Python & Django Application Architect · Open-Source Contributor
Building scalable web platforms with Python and Django for 15+ years — for clients including the UK Government, Government of Ireland, HSBC, and the London Stock Exchange Group. Specialising in Wagtail CMS, REST APIs, and public sector digital transformation.
Trusted by
Technologies I work with day to day
Things I've built and shipped
Client-side password generator with configurable length, character sets, ambiguous-character exclusion, entropy display, and a visual strength meter. Nothing leaves your browser.
Try itFormat, validate, and minify JSON in the browser. Syntax-highlighted output with configurable indentation, clear error reporting, and character and line stats.
Try itLive regex testing with color-coded match highlighting, capture group breakdown, flag toggles (g, i, m, s, u), and a built-in regex cheat sheet. All in the browser.
Try itEncode plain text or binary data to Base64, or decode Base64 back to text. Supports URL-safe mode and file input — entirely client-side.
Try itDecode and inspect JSON Web Tokens in the browser. Parses header, payload, and signature with human-readable timestamps, expiry badge states, and URL hash sharing.
Try itGenerate cryptographically secure SECRET_KEY values for Django settings. Configurable length and character set, with ready-to-use code snippets and session history.
Practical articles on Django, Python, and web development
Lazy imports, frozendict, comprehension unpacking, the Tachyon profiler, sentinel type, and major stdlib upgrades — everything landing in Python 3.15.
Read moreHardware costs, labour savings, hidden costs, and a Python break-even calculator. An honest look at when agricultural robots actually pay for themselves.
Read moreGPS waypoint missions via MQTT, TFLite weed detection on Raspberry Pi, variable-rate sprayer control, and a nightly Claude crop advisor analysing a week of field data.
Read moreLLM mental models, token arithmetic, prompt engineering, structured output, tool use, embeddings, RAG, streaming, and production patterns — all in Python.
Read more342 US occupations scored for AI exposure by an LLM pipeline. Software developers hit 8–9/10 — here's what that means and how to build it yourself.
Read moreExtend the Wagtail admin with snippets, SnippetViewSet, custom menu items, admin views, lifecycle hooks, dashboard panels, and permission checks — full working code.
Read moreDocker Compose stack with Nginx, Gunicorn, PostgreSQL, and Redis. WhiteNoise static files, SSL with Certbot, environment config, and zero-downtime deploy commands.
Read moreLive prices over WebSocket, Celery Beat refresh, price alerts, and a full DRF API — all on the free CoinGecko tier with no API key required.
Read moreEvery block type, custom StructBlock, ListBlock, nested streams, choosers, templates, JSON querying, and migration helpers — the complete StreamField deep dive.
Read morepgvector + OpenAI embeddings + Claude API — build a grounded chat endpoint over your Wagtail pages with streaming and auto-indexing on publish.
Read moreStreamField vs placeholders, Wagtail admin vs frontend editing, plugin systems, multi-site, search, and when to pick each one.
Read moreWagtail API v2 + Next.js App Router: CORS, custom fields, TypeScript client, ISR, StreamField in React, and draft preview — the complete headless Wagtail setup.
Read moreMy background and experience
Python & Django Application Architect with 15+ years delivering scalable web platforms for public sector and enterprise organisations across the UK and Ireland. Clients include the UK Government (Dept for International Trade), Government of Ireland (Gov.ie), HSBC, and the London Stock Exchange Group.
Most recently at GlobalLogic, I led the migration of a 200,000+ page public sector website to Wagtail CMS — improving performance, editorial workflows, and maintainability at scale. I work across the full lifecycle: architecture, APIs, CMS platforms, CI/CD, and team mentorship.
Led migration of Gov.ie (200k+ pages) to Wagtail CMS. Architecture, team mentorship, CI/CD pipelines, and collaboration with product and UX teams.
Bridge between business analysis and automation. Django-based automation patches and risk model analysis.
Wagtail CMS and Django microservices for Gov.uk. Code review, pair programming, automated testing, and CI/CD pipeline ownership.
Secure fintech solutions at HSBC, router automation at BT, and Django CMS versioning & moderation features at Fidelity International.
11 years across UCL (800+ Plone sites, team lead of 4) and the Royal College of Surgeons (Web APIs, Python sites, third-line support).
Recommendations from people I've worked with
I loved working with Rizwan at DIT. His skills and professionalism as a smart, self-organising, focused developer were matched by his fantastic team spirit and a kind, patient, modest nature. He's a great addition to any team.
Riz is an excellent Python developer and problem solver. He is experienced in CMS systems and server side logic. Riz was an integral member of my team always keen to offer solutions and take responsibility for a range of challenges, improvements and issues. I would recommend Riz wholeheartedly.
Rizwan has excellent knowledge of Python and vast experience with the Zope framework. Riz took a leading role on the backend development of the SILVA CMS and successfully stepped up as acting manager, showing excellent management skills to ensure we met critical business targets. A popular figure in our team, always acting in an affable and professional manner.
Rizwan is a person with a strong ownership and driving for results all the time. He sees and can address everything from the big picture to the details. Rizwan is creative, energetic, solutions oriented and highly motivated with great communication skills. He is an asset to any company that he is with.
Rizwan has a go-getter kind of attitude — always gets things done. He has passion for writing code and solving clients' problems through creative and innovative software. He is friendly, easy to get along with, well-liked by clients and respected by his co-workers.
Riz got to grips with the unfamiliar aspects of Silva very quickly and always came up with innovative solutions to the unique challenges this CMS presented. He was organised, handled his team well, and was always approachable.
I'm available for freelance and contract work. If you have a project in mind or just want to say hello, drop me a line.