Hello, I'm Gareth Senior

Northerner, Coder, Pythonista, Dog-Walker, Gentleman, Runner, Strummer, Optimist.

About Me

I was born in the Yorkshire town of Holmfirth, a place most famous for the long-running BBC sitcom Last Of The Summer Wine - I am adept at riding down a hill in a bathtub.

I attended Holmfirth High School from 1985-90. I sat A-Levels at Greenhead College in Huddersfield before studying at Edge Hill College, Ormskirk 1992-1995. After a brief career as a journalist and writer, I attained a Master's degree in Designing Worldwide Interactive Systems from the University of Huddersfield in 1999.

I've lived in London since 2000, during which time I've worked as a Designer, Web Developer, Software Engineer, Technical Lead and Engineering Manager for Wise.com, Ocado Technology, Sainsbury's, Global Radio, Capital Radio Group, GCap Media PLC, BBC Worldwide and EMAP Automotive.

Skillset

I'm from a design and front-end background and have worked with HTML, JavaScript and CSS since 2000. For a few years I built a lot of games in Macromedia Flash with ActionScript.

In 2006 I started working with Python using the Django framework. I've worked with most iterations of the framework from 0.96 onwards.

In 2016 I moved to work at Sainsbury's and developed microservices using Python and Go Lang.

In 2027 I joined Ocado Technology building an in-house development platform running on AWS.

I've run development teams and line-managed developers since 2006.

Key Technical Skills

  • Python
  • TDD
  • Microservices
  • Postgres
  • Amazon Web Services
  • Team management, mentoring and coaching
  • HTML, CSS
  • Django
  • JavaScript
  • Agile Methodologies
  • Go Lang
  • User experience

Work History

LinkedIn

Everything you read here is just a weak and outdated facsimilie of my LinkedIn Profile. Go there for the latest and greatest information.

November 2019 - July 2026: Engineering Manager
May 2017 - November 2019: Cloud Services Engineer
Ocado Technology

Working with devops and engineering teams building tooling software and managing AWS infrastructure for Ocado's cloud-native "smart platform". Key AWS services: RDS , Elasticache, IAM , ECS , KMS , S3 , Ec2.

February 2016 - May 2017: Lead Software Developer
Sainsbury's

Worked with small cross-functional teams on projects that included:

  • A service that served an a central interface to Nectar's API. Structured as a suite of Go Lang microservices, provisioned using Ansible and deployed on AWS
  • An algorithm-driven engine that automated the re-ordering of stock in order to maximise availability and minimise waste. Python project
  • A personalisation system to generate offers and incentives for customers based on their buying habits. Microservices written in Python and Golang, deployed on AWS using Docker and Kubernetes

June 2011 - February 2016: Technical Lead
Global Radio

Managed a team of developers. Technical Lead for front-end development, focusing on: content managed radio-sites, online radio players, mobile applications.

August 2007 - June 2011: Software Developer
Global Radio

Agile web development with Python, Django, MySQL & ElasticSearch. Part of a small team that managed websites for major radio brands: XFM, Radio X, Classic FM, Capital FM, Capital XTRA, Smooth Radio, Big Top 40 and Heart.

April 2006 – August 2007: Senior Web Developer
BBC Worldwide

Senior Developer / Technical Project Manager developing content sites for magazine brands: TopGear.com, RadioTimes.com, BBCGoodFood.com, GardenersWorld.com and BBC Girl Talka>.

February 2000 – April 2006: Web Designer/Developer
GCap Media plc / Capital Radio Group

Front-end development for an in-house content management system. Design and build of short-term tactical marketing sites for major events and commercial clients. Online games in Flash/Actionscript and Shockwave/Lingo. Brand design and creative direction.

Formal Qualifications

  • 2000 - MSc. 'Designing Worldwide Interactive Systems', University of Huddersfield
  • 1995 - BSc. (Hons) 'Communication & Information Media', Lancaster University
  • 1992 - 4 A-Levels in 'Pure Mathematics & Statistics', 'Engish Language', 'Sociology', 'General Studies', Greenhead College
  • 1990 - GCSEs, Holmfirth High School

Contact Me

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Summary

Gareth Senior is a British Software Developer & Engineering Manager. Specialties: Python & Cloud-based applications on AWS. developer management, mentoring and leadership.

Gareth has written this final section of his site in the third-person for SEO reasons. He imagines this is the text that appears as the site summary in search results.

Last update: 24th July 2026