Senior Frontend Developer · Tsogolo Technologies, South Africa

I'm John
Francis Fidelis.

Senior Frontend Developer with 6+ years building web and mobile products using React, TypeScript, JavaScript, and modern frontend tooling. Delivered frontend work across fintech, e-commerce, construction-tech, and AI products in Africa and Europe, with hands-on ownership of architecture, UI/UX delivery, and live projects.

About
Current role
Senior Frontend Developer
Tsogolo Technologies, South Africa
Specialisation
Frontend · Fullstack
AI Integration · Mobile
Education
Computer Engineering
University of Uyo
Training
Project Management
London-based training provider
Started
2020 · FutureLabs

Building from the ground up since 2020

My journey into software development began in early 2020, right after completing secondary education. I joined FutureLabs not just as a student, but eager to break into the tech world. What started as a learning phase quickly grew into something bigger: I mastered frontend development rapidly, moving from beginner to mentoring new students and contributing to real-world client projects.

While at FutureLabs, I co-founded Styley, a startup within the innovation hub, alongside my friend Justin Mark. That experience shaped my understanding of product development, teamwork, and the realities of building from scratch.

I went on to take a Lead Engineer role at Fredans Technology, building MVPs for SMEs and startups. Then came AI, I integrated OpenAI's API into production applications, exploring automation, NLP, and AI-enhanced user experiences.

Since then I've shipped across construction, finance, e-commerce, and AI, including work with Budova Engineering in Ukraine, and currently serving as Senior Frontend Developer at Tsogolo Technologies in South Africa, where I am the sole frontend developer, working closely with a backend engineer. My largest project there has been leading frontend development, end to end, of a data-bridge analytics dashboard for one of South Africa's largest telecom providers, a Vodafone Group company.

Alongside client and employed work, I build personal projects to deepen specific skills, most recently Sportiya, an AI-powered sports prediction agent I built solo to strengthen my hands-on experience with AI integration, from conversational interfaces to probability-based prediction models.

Across these roles I've worked comfortably as both a solo contributor and within larger teams, using Git and GitHub with a solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines, and following Agile methodology day to day. I bring practical project management skills to that work too, using SWOT analysis and clear priority measures to plan delivery, and assigning tasks sensibly under limited time or manpower. I've also taken project management coursework with a London-based training provider, covering these same frameworks in more depth.

Experience

Where I've worked

Tsogolo Technologies
South Africa
tsogolo.com ↗
Senior Frontend Developer
  • Sole frontend developer on the team, owning the full frontend architecture, component design, and UI/UX delivery pipeline, working in close daily collaboration with a backend engineer to ship production features end to end.
  • Leading frontend development, largely independently, of a data-bridge analytics dashboard for one of South Africa's largest telecom providers, a Vodafone Group company, turning complex, high-volume data feeds into clear, performant visual interfaces.
  • Partner directly with product and design stakeholders to scope, design, and deliver scalable UI/UX solutions, maintaining code quality and performance standards across a growing production codebase.
  • Operate as the frontend authority on the team, making architecture and tooling decisions (React, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS) that keep the codebase maintainable as new features and enterprise clients are added.
Budova Engineering
Ukraine, Europe
budovaengineering.com ↗
Frontend Developer
  • Brought in as an external contract specialist after Budova's internal team could not resolve a specific technical challenge, with no internal expertise, documentation, or AI tooling available at the time able to solve it: displaying and converting Autodesk 3D construction models (SVF and SVF2 format) inside a web application.
  • Corresponded directly with Autodesk's own engineering team to obtain undocumented technical guidance, then engineered a working file-conversion and rendering pipeline, delivering a solution the client's internal team had not been able to achieve on their own.
  • Collaborated closely with Budova's lead developer to test and validate the solution against real construction models, iterating until the display was accurate and production-ready.
  • The client considered offering a full-time position in recognition of the work, but the company paused operations shortly after, as the war with Russia began impacting the business.
RASHAI
AI Writing Tool
rashfordai.com ↗
Full Stack & AI Developer
  • Worked within a small, focused team as the key technical player, taking primary ownership of the web and mobile frontend for an AI-powered writing assistant built on OpenAI's API.
  • Built and shipped core product features including AI paraphrasing, text summarisation, AI-generated content detection, and long-form story writing tools, across both web (React) and mobile (Ionic) surfaces.
  • Integrated OpenAI's API into a production-grade full-stack application, handling prompt design, response streaming, and state management for a responsive, real-time writing experience.
  • Worked closely with the rest of the small team to prioritise features and ship iteratively, acting as the primary technical reference point for frontend and integration decisions.
Fredans Technology
Consulting and Service Agency
fredanstechnology.com ↗
Lead Engineer
  • Serve as Technology Lead of a multi-developer team spanning frontend, backend, and mobile, directing technical delivery across a portfolio of concurrent client engagements for SMEs and startups.
  • Own architecture and technology-stack decisions end to end, from initial scoping and MVP planning through to production launch, across industries including e-commerce, fintech, education, logistics, and service marketplaces.
  • Write and review frontend and full-stack code alongside the team, setting engineering standards and mentoring developers on best practice, code quality, and delivery pace.
  • Manage client relationships and requirements gathering personally, translating business needs into technical roadmaps and realistic delivery timelines under limited team resources.
Future Labs
Innovation Hub
LinkedIn ↗
Frontend Developer & Tutor
  • Collaborated within a cross-functional team of frontend, backend, and UI/UX developers to design and build client solutions across fintech, edtech, e-commerce, and other sectors within the innovation hub.
  • Progressed from beginner to mentor over three years, tutoring and supporting junior developers as they built their own frontend skills and contributed to live client projects.
  • Co-founded Styley, a fashion-tech startup incubated within the lab (2020 to 2022), gaining early exposure to product development, teamwork, and the practical realities of building a company from scratch.
  • Built a strong foundation in frontend fundamentals during this period that underpins my work today, moving from structured learning to shipping real production features for real clients.
Skills

