Simon is available for hire

Simon Cruise

Verified Expert in Engineering

Software Engineer and Developer

Location

Belfast, United Kingdom

Toptal Member Since

September 12, 2022

Simon is a software engineer and technical architect with over 20 years of commercial experience working with an enviable list of companies, from Electronic Arts and Sony PlayStation to BBC, Cable, and Wireless. A champion of behavior-driven and test-driven software development processes in an Agile environment, he has led teams and overseen various projects throughout his career. Simon can manage multiple clients as he is adaptable and can quickly fit into a company workflow.

Back-end Web Development Front-end Full-stack CTO OAuth API Documentation Amazon RDS PHP Linux MySQL CSS SQL jQuery REST APIs

Portfolio

The Digerati

.NET, C#, Azure, Microsoft SQL Server, PHP, WordPress, MySQL, Sass, C#.NET, SQL...

Bb&P

PHP, JavaScript, APIs, Sass, Cloudflare, WordPress, Joomla, SQL, Full-stack...

BBC

Java, PHP, Spring, Varnish, ActiveMQ, Jenkins, SQL, Full-stack...

Experience

PHP - 19 years APIs - 13 years WordPress - 12 years C# - 10 years Sass - 5 years Azure - 4 years .NET - 4 years Umbraco - 4 years

Availability

Part-time

Preferred Environment

Azure, .NET, Umbraco, PHP, Databases, Sass, TypeScript, Linux

The most amazing...

...project I've led was a quiz engine API at a large national broadcaster that was used by millions of kids.

Work Experience

Full-stack Engineer | Director | Freelance

2019 - PRESENT

The Digerati

Worked with an array of clients in different working environments and using various technology stacks.
Collaborated with clients across many different time zones, ranging from eight to 13 hours.
Oversaw the development of a large online presence for a bank in the Caribbean.

Technologies: .NET, C#, Azure, Microsoft SQL Server, PHP, WordPress, MySQL, Sass, C#.NET, SQL, .NET Core, Full-stack, Angular, Laravel, Test-driven Development (TDD), React, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Docker, Back-end, Data Structures, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Linux, REST APIs, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET, Content Management Systems (CMS), PHP 7, Zend Framework, HTML, Architecture, Web Development, Software Architecture, Leadership, Software Design, DevOps, Symphony, HubSpot, Back-end Architecture, CTO, Cloud, Scalable Architecture, Java, Server Migration, Legacy Code, Azure Cosmos DB, Facebook Ads API, MariaDB, WooCommerce API, JavaScript, cPanel, Single Sign-on (SSO), OAuth, SAML, API Integration, Cron, JSON, CSV, Company Databases, eCommerce, GitHub, REST, Slack, API Development, Web Technologies, jQuery, Azure Active Directory, HTML5, Front-end, Node.js, Microservices, Symfony, API Connectors, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Kubernetes, Amazon RDS, Tailwind CSS

Senior Interactive Developer

2013 - 2019

Bb&P

Led the development for an impressive client list on work that's seen around the world.
Collaborated with the user experience, creative, and strategic teams, blending specialist skill sets to ensure the best ideas emerge and the most elegant use of current technology is applied.
Oversaw the creation of many large corporate websites, from the user experience (UX) stage to development.

Technologies: PHP, JavaScript, APIs, Sass, Cloudflare, WordPress, Joomla, SQL, Full-stack, Laravel, Test-driven Development (TDD), MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Back-end, Data Structures, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Linux, REST APIs, Drupal, Content Management Systems (CMS), PHP 7, Zend Framework, HTML, Architecture, Web Development, Software Architecture, Leadership, Software Design, DevOps, Symphony, Twilio, VoIP, HubSpot, Back-end Architecture, Advisory, CTO, Cloud, Scalable Architecture, Server Migration, Legacy Code, Facebook Ads API, MariaDB, WooCommerce API, cPanel, API Integration, Cron, JSON, CSV, Company Databases, eCommerce, GitHub, REST, API Development, Web Technologies, jQuery, HTML5, Front-end, Node.js, Symfony, API Connectors, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Amazon RDS

Technical Architect

2010 - 2013

BBC

Designed and oversaw technical projects for CBBC, CBeebies, and CBeebies Grownups on BBC.
Acted as a technical lead on a pan-BBC game API that enabled BBC games to implement high score tables, achievements, cloud storage, multi-player, and social features into their games.
Collaborated with other departments to create scalable solutions that integrated seamlessly onto the platform and worked with editorial colleagues to deliver their online content to millions of kids every week.

