Curriculum Vitae of Theodore Simon du Plooy Contact me on 081-***-**** or mail me on *******@*****.*** Page 1 A little about myself: CV Contents Index:
I am an experienced, multi-disciplined world-class web veteran, Web & Design ‘All-Rounder’ with over 25 years’ experience in the following fields: Web Design, Front-End Development (UI), WebMastering, eCommerce, Interface Design (both web and software), Print & Graphics Design. I have worked for several large and well known corporates (incl. King Price, Momentum, kulula.com, PrimeMedia subsidiaries) & I have been an integral part of their web teams & projects. I am strong technically and creatively which makes me a very versatile and useful resource. This ability also sets me apart from most of my peers. In recent years, companies have been p1 Introduction, Areas of Expertise,
Personality Profile, Graphic & Web design
keywords & short descriptions
p2 Software design keywords and description;
Current employer: KING PRICE
p3, p4 Employment History
p5 Skills Matrix, Personal Information
utilising me for my excellent web development and front-end coding abilities and ‘Pixel Perfect’ conversions from design to code. I work well independently or part of a team and have experience managing local and off-shore/international teams within a modern Agile environment. I have many years’ experience in the Retail, Small Business & Corporate sectors. This has given me an excellent understanding and grasp of the different requirements and demands of each respective environment. I have also been doing freelance work for many years, completing a wide variety of projects and tasks. All this has been instrumental in giving me a broad as well as focused experience in various fields and has effectively enabled me to become a complete or ‘one stop’, ‘do-it-all’ solution. If you have any questions or if you would like to arrange an interview, please feel free to contact me. Thank you. I’m applying for any of the following positions: Basis and Availability: Contact Details:
Web Front-end Development (presentation layer),
Front-End Manager, UI/UX
eCommerce websites and CMS sites
Software UI design, Mobile Application Interface design
Permanent
Availability negotiable
Remote preferred
(4 years remote experience)
Tel: 081-***-****
Email: *******@*****.***
Some Strong Points:
Out-the-box thinking, creativity, innovation, problem solving and a never-give-up, ‘can-do-it’ attitude are some of my strongest points, all of which I apply to any task that I undertake. Also, having a broad skill set, I am able to apply techniques and skills ‘cross-discipline’, for example: applying layout and typeset knowledge learned from DTP to Web Design and applying Web techniques to Software interface design and visa-versa (SVGs, animations, effects, etc.). Having these qualities allows me to push the limits of professional design and development. Additionally, with a history of working in professional environments and customer focused areas, I have developed a strong customer driven, professional, efficient, pro-active and highly organised work ethic.
Personality Profile:
Friendly and optimistic, positive attitude,
Dedicated and reliable individual, Cope well in times of stress
Creative and innovative
Professional work ethic and attitude
Structured and organised work ethic
Excellent attention to detail
Strong focus, perseverance and endurance. i.e. I have the ability to repeat repetitive menial tasks ‘ad infinitum’, without losing focus, pace and attention to detail
Deadline driven, Team player and leader
Quick learner and always willing to learn
Capable of picking up and mastering new technologies and creative styles quickly and easily
Communicate well with staff on all levels
Excellent customer relations skills – external and internal customers
Work well on my own; self-starter, self-manager
Versatile and adaptable to changing circumstance
Excellent command of the written and spoken word
Great admin skills; natural born administrator
Analytical / problem solving and ‘reverse engineering’ mind-set Graphic Design Quick Keywords & Description (i.e. in a Nutshell):
Professional ‘Ad Agency’ class
Golden Ratio and Grid based
design layouts and templates
Logos and complete C.I. (incl. docs)
Web graphics and banners
Professional ads
Professional photo-manipulation
Artwork + ‘wow’ backgrounds
Vector tracing
Vector deep-etching
Label designs
Layouts, covers
Catalogues and magazines
Vector graphics (incl. icons)
Wire-frames, flow charts
Software visuals / UIs
I am not limited to just one style of design and can successfully design according to a client's specifications. I can design for both Print and Digital. Furthermore, I can copy and design any style (useful for picking up someone else's work). I also keep track of the latest developments in the fields of graphic design (incl. DTP, Art, web and software), and as a result, I’m continuously improving my skills. I have a very good eye for quality graphic design and font usage. My style is clean, balanced, ‘tight‘, modern, functional and professional.
