Paul Castle

Senior Software Developer with extensive experience in Frontend development, skilled in delivering a wide range of products from simple websites to enterprise-level applications. Highly proficient in modern front-end technologies with a strong foundation in back-end development. A proven technical lead, adept at collaborating with agile teams to deliver and maintain high-quality software. Passionate about continuous learning and growth, I actively mentor team members and strive to enhance my skill-set daily.

Technical Skills

Languages & Frameworks: JavaScript (Expert), Typescript (Expert), Node.js (Advanced) Python (Intermediate), Angular (Expert), React (Advanced), NgRx (Expert), RxJS (Advanced), LitJS (Advanced), PHP (Proficient), Karma/Jasmine/Jest (Expert), GraphQL (Proficient), CSS/SASS & Tailwind (Expert)

Software Development: Agile Methodologies (Expert) Test-Driven Development (Advanced), Git (Advanced), OOP (Expert), Continuous Integration (Expert), Unit testing (Expert), Web component architecture (Expert), Webhook development (Advanced)

Devops Tools: Docker (Advanced), ADO Pipelines (Intermediate), Grafana + Prometheus (Intermediate)

UI & UX: Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator (Advanced), Figma (Expert), Affinity Design (Advanced), React testing library (Advanced)

Additional Skills

Strong communication and problem solving skills, with the ability to clearly convey concepts, interpret requirements and address complex issues effectively.
Experienced in developing cross-browser and cross-device compatible applications, with a deep understanding of browser feature support and debugging tools.

Experience

Arria NLG

Senior Frontend & UI/UX Engineer (2018 - present)

Collaborating with the Technology Team to develop client-facing software that integrates Arria’s cutting-edge data-to-text NLG technology with large language models, generating sophisticated, accurate narratives from complex data and delivering enhanced insights to clients.

Serves as Technical Lead for the Connect SDK library, a flagship product used by internal teams and third-party developers, making key architectural decisions to ensure the codebase is performant, scalable, modular, and easy to onboard for new developers, while maintaining high-quality standards.
Reinforces code consistency and quality by implementing linters, code formatting, and quality gate tools and comprehensive unit testing.
Develops and supports the deployment of Arria language services into custom host environments as plugins, within tools such as MicroStrategy, Power BI, and Tableau, etc.
Assist product owners in translating business requirements into technical solutions, and support other developers in software architecture design.
Engage in peer reviews and rigorous unit testing to ensure high code quality, and collaborate with the DevOps team to establish and enforce code repository contribution policies.
Provide technical and aftercare support to third-party developers, and assist support teams with troubleshooting, debugging and feature demonstrations.
Collaborate with local and global colleagues on designing, prototyping, workload planning, and implementing software solutions.
Mentors fellow developers as a point of contact, providing guidance and support.
Create design mockups, wireframe flows, and functional prototypes for both new software and feature enhancements, and strive to improve software usability through thoughtful design and user experience considerations.

Internet Strategies UK Ltd

Web developer (2014 - 2018)

Served as a key member of the development team, liaised with clients to interpret requirements, and participated in the full life cycle of new projects in addition to the maintenance and improvement of existing projects.

Hands on development of all web projects from idea to delivery, for clients within a variety of sectors, including oil and gas, charities, hospitality, sports and commerce.
Developed projects based on a variety of CMS systems, including the construction of RESTful APIs, CMS plugins and templates.
Developed several in-house tools, most notably a PHP/SASS/JS custom framework that provided a quick kick-off point for new web app projects.
Implemented a preprocessing build system and mentored the team in its utilisation.
Provided technical & aftercare support to clients and end users in person, over the phone and via remote desktop.
Implemented an internal wiki documentation system that allows the team to track projects and document project-specific procedures.
Self directed research and experimentation of emerging technologies, and initialised team discussions that resulted in the adoption of new practices and tools, increasing development efficiency and productivity.
Ensured GDPR compliance and implemented OWASP best practices.

Web Design & Development Independent Contractor

Freelance web design & development (2005 – 2014)

Collaborated with emerging startups and SME to design, develop and maintain a variety of web solutions.

Provided full service logo and website design, user-journey wire-framing and illustration work, steering the product image from ideation to launch.
Designed, developed and deployed over 25 Norwegian municipality websites - several of which claimed maximum possible scores in design quality, usability and accessibility from the Agency for Public Management and eGovernment (DIFI).

More details, as well as client-specific project available on request.

Education

University College of Creative Arts, Maidstone BA (Hons) Illustration

Uxbridge College, Middlesex BTEC National Diploma in Art Foundation, BTEC National Diploma in I.T. Applications

Interests & Hobbies

I am enthusiastic about 3D printing technology and have developed skills in parametric design, digital sculpting and 3D modelling. I enjoy creating both decorative and functional prints, and actively share my projects with 3D printing communities.

In my free time, I maintain my home-lab setup, engaging in hobby coding projects and deployment of self-hosted services. You can find examples of these projects on my GitHub profile.

As a creative individual, I also engage my artistic side by regularly participating in sketching, painting, printmaking, and illustration workshops. These creative pursuits often influence and enrich my work.