CV / Résumé
Richard Pickup
Software Engineer
Software Engineer with nearly 20 years of experience in the computing and education sectors. Passionate about learning new technologies and frameworks — from enterprise Java at HP to modern Swift, TypeScript, and AI-assisted tooling.
Experience
Freelance Developer
Self-employed UK- Mobile application development in React Native and Expo SDK, and native iOS development in Swift and SwiftUI.
- Frontend development in TypeScript with React, Next.js, and SvelteKit / Tailwind CSS.
- Backend development using C# and ASP.Net Web API backed by Postgres.
- Supabase for Postgres hosting and Auth.
- Docker and Git for instance management and version control.
IT Lead, SEN Support Worker & Teaching Assistant
Pear Tree Primary School Nantwich, UK- School-wide curriculum lead for IT across all 7 year groups.
- Special Educational Needs support worker with specialism in Autism and ADHD.
- Created a remote learning solution during the Covid-19 Pandemic.
- Planned the computing curriculum from reception to year 6.
PGCE & Personal Projects
MMU Crewe / Self-directed UK- Studied for the PGCE with a focus on Special Educational Needs (2010–2012).
- Stay at home parent and carer (2013–2019).
- Developed small games and apps using Godot (C#/Python), Unity (C#), Swift, and Xamarin/MAUI.
IT Manager & Software Developer
Pfeifer Drako Ltd Crewe, UK- Developed elevator testing software in WinForms and C# for engineers to capture and transmit testing data onsite.
- Managed the UK IT infrastructure.
- Translated and helped localise the German parent company's stock control and order management system.
Managing Director & Software Developer
UK Infotec Ltd Crewe, UK- Developed a portable sales platform in C# and WinForms used by distributors of one of the world's largest automotive tool companies.
- Created a document storage and retrieval system in .Net and SQL Server for an estate agent.
Application Developer, HP Service Bus Team
Hewlett-Packard GmbH Böblingen, Germany- Designed and developed a Visio-like desktop configuration tool in Java/Swing used worldwide by HP.
- Co-developed Enterprise Java Beans and services on the J2EE Platform (Bluestone).
- Championed and converted the team to unit testing using JUnit.
Web Designer / Developer, HP Europe Web Team
Hewlett-Packard GmbH Böblingen, Germany- Co-wrote applications using HTML/CSS/JS and Coldfusion.
- Worked with HP-UX and Linux servers.
- Created deployment scripts and database migration tools for Oracle.
Student Software Developer
Hewlett-Packard GmbH Böblingen, Germany- 12-month industrial placement, extended to 15 months.
- Worked on one of the world's first multi-national online stores for HP.
- Developed support sites for HP Deskjet printers in UK, Germany, France and Sweden.
Education
2011 – 2012
PGCE Teaching Studies
Manchester Metropolitan University
1996 – 2000
BSc (Hons) Computing Science 2:1 with MFL German
Staffordshire University
1994 – 1996
A-Levels: Computing, General Studies
South Cheshire College
Skills
Languages
Frameworks
Tools
Key Achievements
#
Worked on one of the world's first multi-national online stores for Hewlett-Packard.
#
Built a full-featured Java/Swing desktop application with J2EE backend, deployed worldwide by HP.
#
Created a distributed sales platform in C# WinForms/WPF for distributors of one of the world's largest automotive tool companies.
#
Built a custom online learning solution for a primary school during the Covid-19 pandemic.