Fluent in the following Software: Corel X8+ (Vector & Raster. Adobe also) Figma, Zeplin experience (for design and styling resources) Web Design and Development Quick Keywords & Description:
World-Class standards compliant
websites (dynamic or static)
Online stores / eCommerce
Full Joomla websites (any CMS)
Templating (Responsive expert)
Advanced HTML 4 + HTML 5, CSS 3
PHP + MySQL, Smarty templating
CSS: incl. Advanced filter effects and
CSS Typeset design + print media
Bootstrap / any CSS framework
Very strong hand-coding ability
jQuery / Javascript
Interface and GUI design
Multiple resolution support
SVG and PNG techniques
Browser Compatibility
Website applications
Technical tables
Converting large quantities
of information and tables
SEO and Web Tracking
Web Forms expert
I have been involved since the start of the commercial Internet / Web era
(2000). As a result, I’ve witnessed many changes, new technologies, browsers and innovations throughout the years and have had to adapt to all of it. I know what it takes to create a world-class website, how to maintain and run it and how it is essential to – and how it integrates into – a company’s overall functioning and overall marketing strategies. I have an excellent ‘standards compliant’ coding ability, innovative mindset and excellent attention to detail. I know how to use space effectively, how to create easy, efficient and effective navigation, page layouts and User Interfaces. Also, I have experience operating in a wide variety of Dev Environments / Frameworks, from React, C#.Net, Java, Frameworks & CMSes and classic HTML static sites. Software & Technology Packages: VS Code, VS Pro, IntelliJ, NetBeans, Joomla / VirtueMart, WordPress, Drupal, Thirty Bees, Magento Curriculum Vitae of Theodore Simon du Plooy Contact me on 081-***-**** or mail me on *******@*****.*** Page 2 Software Interface Design and Front-end Interface development:
Effective, professional, modern, cutting-edge UI design
XML / Android, XAML + WPF, WinForms coding and styling
PNG, SVG & XAML graphics, design elements
Can style complete list of software interface elements, i.e. buttons, checkboxes, calendars, scrollbars, datagrids, tables, etc.
Experienced in implementing effects such as animation, transparencies, glow styles and more
XML / WPF ‘Style Sheets’ or Resource Dictionary experience
Can style both desktop software and mobile application interfaces I have successfully designed and developed several commercial software GUIs throughout my career using a variety of technologies. I started on Windows Forms and Magic then XAML/WPF in an application used by pilots on commercial flights, and most recently XML/Android in an experimental app project. I am able to implement UI/UX and web best practices onto software GUI design and have the technical expertise and creative ability to learn new technologies and creative design techniques in this fast moving sector. Software Packages for Software Interface Design: IntelliJ / Android Studio, Visual Studio, Corel; Microsoft Blend. XAML & WPF, UXPin, Figma, Zeplin, Windows Forms and Magic
Current Employment Details: King Price / Porcupine Union About:
I am currently employed as a Front End Developer Manager + Senior Front End Developer for King Price under its sub company Porcupine Union.
Dates: Employed from May 2021 to current (2023). Duration: 2 years.
Brought on to take care of the front-end presentation of the websites and customer Self Service Portal and to improve the implementation of the designs from the UX department, to train and improve the developers on front-end implementation and to be a bridge between the UX and Development departments.
Reason for leaving: Career growth.
Task, duties and responsibilities in brief:
Custodian of the front-end presentation layer of KingPrice South Africa and Namibia as well as the King Price Self Service Portal, Partners website and other web properties both local and international.
Both Senior Front-End Developer and Front End Developer Manager
Coded pixel perfect replicas of the designs given to us by UX (in Figma/Zeplin).
This coding was done in a variety of tech-stack environments: React, ASP.Net/C# + Bootstrap + CSS Direct (CSS Flexbox/Grid, Animations).
Ensured that the pages were 100% Responsive (mobile, desktop, everything in between).
Refactored code, layouts and screens to ensure that they were streamlined and when outputted, matched the designs from UX as well as being 100% standards compliant.
Refactored and optimised existing CSS.
Built the front-end presentation of new flows and sales processes in React and C#/Razor.
Troubleshooting and bug fixes.
Wrote React JavaScript and jQuery where required.
