Email: daniel@webbiscuit.co.uk
Website: www.webbiscuit.co.uk
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-childs
GitHub: github.com/webbiscuit

Consultant Software Engineer with 20 years’ experience delivering software across startups, consultancies, and global enterprises. Hands-on technical leader skilled in cloud, data, and full-stack delivery, with a track record in digital transformation, energy tech, and AI. Experienced in guiding clients from discovery through to production, balancing strategy with engineering detail.

Experience

Data Engineer - Simpson Associates (Short Term Contract)

Oct 2025 - Dec 2025 Delivered PySpark ingestion workflows and Fabric medallion models. Produced Power BI reports and star-schema dimensional models for multiple clients.

Consultant Software Engineer - San Digital

July 2022 - October 2025

Summary

As one of the first engineers in a startup consultancy, I played a hands-on role in shaping how the organisation designed, built, and delivered software, establishing the engineering culture, technical direction, and delivery practices that underpinned our work as the company grew.

Key Achievements

• Established the consultancy’s engineering culture and delivery approach, setting foundations adopted across all client engagements.
• Provided technical leadership across projects in energy, health, and AI, guiding architecture decisions, and ensuring quality across multiple teams.
• Led technical input for R&D tax credit claims, documenting and articulating the innovative engineering work we delivered in areas such as AI and automation.
• Delivered production systems from MVP to release, combining hands-on coding with architectural oversight across web, mobile, and cloud platforms.
• Partnered directly with clients to refine requirements, shape roadmaps, and align technical decisions with business strategy.
• Represented the company publicly, co-creating LinkedIn videos explaining technical concepts and contributing to San Digital's external profile.
• Co-authored a well received AI book for engineers and senior leaders, offering practical guidance, risks, and strategy.

Selected Projects

• EV Charger Reservations - Designed and delivered an event-driven platform that detects vehicle arrivals in real time via ANPR and manages reservations for limited EV-charging capacity. Built a reliable workflow for allocation, conflict handling and monitoring.
• Energy sector - Delivered multiple customer-facing platforms for purchasing solar panels and EV chargers, including financing flows.
• Mental health - Built a mobile app and backend for patient well-being tracking, replacing manual questionnaires with continuous assessment.
• AI and Algorithm initiatives - Developed tools for detecting generated text, smart icon layout, patent summarisation and categorisation against technical standards.

Tech/Skills

TypeScript, React, Node.js, Python, AWS, Azure, solution architecture, agile delivery, requirements gathering, demos.

Principal Engineer/Tech Lead - BJSS

October 2017 - July 2022

Summary

Consultant and technical lead at a major agile-focused software consultancy. Delivered complex projects for high-profile clients across government, finance, and legal sectors. Balanced hands-on engineering with leadership, architecture, and client-facing responsibilities. Involved across the full lifecycle: bids, pre-sales, workshops, discovery, delivery, and post-launch support.

Key Achievements

• Acted as technical lead on award-winning government digital services, transforming traditional paper based services to digital in line with GDS standards.
• Shaped client cloud adoption strategies (AWS, Azure), helping organisations modernise their infrastructure and optimise cost/performance.
• Led teams of developers, mentoring juniors and providing line management to support professional growth.
• Played a key role in scaling BJSS's Nottingham, Birmingham, and Lisbon offices, including running competency-based interviews, and contributing to graduate academies.
• Represented BJSS externally, winning Hack24 Microsoft Azure category for innovative use of cognitive services.

Selected Projects

• Government services - Technical lead building web portals and mobile apps for vehicle accounts and booking management; technical lead for the alpha stage of an award-winning digital transformation in the transport sector (Ionic/TypeScript/AWS).
• Chatbots - Designed and implemented an internal serverless chatbot framework, later deployed to a client to reduce contact centre load (AWS/JavaScript/Python).
• Currency exchange - Tech lead migrating a legacy monolith into distributed microservices (C#/Service Fabric).
• Finance (Multiple) - Data engineering platforms for large-scale processing and analytics (Python/PySpark/Azure; Python/Pandas/AWS).
• Law - Tech lead with a law firm on a patent renewal architecture and delivered the resulting client portal and scheduling services (C#/Angular/Azure).
• Consulting engagements - Advised a manufacturing firm on system landscape and defined a practical modernisation roadmap.

Tech/Skills

TypeScript, Ionic, Angular, React, Node.js, Python, C#, Service Fabric, AWS, Azure, microservices, serverless architecture, data engineering, agile delivery, stakeholder workshops, line management, interviewing & hiring.

Software Developer/Team Lead - Romax Technology/Romax InSight

January 2014 - September 2017

Summary

Promoted to team lead in a growing software division that later became ONYX Insight, a Castrol/BP company. Led a team of three developers to deliver a global wind turbine monitoring platform, while modernising the codebase, architecture, and delivery practices. Balanced hands-on coding, architectural design, and mentoring with responsibility for delivery during a major acquisition.

