Technical Lead & Senior Software Engineer

Handson 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, an awardwinning software engineering specialist based in sunny Brighton, UK.

I am an enthusiastic senior software engineer and technical leader with over twentythree years of handson experience.

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

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

  • helping prospective car buyers find just the right configuration for their next sports car;
  • helping a major browser vendor explore AIdriven tools for clearer, more useful browsing experiences;
  • overseeing the digital rebranding of a chain of muchloved highend department stores;
  • ... and bringing a local rock band closer to their fans online during lockdown.
More about me

Featured Case Studies

  1. Featured case study

    The World Economic
    Forum

    Senior JavaScript developer delivering a Reactbased rebuild of the World Economic Forum's online platforms, whilst also leading the introduction of new user features.

    Screenshot of The World Economic Forum website; part of John Kavanagh's selected project work.
  2. Featured case study

    Virgin Atlantic
    & Holidays

    Lead engineer on Virgin Atlantic & Holidays' largescale 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

    John Lewis
    & Partners

    Senior developer in the Findability team, leading the digital implementation of the John Lewis & Partners rebrand alongside new feature development, user journey optimisation, and performance improvements.

    Screenshot of the John Lewis website; part of John Kavanagh's selected project work.
Skip past clients

Previous Clients

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.

View calendar
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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.