Chris Moran
Full-Stack Software Engineer
About Me
I'm Senior Software Engineer with a passion for creating simple, modern and intuitive applications. I began my career in the UK, spending over 10 years building expertise in software development before making Los Angeles my home. Now, I’m seeking a new challenge where I can apply my technical skills, creativity, and problem‑solving abilities to exciting and impactful projects.
I have a strong background in full-stack development, with expertise in both front-end and back-end technologies (although typically more front-end leaning). I aim to create applications that blend functionality with intuitive design and visual appeal.
I have been using computers since I was around 9 years old, and have been developing proffessionally for the last 10. Ever since landing my first role as a Graduate Software Engineer, my passion for development has only grown, and I have moved on to discover a vast array of technologies. I finally settled on front-end web development, as I simply love the instant visual result. I enjoy experimenting with design ideas and animations using CSS, as well as the organised, structured component hierarchy of React.
Portfolio
TiNTS
HiNTS
Tints & Hints
Tints & Hints as an online, web-based multiplayer game, inspired by the board game Hues & Cues. It works similar to Codenames, where you set up a room and invite your friends via the generated link. I created it because I enjoyed the board game so much and I wanted a way for my friends and I to play whenever we wanted (I did some Googling and could not find anything decent enough that replicated the game).
I created the front-end using React with TypeScript and the Socket.io client. The majority of the state management is done using the React Context API - it does most of the heavy lifting and is responsible for managaing the data that is received from the back-end. Local storage is also used to maintain some of the application state if the user loses connection or refreshes the browser, the rest is then fetched from the server to allow them to continue playing.
The back-end is a simple Node.js service. It uses express to handle some basic requests and Socket.io for the bulk of the messages. Socket.io allows the user to create virtual rooms in which all of their game data is stored and managed. The front and back send websocket messages using socket.io to keep the application up-to-date. The entire application is hosted on Amazon AWS: S3 and CloudFront for the front-end, and EC2 & ECS for the back-end. All data is sent and received securely through ALB (Application Load Balancer).
beauty
school
Beauty School
Beauty School are a Leeds-based rock band that are also close friends of mine. I commissioned their first site, where they requested something simple that matches their style.
This project has no back-end service and the front-end has been kept fairly simple; I used React with Styled Components to whip up some reusaable components, such as a the layout rows & titles. The design is intentionally straightfoward, allowing the user to quickly find what they're looking for. The ticket information is fetched using a free developer API from a company called SongKick. The rest of the site is mostly just embeds from Spotify and Youtube.
Although the main site is no longer active and has been replaced, the test version is still up. Feel free to give it a visit.
Github
My Github is home to all of my code, although my major projects are kept private, I have some smaller projects / experiments that are available for viewing. Please feel free to browse my profile and explore my activity.
Among Us Checklist: A small checklist app I made when the video game Among Us was popular. I used it to take notes and help me keep track of which players were safe and which weren't.
Salary Clock: A simple app that counts down how much money you earn every second of every day, based on your salary and monthly pay date.
Nerdle: A spin on the popular internet browser game Wordle, but the words available for typically more 'nerdy', such as video game or tech related.
Skills
JavaScript
10+ years
(Expert)
JavaScript is easily one of my strongest and most extensive skills; I am confident using it for both front-end and back-end development, and have a decent understanding of the call stack, event loop, callback queue and all associated APIs.
TypeScript
8+ years
(Proficient)
I quickly discovered TypeScript's usefulness not long after learning it due to a recommendation from a previous mentor and have come to appreciate all it has to offer: type checking, documentation, intellisense, code readability, maintainability and scalability.
HTML
10+ years
(Expert)
Having been dabbling in HTML since I was 10 years old, it comes almost as naturally to me as walking. HTML is a essential skill, and without it, I wouldn't be where I am today.
CSS
10+ years
(Expert)
I've often met many developers who dislike working with CSS, but I have always felt the opposite. I love seeing page elements fall pixel-perfectly in place, the smooth transitions and all the options available to make an application look exactly the way I want it to.
ReactJS
8+ years
(Proficient)
I have extensive experience with React, and it is by far my most beloved skill. I have not stopped developing with it since 2017, and have a deep understanding of its principles: component hierarchy & lifecycle, state-management & props, hooks, virtual DOM, context API and the entire React ecosystem.
NextJS
1-2 years
(Basic)
Although I am fairly new to Next, I feel I have picked it up quickly, being able to incorporate it into my most recent React projects. I understand the benefits it provides, the most important being the server-side rendering, static site generation, file-based routing, lazy loading and built-in SEO optimization.
NodeJS
8+ years
(Proficient)
NodeJS wasn't the first server-side language I learned, however it quickly become my most adept. I first started using it to create small REST APIs using express, and was able to then use it to create serverless back-end functionality using Lambda (AWS) and, most recently, containerized services for my own web apps.
Git
8+ years
(Proficient)
Git has been a staple of my career ever since the beginning. My first experience with it was using TFS (Team Foundation Server), then quickly moving onto other online repositories such as GitHub, GitLab and BitBucket. I have worked with numerous branching strategies through the years, and have quickly become accustomed to how important Git is for everyday development.
