Principal Software Engineer & Technical Lead

Hands‑on engineering leadership for complex digital transformation programmes. I help product and engineering teams turn fragile legacy web estates into faster, more maintainable platforms that are easier to scale, govern, and improve.

  1. IMG Licensing
    IMG Licensing

I'm John, an award‑winning software engineering specialist based in sunny Brighton, UK.

I am an enthusiastic principal software engineer and technical leader with over twenty‑three years of hands‑on experience.

I help teams and clients design, build and improve websites, applications and web platforms, pairing architecture, delivery judgement and hands‑on TypeScript, React, HTML, and CSS.

My portfolio is diverse; I work with global clients, solving real-world problems, including:

  • helping develop the online identity of Volvo's emerging premium EV brand;
  • leading the modernisation of the online portfolio of one of Britain's largest airlines;
  • leading a team of developers for the world's local bank, rebuilding their commercial banking platform;
  • ... and enhancing the website of a local toyshop so that they could continue trading during lockdown.
More about me

Featured Case Studies

  1. Featured case study

    Lotus
    Cars

    Long‑running legacy platform engineering for Lotus Cars across vehicle configurators, model pages, pre‑owned sales, dealership tools, and launch marketing.

    Screenshot of the Lotus website; part of John Kavanagh's selected project work.
  2. Featured case study

    LEGO

    Senior developer producing an all‑new e‑commerce platform with React. Designed to handle high traffic volumes and support multi‑language and multiple currencies.

    Screenshot of the LEGO website; part of John Kavanagh's selected project work.
  3. Featured case study

    Nando’s

    Senior software engineer on the UK and Ireland replatform, migrating Nando’s customer‑facing websites from legacy Drupal to a unified headless platform built with Next.js and Storyblok, with a focus on performance, accessibility, and SEO.

    Screenshot of the Nando’s website; part of John Kavanagh's selected project work.

How I Usually Help

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Availability

I am currently leading a global digital transformation engagement, with limited availability until late 2026. Short diagnostics or urgent work may be possible sooner.

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Have a complex web platform issue?

Tell me what is blocked, what has changed, and what needs to be true after the fix. I'll come back with a practical next step.

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