GroundsureNew product
Highways Product
Built a new product from concept to market launch, working directly with the Product Director and delivering on schedule.
Senior Developer at Groundsure
Josh
Hemsley.
Senior Software Developer. Ruby first, with TypeScript and AWS.
Full-stack developer with 7+ years of commercial experience. Most of my time goes into Ruby, building report systems that stay fast and dependable as volumes grow. I put real time into mentoring the developers around me.
7+ yrscommercial software development
3,000+reports a day served to conveyancers
£40m+annual revenue through the Ruby system I maintain
About
From recruitment to software
I moved into development after working in recruitment. That background still shapes how I work. I start from what the business actually needs, then look for the simplest system that delivers it and keeps working when the load grows.
At Groundsure I work on the Ruby report platform that conveyancers and solicitors rely on every day. I lead projects on it from start to finish. Alongside that I build TypeScript API services on MongoDB. I also run teams within our sprints and mentor junior developers from first ticket to production.
Ruby & Rails
Expert-level Ruby and Rails, including major version upgrades and database migrations.
TypeScript & React
API microservices on MongoDB, plus React frontends.
AWS & cloud
Solid working knowledge of EC2, ECS, Lambda, S3 and the wider AWS ecosystem.
Project leadership
Leading projects, running teams within sprints, mentoring and taking products from concept to launch.
What drives me
Better software for moving home
I really enjoy working in the conveyancing world. Every report I help produce sits inside someone's house move, and that process is still slower and more stressful than it needs to be for buyers, sellers and the lawyers in between.
A lot of that friction comes down to software. Data is hard to reach, searches take too long and handoffs still rely on someone chasing an email. I want to help change that by building tools that get conveyancers clear answers sooner, so they can spend their time advising clients instead of on admin.
Faster answers
Reports that come back quickly and reliably, even at peak volume.
Clearer risk
Findings a conveyancer can explain to their client in a sentence.
Fewer manual steps
Automation that saves human review for the cases that need it.
Experience
Where I've worked
Seven years across HR software and environmental data, from bootcamp graduate to senior developer on a revenue-critical platform.
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Apr 2024 – Present
Senior Developer · Groundsure
I maintain the Ruby report system that generates £40m+ in annual revenue and lead projects on it from start to finish. Within our sprints I run teams, mentor junior developers and architect new microservices. The platform serves 3,000+ reports a day to conveyancers and solicitors.
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Sep 2021 – Mar 2024
Developer · Groundsure
Full-stack work on environmental data platforms across Ruby backends, React frontends and AWS. Took part in major upgrades including the move to Ruby 3.1 and the migration from MSSQL to PostgreSQL.
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May 2019 – Sep 2021
Ruby Developer · BreatheHR
One of a team of seven taking projects from concept to delivery. Built new products including Breathe Rota and adapted the platform for international markets, with Rails APIs serving React frontends and mobile apps.
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2019
Bootcamp Graduate · Makers Academy
An intensive 16-week course in Ruby, Rails and JavaScript, grounded in TDD, pair programming and agile delivery.
Projects
Selected work
New products, platform rebuilds and the quieter work that saves money and hours.
GroundsureAutomation
Automation Intelligence
Cut manual work in report generation with the VP of Operations, so only reports that need a human review get one.
GroundsureInfrastructure
AWS Cost Optimisation
Consolidated EC2 instances, moved workloads to ECS and Lambda and tuned S3 storage classes for a significant cost reduction.
GroundsureReport section
ClimateIndex™
Built a new report section from scratch around complex business logic, test-driven so it stays easy to extend.
GroundsureDesign system
Commercial Product Redesign
A new design system for an existing platform over four months, built alongside product and design to roll out across other products.
BreatheHRLocalisation
Breathe Australia
Adapted the Breathe platform for the Australian market, covering localisation, compliance and market-specific features.
Contact
Let's work together.
I'm always happy to talk about new opportunities, hard problems and good ideas.