Technologies: Java, PHP, Spring, Varnish, ActiveMQ, Jenkins, SQL, Full-stack, Test-driven Development (TDD), MongoDB, Back-end, Data Structures, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Linux, REST APIs, Content Management Systems (CMS), Zend Framework, HTML, Architecture, Web Development, Software Architecture, Leadership, Software Design, DevOps, Back-end Architecture, Advisory, CTO, Technical Leadership, Cloud, Scalable Architecture, Legacy Code, MariaDB, JavaScript, API Documentation, Single Sign-on (SSO), OAuth, SAML, API Integration, Cron, JSON, Company Databases, GitHub, REST, API Development, Web Technologies, jQuery, Front-end, Microservices, API Connectors, Python

Senior Web Developer

2005 - 2007

TBWA\Manchester

Worked as a senior developer on projects for many clients, including GHD, Electronic Arts, Redrow, Co-operative Group Limited, Cussons, Brother, and Breville among many others.
Collaborated with the creative and strategic teams, blending specialist skill sets to ensure the best ideas emerge and the most elegant use of current technology is applied.
Oversaw many projects simultaneously and had to manage expectations for many clients at the same time.

Technologies: PHP, MySQL, ActionScript 3, CSS, Flash, SQL, Full-stack, Back-end, Data Structures, Object-oriented Programming (OOP), Linux, Content Management Systems (CMS), HTML, Web Development, Software Architecture, Symphony, Back-end Architecture, Legacy Code, Facebook Ads API, JavaScript, cPanel, API Integration, Cron, JSON, eCommerce, GitHub, Web Technologies, jQuery, CakePHP, Front-end, API Connectors

Experience

Website for a National Bank

I was involved with this project from the UX to the content generation stage and client training for the content management system (CMS). I worked alongside the client, creatives, and project management team to deliver a forward-looking, easy-to-navigate web app packed with helpful content.

Management and Creation of a Portfolio of Sites for a Large Corporate Organization

I helped maintain around a dozen sites while working with many internal and external stakeholders to manage the corporation's online presence and its umbrella companies and organizations. Because of the large size of the organization, I was required to adapt daily to meet the client's needs on various technology stacks and frameworks.

Mobile App for a Real Estate Agency

An app developed in .NET MAUI for iOS and Android. It allowed agents to quickly upload new listings to their online portal when on-site. I was the lead developer on the project and integrated the existing back-office system. I also updated the API to enable authentication functionality and handle application security requests.

Tech Lead for a Gaming API

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc

I was the tech lead for a gaming API used by the BBC to enable high-score tables, user storage, multiplayer features, and authentication within online applications. The API was used by various applications, from games and online quizzes to storing users' favorite recipes.

API for a Quiz Engine

https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize

I created an API to provide quiz functionality to online applications. The quizzes cover pop culture, general knowledge, and specialty subjects, with some being oriented to helping school-age children learn and practice for their end-of-year exams. The API had to support progression, feedback, and authentication and provided support for hundreds of requests per second.

Skills

Languages

PHP, TypeScript, C#, JavaScript, Java, CSS, C#.NET, SQL, PHP 7, HTML, SAML, HTML5, Sass, Python, ActionScript 3, Ruby

Frameworks

.NET, Spring, .NET Core, Laravel, ASP.NET MVC, ASP.NET, Zend Framework, Symfony, Tailwind CSS, Angular, CakePHP

Libraries/APIs

REST APIs, Facebook Ads API, WooCommerce API, API Development, jQuery, Node.js, UI Pattern Library, React

Tools

Git, Cron, GitHub, Slack, Varnish, ActiveMQ, Jenkins, Flash, Cucumber

Paradigms

Agile, Test-driven Development (TDD), Object-oriented Programming (OOP), DevOps, Back-end Architecture, REST, Microservices, Azure DevOps

Platforms

Azure, Umbraco, Linux, WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, cPanel, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Twilio, Kubernetes, Docker, iOS, Android

Storage

MySQL, Azure Cosmos DB, MariaDB, JSON, Company Databases, Databases, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL Server, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, Azure Active Directory, Redis

Other

APIs, Software Development, Full-stack, Back-end, Data Structures, Content Management Systems (CMS), Architecture, Web Development, Software Architecture, Leadership, Software Design, Symphony, Advisory, CTO, Technical Leadership, Cloud, Scalable Architecture, Server Migration, Legacy Code, API Documentation, Single Sign-on (SSO), OAuth, API Integration, CSV, eCommerce, Web Technologies, Front-end, API Connectors, Amazon RDS, Cloudflare, VoIP, HubSpot, Web Security, .NET 6, .NET MAUI, Large-scale Projects, Ruby Gems

Education

2000 - 2004

Bachelor's Degree in Software Engineering

Liverpool John Moores University - Liverpool, England, United Kingdom

Certifications

JUNE 2022 - JUNE 2023

Microsoft Azure Developer Associate

Microsoft