Graham Cole
Technical Lead Software Engineer @Cole Retail
Signup · Get unlimited contacts
WORK HISTORY
Technical Lead Software Engineer @Cole Retail
I’ve been responsible for designing, building, and evolving the core systems that support a live e-commerce and fulfilment operation.My work has focused on building software that supports real-world workflows, including warehouse management, order processing, dashboards, integrations, and internal tooling where reliability and performance matter because the business depends on them day to day.I designed and built a custom warehouse management system supporting the full fulfilment lifecycle, from order ingestion through picking, packing, and dispatch. This enabled a small team to process up to 450 orders per day before carrier collection, with peak throughput exceeding 100 orders per hour and volumes of over 1,200 parcels in a single day.Much of the work has involved evolving systems over time, improving structure, performance, and reliability while keeping them stable in production. That includes refactoring legacy code, introducing clearer separation of concerns, and building systems in a way that makes future change easier.Technically, I’ve worked primarily with PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, JavaScript, and Linux-based environments, building REST APIs and structured MVC applications, including a bespoke framework to support long-term maintainability. I’ve also developed real-time components using WebSockets and built internal tools to support operational visibility and decision-making.Alongside the engineering work, I’ve owned the delivery of these systems end-to-end, working directly with operational stakeholders, prioritising development, and planning changes into live environments where downtime isn’t an option.
EDUCATION
Lincoln College gb
Computing
University of East Anglia
BSc (Hons), Computing Science
ABOUT GRAHAM COLE
I’m a software engineer and technical lead with extensive experience designing, building, and evolving real-world operational systems. My background spans hands-on PHP development, enterprise consulting, QA leadership, and technical delivery across e-commerce, fulfilment, telecommunications, and large-scale digital platforms. I’ve built systems used day to day in live environments, including warehouse management, order processing, dashboards, integrations, and internal tooling where reliability, performance, and maintainability really matter. My work has involved building systems from scratch as well as improving and evolving existing ones over time. I’m comfortable getting inside long-lived codebases, refactoring safely, introducing structure, and making changes without breaking the business around them. I tend to think in terms of separation of concerns, operational impact, and making future change easier. Alongside hands-on engineering, I’ve led technical delivery across systems and projects, working directly with stakeholders to understand requirements, prioritise work, and ensure changes are delivered safely into live environments. Much of that has been in operational contexts where systems are in constant use, so planning, coordination, and risk awareness are essential. I naturally sit between technical and operational teams, translating real-world needs into practical solutions, and balancing delivery with long-term maintainability. Core areas include PHP, MySQL/MariaDB, Linux, REST APIs, MVC architecture, SQL optimisation, WebSockets, and building systems that support real operational workflows.
This profile is compiled from publicly available professional sources. Unifers is not affiliated with or endorsed by LinkedIn. Request removal of this profile.