end code for a custom website design.
- Set up deployment processes through GitHub and Cloudflare pages.
- Used the Lottie animation framework for marquee animation elements.
Developer
Kast Media, Inc
- Developed a custom WordPress theme and managed the deployment of the new site.
- Tracked performance, maintenance, and security status using a variety of enterprise-level systems.
- Developed several custom WordPress plugins to integrate with 3rd-party APIs such as Cloudflare, MailChimp, and Google reCAPTCHA.
Infantry Platoon Leader
US Army
- Led infantry patrols in Iskandariyah and Fallujah, Iraq.
- Managed the logistics for a 170-man infantry company deployed from Anchorage, Alaska, to Iraq.
- Graduated from the US Army Airborne School, Infantry Officer Basic Course, Infantry Mortar Leaders Course, and Ranger School.
Experience
Bootstrap Official Online Store
https://themes.getbootstrap.com/Carnegie Melon University
Speaker, WordCamp Portland, 2018
Masters of Scale
Kast Media
https://kastmedia.comCSS-Tricks: Author Archive
https://css-tricks.com/author/scofennell/A List Apart: Author Archive
https://alistapart.com/author/scott-fennellFantasy Footballers' Start or Sit Plugin
https://www.thefantasyfootballers.com/who-should-i-start/Democracy Docket
https://democracydocket.comWordPress Theme Framework for Google's Accelerated Mobile Pages
Cool Material PSD to WordPress
http://coolmaterial.comBananas: A WordPress Plugin Boilerplate for Mailchimp
https://github.com/scofennell/bananasAnchorage: A Responsive and Accessible WordPress Theme
Dehydrated: A Photo-Blog Theme for WordPress
WP API Shortcode
https://wordpress.org/plugins/json-rest-api-shortcode/University Jobs API
http://hireed.comWordPress Plugin for Managing Commercial Real Estate Locations
Static Website for Oberst
https://www.oberst.com/HTTP Security Plugin
Optimism.io NFT Contest
http://welovetheart.optimism.ioEducation
Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy
University of Utah - Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Certifications
Mailchimp Expert
Mailchimp
WordPress.org Theme Author
WordPress
Infantry Officer
US Army
Skills
Libraries/APIs
WooCommerce API, jQuery Easing, HTML5 APIs, jQuery, jQuery Validation, jQuery DataTables, jQuery Plugins, Google Maps API, jQuery Mobile, X (formerly Twitter) API, WordPress API, jQuery CDN, Intercom API, Google Maps, jQuery UI, Mailchimp API, Shopify API, React, Stripe, WordPress REST API, Stripe API, Google Fonts API, Parallax, REST APIs, Social Media APIs, Node.js, Google Analytics API, Three.js
Tools
Sketch, Divi Builder 3, Cron, Sublime Text 3, Timepicker, Cyberduck, Postman, MAMP, Sublime Text 2, Sublime Text, Adobe, Typekit, Photoshop CS3, Photoshop 2014, Photoshop CC, Photoshop CS6, Adobe Photoshop, Terminal, GitLab, GitHub, Git, Bitbucket, PhpMyAdmin, Mailchimp, Figma, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF), Stripe Checkout, ChatGPT, WP eCommerce, Gutenberg Editor, HubSpot COS, Google Analytics, Miva Merchant
Languages
SCSS, Sass, Core PHP, PHP 5, PHP 7, PHP, CSS4, SQL, JavaScript 6, JavaScript, HTML, HTML5, CSS, Markdown, CSS3, XML, ECMAScript (ES6), TypeScript
Frameworks
Divi, PHPUnit, JavaScriptCore, Bootstrap, Bootstrap 3+, Bootstrap 3, Bootstrap 2, Tailwind CSS, Chrome, Next.js, Vanilla JS
Paradigms
REST, SMACSS, Agile, Agile Software Development, Search Engine Optimization (SEO), On-page SEO, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Test-driven Development (TDD), Testing, Class-based OOP, Secure Code Best Practices, Responsive Web Design (RWD), Automation, Gamification, Test Automation, Best Practices, Rapid Prototyping, Responsive, DevOps, UI Design, UX Design
Platforms
WooCommerce, Web, WordPress, Amazon Web Services (AWS), HubSpot, Firefox, Safari, WordPress Theme Design, Blogger, Google Ads, cPanel, Webflow, Shopify, Calendly
Storage
WP Engine, JSON, Web Forms, Database Performance, SQL Performance, MySQL, MySQLi, Amazon S3 (AWS S3), Data Integration, Databases, Relational Databases, Database Caching, PostgreSQL
Industry Expertise
Web Design, Teaching, Social Media, Marketing
Other
