James Ferrell

About James Ferrell

I’m a Lead Software Engineer focused on building high-impact systems and high-trust teams. I think in patterns, operate with empathy, and solve complex problems by making things simple and obvious.Right now, I lead the top-of-funnel team for a multi billion dollar ecommerce platform — owning mission-critical domains like the home, category, and product pages. My strength isn’t just technical (though I still write a solid amount of code)—it’s operational clarity and team flow. I get the right people in the right room, align product and engineering, and help teams move with clarity and purpose.I come from a nontraditional background, as only a handful of years ago I was bartending in fine dining. I bring that same calm under pressure mindset to tech through thoughtful communication, attention to detail, and a service-oriented approach to leadership. I might not always be the most technical person in the room (usually by choice, I love to tap in an expert), but I’m often the one who helps everyone else do some of their best work.Platform and architecture thinking is also at the heart of how I operate. I care deeply about performance, developer experience, high code quality standards, and documentation that actually helps people. I lead by example, and I push for systems and practices that scale across codebases, teams, and people.I’m drawn to meaningful products and kind teams with high standards for quality, especially those working in AI, fitness, plants, or anything animal-related.Positive vibe, humble style, bold impact. While my brain works a little differently than most others, that’s the energy I try to bring to life everyday.Check me out here https://jamesferrell.dev

Experience

1. Lead Software Engineer

   Ferguson

   Aug 2021 — Present

   Lead the Top-of-Funnel team for multi billion dollar ecomm platform (Ferguson Home), owning mission-critical pages serving millions of monthly visitors including home, product, and category pages• Architect and scope technical solutions with minimal guidance, making strategic decisions on project direction and implementation approach• Mentor 2-3 engineers through rotating cohorts, improving development velocity and PR cycle efficiency; advocated for mentee promotion after demonstrating readiness for business-facing project ownership• Integrated 2 engineers from acquired business during organizational merger, providing clarity and technical support during period of uncertainty; both became high-performing contributors within months• Architected and delivered review system optimization across 500K+ products, separating static and dynamic data to eliminate redundant API calls and replacing inefficient cache (<10% hit rate) with Apollo- based solution• Collaborate cross-functionally with product and design teams to assess technical feasibility early, preventing investment in non-viable initiatives and routing complex problems to appropriate technical experts• Serve as host of engineering guild, growing regular attendance by ~30% through curated topics and improved structure; facilitate discussions on emerging technologies and team practices• Leverage React, Node, Apollo/GraphQL in main codebase to deliver high- performance, maintainable features with strong emphasis on code quality and documentation standards

Education

• Ohio University

  B.S., Business Administration and Management, General