Ryan Potter.
An ambitious full-stack developer with 15+ years of experience building scalable, business-focused web applications, e-commerce platforms, and internal tools. I specialise in modern technologies including React, TypeScript, Next.js, Node.js, PostgreSQL, and Tailwind CSS, with legacy experience in PHP and MySQL. Recently, I've integrated AI capabilities into web products using tools like OpenAI, LangChain, creating intelligent features such as natural language search, personalised recommendations, and automated content generation. I prioritise clean architecture, performance, and usability, delivering maintainable solutions that evolve with user needs and tech trends.
As someone who's continually evaluating, and learning new skills in my field, I love a good puzzle and don't shy away from a tight deadline. I have worked successfully as a key member of many teams solving complex problems for consultancy firms, software companies; media agencies, IT departments and everything in between.
Employment history
Chronicle HQ
Principal Product Engineer: May 2024 - Present
In my current role as a Principal Product Engineer at Chronicle, I lead the technical strategy and execution of core product initiatives, bridging the gap between engineering, design, and product. I work hands-on with React, TypeScript, and our internal design system to craft performant, accessible, and highly polished interfaces that align with Chronicle's mission to bring beautiful presentations to anyone with a few clicks.
A key focus of my role is driving clarity and consistency across the product. I collaborate closely with cross-functional stakeholders to define and evolve our component architecture, streamline developer workflows, and ensure a cohesive user experience. I take ownership of complex frontend challenges whether it's improving performance, implementing real-time collaboration, or optimising for scalability across our monorepo setup.
Mentorship is also a core part of my responsibilities. I support engineers across the team through architectural reviews, pair programming sessions, and async design proposals. I aim to cultivate a culture of thoughtful craftsmanship and product ownership, helping elevate the entire team's ability to ship high-quality work efficiently and confidently. Through this, I ensure that engineering decisions are aligned with long-term product vision and user needs.
Halter
Staff Frontend Engineer: April 2023 - May 2024
In my role as a staff frontend engineer, I actively utilised my expertise in React Native, TypeScript, and AWS to integrate with a large AWS distributed system, focusing on the creation and implementation of guidance for virtual fences. I contributed to the design and implementation of frontend components, ensuring a seamless and user-friendly experience in alignment with project requirements.
A significant aspect of my role involved mentoring and guiding junior team members. I take pride in sharing my knowledge of best practices, coding standards, and efficient problem-solving approaches. Through regular code reviews and collaborative discussions, I aim to foster a learning environment, enabling the team to enhance their skills and contribute effectively to the project. This mentoring role not only contributes to the professional development of my colleagues but also reinforces a culture of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the team. Additionally, my commitment to mentorship aligns with the overall goal of maintaining a high standard of code quality and promoting a cohesive and productive working environment.
Kernel Wealth
Lead Frontend Developer: January 2021 - April 2023
In my role as the lead frontend developer, I spearheaded the seamless replacement of the white-labeled project with our newly built application, developed using Next.js and TypeScript and hosted on AWS. Collaborating closely with UX and UI designers, as well as the product teams, we ensured the effective integration of the redesigned user interface into the production environment.
This collaborative effort involved aligning the technical implementation with the design specifications, focusing on creating an aesthetically pleasing and user-friendly interface. Working hand-in-hand with UX and UI teams allowed us to address design considerations, resulting in a visually cohesive and engaging user experience.
Moreover, the joint efforts extended to configuring and optimising AWS services, including the integration of serverless edge functions, to meet the specific requirements of the Next.js application. This multidisciplinary collaboration not only facilitated a successful migration but also elevated the overall quality of the user interface and experience.
ColensoBBDO
Senior Full Stack Developer: January 2020 - January 2021
At ColensoBBDO I was brought on as a senior full-stack developer to build websites and apps for some of New Zealand's largest companies. Due to the pandemic hitting early in 2020 our team had to pivot to working full-time remotely, which required me to take on a project lead role in our biggest app build that touched six different countries and integrated with services across the world.
Isobar
Lead Frontend Developer: October 2017 - January 2020
At Isobar I was the lead frontend developer of a fantastic team. Predominately working on full-stack projects creating medium to large sites using SilverStripe backend, and React front end.
As the lead frontend dev, I helped transition the company from small/medium agency work into enterprise product development.
Elvis Communications
Senior Developer: December 2015 - September 2017
Joining Elvis as a senior developer, I was part of an overarching tech team that built everything from mobile applications to physical on location builds. Mainly focusing on SPA applications for large companies, I got to develop some rich, and engaging content for numerous high-profile clients. I took an active role in researching and implementing new technologies where they best fit, as well as directing junior team members in their personal development.
Being a small agile team allowed for the leveraging of new and emerging technologies. Building SPA apps with Angular 1.x, engaging fully client-side websites using React and NodeJS, and even some VR work with the Unity engine allowed for some very rewarding projects.
Toast Limited
Senior Web Developer: September 2013 - August 2015
I joined Toast as their lead developer, taking over the web department as part of their company restructure. I took on all new projects from conception to implementation. Client management and planning were important parts of this role, and I learnt many valuable skills managing their expectations, as well as developing systems around UX to better suit the needs of the spec.
Working closely with the SilverStripe community, I developed my skills with PHP, and SQL diving deeply into open-source - bug fixing, creating plugins, and working with a talented team to create engaging software.
Fiserv Information Technology and Services
Software Developer: July 2012 - September 2013
Worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team, creating a new mobile platform for the company's banking payment software. I was trained as a SCRUM master for this project under the Agile methodology and was responsible for a small team as the PTL of the front-end and UX departments. The software I helped design and build was written using jQuery Mobile and was then compiled to native code using Phonegap. The supported QA matrix for this software required an extensive automated BDD testing environment, as well as complete code coverage in the .NET framework.
Websites Made Easy Limited
Web Developer: July 2010 - July 2012
When I joined Websites Made Easy the company was a reasonably small start-up. I became fully involved in developing new processes to streamline the web development stage of all projects, as well as designing tools and applications to cut time and costs from existing projects. Working predominantly with WordPress, I learnt the full LAMP stack from server configuration in Linux, to making efficient SQL queries with MySQL.
Academic qualifications
Diploma of Computer Science
Natcoll - Graduated April 2010
Key competencies and skills
Web Development
- Knowledge of:
ReactJs,NextJS,Svelte,Redux;PHP,HTML;CSS/SCSS,LESS;MySQL,XML;JSON,JS;jQuery,Angular;VueJs,NodeJS;GatsbyJS,Shopify. - Experience with CI/CD piplines such as
Jenkins,Travis CIetc... - AWS experience for web applications e.g
S3,Route 53,Lightsail,CloudFrontetc... - Experience with MVC frameworks e.g
Laravel,SilverStripe;CakePHP. - Writing technical manuals, and user instructions.
- Strategically thinking through all parts of the UX/design process. Including mobile-first, and responsive design.
- Experience with distributed version control systems such as GIT/SVN.
- Knowledge of payment processing, and multi-currency pricing.
Professional
- Able to manage workload effectively and prioritise tasks.
- Can quickly understand business requirements, and translate these into functional requirements.
- Can manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
- Adaptable and able to quickly learn new skills, and technologies.
Personal
- Terrific interpersonal and communication skills, able to easily interact with fellow co-workers and clients alike.
- Comfortable with teaching, and leading teams.
- Confident, friendly and easy to get along with.
- Pretty good at table tennis.
References
Available on request.