Darrell Lane
Ipswich,Suffolk
Summary
Senior Software Engineer with nearly 8 years of experience building scalable web products and digital platforms, with strong full-stack capability and a focus on frontend architecture, performance, and user experience.
Experienced across React, NextJS, TypeScript, JavaScript, PHP, WordPress, APIs, GraphQL, and MySQL, with a track record of delivering complex features, leading projects/squads, mentoring engineers, and improving engineering standards.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
2
2
years of post-secondary education
Work history
Senior Software Engineer
D C Thomson & Co Ltd
Colchester
2022.02 - 2026.02
- Lead development of frontend and full-stack features across multiple products/brands using React, Next.js, TypeScript/JavaScript, PHP, WordPress, Tailwind CSS, and related technologies.
- Architect and deliver reusable UI components, Gutenberg blocks, and shared frontend systems to improve consistency, maintainability, and delivery speed.
- Owned technical delivery across projects, collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable, production-ready solutions.
- Drove agile delivery and team alignment, contributing to planning, estimation, and technical decision-making.
- Mentored engineers through pairing, PR reviews, and engineering workshops, raising team capability and development standards.
- Improve code quality and reliability by promoting testing practices and supporting adoption of tools/frameworks such as Cypress, PHPUnit, and Karate.
- Champion frontend performance, accessibility, and UX quality across new feature development and ongoing platform improvements.
- Contribute to documentation and knowledge sharing for engineers, editorial teams, and stakeholders to improve collaboration and handover quality.
Software Engineer
D C Thomson & Co Ltd
Colchester
2020.07 - 2022.02
- Built and maintained full-stack features using PHP, JavaScript, React, and CMS platforms including WordPress and ExpressionEngine.
- Developed integrations and secure functionality for membership/paywall platforms, working with services such as Piano and Zephr.
- Improved engineering quality by introducing and expanding Cypress E2E testing, enhancing test coverage across projects.
- Maintained and improved internal development tooling and build processes, optimising task runners and Webpack-based workflows.
- Enhanced legacy applications by implementing performance, modularity, and security improvements.
- Promoted frontend best practices for styling architecture, including Sass and maintainable CSS conventions.
Front End Web Developer
kwiboo
Stowmarket
2019.11 - 2020.07
- Developed bespoke WordPress websites with custom themes to meet specific client needs.
- Maintained clean code standards while ensuring accessibility compliance in all deliverables.
- Built new features for in-house SaaS products, enhancing functionality for users across multiple industries.
Junior Web Developer
Aceville Publications
Colchester
2018.10 - 2019.11
- Applied PHP, JavaScript, and CMS templating skills to contribute to project development.
- Maintained and developed ExpressionEngine sites for editorial and marketing teams, enhancing site functionality and user experience.
- Collaborated with senior developers in debugging and implementing features, streamlining content structure updates.
Education
NVQ Level 3 - Sports
Suffolk New College
Ipswich 2011.09 - 2013.07
Skills
Full-Stack Engineering: React, Nextjs, TypeScript, JavaScript (ES6), PHP, WordPress, REST APIs, GraphQL, MySQL, HTML5, CSS3, Tailwind CSS, Sass/SCSS
Testing & Quality: Jest, Cypress (E2E), PHPUnit, Karate, code reviews, testing best practices, debugging, maintainable code standards
Architecture & Delivery: Component-based architecture, frontend performance optimisation, accessibility (a11y), scalable UI systems, API integration, SEO, technical documentation, agile delivery, CI/CD workflows
Leadership & Collaboration: Technical leadership, project/squad leadership, mentoring, cross-functional collaboration, stakeholder communication, planning & estimation, problem-solving
Languages
Japanese - Beginner
English - Fluent
Additional information
Designed, developed, and run multiple production websites using a custom WordPress theme architecture, with a focus on performance, SEO, maintainability, and user experience. Projects are version-controlled via GitHub and deployed to DigitalOcean via a Buddy pipeline.
findcarboot.co.ukUK car boot sale directory created to solve the challenge of finding accurate, up-to-date local events. Built with WordPress and ACF, with a tailored SEO strategy. Reaches 25k–35k users/month during peak season and ranks strongly in the UK car boot niche.
famday.co.ukFamily day-out discovery platform for the UK with custom filtering and taxonomy-driven search. Built with a shared theme structure for scalability and a custom rewrite/template system for flexible page generation across location hierarchy levels, improving SEO reach and local discoverability.
retrolane.co.ukWooCommerce-based e-commerce platform focused on Japanese and retro video games. Built using the same custom WordPress theme architecture with emphasis on clean UI, speed, SEO, and a secure/trusted purchasing experience.
Affiliations
- Strength training and fitness
- Travel and trip planning
- Retro gaming and collecting
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Senior Software Engineer
D C Thomson & Co Ltd
2022.02 - 2026.02
Software Engineer
D C Thomson & Co Ltd
2020.07 - 2022.02
Front End Web Developer
kwiboo
2019.11 - 2020.07
Junior Web Developer
Aceville Publications
2018.10 - 2019.11
NVQ Level 3 - Sports
Suffolk New College
2011.09 - 2013.07