Coded custom components and assisted with building new components.
Implemented advanced CSS and animations where appropriate.
Conducted technical feasibility research on new systems / platforms and new platforms select.
New tech research and implementation (structured content).
Meetings with stake holders, managers, team etc.
Participated in scrums, solution crafting and following the SDLC – Push Requests, Code reviews, Test Cases etc.
Liaised with Business owners and facilitated their requests.
Documentation / WIKIs.
Story, tasks creation, board management and work assignment.
PR code reviews.
Provided business and testing signoff.
Websites miscellaneous
Implemented updates from Business and UX.
Implemented bug fixes.
Implemented and built new landing pages with 100% design replication result.
Lead Generation forms.
Deployments and Cloudflare actions.
Ensured fast loading speed of site pages by implementing optimisation techniques (preloading, prefetch, new image formats etc.). Team
Provided training and mentoring to the developers on modern web standards, customer focused websites, layout, CSS and methods to match designs 100% from UX and create correct and fully responsive implementations – both with existing team members and external teams.
Managed tasks breakdown and admin and guided team members with execution of tasks and larger projects as well as new component roll-outs.
Organised Testers, Test Cases with other team leaders for our development tickets.
Evaluated new candidates, CVs and interviews.
New international sites and website revamp
Currently in the process of building a new website for a new overseas insurance company launch (based in Denmark).
Responsible for selecting the framework, technology, modules.
Responsible for developing the Front End template and Core Styles
Multilanguage, Structured Content, Static and eventually DNN CMS.
Guiding team on execution of this project (management / creating tasks etc.).
Currently at the planning and preparation phase for a massive website rebuild and migration of the main King Price websites into a .Net CMS framework.
Achievements: References
Front End Developer Manager Promotion from Senior Front-End Developer – Dec 2022
Please contact me for a complete list of references.
As I’m currently working at the company, please do not contact them directly without my permission.
Curriculum Vitae of Theodore Simon du Plooy Contact me on 081-***-**** or mail me on *******@*****.*** Page 3 Previous Employment Details: United Business Solutions / Mantino Trading About:
Employed as a Senior Web Designer, Front-End developer & Web Master for United Business Solutions’ holding company Mantino Trading.
Dates: Employed from July 2018 to April 2021. Duration: 2+ years.
Brought on to manage 14 Websites in the group across a range of companies in SA and the UK and to develop new sites and fully fledged Online Stores and to support Marketing’s Web and SEO strategies.
Reason for leaving: Career growth.
Task, duties and responsibilities in brief:
Senior Web Master, Web Developer for the Group of companies.
Looked after and maintained 14 Websites with thousands of visitors.
Development of new sites and rebuilding of old legacy sites on new platforms (such as hardcoded sites to Joomla, and WordPress WooCommerce to Thirty Bees).
Supported Marketing by implementing content updates and design changes to the sites and provided technical support and advice.
Administrated and implemented updates to all the sites which are based on a variety of platforms. Some custom developed old-school hardcoded sites and others on well-known platforms such as Drupal WordPress, Joomla and Thirty Bees (PrestaShop 1.6 fork).
Responsible for platform updates (Core, Modules and Plugins) and Security on all sites, including Web Application Firewall setup & rules and administration, SSL certificates and daily sites checks across different hosts and WAFs.
Responsible for optimising site server settings (cache, memory etc.)
Liaising with several hosts (site moves, server optimisations etc.)
Oversight of third-party Web Companies.
Host research and manual moving and migrating sites to different hosts for several reasons, such as PHP versions and performance improvements etc. This included creating domains on the host and configuration of packages and sites.
Research and setup of sites on VPS and Dedicated Servers.
Implementation of Tag Manager, Tracking, and other third-party tags on sites and the modifications to templates on different platforms to facilitate this.
Maintenance on sites, including internal link checking, 404 and 301 redirects and fixes.
Code fixes, Enhancements and Mobile / Responsive fixes on sites across the group.
Web Development
Developed several Lead Generation sites for the Company.
Built two ‘Catalogue mode’ Joomla / VirtueMart Responsive websites containing large quantities of products with emphasis on Lightbox Enquiry forms for lead generation.
Picked templates, plugins and wrote custom code and modifications.
‘Pixel perfect’ translations of designs to code.
