Nathan Daly
Principal Software Engineer
Cambridge,CAM
Summary
Experienced full-stack developer and technical lead with a strong background in PHP (especially Laravel), JavaScript frameworks, and modern SaaS architecture. Adept at leading projects from legacy migrations to greenfield builds, working across infrastructure, CI/CD, and complex data systems. Trusted as a go-to voice for scalable solutions, maintainable code, and developer processes.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
4
4
years of post-secondary education
Work History
Principal Software Engineer
International Workplace
Cambridge
03.2022 - Current
- First role with full technical ownership — responsible for architecture, deployments, and setting engineering direction across the platform.
- Led the rebuild of the company’s compliance product, moving from a mix of Zend 1.12, Laminas Mezzio, and Concrete5 to a modern Laravel + Next.js stack.
- Rebuilt the main marketing site using Astro.js, with Statamic powering the content side.
- Known as the person the team consults before starting any major feature — ensuring consistency, scalable design, and that we’re not repeating past mistakes.
- Own and maintain the CI/CD pipelines in GitHub Actions, covering deployments, test automation, and environment management.
- Manage infrastructure across both AWS and Azure, balancing performance, cost, and simplicity.
- Designed and am currently building a new xAPI data processor with Postgres, carefully planning schema design and change data capture flows to modernise how learner data is tracked.
- Migrated away from MySQL 5.7 with poor schema design to Postgres, improving clarity, performance, and long-term maintainability.
- Regularly handle production deployments and client data migrations, always keeping GDPR, ISO 27001, and OWASP best practices in mind.
- Strengthened communication between developers and clients through regular meetings, leading to improved project understanding.
- Streamlined workflow procedures, enhancing overall productivity.
- Created and implemented new coding practices for increased efficiency.
- Ensured compliance with stringent data security protocols, safeguarding client information from potential cyber threats.
- Fostered a culture of innovation within the team, encouraging experimentation with new technologies and methodologies.
- Designed scalable architecture for future-proof software development endeavours.
Senior Software Engineer
Juniper Education Group
Cambridge
06.2021 - 02.2022
- Initially brought on as a Senior PHP Developer, quickly gained trust from the Chief Architect through high-quality, maintainable code.
- Handpicked to lead integration work for an acquired company running on extremely outdated legacy systems.
- Modernized and migrated critical features from legacy infrastructure, enabling smoother onboarding of the acquired product into Juniper’s ecosystem.
- Transitioned to the Central API Team to support Juniper’s platform unification strategy across acquisitions.
- Worked in a cross-functional team using .NET and React to develop a central communication hub/API layer, enabling seamless data exchange between disparate applications.
- Played a key role in defining standards and architecture to support scalable integrations for future acquisitions.
Senior Web Developer
Mallcomm/Kinexio
Bury St Edmunds
02.2019 - 06.2021
- Brought in for deep expertise in PHP and SaaS architecture to modernize the platform and support growth.
- Led the migration of the legacy CodeIgniter stack to a modern Laravel + Vue.js architecture, improving maintainability and developer productivity.
- Championed agile practices, introducing Jira-based sprint planning, code review workflows, and Git branching strategies.
- Collaborated closely with product and UX teams to deliver high-impact B2C features such as POS-integrated food ordering, car park payments, and live chat for shopping centre tenants and visitors.
- Elevated code quality and team velocity by implementing CI/CD practices and mentoring junior developers.
- Played a pivotal role in transforming the product into a more scalable and feature-rich SaaS offering aligned with commercial goals.
Senior Web Developer
Idox Plc
Cambridge
09.2015 - 11.2018
- Brought in for deep expertise in PHP and SaaS architecture to modernize the platform and support growth.
- Led the migration of the legacy CodeIgniter stack to a modern Laravel + Vue.js architecture, improving maintainability and developer productivity.
- Championed agile practices, introducing Jira-based sprint planning, code review workflows, and Git branching strategies.
- Collaborated closely with product and UX teams to deliver high-impact B2C features such as POS-integrated food ordering, car park payments, and live chat for shopping centre tenants and visitors.
- Elevated code quality and team velocity by implementing CI/CD practices and mentoring junior developers.
- Played a pivotal role in transforming the product into a more scalable and feature-rich SaaS offering aligned with commercial goals.
Web Developer
HouseSimple/Strike
Ipswich
06.2014 - 09.2015
- Joined post-MVP as one of the first in-house developers following VC investment from Carphone Warehouse.
- Helped transition the product from agency-built MVP to a robust, scalable in-house codebase using Symfony.
- Delivered user-facing features for a fast-growing online property sales platform, aiming to disrupt the traditional estate agency market alongside competitors like Purplebricks.
- Collaborated closely with product and design teams in an agile startup environment, prioritizing rapid delivery and high user impact.
- Supported the growth of internal engineering culture and code quality as the team scaled.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
University of Lincoln
Lincoln 09.2008 - 07.2012
Skills
PHP (8), Laravel (PSR-2/PSR-12 compliant)
JavaScript (React, Vue, Nextjs, Astro, TanStack, Zustand, Redux, ExtJS)
TALL Stack
Laravel EcoSystem
REST, JSON, xAPI, GraphQL
Database Design & Management (SqlLite, PostgreSQL, MySQL)
Version Control: Git (Github & Git Flow), GitHub Actions
Laravel Herd, Docker, Kubernetes
Clear technical communication
Robust time management
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Principal Software Engineer
International Workplace
03.2022 - Current
Senior Software Engineer
Juniper Education Group
06.2021 - 02.2022
Senior Web Developer
Mallcomm/Kinexio
02.2019 - 06.2021
Senior Web Developer
Idox Plc
09.2015 - 11.2018
Web Developer
HouseSimple/Strike
06.2014 - 09.2015
Bachelor of Science - Computer Science
University of Lincoln
09.2008 - 07.2012