Key Achievements

• Delivered a global wind turbine condition monitoring system, enabling asset owners worldwide to track performance and prevent failures.
• Successfully managed an audit and the technical handover during acquisition by Castrol, ensuring continuity of systems, knowledge transfer, and team alignment.
• Transitioned a legacy monolithic frontend into a modern Angular application, introducing a microservices-based architecture.
• Re-engineered the delivery pipeline, moving from 6-9 month releases to a Kanban-based approach with weekly releases when required.
• Collaborated closely with mechanical and electrical engineers, converting MATLAB models and data analysis into production-ready visualisations within the monitoring platform.
• Reverse-engineered proprietary data formats to ensure interoperability with customer systems and reliable data ingestion.
• Co-developed an in-house vibration monitoring hardware kit, writing embedded C code and integrating it into the central monitoring platform. Supported the electrical engineering team with Git workflows and best practices.
• Worked with a distributed team (UK, US, Korea), coordinating requirements and delivery across time zones.

Selected Projects

• Wind turbine monitoring platform - Python backend with JavaScript frontend; integrated customer data streams into centralised systems used globally.
• Engineering integration - Translated MATLAB-based analysis into graphs and dashboards for end users; reverse-engineered turbine data files to support new clients.
• Custom vibration monitoring kit - Contributed C code for embedded hardware and integrated the resulting data streams into the main monitoring system.
• System modernisation - Migrated legacy codebase to microservices with REST APIs; upgraded frontend to Angular.

Tech/Skills

Python, JavaScript, Angular, REST APIs, AWS (EC2, S3), PostgreSQL, Linux, microservices, agile/Kanban, embedded C, data visualisation, reverse engineering, acquisition handover, technical mentoring.

Senior Software Developer - Nikon Metrology UK

February 2010 - December 2013

Worked on Camio, Nikon's flagship CAD-oriented metrology software, used in aerospace and automotive industries by organisations such as Volkswagen, Jaguar, and Boeing. Developed complex C++ systems controlling industrial robotic arms, lasers, and touch probes for micron-level precision measurement. Took ownership of major subsystems and contributed to modernising a 20-year-old codebase.

Key Achievements

• Redesigned and upgraded the data model and database layer, migrating from MSDE 2000 to SQL Server and introducing a templated ADO wrapper with caching.
• Improved software reliability and maintainability by introducing Boost libraries and unit testing for critical features.
• Delivered a major feature upgrade for multi-column measurement, coordinating multi-process synchronisation across robotic arms.
• Built standalone database administration tools in C# to support on-site engineers and streamline client deployments.
• Supported industrial engineers with installation documentation and troubleshooting for secure, locked-down systems.
• Future-proofed the product by resolving compatibility issues with new Windows versions and preparing the codebase for 64-bit.
• Worked with a distributed team (UK, US, Belgium), including travel for collaboration and knowledge sharing.

Selected Projects

• Database modernisation - Migrated Camio’s database backend, delivering performance improvements and maintainability gains.
• Robotics synchronisation - Designed and implemented multi-column measurement capability requiring advanced process coordination.
• Tooling for engineers - Built supporting utilities in C# to simplify database administration and customer support workflows.

Tech/Skills

C++, STL, MFC, Boost, COM, C#, SQL Server (2008 R2), T-SQL, Subversion, Jira, robotics.

Software Developer - DriveSentry Inc.

August 2005 - November 2009

Founding engineer at a data protection startup, developing consumer-facing antivirus and encryption software in C++/C#. Contributed to UI, rules engine, and backend systems that scaled to tens of thousands of daily transactions. Product reached retail shelves (PC World) and magazine cover disks (PC Advisor).

Tech/Skills: C++, C#, SQL Server, Windows internals, XML, SOAP

Junior Software Developer - Bitarts

December 2004 - July 2005

Built a PHP/Oracle web frontend for online software activation at a security software firm specialising in DRM and anti-piracy solutions.

Tech/Skills: PHP, Oracle, C++, Solaris

Founder / Independent Developer - Crumbly Head Games

2010 - Present (part-time) Created and sell a desktop product to help authors design and visualise interactive fiction and choose your own adventure games. Responsible for end-to-end delivery: design, coding, marketing, sales, and customer support. Currently developing a new online/Rust version.

Tech/Skills: C++, MFC, Boost, GraphViz, Crypto++, Rust

Earlier Programming Work

Developed small websites and independent C++/DirectX games prior to entering full-time employment.

Education

• BSc Computer Science (2:2) - Nottingham Trent University, 2001-2003
  Final year dissertation: Simulating Genetic Inheritance

• HND Computer Studies (Merit) - West Nottinghamshire College, 1999-2001

• A-Levels & GCSEs - The Manor Comprehensive School, 1992-1999
  Maths, Biology, Physics, General Studies