Matt Waterworth

Full Stack PHP Web Developer & Solution Architect

Contact 〰️

Professional Summary 〰️

Senior Full Stack PHP Web Developer with 10+ years of specialized PHP development experience and 12+ years in comprehensive web application development. Expert in modern PHP frameworks (Laravel, Symfony), frontend technologies (Vue.js, React, Angular), and complete LAMP/LEMP stack development. Proven track record of architecting scalable web applications, implementing robust APIs, and delivering end-to-end solutions that drive business growth and user engagement.

Personal Skills 〰️

Strategic Leadership

Stakeholder Management

Problem Solving

Adaptability

Team Leadership

Core Technical Competencies 〰️

PHP Development (7.4-8.2)

Laravel & Symfony

Frontend (Vue.js, React, Angular)

Database (MySQL, PostgreSQL)

API Development & Testing

Download CV 〰️

Professional Experience 〰️

Full Stack PHP Developer & Founder

Feb 2025 - Present

BETTERWITHOUTBOOZE.ME, Remote

  • Architected and developed comprehensive Laravel-based recovery platform serving 500+ active users with 99.9% uptime
  • Implemented complex PHP backend services with Eloquent ORM managing 250+ database tables and relationships
  • Built responsive Vue.js frontend components with Tailwind CSS for personalized user experiences
  • Developed RESTful API endpoints with Laravel Sanctum authentication, processing 10,000+ daily API requests
  • Integrated AI-powered recommendation system working with MCP server to analyze user motivations and provide personalized recovery guidance
  • Established automated testing suite with PHPUnit achieving 85% code coverage across all modules

Senior Full Stack PHP Developer

Sep 2024 - Feb 2025

CAREER CONNECT, Liverpool

  • Led development of Laravel Nova admin system managing 50,000+ records with optimized MySQL queries reducing load times by 60%
  • Implemented comprehensive database migration strategy converting legacy hard-coded data into flexible Laravel models
  • Built TeacherZone portal using Laravel 11 backend with Vue.js frontend, serving 200+ educational professionals
  • Developed custom Artisan commands for data processing, automating workflows that previously required 10+ hours weekly
  • Established coding standards using PSR-12 and implemented pre-commit hooks with PHP CodeSniffer
  • Optimized application performance through Laravel caching strategies and database indexing

Full Stack PHP Developer

Mar 2024 - Aug 2024

MINDFLOW RUN, Remote

  • Developed mental health web application using Laravel 10 with integrated payment processing via Stripe API
  • Built comprehensive API integrations (Strava, Garmin Connect, Google Maps) handling 5,000+ daily external API calls
  • Implemented responsive Angular frontend with real-time data visualization using ApexCharts
  • Designed MySQL database schema with optimized relationships supporting complex user activity tracking
  • Deployed application using Docker containers with automated CI/CD pipeline reducing deployment time by 75%

Senior PHP Developer

Nov 2021 - Jan 2024

TEXTHELP, Antrim

  • Architected Project Bluefin: SugarCRM integration platform handling dual database synchronization with 99.5% data accuracy
  • Developed SugarHive: Custom Laravel application automating development environment provisioning, reducing setup time from 4 hours to 15 minutes
  • Implemented comprehensive PHPUnit test suite with 90+ test coverage across critical business logic modules
  • Optimized legacy PHP codebase improving application performance by 45% through query optimization and caching
  • Mentored junior developers on PHP best practices, SOLID principles, and Laravel framework conventions

Full Stack PHP E-Commerce Developer

May 2020 - Aug 2021

UENI, London

  • Engineered scalable SaaS e-commerce platform using Laravel with multi-tenant architecture supporting 1,000+ merchants
  • Developed custom templating engine enabling rapid theme deployment with PHP-based template inheritance
  • Implemented secure payment processing with Stripe and PayPal APIs, processing £2M+ in annual transactions
  • Built comprehensive admin dashboard with real-time analytics using Chart.js and Laravel WebSockets
  • Deployed microservices architecture using Docker and Kubernetes on AWS, achieving 99.8% uptime

PHP Developer

Feb 2019 - Feb 2020

SONY ATV PUBLISHING, London

  • Developed secure e-commerce platform for music licensing using Symfony 4 with comprehensive user authentication
  • Built AngularJS frontend interface consuming RESTful APIs with JWT token-based authentication
  • Implemented comprehensive testing strategy using PHPUnit and Behat for behavior-driven development
  • Ensured code quality compliance with PHPCS and integrated automated testing into Git workflow

Education & Certifications 〰️

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science | University of Ulster at Jordanstown

Professional Certifications: Laravel Certified Developer | Laravel Certification Program; AWS Certified Developer Associate | Amazon Web Services; Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) | Scrum Alliance

Notable Achievements: Reduced application deployment time by 80% through Docker containerization and CI/CD implementation; Achieved 99.9% uptime across all production applications through robust error handling and monitoring; Optimized database queries resulting in 65% average improvement in page load times; Built reusable PHP component library adopted across 5+ company projects, reducing development time by 30%; Mentored 8+ junior developers in PHP best practices and modern development workflows.