Charlie Townsend

Leading several engineering teams in the areas of Financial Crime/Anti Money Laundering and Billing, enabling the bank to scale up and expand in to Europe and beyond.

• Consistently delivered projects on time and within budget through meticulous planning and diligent execution.
• Led development on four simultaneous projects, multi-tasking across several deliverables while remaining in direct control of development paths
• Managed vendor relationships to ensure timely delivery of third-party components critical to project success.
• Drove technology migration initiatives successfully, minimizing disruptions to ongoing operations while maximizing benefits from updated platforms or tools.
• Increased software development efficiency by implementing Agile methodologies and refining project management processes.
• Established effective communication channels between teams, improving collaboration and accelerating product development timelines.
• Established an open communication culture within the team that fostered collaboration, knowledge sharing, and timely issue resolution.
• Developed high-performing engineering teams by recruiting top talent and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.

Coaching and leading engineers to provide important value as a technology partner to the high-profile national gardens and stately homes that we worked with. Including ticketing, maps, interactive guides and more.

• Optimized software development processes by implementing Agile methodologies, leading to improved project efficiency.
• Led two teams of engineers to deliver high-quality software solutions in a timely manner, ensuring customer satisfaction and business growth.
• Directly interacted with high-level customers to verify satisfaction and integrate feedback on in-process development projects.
• Cultivated partnerships between engineering, product and UX personnel to create holistically designed final products.
• Provided regular feedback to both junior engineers and senior leadership on individual performance metrics and observations.
• Championed diversity and inclusion in recruitment efforts while maintaining a focus on attracting top talent for software engineering roles.

Heading up the consulting arm of the business this role involved overseeing all aspects of the day-to-day running of this side of the business including marketing, winning new clients, managing/leading people, product management and engineering/delivery.

• Collaborated with senior management to develop strategic initiatives and long term goals.
• Identified opportunities to improve business process flows and productivity.
• Demonstrated proficient leadership skills to motivate employees and build competent teams.
• Led cross-functional teams for the successful completion of major projects, resulting in increased efficiency and client satisfaction.
• Cultivated strong relationships with key stakeholders, including customers, vendors, regulators, and community leaders to promote collaboration and long-term success.
• Led development of strategic marketing plans to raise awareness and drive sales growth.

Owner of the entire software development lifecycle across multiple products including Share Plans, Share Registry and Tenancy Deposit Protection. Directing and managing a group of 40+ staff, including architects, engineers, and IT business analysts

• Managed budgeting and resource allocation for software development projects, ensuring optimal use of resources and timely delivery of milestones.
• Championed the adoption of cloud-based technologies, enhancing scalability and reliability across the organisation''s software portfolio.
• Allied with other engineering leaders to plan, manage and coordinate teams around reaching prescribed development milestones.
• Spearheaded software modernization efforts, replacing legacy systems with cutting-edge technology solutions that improved performance and maintainability.
• Reduced security vulnerabilities by instituting rigorous code quality standards and thorough testing procedures.
• Transformed organizational culture into one focused on innovation and continuous learning, leading to more creative problem-solving approaches.
• Mentored junior engineers, helping them develop their skills and advance their careers within the company.

• Encouraged and educated teams to think beyond their constraints
• Helping them to streamline software development process through evaluation and implementation of some of the latest platforms, tools, technology and approaches
• Built and pitched multiple cases for investment through development of proof of concepts using Blockchain, Virtual Reality and AI (Bot) technology.

• Assisted teams and individuals to improve Lean/Agile/DevOps practices through coaching and mentoring
• Directed and managed a team of 25 testers at varying levels of experience and seniority.