About Me

I'm a Staff Software Engineer at CoolPlanet, living in Ireland. I love building software to solve real world problems, especially where there's complex data to wrangle and present in ways that actually help people make decisions.

Most of my work centres on data-intensive web applications: building interactive visualisations for time-series data, designing frontend architectures that stay maintainable as they grow, and creating tools that make other developers' lives easier. I'm strongest on the frontend but have solid backend experience too. I care about code that's easy to understand, test, and change.

I came to software through Building Services Engineering, spending years designing heating, cooling, and ventilation systems before making the switch. Much of that work involved collaborating as part of multidisciplinary design teams on large projects, and I've found many parallels with software development life cycles and the interplay between engineering, design, and product. You can explore my full career journey for more detail.

Software development started as a pastime for me, building iOS apps to solve my own problems, which eventually led to a deliberate career change. The tech stack and type of work has evolved considerably: I started with mobile development on iOS, expanded to Android, and built tools like Pocket Papers and BSE Toolbox. I've since moved away from mobile entirely.

When I joined CoolPlanet, it was as a backend engineer working close to the time-series database, building custom integrations and ETL pipelines. I'd always had an interest in frontend development and had started upskilling in my own time. When COVID forced a reorganisation and reduction in team size, I found myself as the only one with the required frontend knowledge. I took the opportunity and ran with it. I like building software that people actually interact with and get value from. I've been focused on the frontend ever since, though I still work across the full stack, and much of my free time goes into building projects and exploring technologies.

Working at CoolPlanet has let me combine software engineering with tackling climate change, something I care deeply about. I'm drawn to purpose-driven companies where the work has a tangible positive impact.

I spent several years as an engineering manager, gradually growing a team and moving from mostly coding to mostly people management. I found real reward in seeing others progress and helping them grow, but I realised along the way that it wasn't the right fit for me. I missed the hands-on work of actually building things, and I felt my technical skills starting to atrophy. It wasn't the direction I wanted my career to go, so I made a conscious decision to course correct back to the IC track.

Right now, I'm excited about leveraging AI tools to multiply my productivity and impact. Coordinating agents to do the majority of my coding draws on everything I've learned, both as a developer and from my time managing engineers. It's a fascinating time as the industry shifts beneath us; the tools evolve month to month, sometimes day to day. Keeping up is a challenge, but using these tools professionally and personally has rekindled my enthusiasm for building software.

My time as an engineering manager gave me perspective I wouldn't have otherwise. I understand what it takes to grow a team, align technical work with business goals, and make decisions that balance short-term delivery with long-term maintainability. I'm comfortable mentoring junior engineers, contributing to technical strategy, and having the conversations that bridge engineering and product. I'm looking for hands-on roles where I can stay close to the code while still having that broader impact.

Outside of Work

I'm a husband and dad of two young kids. When I'm not spending time with family, I enjoy tackling DIY projects around the house. My latest was paneling the hallway, stairs, and landing. Despite my Master's in Engineering, figuring out all the angles took far longer than I'd care to admit. I also have a love-hate relationship with home automation: writing scripts to turn off lights after bedtime seemed clever until I found myself plunged into darkness while trying to feed a newborn at 2am.

To stay active, I've traded my rugby boots for running shoes and a Padel racket, though chasing after two kids provides plenty of exercise on its own.

Get in Touch

You can find me on LinkedIn or GitHub. I'm always happy to discuss interesting technical challenges or opportunities.