Custom application development

Custom web and mobile applications — built to production standard

Senior full-stack engineer with 10+ years experience at Amazon, Ticketmaster, and beyond. I build React, React Native, Node.js, and AWS applications for startups and growing businesses. Fixed cost. No agency overhead.

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AWS Certified Developer · Ex-Amazon · Ex-Ticketmaster · React · React Native · Node.js · TypeScript · AWS

What I build

From idea to production-grade software

SaaS & Web Applications

React + Node.js + TypeScript + AWS. MVPs to full production platforms, built to scale from day one.

Mobile Applications

React Native for iOS and Android. Cross-platform without compromise. Production apps shipped for Reach plc and ChargedUp.

AI-Powered Features

AWS Bedrock integration — semantic search, summarisation, intelligent automation. Published official AWS solution showcased at IBC 2024.

AWS Architecture & Cloud

Serverless, Lambda, DynamoDB, CDK, SAM. AWS Certified Developer. Contributed production code to AWS CLI, CDK, Amplify, and SDK teams.

Why work this way

Senior capability. No hiring overhead.

Hiring a senior developer full-time

£80,000–£120,000 salary + benefits
3–6 month hiring process
Equity expectations
Long-term commitment before you know if it works

Working with James on a project

Fixed cost, agreed upfront — no surprises
Start in days, not months
Enterprise-grade engineering without the overhead
Done when it's done — or continue if you want

Selected work

Recent applications

AI training platform with Synthesia + Bedrock RAG + Lex/Transcribe

AI/ML

Ryanair

AI training platform with Synthesia + Bedrock RAG + Lex/Transcribe

An AI-powered training platform delivering course content with Synthesia-generated video instructors, a RAG-backed Q&A chat on Amazon Bedrock, and conversational practice via Amazon Lex and Transcribe — built with Ryanair's training organisation.

Amazon BedrockAmazon LexAmazon TranscribeSynthesia

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Video AI summarisation on Amazon Bedrock

AI/ML

Thomson Reuters

Video AI summarisation on Amazon Bedrock

An AWS engagement with Thomson Reuters delivering semantic search and summarisation across long-form video archives, built on Amazon Bedrock. Published as an official AWS solution and showcased at IBC 2024.

Amazon BedrockAWS LambdaStep FunctionsOpenSearch

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3-day production workload + AI enablement for a global bank

Platform

Global financial services (anonymised)

3-day production workload + AI enablement for a global bank

An intensive three-day on-site engagement: pair-build a production AWS workload with the customer's engineering team, then run AI enablement sessions for engineers and business leaders. Architecture, code, knowledge — all in one week.

AWSLambdaDynamoDBStep Functions

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Internal

AWS internal

Internal sales-account-planning tool — prototype to production

Took an internal AWS sales-planning prototype and rebuilt it into a production-grade system: multi-environment deployment, SSO, audit logging, and a UX that account teams actually wanted to use daily.

ReactTypeScriptNode.jsAWS Lambda

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See all case studies

Tech stack

Modern, proven, production-tested

ReactReact NativeTypeScriptNext.jsNode.jsPythonAWS LambdaDynamoDBBedrockAmplifyCDKSAMTerraform

Pricing

Transparent pricing. Fixed cost. No surprises.

Most projects fall between £15,000 and £80,000 depending on scope and complexity. I always provide a detailed fixed-cost quote before any work begins — no vague estimates, no scope creep.

Tell me about your project and I'll give you a straight quote

FAQ

Common questions

How do you charge — day rate or fixed price?

Fixed price per project, agreed upfront. You know the full cost before we start.

How long does a typical project take?

Depends on scope. A focused MVP can be 4–8 weeks. A full-featured application might be 3–6 months. I'll give you a realistic timeline in the quote.

Can you work with our existing team?

Yes — I'm comfortable working alongside in-house developers, designers, and product managers.

Will you maintain the application after launch?

Yes — ongoing support, feature development, and technical leadership available after launch via retainer or project-by-project.

What if we need ongoing technical leadership beyond the build?

I also offer fractional CTO and technical advisory services. Many clients move from a project into an ongoing advisory relationship.

Are you UK-based?

Yes — West Molesey, Surrey. Available in person across Surrey and London, or remote anywhere in the UK.

Get in touch

Tell me what you're building.

Free 30-minute technical consultation. I'll tell you whether it's feasible, how I'd approach it, and what it would cost. No obligation.