Axl Crawford

Senior Frontend Engineer
Remote (UK-based, GMT ± 2) | linkedin.com/in/axlcrawford

Senior Frontend Engineer with 10+ years experience delivering enterprise-scale web applications for global brands. Specialist in modern JavaScript architectures, technical leadership, and driving engineering excellence across distributed teams. Currently building premium automotive experiences reaching hundreds of thousands of users across 20+ international markets. Passionate about mentoring developers and introducing cutting-edge technologies that deliver measurable business value.

Key Achievements

• Global Impact: Architecting and delivering features for Land Rover and Jaguar websites serving 20+ markets worldwide
• Technical Transformation: Led React adoption across multiple organisations, improving developer velocity and satisfaction
• Team Leadership: Mentored and upskilled development teams, with multiple developers advancing to senior roles
• Revenue Discovery: Identified and resolved critical billing system issues, discovering £30,000 in missing transactions

Professional Experience

Frontend Engineer | Team ITG (JLR Contract)

Dec 2023 - Present | Birmingham, UK

Integral member of the sprint team developing global web platforms for Jaguar Land Rover, two of the world’s most prestigious automotive brands.

• Enterprise Scale: Deliver user-facing features deployed across 20+ international markets, impacting hundreds of thousands of luxury vehicle customers globally
• Technical Authority: Serve as domain expert for critical platform knowledge, providing technical guidance that ensures consistent quality across multiple sprint teams
• Component Architecture: Designed and implemented reusable low-level components with comprehensive documentation, accelerating development velocity across the engineering organisation
• Quality Leadership: Proactively identify and resolve platform-wide issues, maintaining the high standards expected of premium automotive brands
• Tech Stack: AEM CMS, Vanilla JavaScript, SCSS, Jest, Docker, enterprise design system

Lead Developer | Brew Digital

Jul 2022 - Nov 2023 | Birmingham, UK

Technical lead driving modernisation efforts and team excellence for a digital agency specialising in hospitality sector clients.

• Team Leadership: Led team of 3 developers, providing hands-on mentorship that transformed junior developer capabilities and introduced modern development practices
• Technical Strategy: Championed migration from Gatsby to Next.js/Astro, reducing build times and enabling more interactive application development
• Architecture Decisions: Introduced Tailwind CSS and design system thinking, improving team productivity and component consistency
• Project Delivery: Successfully delivered enterprise vet supplier platform with complex user authentication and dual interfaces (customer-facing and business-facing)
• Innovation Focus: Balanced technical excellence with business delivery, ensuring projects met client objectives while advancing technical capabilities

Lead Developer | Barques

Apr 2018 - Jul 2022 | Birmingham, UK

Progressed from Frontend Developer to Lead Developer, driving significant technical transformation across the organisation.

• React Transformation: Successfully led adoption of React and Next.js across the development team, replacing WordPress monoliths and dramatically improving developer satisfaction
• Scale Management: Oversaw technical delivery for hundreds of client websites across property, legal, hospitality, and professional services sectors
• Revenue Impact: Discovered and resolved critical server infrastructure issues, identifying £30,000 in missing billing revenue
• Talent Development: Mentored 2+ developers in modern JavaScript frameworks, directly contributing to their career advancement to senior positions
• Technical Excellence: Introduced cutting-edge technologies and best practices that improved both internal processes and client deliverables

Frontend Developer | Barques

Oct 2016 - Apr 2018 | Birmingham, UK

• Built diverse range of websites from design updates to bespoke WordPress templates
• Managed hundreds of production websites across internal and client infrastructure
• Implemented SEO best practices and accessibility standards

Frontend Developer | InTouch CRM

Apr 2015 - Sep 2016 | Coventry, UK

• Enhanced user experience for enterprise CRM software platform
• Introduced modern frontend tooling including SASS and Gulp workflows
• Developed new features using AngularJS and improved system reliability

Technical Expertise

Core Technologies

Frontend Architecture: React, Next.js, TypeScript, JavaScript ES6+, Server Components
Styling & UI: Tailwind CSS, SCSS, Component Libraries, Design Systems
Testing & Quality: Jest, Vitest, E2E Testing, Performance Optimisation
Build & Deploy: Webpack, Vite, Docker, CI/CD, Vercel, Netlify
CMS & Backend: AEM, WordPress, Node.js, RESTful APIs, GraphQL

Leadership & Delivery

Technical Leadership: Architecture Design, Code Reviews, Technical Roadmaps, Mentorship
Enterprise Experience: Global Multi-market Platforms, High-traffic Applications, Legacy Modernisation
Domain Expertise: Automotive, Hospitality, Professional Services, SaaS Platforms

Education

BA in Creative Digital Media
Teesside University, 2014