Hey! Nice to see you!
🇩🇪 Du sprichst lieber Deutsch? Dann findest du diesen Text hier übersetzt.
I’m looking for a new challenge. If you’re reading this and have the feeling I might be a good fit for your team or company, let’s talk.
Thanks for taking the time! Below I’ll tell you a bit about myself. If you’d rather skim my CV first, go ahead. But if you have a few minutes, I’m happy to tell you more about myself right here.
About me
I’m Thomas, 34, and I live in Duisburg together with my partner, a tomcat and a chihuahua.
Day to day I work primarily with Vue.js, TypeScript, React, and modern web frameworks. My goal has always been to translate design cleanly into components while keeping user experience front and center. The terminal doesn’t scare me, and new technologies tend to spark my curiosity rather than put me off.
I’m a maker (not to be confused with the uncomfortable German “Macher” mentality): someone who likes to build things and isn’t too picky about what with. Arduino, 3D printer, laser cutter, table saw, sewing and embroidery machine. I like trying things out and rarely shy away from something new. Bouldering is part of it too, and of course the occasional side project web app. You can find a selection under Projects.
To get some variety alongside my job and give something back to society, I’m also a volunteer with the THW (Germany’s Federal Agency for Technical Relief).
At work I’m independent and like taking ownership, but I do my best work in a team, especially when I can bring in my broad general knowledge and varied experiences. When something’s stuck or a deadline is creeping up, I step up for my colleagues, even if that means leaving the home office a bit later.
Working experience
I’ve been doing this for a while. Since 2012 I’ve worked with media professionals of all kinds: photographers, illustrators, visual, UX, and UI designers, and software developers. In very different contexts too: small agencies, mid-sized companies, international corporations, each time with different expectations around quality, speed, and scalability.
What has shaped me most in recent years is agile product development as part of a cross-functional team, as a Design Thinking facilitator, as a go-to for product owners and customers. But always at the core as an engineer who advocates for the user.
For almost a year now I’ve also been a 1-on-1 partner for five colleagues. That’s something that’s become increasingly important to me. I believe great teams aren’t just made up of strong individuals, but of people who are genuinely open with each other and committed to getting better together.
What I’m looking for
I’m looking for a company that genuinely takes the creativity and contributions of individual team members seriously, not just on paper. Creativity needs trust and space; you can’t force either.
Diversity is not a nice-to-have for me. Diverse teams, with different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences, simply work better. I’ve seen it often enough. A company that understands this and actively works toward it is the right environment for me.
I’d love to work for a company that runs and continuously evolves its own (digital) product. What drives me is the direct feedback loop with real users: seeing what you’ve built and hearing what it does. Incremental improvement over big bang releases.
At the same time, I love building prototypes and MVPs and leading teams through Design Thinking workshops, from problem reframing all the way to a testable prototype. That brings me at least as much joy as implementing a polished feature.
On the tech stack: Today I work primarily with React and Next.js, with my roots in Vue.js and Nuxt. I built this website with Astro.js because I wanted to try what it feels like to ship a site with zero client-side JavaScript. I like staying current and trying new approaches. Curiosity is one of my greatest strengths.
Regardless of framework: I care a lot about clean component architecture and consistent design systems. Accessibility is part of the craft for me, not a bonus feature.
Beyond that, good code is a matter of attitude, not effort. Even though I’m not a fan of Robert C. Martin as a person: the Boyscout Rule is non-negotiable for me. Any code I touch should be in better shape than I found it.
On AI tools: I use AI actively, at work and in personal projects. Claude Code by Anthropic was a real game changer for me: I get up to speed in new codebases faster, build prototypes much more quickly, and stay sharper overall. At the same time, I have no illusions about the downsides. Environmental costs. What this means for our profession. Societal implications. These things genuinely concern me. But looking away isn’t an answer either. Better to engage critically than not at all.
Location
I’ve been working remotely for years and want to keep it that way, but I’d also genuinely like to spend more time with colleagues in the office again. For workshops, retros, or important syncs I’m more than happy to come in. That said: the majority of my work runs from home.
Salary
I’m earning a solid senior-level salary and want to build on that. I’m happy to have an open conversation about what that means for you and your company.
Next Steps
If this all sounds good to you, please don’t hesitate to call or write to me. You can reach me (almost) anytime! ✌️