Booking, Front-end, eCommerce, Web Development, Training & Training Content Development, Performance Analysis, Performance Optimization, Icon Fonts, Sauce Labs, Taxonomy, Widgets, Education, Autocomplete, WPMU DEV, Ajax, Web Programming, Forms, FontAwesome, Performance, MacBook, Debugging, Data, Icon Sets, @font-face, Typefaces, Layout Conversion, Layout, Rich Internet Applications, Web App Testing, Blog Design, SFTP, Google Custom Search, Search, Web App Deployment, Blogging, Blog Development, Blog Posting, Websites, Website CMS, Website Setup, Website Migration, Dynamic Websites, Blogs, UI Testing, Mentorship, Writing & Editing, eCommerce Platforms, WordPress Design, Git Forks, Git GUI, GitFlow, Cloudflare, WordPress Themes, WordPress Plugins, HTML to WordPress, HTML UI, Plugins, Plugin Development, Atlassian Plugins, UI Plugins, Theme Development, Theme Customization, eCommerce Development, WordPress Development, PSD to HTML, PSD to Mailchimp, Intercom, Training, APIs, Apps, Bootstrap UI, PSD to Bootstrap, Public Speaking, Conference Speaking, Content Management Systems (CMS), User Experience (UX), Technical Writing, Development, Team Leadership, Leadership, Event Planning, Planning, Strategy, Operations, Logistics, PHP Performance, Performance Tuning, Performance Testing, Back-end Performance, Web Security, Secure Coding, Secure Web Development, Accessibility, SEO Tools, Yoast SEO, Google SEO, A11Y, Core Web Vitals, Full-stack, Pixel Perfect, Website Optimization, Software Architecture, Technical Leadership, Third-party APIs, Responsive Design, Page Speed Optimization, Verification, User Authentication, Application Security, Security, Reviews, PayPal, Communication, API Integration, OpenAI GPT-3 API, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Generative Pre-trained Transformers (GPT), Generative Pre-trained Transformer 3 (GPT-3), Web Analytics, User Interface (UI), Coupons, Data Scraping, Web Scraping, Redesign, Site Speed Optimization, Auditing, SVG, CSS3 Animation, HTML5 Animations, OpenAI, Sketch to WordPress, WordPress SEO, WordPress Multisite, WordPress Management, WordPress Multi-user, WordPress Optimization, WordPress Installation, WordPress Rescue, WordPress Page Builder, AI to WordPress, Bootstrap to WordPress, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Integration, Google Analytics 4, SaaS, Subscription Processing, HubSpot CRM, Strip, HubSpot Marketing Hub, Data Management, Data Analysis, Data Analytics, Coding, Deployment, Full-stack Development, App Integration, App Maintenance, Lazy Loading, Dashboards, Scheduling, Scripting, Technical Architecture, Architecture, Revamps, Booking Systems, Membership Sites, MemberPress, Recurring Payments, UI Components, Robust Web Development, Custom Themes, Graphs, Data Visualization, Tables, UI Animation, Content Marketing Platforms, Back-end, Geolocation, Payment Gateways, Design, Customer Portals, Parallax Design, Web Scalability, Responsive Web Apps, WooCommerce Subscriptions 2, Presentation Design, Surveys, Content Writing, Pop-ups, Bug Fixes, Software Development, Appointment Booking, Mobile First, Payment APIs, Stripe Payments, SMS Gateways, Landing Pages, Responsive UI, ADA Compliance, SVG Animation, Algorithms, Mobile Navigation, Mobile UI, Mobile UX, Typography, UX Flows, WCAG 2, Minimum Viable Product (MVP), Task Scheduling, Front-end Development, News, Customization, Component Libraries, Content Delivery Networks (CDN), GoDaddy, PSD, SMTP, Online Payments, Application State Management, Checkout, Solution Architecture, Headless WordPress, Software, CTO, Startups, Website Performance, Branding, Dokan, Web3, NextAuth.js, Google Tag Manager, SEO Audits, Web UX, Web UI, Web App UI, Web App UX, Web Server (IIS), IIS, Military, Military Operations, Navigation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Models, Symbolic Logic, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing (NLP)
How to Work with Toptal
Toptal matches you directly with global industry experts from our network in hours—not weeks or months.
Share your needs
Choose your talent
Start your risk-free talent trial
Top talent is in high demand.
Start hiring