Will Thirkettle

Senior Frontend Engineer

hello@willthirkettle.co.uk linkedin.com/in/thirkettle github.com/SirKettle London, England, UK

Why I'm perfect for your company

Financial Technology Expertise:
10+ years experience building sophisticated financial applications at T. Rowe Price, UBS, SigFig, and other fintech companies, with proven track record of architecting and delivering complex, scalable and maintainable web applications.
UI Engineering:

Deep expertise in modern UI technologies, functional programming principles, and modern development practices. Using React, TypeScript, NodeJs, styling with CSS (FlexBox, Grid), Styled Components, and CSS-in-JS approaches.

Component driven development (Storybook), State management (Redux inc Sagas), Data vis (D3.js), Observability (OpenTel), Authorization (OpenFGA), CI/CD (Gitlab), a11y (ADA, WCAG), Electron.

Design and Design Systems:
Extensive experience building and maintaining design systems, ensuring consistency and scalability across large applications. Responsive designs, using Figma and Miro for collaborative design workflows and UX.
API Integration & Data Processing:
Proven track record of consuming APIs, data routing/processing, and integrating external sources into React applications, using REST, GraphQL, Sockets, GRPC protobuf, and Web Workers for performance optimization.
Testing & Quality Assurance:
Comprehensive experience with test automation and strategies using tools inc Playwright, Cypress, and Jest.
AI & Innovation:
Currently exploring AI engineering and MCP server development, and utilizing AI tools (inc Claude Code, Amazon Q) to enhance development workflows.

Core Technical Skills

Frontend:
TypeScript, React, Redux (inc Sagas), Web Workers, SVG, HTML Canvas, Accessibility (a11y), Storybook, Styled Components, Pixi.js, D3.js, Canvas, HTML5, CSS (FlexBox, Grid), i18n,
Backend/API:
Node.js, RESTful APIs, GRPC Protobuf, Python (basic)
Testing:
Playwright, Cypress, Jest, TDD
Design:
Figma, Miro, Design Systems, Responsive Design
Misc:
Bun, Webpack, Vite, Git, Gitlab CI/CD pipelines, OpenTelemetry, OpenFGA, SonarQube, Fortify, Game Development, Electron, Yarn Workspaces
Methodologies:
Agile SCRUM/Kanban, Functional Programming, Pair programming

Professional Experience

T. Rowe Price UK Senior Software Engineer
August 2020 - Present (5+ years) | London, United Kingdom

Joint Lead UX/UI Developer building transformative financial technology solutions for investment professionals across T. Rowe Price's ecosystem.

  • Architected scalable TypeScript/React applications serving diverse stakeholders in ESG analysis and investment decision-making
  • Established new application architecture standard recognized across the technology group for its quality, scalability and maintainability, with robust CI pipelines
  • Delivered critical financial features including custom analytical dashboards, issuer reporting systems, and specialized impact investing frameworks
  • Implemented comprehensive testing strategy using Playwright and Jest, ensuring robust code quality and reliability
  • Mentored junior developers and elevated engineering standards through modern development practices
  • Currently exploring AI integration including prototyping MCP servers to enhance development workflows and stakeholder collaboration
GVC Group Freelance Software Engineer
September 2019 - July 2020 (11 months) | London, United Kingdom
  • Built Electron application deployed in thousands of retail shops across the sports betting industry
  • Developed React SPA using Hooks, Redux, Sagas architecture with comprehensive testing via Jest
  • Created supporting web applications and integrated complex state management solutions
  • Utilized modern toolchain including Storybook for component development and documentation
SigFig Freelance Software Engineer
July 2018 - September 2019 (1 year 3 months) | London / San Francisco
  • Developed range of financial products including tools for Financial Advisors and banking applications
  • Delivered multi-product UI monorepo architecture using Lerna and Yarn Workspaces
  • Implemented partnerable solutions through feature toggling, CMS integration, and dynamic theming with styled-components
  • Collaborated remotely with international teams across San Francisco, Singapore, and Calgary
UBS Freelance Software Developer
February 2016 - June 2018 (2+ years) | London, United Kingdom
  • Built SmartWealth robo-advisor platform - sophisticated single-page web application for automated investment management
  • Developed with modern React/Redux architecture using ES6, comprehensive testing with Jest, and Webpack build optimization
  • Delivered financial technology solutions serving institutional and retail investment clients
Previous Experience Senior Developer Roles
2007 - 2018 | London, United Kingdom

Fathom (2014-2016): Built large-scale data-driven financial web applications using AngularJS, React, Redux

Tag Worldwide (2013-2014): Developed complex single-page applications using OO JavaScript, Backbone.js, Node.js

We R Interactive (2010-2013): Built interactive music video games and social gambling platforms for web and mobile

Evaluate Technologies (2008-2010): Creative developer / web designer and Creative Team Manager

Education

The Nottingham Trent University
Photography & Digital Imaging

Technical Interests

AI Engineering:
Prototyping MCP servers and exploring AI integration in financial technology
Game Development:
Creating web-based video games as a creative outlet and technology exploration
Functional Programming:
Championing functional programming principles in large-scale applications
Financial Innovation:
Passionate about how thoughtful engineering can transform finance and fintech industries