Michael Ballard

Michael Ballard

Full Stack Developer

Full stack developer with 7+ years' experience shipping production web and mobile apps. I specialise in Next.js end to end — Tailwind and shadcn UI on the front end, Drizzle and Postgres on the back end, deploying across Vercel serverless, Docker on AWS, and self-hosted environments. Currently leading a team of 3 — interviewing, hiring and staying hands-on across the stack. Utilising AI dev tooling — Cursor, Claude Code, automated code reviews.

Next.js7+ yearsTeam LeadReact Native
Remote · United Kingdom07969 741 245ballardm123@gmail.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/micky-b/

Experience

  1. Global Screening Services

    2025 – Present

    Lead Full Stack Developer

    • Lead a full stack team building a custom Next.js client portal replacing an outgrown low-code platform.
    • Own the client-facing layer — Azure SSO, API integrations with existing Java systems, Drizzle + Postgres schemas, and a Tailwind/shadcn component library.
    • Interviewed, hired, and manage 3 developers as the team scales delivery with new client onboarding.
    Next.jsTypeScriptTailwind CSSShadcn/UIDrizzlePostgresAWSGitHub Copilot

  2. Independent Contract

    2024 – 2025

    React Native Developer

    • Solo developer — built a production Expo podcast app for an independent media client (NDA), now serving tens of thousands of listeners.
    • Integrated with the client's existing website and API to serve content in-app, with offline download support.
    • Extended back end and database with custom playlist, history, and favouriting features, wired end to end to the mobile client.
    React NativeExpoTypeScriptREST APIs

  3. Daily Mail

    2023 – 2025

    Senior Software Developer

    • Migrated a legacy PHP affiliate platform to Next.js + SST on AWS, cutting monthly spend 12× and enabling white-label resale to external clients.
    • Built a manager-approved AI agent that picked up assigned maintenance Jira tickets and opened PRs for review — freeing capacity for higher-priority delivery.
    • Rebuilt the bespoke ads stack on a custom pub/sub architecture — Google Ad Manager, bidding partners, and Meta integrations serving banner, inline, and video formats.
    Next.jsSSTAWSPostgresKafkaGoogle Ad ManagerKubernetesClaude Code

  4. Collecting Cars

    2022 – 2023

    Senior Front-end Developer

    • Hired to replace an outgrown WordPress site — partnered with the head of engineering to architect and roll out a Next.js migration plan.
    • Delivered a unified auth system across two brands and a Contentful-powered articles POC, proving the new stack in production.
    • Upskilled the team in React and Next.js, mentored juniors, and stepped up to squad lead as hiring scaled.
    Next.jsReactTypeScriptContentfulAWSDockerGitHub Copilot

  5. One Journey

    2021 – 2022

    Mid-level Front-end Developer

    • Helped launch a Minimum Lovable Product as an established hospitality agency expanded into SaaS.
    • Worked across a legacy codebase with front-end and back-end engineers — shipping bug fixes, refactors, and new features.
    • Partnered with design to build an in-house design system and component library in Next.js and Tailwind.
    Next.jsTailwind CSSDockerPHPPostgresAWS

  6. Vodafone

    2020 – 2021

    Front-end Lead — Operational Intelligence

    • Led the front end for in-house apps used by UK network engineers and support teams.
    • Migrated the team from traditional MVC to React with a decoupled API back end.
    • Built a shared component library and CI/CD pipelines; ran organisation-wide workshops on the new stack.
    ReactJavaScriptCI/CD

  7. Vodafone

    2019 – 2020

    Graduate Developer — Techboost

    • Won Vodafone's graduate Techboost programme — led development of a React Native onboarding app for new starters.
    • Ran workshops introducing the team to mobile development and supported engineers through delivery.
    React Native

  8. Vodafone

    2018 – 2020

    Graduate Solutions Engineer — IoT

    • Built IoT customer solutions on Vodafone's Invent platform in JavaScript, integrating third-party APIs in agile client workshops.
    • Delivered a React proof of concept on the platform's bespoke JS engine — adopted by the department and still extended today.
    JavaScriptReactREST APIs

  9. Gloversure

    2016 – 2017

    Junior Developer

    • First professional web and mobile role — shipped an Ionic app for customers to manage site content on the go.
    • Built a PHP tool for marketing to send mobile notifications; modernised legacy CMS with AJAX for dynamic content.
    IonicPHPJavaScript