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Will Riches

2-paragraph first-person bio, friendly tone

Available to hire

2-paragraph first-person bio, friendly tone

Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Self-Employed Technology Lead / Founder at NIXR LTD / Promotable.co.uk / PuffinDNS.org
March 1, 2024 - Present
Left full-time employment to build Promotable.co.uk, a price comparison platform for the promotional merchandise sector. Developed scraping tools, ranking algorithms, and a user-facing interface; built alert system for rival pricing; created AI-assisted coding workflows; also contracted with a leading cruise travel agency to scrape and archive terms and conditions pages; planning to launch a passive revenue model via sponsored listings.
Head of Technology / Technology Lead at Total Merchandise Limited
January 1, 2024 - October 24, 2025
Led planning, development and execution of multiple high-impact technology projects to expand Total Merchandise's dominance in the promotional merchandise sector. Recruited and mentored developers; oversaw Docker, AWS (EC2, RDS, Lambda), PHP, MySQL, Redis, GitLab CI, Symfony, and Elasticsearch-backed systems. Built and guided a growing technology team to keep pace with business needs, maintaining agility and a rapid release cadence.
PHP Developer at HouseSimple Limited
June 1, 2018 - October 24, 2025
Worked in small agile teams to develop and maintain large enterprise PHP applications based on Symfony and Zend frameworks; integrated APIs, modernised legacy systems, and contributed to front-end and back-end improvements.
PHP Developer at Virtual Head Office Ltd
June 1, 2018 - October 24, 2025
Managed the full software lifecycle for remote client projects; bespoke software development; WordPress theme and site development; e-commerce store creation (OpenCart); bespoke CodeIgniter work; collaborated with business analysts to deliver client-focused solutions.
Web Developer at Designaweb (BSE) Ltd
January 1, 2014 - October 24, 2025
Developed websites using the full LAMP stack; lead developer for an affiliate marketing platform; integrated front-end with APIs; liaised with clients to deliver cohesive products.
Web Developer at GoCloudy.net
January 1, 2018 - October 24, 2025
Web and hosting provider; built bespoke tooling to deploy virtualized hosting environments using OpenVZ; implemented infrastructure automation and tooling to support hosting operations.
Developer at MyNanoCoins
January 1, 2018 - October 24, 2025
Backend integration for a Nano cryptocurrency web wallet; implemented communication between a JavaScript client and a Nano full node; explored Nano network architecture and crypto algorithms.
Project Lead at ZeusSkins
January 1, 2022 - October 24, 2025
Ingested large datasets related to cosmetics items in a popular multiplayer game via API; built an automated scanning and display system for item properties and rarity; used PostgreSQL, Next.js, React, and Symfony; studied PostgreSQL internals and experimented with SSD caching to optimize reads.
PHP Developer at HouseSimple Ltd
June 1, 2018 - June 1, 2018
Maintained Symfony and Zend applications within a multi-developer team. Collaborated with analysts and front-end engineers on API integration and performance improvements.
PHP Developer at Total Merchandise Ltd
January 1, 2024 - January 1, 2024
Worked as part of a small in-house team maintaining and extending core business systems. Helped modernise internal and public web applications using PHP, Symfony, React, and AWS-hosted services. Supported deployment, infrastructure, and networking tasks, ensuring reliable operation. Assisted with mentoring and documentation to improve handover and continuity.
Contract PHP Developer at NIXR Ltd (Contractor)
March 1, 2024 - November 3, 2025
Delivered automation and data-collection systems for a cruise travel agency to support internal operations. Contributed to internal web applications to meet key performance targets.

Education

BSc Computer Science (First Class with Honours) at University of Kent
January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2017
A-Levels (ICT, Computing, Media, Business) at King Edward VI School Canterbury
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2014
BSc Computer Science at University of Kent
January 11, 2030 - November 3, 2025

Qualifications

BSc Computer Science (First Class with Honours)
January 1, 2014 - January 1, 2017
A-Levels
January 1, 2012 - January 1, 2014

Industry Experience

Software & Internet, Media & Entertainment, Professional Services, Retail, Education, Other