Modified and moulded site templates to be perfect representations of designs supplied by the graphic designer (based on chosen template). Made additional modifications to the templates for better Responsive versions of the initial desktop designs.
Developed in HTML, JQuery, CSS, PHP and Smarty Templating Engine. Flagship Site Migration and Thirty Bees Online Store Rebuild:
Tasked with building and migrating large (over 570 pages and products) old WordPress site to Thirty Bees with full eCommerce, advanced filter, contact forms & mass product creation features.
Strong emphasis on not impacting old site’s powerful SEO rankings.
Spec analysis and Platform research.
Template research based on Spec.
Selected suitable platform as well as template as foundation for the site, based on requirements.
Researched and selected suitable plugins as per the requirements.
Requirements required many custom modifications and code changes.
Built prototype site to test custom code and implementations.
Site features include in brief:
o Many modifications to the template for an exact presentation of the mock-up design.
o Lightbox Contact Forms – for large focus on lead generation. o Extensive modifications to the Main Contact Form, for different
‘modes’ depending on page and requirements. I.e. the main form would sometimes be called from a phone number enquiry banner, from an email enquiry banner or from a product page. The form would then present as a Lightbox and only with the required fields. Additional fields were also added to the form, and the form would dynamically pull in the name of a product. o Modified product page layouts and created code to pull in product features and display product information with relevant icons. Banners would also be displayed based on product type. o Many modifications to the template code as well as Thirty Bees Core (additional hooks, conditional rendering, bug fixes etc.) o Implemented Advanced Filter Search, with step-by-step search based on Product Features pulled in from CSV imports. o Developed many different CSV ‘Product Maker’ templates - with unique features for each product category, to create products in bulk. Over 500 products across 11 different CSV Product Makers. o Made modifications to Thirty Bees admin for better usability
(expand / contract accordions) etc. As well as implemented dynamic URLs to cater for the site being on Local, Staging & Live. o Recreated old site pages and content verbatim, including SEO. o Created and implemented & tested over 570, 301 redirects. o Setup site with delivery, pickup points, tax rule, EFT and PayFast. o Implemented Google merchant feeds and ensured accuracy. o Launched the site to Staging and Live and handled migration of the old site to the new site successfully.
o Plans are in place to create UK based version of the site. Achievements: References
Custodian of 14 sites across the group in Web Master and Developer roles. Developed several websites and responsible for developing of a Flagship Online Store with over 470 products + old site migration.
Please contact me for a complete list of references. Curriculum Vitae of Theodore Simon du Plooy Contact me on 081-***-**** or mail me on *******@*****.*** Page 4 Previous Employment Details: Momentum (MMI Group) / DVT (Dynamic Vision Technologies) About:
Employed as a Senior UX/UI Web Designer & Front-End developer at Momentum Employee Benefits IT, based permanently at their offices in Centurion.
Contracted through DVT.
Dates: Employed from November 2013 to 2018. Duration: 4+ years.
Brought on initially to modernise and update the look and feel and UIs of their main legacy web applications and to provide front-end web support to the development teams.
Reason for leaving: Career growth.
Task, duties and responsibilities in brief:
Main UI/UX, Front-end web expert and developer in the department.
In charge of the web experience of thousands of users. Users include members of some of the most well-known companies in South Africa
(Alexander Forbes, Anglo-American, Amplats, Absa, Bidvest and more) as well as the internal MMI call centres and operatives.
Ensured that users received an optimal and excellent experience when using our sites.
A sizeable amount of users were using legacy browsers. Ensured continued support for these browsers (IE 7, IE 8, IE 9, compatibility mode etc.).
Re-designed, improved and modernised the look and feel of the web interfaces for Momentum Employee Benefits’ two main products: Employer Portal and Funds at Work – both legacy systems designed in the 90s.
Based the new look and feel for these systems on the Momentum digital CI. Coded this design and created a modern web-standards template using CSS 3, LESS, jQuery and HTML 5. Template includes modern features such as CSS and jQuery animations, transition effects and more.
Ensured that the new template adapted well to the constraints of the legacy systems and legacy browsers.
Manually rolled out the new look and feel across both systems, affecting hundreds of pages that were based on Richfaces, JSF/JSP.
