Rowan Townshend
Senior Mobile Engineer | Manchester | rowan@rtprogramming.co.uk | http://rowant.co.uk
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
Contract mobile developer with over 13 years of experience delivering high-quality iOS applications across retail, banking, betting, and travel sectors, to name a few. Expertise in Swift, SwiftUI, Objective-C, and other mobile platform tools. Proven track record of leading technical transformations, implementing scalable architectures, and mentoring development teams.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Mobile: Swift, SwiftUI, Objective-C, Kotlin | Cross-Platform: React Native, JavaScript, TypeScript, Ruby | Backend: Node.js, Java | Architecture: VIPER, MVVM, Unidirectional Data Flow | Frameworks: Combine, RxSwift, Core Data, GraphQL | Tools: Xcode, TDD, CI/CD, Git, CocoaPods
KEY ACHIEVEMENTS
- Successfully managed multiple contract renewals at Wayfair, demonstrating consistent value delivery.
- Led technical transformations across organisations from legacy to modern architectures.
- Developed automation tools, saving hundreds of development hours across teams.
- Managed international development teams of 80+ developers at a major financial institution.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Wayfair | Senior Mobile Engineer | Oct 2021 – Present (Multiple Renewals) – Contract
- Architected payment systems serving 20+ million users with Apple Pay, PayPal, and Klarna integration.
- Designed unidirectional architecture using Combine/RxSwift across iOS and Android platforms.
- Created a decoupled, modular payments platform enabling independent testing outside the existing monolith.
- Helped migrate the existing BFF solution to a new server UI driven GraphQL approach.
- Leveraged AI tools to accelerate development processes and improve code quality across the team.
GAN | Senior Mobile Engineer | Oct 2020 – Oct 2021 (2 Renewals) – Contract
- Led migration from legacy framework to clean, modular architecture.
- Developed Ruby automation tools, saving hundreds of development hours.
- Successfully introduced SwiftUI and Combine frameworks.
Keytree | Senior Mobile Engineer | Jul 2020 – Oct 2020 (1 Renewal) – Contract
- Enhanced global white-label retail application used by multiple international retailers.
- Championed a unit test-first development approach and improved development processes.
FootAsylum | Senior Mobile Engineer | Feb 2020 – May 2020 – Contract
- Built an innovative in-store app using barcode scanning and ML-powered image recognition.
- Greenfield development, reducing lost sales through advanced computer vision technology.
BBC | Senior Mobile Engineer | Feb 2019 – Feb 2020 (1 Renewal) – Contract
- Developed a children’s games framework enabling JavaScript games on iOS and Android.
- Implemented VIPER architecture with a comprehensive UI test suite.
Barclays | Lead iOS Developer | Mar 2018 – Feb 2019
- Led development team of 80+ developers across multiple international locations.
- Managed complex release cycles, coordinating developers, testers, and delivery managers.
- Established strict security guidelines, maintaining the highest standards for financial applications.
Travel Counsellors | Senior iOS Developer | Mar 2017 – Mar 2018
- Established complete development processes for a new mobile app team, including CI/CD integration.
- Prototyped a tvOS application extending a mobile solution to the Apple TV platform.
- Implemented cloud-based automated testing systems, improving deployment confidence.
Degree 53 | iOS Developer | Sep 2013 – Mar 2015
- Managed native development team, ensuring effective processes and rapid issue resolution.
- Mentored junior developers in TDD practices and software engineering principles.
- Created an internal framework suite via a private CocoaPods repository, reducing dependencies.
Betfred | Junior iOS Developer | Feb 2013 – Sep 2013
- Authored coding standards and project guidelines establishing development best practices.
- Participated in technical interviews and candidate evaluation processes.
EDUCATION
Manchester Metropolitan University – Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Games Technology – 2:1 Honours