Software engineer · engineering manager · coach

Captain of the ship.

I lead engineering teams that craft great technology products. My job is to set a useful course, keep the product and engineering decisions connected and make sure the crew can do its best work.

Read the captain’s log ↓
The Engineering Captain holding a product blueprint and compass
The captain’s role

A clear course. A capable crew. A product worth building.

An engineering manager is responsible for more than delivery. I see the role as captain of the ship: understand the destination, read the conditions and help skilled people work together to get there.

I started as a software engineer because I love crafting products. I moved into management to shape the wider system around that work: the technical choices, product thinking, team structure and day-to-day decisions that determine whether something merely ships or is genuinely good.

I stay close to the engineering. I ask awkward questions about complexity, push for strong product ownership and give engineers enough context to make sound decisions without waiting for permission.

Less command and control. More course, craft and good judgement.
A working expedition ship travelling across the open sea
NNE
Captain’s log

Over thirteen years spent making technology products.

I have worked across the whole product journey: writing the code, shaping the architecture, building teams and leading delivery in complex organisations.

Engineering Team Manager

Lloyds Banking Group

Leading a large, distributed engineering team delivering regulated digital products. The work combines technical direction, delivery, product trade-offs and building a team that can operate effectively amid considerable complexity.

Engineering leadership

Sky

Led modern software teams working across product, design and engineering. Focused on customer-facing experiences, sound technical foundations and keeping the people building the product close to the problems it solved.

Software engineering

Web products & cloud platforms

Built full-stack applications with React, Next.js, TypeScript and Node.js, supported by APIs, event-driven systems, AWS and pragmatic delivery pipelines.

Below deck

Technical enough to steer the product well.

Years of hands-on engineering let me challenge architecture, spot accidental complexity and understand what a decision will mean for the people maintaining it. I favour simple systems, clear boundaries and technology that earns its berth.

React & Next.jsTypeScriptNode.jsGraphQL & RESTAWS & serverlessEvent-driven systemsDockerPostgreSQLCI/CDProduct engineering
How I run the ship

Direction without theatre.

Good engineering management is practical. Make the priorities clear, ensure decisions have owners and remove the organisational drag that stops engineers crafting a strong product.

01

Set the course

Connect product outcomes to technical work so the team knows what matters and why.

02

Trust the crew

Put decisions close to the people with the knowledge, then give them context and honest feedback.

03

Keep it seaworthy

Protect engineering standards, manage risk and resist complexity that adds no product value.

“Strong technical understanding with excellent leadership skills.”LinkedIn recommendation
“A deep understanding of how to build high-performing, collaborative and empowered teams.”LinkedIn recommendation
Coaching the crew

Useful conversations about real work.

Coaching is part of my role as a manager. I help engineers and emerging leaders think through the situations that cannot be solved by a framework or a Jira workflow.

Communication

Explain technical thinking clearly and make a stronger case for good engineering.

Leadership

Move from doing the work yourself to setting others up to do it well.

Judgement

Handle ambiguity, organisational constraints and difficult technical trade-offs.

Credentials

Learning, formal and otherwise.

13+ yearsSoftware engineering & leadership
Professional Scrum Master IScrum.org · 2020
Certified ScrumMasterScrum Alliance · 2016
BA Popular & World MusicUniversity of Leeds · 2:1
Get in touch

Good conversations can change your course.

I’m always glad to talk about engineering leadership, software craft and growing a career in technology.