About

Samuel Jackson is an accomplished Senior Back End Developer with over 20 years of experience architecting and delivering innovative software solutions across finance, energy, retail, and betting markets. Renowned for expertise in Java and Spring technologies, he has led transformative projects, including real-time API services, smart metering systems, and high-frequency trading frameworks. His proficiency in Test-Driven Development (TDD), Agile methodologies, and AWS infrastructure ensures the delivery of robust, scalable, and high-performance applications.

Notable achievements include designing a fault-tolerant, serverless API service for financial data ingestion, developing critical orchestration layers for smart metering, and architecting an event-driven trading platform integrated with Betfair’s APIs, leveraging proprietary metrics for automated strategies. Jackson’s technical versatility spans Java, Python, SQL, JavaScript, and AWS, complemented by a commitment to CI/CD excellence and industry best practices. His solutions consistently optimize performance, reliability, and client outcomes in dynamic, high-stakes environments.

Beyond technical leadership, Jackson brings a passion for innovation, drawing on a diverse career to tackle complex challenges. A competitive cyclist, Tae Kwon Do 4th Dan Master, and former marathon fundraiser, he combines discipline and creativity in all endeavors. Explore his portfolio to discover how his expertise can drive transformative projects.

Software Engineer, SJ Ltd, Remote

2024 — present

Architected a high-frequency trading framework for the Betfair Exchange, utilizing a Spring Boot event-driven architecture integrated with Betfair’s Exchange and Streaming APIs. Designed and implemented automated trading strategies driven by proprietary metrics, including Weight of Money trends, Last Traded Price dynamics, price velocity, and order flow imbalance, ensuring rapid and precise trade execution. Leveraged Java, Spring Boot, and AWS to deliver a scalable, real-time data processing system. Established a robust CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions, facilitating seamless integration, automated testing, and deployment to AWS infrastructure, enhancing performance and reliability in dynamic betting markets.

Software Engineer, Mosaic Smart Data, London

2022 — 2024

Led the development of a real-time API service at Mosaic Smart Data, enabling seamless ingestion of complex transactional data from leading financial institutions across foreign exchange, fixed income, credit, and repo markets. Designed a fault-tolerant, serverless AWS architecture (API Gateway, Lambda, SNS/SQS/S3) with cross-region Disaster Recovery fanout, implemented via ansible-templated CloudFormation, ensuring zero data loss and full recoverability. Enhanced the core application stack by developing a Java and Python data pipeline, optimizing data enrichment and ingestion into Apache Druid, significantly improving performance and user experience.

Software Engineer, ESG Global, Chorley

2020 — 2022

Advanced smart metering technology at ESG Global by developing and maintaining a critical business orchestration layer, ensuring seamless data exchange between energy suppliers and the Data Communications Company. Utilized Java 11, Spring, Hibernate, MS SQL Server, RabbitMQ, and Nifi, applying Test-Driven Development with JUnit and Mockito to enhance system reliability. Managed product roadmap prioritization, approved production change requests, and provided 3rd line support for complex issue resolution. Adopted Agile Kanban workflows, GitFlow branching, and Confluence documentation to drive project transparency and team collaboration.

Java Contractor, Samuel Jackson Ltd, Remote

2015 — 2020

Delivered innovative Java solutions across multiple contracts. At Ribby Hall Village (2018-2020), developed a Spring Boot microservice-based data warehouse, integrating third-party systems (Xledger, Campaign Monitor) via REST, SOAP, and GraphQL APIs. Containerized the solution with Docker, deployed it on Google Cloud’s Kubernetes, and implemented a GitLab CI/CD pipeline for automated testing and deployment. At Co-op (2015-2018), enhanced the Food Retail Business Intelligence Team’s data warehouse with Java worker services for REST API integration, aggregating competitor pricing and weather data, adhering to Agile methodologies and TDD with GitHub version control.

Java Developer, Trinity Logic Ltd, Remote

2006 — 2015

Designed and delivered bespoke software solutions at Trinity Logic Ltd for commercial and individual clients, leveraging open-source technologies such as Spring, Struts2, Tiles, and Hibernate, deployed on MySQL-backed Tomcat/Jetty servers hosted on Linux VPS. Spearheaded the development of a high-engagement social media platform for sharing venue photos across the UK, significantly boosting user interaction. Emphasized agile development practices to deliver cost-effective, high-quality solutions within stringent timelines, enhancing client satisfaction and company reputation.

Java Developer, UBS Warburg, London

2000 — 2006

Contributed to the development and enhancement of Sesame, a Java-based market adaptor at UBS Warburg, standardizing interfaces via Cobra for seamless communication between internal trading systems and European equity/derivative exchanges. Performed rigorous bug fixing, testing, and Java programming to ensure system reliability. Provided 3rd line support for the London user base, resolving complex issues to maintain uninterrupted trading operations, reinforcing the product’s stability in a high-stakes financial environment.

Cambridge University, Wolfson College, Cambridge

1998 — 1999

Diploma of Higher Education in Advanced Course in Design, Manufacture and Management (ACDMM)

Lancaster University, Pendle College, Lancaster

1994 — 1998

1st Class Master's in Mechanical Engineering

Blackpool 6th form College, Blackpool

1992 — 1994

-A Level's in Pure Maths, Applied Maths, Physics, Chemistry & Engineering Drawing

Hodgson High School, Poulton le Fylde

1987 — 1992

GCSE's in English Language & Literature, Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Information Technology, Geography, French, Art, Music

Tech

Java

95%

Spring Boot

90%

Python

75%

VBA

70%

JavaScript

70%

TypeScript

70%

Google Script

60%

C / C++

50%

Assembly

50%

Db

PostgreSQL

85%

MySQL

85%

MS SQL Server

80%

SQLite

70%

H2

70%

Teradata

50%

MongoDB

60%

DynamoDB

60%

Redis

50%

Apache Druid

50%

Pinecone

50%

Cloud

AWS CDK

80%

CloudFormation

75%

Ansible

70%

Docker

70%

Kubernetes

55%

Infra

Bash Scripting

70%

Jenkins

70%

GitHub Actions

80%

Linux

95%

Windows

95%

MacOS

50%