Technologies & capabilities

Frontend
React.js Next.js TypeScript JavaScript HTML CSS Tailwind CSS Bootstrap MUI Vite
Backend & Database
Node.js MongoDB Google Firebase
Mobile
Ionic Capacitor
AI & Tooling
OpenAI API Claude - Anthropic API Gemini API DeepSeek GitHub Vercel
Research & Product
Market Research Product Research User Research Competitive Analysis Growth & SEO Business Development
Growth & CMS
CMS Development Google Ads Conversion Tracking (GA4, Meta Pixel) SEMrush Ahrefs Backlink & DR/DA Analysis PostHog
Engineering & Delivery
CI/CD Pipelines Agile Methodology Git Workflows SWOT Analysis Task Prioritisation & Resource Planning Team Communication
Projects

Selected work, non NDA

"Coding is like a puzzle. Sometimes the best way to solve it is to step back and look at the big picture."

01
Abelusi Livestock Marketplace
A South African-exclusive livestock marketplace: a 5-in-1 system connecting buyers, sellers, veterinary inspections, delivery logistics, and admin management. Built the entire frontend solo, end to end, including full API integration.
ReactJavaScriptNodePython
View project ↗
02
Rash AI: Writing Assistant
AI writing assistant with paraphrasing, AI detection, summarisation, and story writing. Full-stack web and mobile, built within a small team as the key technical player.
ReactOpenAI APIIonicFirebaseNode
View project ↗
03
WallX E-commerce Marketplace
Merchant marketplace with advanced inventory management, B2B APIs, and custom payment integrations for scalable business operations.
Next.jsTypeScriptPythonTailwind
View project ↗
04
Manwaka: Services Platform
Connects service providers with users needing offline services. Web and mobile apps for users, providers, and an admin dashboard.
ReactVitePythonCapacitor
View project ↗
05
Blackboc Financial Management
Core backend for a fintech mobile app handling transactions, dispute resolution, and fiat transfers. Built for security and robust operations.
Next.jsTypeScriptPythonTailwind
View project ↗
06
Rippled School Management
Centralised platform for students, parents, staff, and administrators to manage school activities, finances, and daily operations.
Next.jsTypeScriptNodeTailwind
View project ↗
07
Food Ordering Web App
Seamless food ordering for MWCakes. Browse meals, place orders, and handle delivery details with a clean responsive interface.
ReactJavaScriptMUINode
View project ↗
08
CRM Web Application
Customer relationship management tool with React/Vite frontend and Python backend, managing interactions, sales pipelines, and workflows.
ReactVitePythonJavaScript
View project ↗
09
Netflings & Chill: Dating App
Geolocation-based dating platform with real-time location matchmaking and interactive messaging for finding nearby connections.
ReactVitePythonCSS
View project ↗
10
Sportiya: AI Sports Prediction (Personal Project)
A personal project conceived, built, and grown entirely solo: an AI-powered sports prediction platform combined with a copy-betting marketplace that lets users follow bettors with consistent, verifiable track records.
  • Designed and built the full product solo: an interactive AI chatbot for match analysis, a probability-based prediction engine, and a copy-betting marketplace with transparent, verifiable results.
  • Built the entire stack alone, frontend (React, Next.js), backend and data (Node.js, MongoDB, Firebase), AI integration (OpenAI API), and cross-platform mobile apps (Ionic, Capacitor).
  • Own the full growth function as well as the product: organic SEO strategy and content, tracked with SEMrush and Ahrefs for backlink and domain authority (DR/DA) performance, alongside paid acquisition through Google Ads with Meta Pixel conversion tracking.
  • Grew the platform to 10,000+ monthly users without a marketing team, using the product, technical, and growth skills above together to acquire and retain users in a highly competitive niche.
ReactNext.jsNodeOpenAI APISEO
View project ↗
Contact

Let's build something together

Open to new opportunities, collaborations, and interesting problems.

fidelisjohn836@gmail.com ↗