AWS
8 years
(Proficient)
My first real exposure to AWS was using it to create Lambda functions for Alexa skills. Following that, I then learned how create full-stack server-less applications, as well as how to use EC2 and ECS to host containerized ones. I most recently configured an ALB (Load Balancer) to help distrubute secure traffic for a web app I created.
GraphQL
5 years
(Intermediate)
I was introduced to GraphQL during my time in the industry and have mostly used it for fetching and aggregating web and mobile app data. I became fond of it due to the simple syntax, ease of use, ability to create strongly-typed schema and its power to retrieve related data in a single request.
Docker
4+ years
(Intermediate)
Docker was (and still is) by far one of the tougher skills I have come across, however it has proven to be one of the most useful. I have worked with Docker in the industry to deploy and maintain a multitude of containerized services, where I eventually began using it for my own personal projects.
C#
2+ years
(Basic)
C# was the first language I worked with when I joined the industry. I primarily used it to create REST APIs and other small back-end services. I found it to be extremely reliable and consistent. Although I haven't worked with it for some time now, I appreciated the power it had to offer and I am currently re-learning it to be able to develop video games in the Unity engine.
GitHub Actions
5 years
(Intermediate)
I actually began to use GitHub actions on personal projects before using it in the industry. I needed a tool to help me build, test and deploy my applications, and GitHub Actions quickly became a staple of mine. I like to create workflows that are readable and meaningful, splitting jobs into single purposes to create a full and coherent CI/CD schedule.
MongoDB
6+ years
(Advanced)
I first discoverd MongoDB at university, but didn't use it again until a couple of years into the industry. I have worked with it on numerous projects and I enjoy working with NoSQL databases. I appreciate flexibility it has to offer and how well it works with web languages, especially JavaScript and JSON.
Kubernetes
3 years
(Basic)
My first proper experience of Kubernetes was during my most recent role, where I was able to maintain, rollback and deploy 'pods', which mainly held containerized back-end NodeJS services. I do not have much experience configuring k8s; most of it comes from my usage.
RESTful APIs
8+ years
(Proficient)
My first ever role required me to build and maintain a simple REST API (using C#). Ever since then, I have come to love and appreciate what they have to offer, and have built countless of them both in and out of the industry.
Java
3 years
(Basic)
Java was the first fully object-oriented programming language I ever learned. It was the staple during my time at university, and I built several applications with it, including an Android app for my final year project. I do not have much experience with it outside of university, but I thought it was worth mentioning as it was a crucial skill in getting me to where I am now.
Android
2 years
(Basic)
Most of my experience with Android was back in university; where I built a couple of applications. I also have a little bit of experience in the industry, using Android studio to develop and build front-end features for a mobile application.
Experience
Flutter Entertainment
Delivered large-scale, real-time sports-betting products in a fast-paced environment supporting millions of users during major sporting events. Key contributions included:
- Developed and deployed over 15 front-end React features, resulting in an average 25% increase in user engagement across high-traffic platforms, all which complimented a micro-frontend architecture.
- Improved and maintained back-end RESTful Node.js APIs for web platforms, refactoring 20,000+ lines of JavaScript to TypeScript to enhance code reliability and maintainability.
- Involved in a major, full-stack brand transformation, which included several UI performance optimizations, resulting in a 30% boost in desktop user engagement.
- Mentored 10+ junior and mid-level engineers through regular pair-programming sessions.
- Key contributor during group discussions; actively involved in product estimation and technical planning.
- Conducted 1000+ code reviews to ensure code quality and maintainability.
Covéa Insurance
Developed front-end, client-facing applications and internal tools for a large insurance underwriter, supporting over 500,000 policyholders. Led multiple proof-of-concepts and promoted to Senior Engineer in year five. Notable projects:
- Built and deployed a user-facing, front-end car insurance claims journey, reducing customer claims filing time by 50%.
- Led the development and release of a conversational chat bot that handled 3,000+ monthly inquiries, boosting customer self-service engagement by 35%.
- Contributed to the development of a reusable React component library, improving development time by at least 15%, and allowing for a clean and consistent codebase.
- Created a front-end home insurance proof-of-concept, which allowed users to retrieve a quote by answering as few as 4 questions.
- Collaborated with internal claims staff to build front-end tools, including a vehicle look-up that reduced internal processing time by 30%, and an annual staff performance nomination portal used by 200+ staff members.
- Mentored over 5 new starters and junior engineers.
ProspectSoft
Developed new features and delivered technical support for a software company whose primary product was a CRM system used by over 200 businesses across the country. Responsibilities included:
- Designed and implemented extensions to enhance the CRM's user experience, accessibility, and overall usability, primarily in VB .NET.
- Developed and integrated front-end features across 30+ client websites using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and jQuery.
- Provided responsive technical support to business clients, troubleshooting and resolving 100+ issues per month related to CRM functionality and database integrity.
- Logging support tickets to track, prioritize, and manage technical issues from initial report to final resolution, maintaining an average Net Promoter Score of 9/10.
- Collaborated with internal teams to identify recurring user pain points and proactively recommended improvements to the CRM system.