Improved the layout and HTML and JavaScript code of each page affected and painstakingly ensured that each page passed extensive browser compatibility testing and retained its functionality and interface with the Java backend.
Styled and added extra features to old ‘legacy’ Tomahawk user interface plugins and components such as calendar controls, tab controls etc. As many of these components had their code ‘locked’, I had to write code to intercept the components and effectively force styling and enhancements to take effect.
Due to incompatibility issues with the legacy system, many third- party interface components had problems running in the system. As a result, I had to create several new and compatible components from scratch, to handle accordions, light boxes, menus etc.
(constructed out of a mixture of jQuery and CSS).
Main provider of front-end web services to the developer teams and department (CSS + HTML, jQuery and UI expertise, etc.).
Designed and implemented several new screens and provided layout input and feedback on new screen designs from the BAs and Business.
Created specific jQuery solutions to fulfil project specific and page specific functions on an as-needed basis.
Maintenance, bug fixing and optimisation tasks.
Web Tracking (Google Analytics). Implemented Event Tracking (page views, link tracking), Goal Tracking and setting up Goals and Reports.
Browser compatibility testing and browser specific fixes. Diligently ensured that all pages functioned correctly in 12 browsers: IE 7, IE 8, IE 9, IE 10, IE 11, MS Edge, Chrome, Firefox, Safari Win & Mac, iOS and Android browsers.
Created / prepared custom graphics for specific campaigns / projects.
Developed a new version of the styling for a more modern component library: PrimeFaces (replacing legacy Tomahawk).
Styled / themed the PrimeFaces components and created new jQuery interfaces and CSS for these components. Implemented additional enhancements, e.g. using icon fonts instead of low-res PNGs, etc.
Handled front-end web updates and implemented Work Orders.
Liaised with the BAs and Business, sourcing requirements and coordinating as well as implementing said requirements with team.
Coordinated and worked with off-shore team, Team India
(3 individuals), on several large projects. Ensured that the specs where in an acceptable, developer ready state. Made certain that the team was always well informed, supported and working on the correct tasks
(task creation, allocation and tracking).
Completed several large projects in a number of different teams.
Created custom and dynamic printable templates for JIRA for scrum- masters and business owners by learning and using Soy
(templating system).
Played a large part in several testing runs of a repository system conversion and helped ensure that the eventual switch over was effectively painless (CVS to SVN).
Creation of Work Orders, JIRA admin, task tracking.
Participated in daily scrum, video call with India, PI planning etc.
Planning, reports and timekeeping.
Achievements:
Responsible for the new look and feel of the main Momentum Employee Benefits sites: Employer Portal and Funds at Work.
Designed and implemented new styling on these systems.
Completed several large projects across multiple teams.
Coordinated and managed off-shore Indian team (Main point-of-contact).
‘Spot on’ nomination/award for outstanding work (internal Momentum recognition). References:
Please contact me for a complete list of references. Previous Employment History Continued on Next Page Curriculum Vitae of Theodore Simon du Plooy Contact me on 081-***-**** or mail me on *******@*****.*** Page 5 Previous Employment History
Company name: eXactmobile and simfyAfrica.
Dates: Employed from November 2011 to August 2013. Duration: 1 year and 9+ months. Employed as: ‘All Rounder’. Official title: Web Master / Front-End Web Developer. Reason for leaving: Career growth.
About: Worked for a billionaire businessman for his major companies: eXactmobile
(provides mobile services i.e. SMS services, mobile competitions etc. owned by Primedia.com) and Simfy Africa (Africa’s first music streaming service). I also did work for several of his international, local and smaller businesses in his Eagle Ray Venture Group: Unwired Media, Cogmo (Swiss), Ballet Schule am See (Swiss), Pertwood Farm (UK), etc. Task, duties and responsibilities in brief:
Integral part of Web, Development and Marketing teams. Served major role in delivering Departmental and Company objectives.
Main provider of web services to the company (websites, CSS + HTML, jQuery expertise etc.).
Handled all web updates on all sites and implemented Work Orders received directly from business owner, marketing and other departments. Liaised directly with business owner in Switzerland.
Designed and built major and minor websites for companies in group incl. implementing revamps, updates and skinning on existing sites.
Online stores: Built and maintained large a Magento store. Created and maintained several Virtuemart online stores / catalogues.
