Sam Tidball

Spearheading a comprehensive UI/UX overhaul for a leading SaaS platform used by thousands of daily users.

• Modernised Frontend Architecture: Introduced Vue.js 3 for select systems and implemented Alpine.js across the legacy codebase to enhance responsiveness and user experience, ultimately streamlining frontend development.
• Streamlined Build Processes: Replaced the existing builder with Vite and optimised CI/CD workflows for improved build efficiency and deployment speed.
• Enforced Frontend Best Practices: Implemented a robust CSS style guide and naming convention to ensure consistency, maintainability, and scalability across the project.
• PHP Development & Customisation Expertise: Build highly efficient and meticulously documented PHP 8 components within a highly customisable platform, catering to diverse business needs.
• DevOps Collaboration & Support: Actively contribute to the DevOps team by ensuring seamless system operation (clustered systems powered by Nomad) and building new Docker containers for microservices, promoting robust and reliable infrastructure.

Key Achievement: Built a high volume of highly efficient and meticulously documented PHP components within a highly customisable platform, empowering businesses to tailor their solutions effectively.

Led the development and evolution of the UK's leading reward-based crowdfunding platform, driving website enhancements and critical feature implementations to support business growth. Managed a team of developers, fostering their skill development through code reviews, task planning, and mentoring initiatives. Onboarded new team members, ensuring their rapid integration into the system and workflows.

• Platform Modernisation: Migrated the legacy platform to a robust MVC architecture utilising Symfony, significantly enhancing scalability, maintainability, and performance. Implemented Docker for containerisation of the application stack to improve deployments efficiency and consistency across environments.
• CI/CD Pipeline Implementation: Introduced continuous integration and deployment, ensuring code quality control and quick bug fixes.
• High-Volume Payment Systems: Designed and maintained high-demand payment systems processing hundreds of thousands of transactions daily, exceeding £1 million in volume per day. Implemented stringent security measures to safeguard sensitive financial data.
• API Development & Scalability: Architected a high-performance API powering a third-party platform for a nationwide competition program involving prominent clients like Virgin Media, RBS, and Aviva. Leveraged AWS infrastructure to ensure exceptional scalability and reliability during peak usage periods.
• Performance Optimisation & Testing: Implemented a queue-based approach to offload expensive tasks, utilising Redis and Resque to manage task processing efficiently. Championed comprehensive testing practices by authoring thousands of unit tests, ensuring code quality and preventing regressions in critical system functionalities.

Key Achievement: Led the startup's platform transformation from a small-scale operation to a high-volume business, increasing daily revenue by a factor of 1000, reaching a peak of over £1 million per day.

Drove the development and implementation of a scalable, cloud-based platform for real-time event photography. This system integrates social media feeds (Instagram, Twitter) using APIs to identify content tagged with event-specific hashtags, instantly processing and printing images for on-site user engagement.

• Designed and deployed a Node.js application for image processing which then updated displays across 100s of networked televisions across a whole venue using websockets.
• Architected a robust database infrastructure utilising MySQL, Redis, and websockets to ensure high availability and efficient data retrieval for real-time content delivery.
• Effectively managed rapid development cycles and deliver large-scale platform updates within tight deadlines (often within hours).

As Co-Founder, I played a pivotal role in securing high-profile clients such as Domino's Pizza, Red Bull, and Plymouth University, while overseeing the day-to-day operations and fostering collaboration across diverse departments. My client management responsibilities included event planning, technical consultation, and addressing on-site needs to ensure successful project execution.

Key Achievement: Processed over 20,000 images during events, demonstrating the platform's capacity for handling high volumes of data in a real-time environment.

Developed and launched Tickethive, a comprehensive ticketing platform serving prominent Cornish events including The Masked Ball. Within its first six months, Tickethive facilitated over 9,000 ticket sales, generating £500,000 in revenue.

• Platform Architecture: Designed and implemented a fully scalable PHP-based ticketing system leveraging Laravel's robust framework for backend development. Integrated a RESTful API for seamless third-party integration and deployed distributed software architecture to ensure high availability and performance.
• Admin Dashboard & Features: Developed a feature-rich admin dashboard empowering event organisers to create, manage, and track events; monitor ticket sales and analytics; embed ticketing widgets on their websites; and control ticket allocations.
• Barcode Scanning System: Created a C++ desktop application for on-site barcode scanning deployed at large-scale events like Love Riot, ensuring efficient and accurate ticket validation during high-traffic entry processes.

Key Achievement: Led teams of up to 15 personnel to manage event entry procedures for crowds exceeding 4,000 attendees, guaranteeing smooth ticketing operations and accurate record-keeping.