Technical Lead & Senior Software Engineer

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

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

I am an enthusiastic senior 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:

  • overseeing the digital rebranding of a chain of much‑loved high‑end department stores;
  • helping a major browser vendor explore AI‑driven tools for clearer, more useful browsing experiences;
  • engaging businesses, politicians, academics, and world leaders to shape global agendas;
  • ... 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

    IMG
    Licensing

    Long‑term technical direction and hands‑on development for IMG Licensing's digital platform, spanning its original rebuild, ongoing evolution, major redesign, and migrations to Next.js, Sanity, and Vercel.

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

    Virgin Atlantic
    & Holidays

    Lead engineer on Virgin Atlantic & Holidays' large‑scale replatforming programme, unifying twelve disparate applications within a new headless architecture built with React and Next.js.

    Screenshot of the Virgin Atlantic & Holidays 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.
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Previous Clients

Availability

I'm leading a global digital transformation, with limited availability for longer engagements until early 2027. Short‑term consultancy is still available sooner by agreement.

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Need a senior engineer involved?

I can work directly in the codebase, review the architecture, or support the team through delivery when the work needs more than extra hands.