Johnathan
Mawdsley
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A person you can build with

I’m Johnathan.
An engineer.
A product builder.

I like making software useful. That starts with understanding what someone actually needs, and sometimes telling them to build less.

I work independently with businesses and product teams. You talk to me, I do the work, and we stay clear about what is happening and why.

Johnathan Mawdsley
Johnathan Mawdsley · Independent software engineer

Start with what
customers can actually use.

I saved a client thousands by recommending and building a focused portal instead of the larger product they had planned. The MVP reached real users, and the result earned their trust. They chose me as their long term development partner on a paid twelve month retainer.

Read that story

Experience

Software in
the real world.

Public services, agency products, healthcare, maritime autonomy and independent apps.

2025 to now

Independent software delivery

I work with a varied mix of clients who need clear technical guidance, hands on software builds, or dependable maintenance and improvement of existing systems.

Technical guidance, focused builds, software improvements, maintenance, and ongoing engineering support
2022 to 2025

Cornwall Council

Front End Developer at Headforwards

At Headforwards, I helped architect and deliver Cornwall Council’s modernised resident portal. I worked on the public facing experience, backend services and integrations with the council’s internal systems. I also contributed to automated testing and release pipelines so changes could be delivered and maintained reliably.

Project outcome
The work helped save thousands of staff hours and improve the experience for residents using high volume council services.

C#, ASP.NET Core, Razor, TypeScript, Azure Functions, Azure DevOps

Selected technologies from the role, not a recommendation for your next project.

2021 to 2022

Elixel

Web and mobile delivery for successful businesses, startups, and public facing products.

React, Next.js, TypeScript, Ionic, client delivery, design collaboration
2020

Marine AI

Software quality assurance on the Mayflower Autonomous Ship, an AI autonomous vessel recreating the Mayflower voyage.

AI autonomy, maritime software, quality assurance, vessel operations, real world testing
2019 to 2020

Amano Support

I worked on an operational platform for scheduling, session records and reporting, helping replace manual administration with tools that supported the day to day running of the business.

Mobile, desktop, SQL Server, support workflows, production business tooling
2018

MS Trust

Clinical trial tooling for patient data entry and clinician oversight.

React Native, TypeScript, healthcare research, data collection, secure workflows

Agency contributions

Part of the team
at Elixel.

A selection of products I contributed to through Elixel in 2021 to 2022. These were agency engagements, not my independent clients.

WPA Insurance logoWPA Insurance
PallEx logoPallEx
LiveWest logoLiveWest
Hunrosa logoHunrosa
University of Plymouth logo for MySocial PrescriptionMySocial Prescription
Sleep Wise App logoSleep Wise App
Wholesome World logoWholesome World
NetHabit logoNetHabit

Reviews and recommendations

What clients and
colleagues say.

“We engaged Johnathan initially for a portal build, which he handled incredibly efficiently and proactively. Never bringing any problems to your door, Johnathan goes above and beyond offering strategic input, as well as tactical execution.

I would recommend him (and have!) to all I work with who need any support in anything relating to websites, automations, and back end development. Honestly cannot recommend highly enough.

We have engaged him on a semi permanent basis as our development partner, where he continues to shine.”

Provided directly by the client

Lightly edited for spelling and grammar.

From the people I’ve worked alongside.

Recommendations from former managers and teammates.

Rebecca Veater

Co founder and Technical Director at Elixel

“…an ambitious and pragmatic developer with a keen curiosity for good development practices.”

James Hunt

Software engineer

“It was great to work alongside another driven, talented and passionate software developer.”

Sam Perry

Former teammate

“…his aptitude for learning new technologies is something to be admired.”

William Vernon

Software developer

“John will never hesitate to help a team member who needs it and possesses incredible talent with communication.”

Tony Edwards

Software Cornwall mentoring

“His passion, positive attitude and knowledge have been a great help during the expansion phase of the program.”

Talk directly to the engineer

Let’s talk about
your project.

Share what the software needs to do, what is already in place and any deadline. We can talk it through, or you can send a brief.

We agree the scope, deliverables and price before any work begins.