Matt Waterworth

Full Stack Developer, AI Engineer & Solution Architect

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Professional Summary

Senior Full Stack Developer & AI Engineer with 15+ years of experience building scalable web applications and 3+ years integrating AI-powered systems. Deeply experienced in PHP (Laravel, Symfony) and equally comfortable across Python, Node.js, and modern JavaScript frameworks (Vue.js, React, Angular). Language-agnostic by philosophy — I believe in choosing the best tool for the job. Proven track record of architecting end-to-end solutions, designing robust APIs, and embedding AI/ML capabilities that drive real business outcomes.

Education: Bachelor's Degree in Interactive Multimedia Design — University of Ulster at Jordanstown

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Professional Experience

Full Stack Developer, AI Engineer & 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
  • Managed development lifecycle using Agile methodology with sprint planning, daily standups, and retrospectives
  • Deployed and maintained production infrastructure on AWS (EC2, RDS, S3, CloudFront) with automated CI/CD pipelines

Senior Full Stack Developer

Sep 2025 – Nov 2025

WORK NEST, Chester

  • Architected and developed ScormNest: proprietary SCORM course hosting LMS using Laravel backend with hybrid React and Vue.js frontend
  • Implemented comprehensive SCORM 1.2 and 2004 compliance enabling seamless e-learning content delivery and tracking for enterprise clients
  • Developed advanced course analytics dashboard with React components providing real-time learner progress tracking and completion metrics
  • Integrated RESTful API layer enabling third-party LMS integrations and automated course content syndication
  • Followed Agile/Scrum methodology with 2-week sprints, facilitating cross-functional team collaboration and iterative delivery

Senior Full Stack 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
  • Worked within Agile methodology delivering features in 2-week sprints with Jira-managed backlogs and regular stakeholder demos
  • Orchestrated AWS cloud deployments using EC2, RDS, and S3 with DigitalOcean
  • Integrated AI API (OpenAI) for intelligent candidate-to-role matching and automated CV parsing

Full Stack 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 Full Stack 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
  • 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 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

Full Stack Developer

Feb 2019 – Feb 2020

SONY ATV PUBLISHING, London

  • 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