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Hello, I'm Raja Akhtar, a Senior Contract Engineer and Technical Architect with 20+ years of experience designing, modernising, and scaling complex web platforms. I have a proven track record across financial services (Hargreaves Lansdown), large-scale enterprise platforms, high-volume eCommerce, and venture-backed startups. I co-founded and led development of a £14m-valued platform processing 400M+ products daily, and I specialise in architecting large-scale PHP systems, Elasticsearch relevance modelling, distributed AWS architectures, and legacy modernisation in regulated environments. I excel at leading engineering teams, delivering robust, scalable systems, and creating data pipelines and integrations that bridge legacy with modern tech. My work spans secure authentication in regulated finance, complex integrations with external providers, and building resilient platforms with CI/CD and cloud-native architectures.…Hello, I'm Raja Akhtar, a Senior Contract Engineer and Technical Architect with 20+ years of experience designing, modernising, and scaling complex web platforms. I have a proven track record across financial services (Hargreaves Lansdown), large-scale enterprise platforms, high-volume eCommerce, and venture-backed startups. I co-founded and led development of a £14m-valued platform processing 400M+ products daily, and I specialise in architecting large-scale PHP systems, Elasticsearch relevance modelling, distributed AWS architectures, and legacy modernisation in regulated environments. I excel at leading engineering teams, delivering robust, scalable systems, and creating data pipelines and integrations that bridge legacy with modern tech. My work spans secure authentication in regulated finance, complex integrations with external providers, and building resilient platforms with CI/CD and cloud-native architectures.

Raja Akhtar

Full Stack Developer, Web Developer, Front-End Developer, +2

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Hello, I'm Raja Akhtar, a Senior Contract Engineer and Technical Architect with 20+ years of experience designing, modernising, and scaling complex web platforms. I have a proven track record across financial services (Hargreaves Lansdown), large-scale enterprise platforms, high-volume eCommerce, and venture-backed startups. I co-founded and led development of a £14m-valued platform processing 400M+ products daily, and I specialise in architecting large-scale PHP systems, Elasticsearch relevance modelling, distributed AWS architectures, and legacy modernisation in regulated environments. I excel at leading engineering teams, delivering robust, scalable systems, and creating data pipelines and integrations that bridge legacy with modern tech. My work spans secure authentication in regulated finance, complex integrations with external providers, and building resilient platforms with CI/CD and cloud-native architectures.…Hello, I'm Raja Akhtar, a Senior Contract Engineer and Technical Architect with 20+ years of experience designing, modernising, and scaling complex web platforms. I have a proven track record across financial services (Hargreaves Lansdown), large-scale enterprise platforms, high-volume eCommerce, and venture-backed startups. I co-founded and led development of a £14m-valued platform processing 400M+ products daily, and I specialise in architecting large-scale PHP systems, Elasticsearch relevance modelling, distributed AWS architectures, and legacy modernisation in regulated environments. I excel at leading engineering teams, delivering robust, scalable systems, and creating data pipelines and integrations that bridge legacy with modern tech. My work spans secure authentication in regulated finance, complex integrations with external providers, and building resilient platforms with CI/CD and cloud-native architectures.

Available to hire

Hello, I’m Raja Akhtar, a Senior Contract Engineer and Technical Architect with 20+ years of experience designing, modernising, and scaling complex web platforms. I have a proven track record across financial services (Hargreaves Lansdown), large-scale enterprise platforms, high-volume eCommerce, and venture-backed startups. I co-founded and led development of a £14m-valued platform processing 400M+ products daily, and I specialise in architecting large-scale PHP systems, Elasticsearch relevance modelling, distributed AWS architectures, and legacy modernisation in regulated environments.

I excel at leading engineering teams, delivering robust, scalable systems, and creating data pipelines and integrations that bridge legacy with modern tech. My work spans secure authentication in regulated finance, complex integrations with external providers, and building resilient platforms with CI/CD and cloud-native architectures.

Skills

Experience Level

Expert

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Expert

Work Experience

Senior Developer (Consultant) at Zentag Ltd.

March 1, 2026 - Present

Building backend Shopify apps; integrating with Shopify APIs and webhook-based event systems. Delivered GDPR-compliant data handling and messaging workflows. Implemented WhatsApp integration for order confirmations, status updates, and abandoned cart recovery with conversion tracking. Designed an internal dashboard with WhatsApp inbox for real-time customer communication and support.

Senior Developer (Contract) at Nexus Rental

May 1, 2025 - March 1, 2026

Lead developer on a large legacy vehicle booking platform; modernising procedural PHP codebase; delivering new features using MVC standards and unit testing.

Senior Developer (Contract) at PayPoint plc

November 1, 2024 - April 1, 2025

Reduced backlog across six internal systems by delivering critical bug fixes and feature enhancements. Built integrations with external fulfilment providers (REST/SOAP). Initiated Elasticsearch implementation to improve search performance.

Senior Developer (Contract) at Wallsauce

May 1, 2024 - September 1, 2024

Re-engaged to deliver key platform improvements. Rebuilt core areas to improve performance and UX. Delivered image processing upgrade supporting PSD/vector formats.

Senior Developer (Contract) at Hargreaves Lansdown

January 1, 2022 - October 1, 2023

Developed secure authentication systems within a regulated financial environment. Worked across legacy and modern systems supporting client devices to AuthEngine communication. Delivered enhancements with strict compliance and testing standards.

Senior Developer (Contract) at Fleetondemand (RAC)

July 1, 2021 - December 1, 2021

Enhanced SME systems within a complex bespoke PHP framework. Built payment workflows (GoCardless) and event-driven integrations. Stabilised minimally documented legacy systems.

Senior Developer (Contract) at Wallsauce

August 1, 2019 - June 1, 2021

Modernised legacy PHP platform without full rebuild. Introduced CI/CD (Jenkins + Git), replacing FTP deployments. Improved performance and integrated third-party APIs and payment systems.

Senior Developer (Contract) at CiiVSOFT

July 1, 2018 - April 1, 2019

Built middleware platform for CV processing and recruitment systems. Designed AWS-based data pipelines using SQS/Lambda. Processed large datasets and implemented advanced search functionality.

Co-Founder & Head of Development at Pricesearcher.com

June 1, 2015 - July 1, 2018

Co-founded and built a price comparison platform valued at £14m. Architected full system including infrastructure, search, and data pipelines. Designed Elasticsearch relevance engine and scalable feed ingestion. Built distributed AWS processing pipelines handling 400M+ products daily. Led engineering team and development office.

Senior PHP Developer (Contract) at NHS – The Walton Centre

April 1, 2014 - June 1, 2015

Rebuilt internal NHS platform; digitised patient observation systems. Developed responsive clinical data entry tools and secure, high-reliability systems in healthcare environment.

PHP Developer / Elasticsearch Consultant at Pricesearcher.com

October 1, 2013 - April 1, 2014

Designed search and data ingestion, implemented Elasticsearch with custom relevance and indexing strategies.

Lead Developer at Brash Ltd.

January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2014

Lead developer role (2012–2014).

Lead Developer at Xyone Ltd.

January 1, 2010 - January 1, 2012

Lead developer (2010–2012).

PHP Developer at Totalcare Support

January 1, 2008 - January 1, 2010

PHP developer role (2008–2010).