Banner updates, press releases, news section updates.
Custodian of several Joomla sites. Also handled full upgrades (articles, users, modules etc.) from older versions to latest (example: from 1.5 to 2.5+, etc.).
Created several new Joomla website templates from scratch.
Implemented and managed several advanced Joomla extensions / modules such as Fabrik, banners, newsfeeds, newsletters, SEF tools, security tools, upgrade tools and more.
Creation of campaign specific (i.e. once-off) web sites / pages
(Valentines competitions etc.)
Web Tracking (Google Analytics). Implemented Event Tracking (page views, link tracking), Goal Tracking and setting up Goals.
Browser Compatibility optimisation + application on all major sites.
Creation of JavaScript / jQuery task specific functions as well as mini programs and interfaces.
Maintenance, bug fixing and optimisation tasks on sites.
Daily website checking. Daily work tasks and reports.
Newsletters: ‘Code from design’ and implementation of newsletters for four major companies. This includes all Simfy newsletters. Also setup user newsletter lists.
RSVP Web Forms. Created advanced RSVP forms + Reports (Fabrik).
SEO analysis, implementation and updates.
Social media share campaigns implementation + link coding.
Created graphics for specific campaigns / websites.
Creation and coding of a custom Magento template.
Managing team for new Magento online store.
Achievements:
Team leader on new online store (research, delegating, managing data capturers and implementation of Magento store).
Magento: Developed and completed a huge Magento online store
(over 10k products).
Designed and implemented (coded) eXactmobile.com – the main company site.
Handled all updates to Simfy info hub (how-to videos, press releases, data bundle updates etc.) as well as the Simfy corporate site.
Designed and implemented (coded) several smaller sites, Steam-in- Action and Dr Colin’s etc.
Designed and implemented several campaign specific sites. Company name: Comair / kulula
About: South Africa’s largest online retailer, low cost airline. Dates: Employed April 2008 – February 2011.
Duration: Three years.
Employed as: ‘All Rounder’. Official title: Web master assistant. Teams: Web and Development teams.
Task, duties and responsibilities in brief:
Day-to-day running of kulula.com (ASP + CMS HTML website).
Integral part of Web team - played major role in delivering Departmental and Company objectives.
Responsible for the implementation and updates of all front-end banners, managing the banner schedule and generating banner web-analytics statistics and reports.
Handled majority of front-end updates to kulula.com and Comair.co.za, i.e. CMS, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XMLs, RSS feeds etc.
Other airlines / competitors research, analysis and study.
Implemented Change Requests (CRs) received from Business and Marketing.
Implemented site-wide tasks and maintenance as well as handling the
‘Web standards compliant’ conversion of the site.
Implemented side-wide re-branding (3 times).
Handled daily Staging environment backups as well as the partial & weekly deployments.
Creation and coding of JavaScript mini programs and functions.
Tasked with Browser Compatibility testing and responsibilities. Achievements:
Aircraft gallery, Voucher page JavaScript development etc.
Head Interface designer, developer and Graphic Designer for Comair EFB Cockpit application (working with Dev. team and Pilots). Various Freelance Clients DATES: July 2006 – March 2008.
DESIGNATION: Web Designer and Graphic Designer.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Designed Websites, Corporate Identities, Print Ads, Print Catalogues, Logo tracing and vector art & tracing for corporate clothing and show stands, etc.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Offer to work for one of the top companies in South Africa: kulula.com.
Optimise DATES: May 2005 – June 2006.
DESIGNATION: Head Web / Graphic / Software Interface Designer.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Designed Web Applications GUIs, Websites, Software Interfaces, Marketing Material, Corporate Identities.
MILESTONES: Several Top-class UIs for Web Applications + and a Software Interface.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Company liquidated.
Curriculum Vitae of Theodore Simon du Plooy Contact me on 081-***-**** or mail me on *******@*****.*** Page 6 AKIRA – Akitech Distributors (Pty) Ltd.
DATES: January 2005 – May 2005.
DESIGNATION: Head Graphic Designer / DTP Operator and Marketing Planner.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Liaising with Advertising Agency and provided information and photos for print campaigns as well as scheduling and overseeing campaigns. Canvassed product information and designing marketing brochures, Ads and A3 spreads.
REASON FOR LEAVING: Company liquidated.
UK