Head of Software Engineering @ Large UK Non-Profit  ·  Engineering leader, writer, and builder of useful things.

I've spent 15+ years in software engineering, and honestly, I don't think I'll ever stop learning. Since November 2022 the core skills that Engineers require to continue to deliver fantastic applications and products has shifted and continues to do so. As an Engineering leader it's my responsiblity to ensure that future Engineers and Software developers still get that eureka moment, that sense of pure dopamine when they fix a bug they've been toiling over for days. It's not the same activities as it once was, but it is a profession I'm very glad I have been a part of as long as I have.

Today I lead a ~40-person engineering function at a large non-profit here in the UK, spanning platform, infrastructure, DevOps, QA, and delivery. I manage the teams behind the digital platforms that power fundraising, supporter engagement, retail, and data integration. My primary focus areas are:

• Owning the rolling 5-year Software Engineering Enterprise Vision aligned to the non-profits's wider tech strategy
• Establishing and maintaining good clear engineering governance
• Managing significant vendor partnerships and multi-year contract strategy
• Championing people development: career ladder redesign, graduate mentoring, and regional recruitment.

Before working at a non-profit I spent nine years at a UK digital consultancy, moving from Software Developer through Lead Developer to Head of Software Development, delivering enterprise software for public and private sector clients across retail payment modernisation, enterprise integration, and digital fundraising, always with security baked in rather than bolted on (ISO 27001, Cyber Essentials Plus, PCI DSS).

Engineering that ships. Platform engineering work that's taken deployment cycles from hours to minutes. Micro front-end architectures that let teams move independently. Integration platforms that don't fall over at high-peak volumes.

AI, honestly. Generative and agentic AI are changing development workflows in meaningful ways whether we want them to or not. The value comes from treating AI like any other engineering investment: measurable, incremental, and tied to tangible outcomes. I coined ACES — Agentic Coding & Engineering as a Service as a way to think about delivery capacity when it starts behaving like an external service dependency. I think the conversation really needs to shift to how can we use AI to generate new and unique revenue streams, rather than simply trying to wrap a ROI calculation around it.

The people side. Career ladders that mean something. Mentoring graduates. Inclusive and regional recruitment. A quality-first culture where teams feel confident enough to stop and fix rather than ship and hope.

Languages & runtimes   C# · .NET · TypeScript · JavaScript | Python · Java
Cloud & platform   Azure · AKS · App Services · Functions · Event Hub · API Management · Service Bus · Bicep · GitHub Actions
Front-end   Vue · Next.js · React · Astro (micro front-end architectures)
Data & CX   Microsoft Dataverse / D365 CE · SQL · Postgres
Desktop   WPF · WinUI · Xamarin · MAUI · WinForms
AI & ML   Azure AI / Cognitive Services · generative & agentic AI workflows · GitHub Copilot · Microsoft Copilot Studio
Security & compliance   ISO 27001 · Cyber Essentials Plus · PCI DSS

I write regularly at ctco.blog on engineering leadership, AI adoption, and the craft of building software inside real organisations. Recurring themes:

• AI-assisted development and what it changes day-to-day as and when industry changes occur.
• AI governance and the NCSC's positions on SaaS and agentic tooling.
• Integration architecture in regulated and high-stakes environments.
• The journey from engineer to technology leader
• Robotics and large world models, general AI behaviour models.

If you're organising a meetup, podcast, or conference in the UK engineering leadership space, I'd be happy to talk.

• Board Member, risual Foundation (2022–2024) — giving back to communities through technology, learning, and young-people career pathways.
• STEM Ambassador (2017–2019) — volunteering with 14–19 year olds considering a career in software and the sciences.
• UK IT Industry Awards Winner (2017) for the Akin luxury retail mobile platform, plus a security sector runner-up the same year at the Staffordshire Chamber Digital Innovation Award for a child safeguarding app.

I'm open to meaningful pro-bono engagements with humanitarian and charitable organisations — particularly in animal welfare, disaster and humanitarian relief, and science and technology. If your mission needs engineering leadership, architecture guidance, or a practical second opinion, please do reach out.

📍 Staffordshire, UK  ·  "Finding bugs and setting them free." 🍪