Alex Edwards
alex@lexedwards.com - https://lexedwards.com - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexedwards
Summary
Senior Software Engineer operating at Staff-level scope, with experience shaping iPlayer architecture and shipping services across web, mobile and TV. I apply strong systems thinking to ambiguous technical work, connecting product, architecture and operational concerns across team boundaries. I mentor engineers and improve delivery through platform engineering, DevSecOps and responsible use of AI, with a focus on reliable systems and developer tooling that make products easier to evolve.
Professional Experience
Senior Software Engineer - iPlayer Business Layer
BBC, UK
2024–Present
- Turned an ambiguous target architecture into an incremental roadmap, then applied systems thinking to shape and build the Business Layer linking editorial publishing to client apps across teams.
- Delivered the Business Layer for two cross-team experiments. Versus control, Films raised video starts 10%; FIFA World Cup raised plays per user 49% and doubled the share watching live and on-demand.
- Designed a homepage recommendation experiment that vertically ranked five iPlayer rows, increasing plays from authenticated users by 18.7%, then coordinated its cross-team rollout.
- Established responsible, evidence-led use of AI across the SDLC, using evals and continuous improvement to adapt custom skills, agents and hooks that guardrail agentic workflows.
- Mentored and coached engineers one-to-one and across teams, quickly learning their domains to help. Shared DevOps, AWS and AI-assisted SDLC practices through knowledge shares, forums and communities.
- Coordinated the response to the Shai-Hulud supply-chain attack and wrote guidance across three teams. Added security scans, quality checks, tests and deployment controls to CI/CD for over 50 services.
Senior Software Engineer - iPlayer Web
BBC, UK
2023–2024
- Strengthened secure production delivery by leading DevSecOps workshops on practical security practices.
- Strengthened reliability and operational readiness by defining load-testing strategy and driving technical debt improvements.
Software Engineer - iPlayer Web
BBC, UK
2022–2023
- Improved test maintainability and developer experience across multiple teams and micro front-ends by standardising use of a bespoke testing framework and reducing technical debt.
Software Engineer
Imaginative Software Ltd, UK
2020–2022
Web Developer
Vietnam
2017
Lead Developer
Coventry University
2014
Expertise and Skills
AI
Agentic Engineering, AI-Augmented Software Development, Context Engineering, OpenCode, Github Copilot, Claude Code
Cloud
AWS (Compute, IAM, Security), Infrastructure as Code (Cfn, CDK, Terraform), DevOps and CI/CD, Linux SysOps, Containerisation (Docker, ECS, EKS)
Languages and Frameworks
Node.js, TypeScript, Go, Rust, Bash, React
Architecture & Design
Systems Thinking, Distributed Systems, Microservices, Containerisation, Data Modelling, RESTful APIs, Cloud Security, Threat Modelling, Agile Methodologies
DevOps & CI/CD
Git, Pipeline Automation, Security Champion
Communication & Collaboration
Project Leadership, Technical Documentation, Knowledge Sharing Presentations, Agile Methodologies, ADR/RFC Processes
Certifications
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional (SAP-C02)
AWS
Target: Q3 2026
Security Engineering on AWS
QA
2024
Advanced Developing on AWS
QA
2024
Advanced Architecting on AWS
QA
2023
Threat Modelling
JBI
2023
SSL/TLS and Internet PKI
Feisty Duck
2022
Education
BA (Hons.) Photography
Coventry University, UK