Lead Software Engineer · Toronto, ON

Marcus Thompson

Senior Full-Stack Engineer Frontend UI Engineer Engineering Lead
20+ Years
75+ Projects
Born in Barbados
Based in Toronto, ON
Experience 20+ years
Status Open to freelance work

Who I am

Raised in Barbados, built on curiosity. I've spent 20+ years turning complex requirements into clean, performant web experiences — from banking systems in the Caribbean to enterprise React apps for Fortune 500 clients in Canada.

Today I lead full-stack development at Dog and Pony Studios, architecting headless CMS solutions and AI-powered features for global financial brands.

Craft, scale, and impact all matter.

Selected Work

5 Projects
01 Bajan Reporter 45% Growth · Media
WordPressGutenbergJavaScript
02 Journal of West Indian Literature Academic · Ecommerce
WooCommercePHP
03 Newport Water Ecommerce · Performance
WordPressWooCommerce
04 Hydrate Caribbean Ecommerce · Stability
WordPressWooCommerce
05 Antilles Economics B2B · Branding
WordPressElementor

Where I've built things

Lead engineer at a boutique digital agency, building enterprise web platforms for Fortune 500 financial institutions. Responsible for technical direction across multiple concurrent client engagements, from architecture through delivery.

Highlights
  • Built custom Contentful apps that eliminated manual developer intervention in client content workflows
  • Established team-wide AI development standards, now adopted across all client projects
  • Leading R&D initiatives exploring new capabilities ahead of client roadmaps
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Selected brands I've worked with

CIBC Innovation Banking, CIBC Private Wealth, FTI Consulting

ReactTypescriptContentfulAI enabled developmentNode.jsStorybookGraphQL

Full-stack developer at a digital product agency, working across e-commerce, loyalty, and healthcare verticals. Contributed to both internal product development and client-facing platform builds.

Highlights
  • Co-developed FlexFields, a Contentful marketplace app for advanced content modelling
  • Improved pagespeed by 40% re-platforming Ryobitools.ca to a JAMstack architecture
  • Maintained WalmartRewards.ca, a national loyalty platform serving millions of Canadians
  • Architected and shipped a healthcare startup's full frontend from zero in 4 months
Location Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Selected brands I've worked with

Walmart Canada, Ryobi

ReactTypeScriptContentfulGatsbyJSGraphQLTailwind

Senior front-end developer at a digital agency serving healthcare and financial clients across North America. Delivered accessible, standards-compliant React applications while contributing to internal mentorship and scholarship programs.

Highlights
  • Built and maintained React applications for healthcare clients including Prisma Health and Lee Health
  • Mentored junior developers through code review and pair programming; served on the Reason One Scholarship committee as a student mentor
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Selected brands I've worked with

Prisma Health, Lee Health, Meridian Credit Union

ReactJavaScriptCSSKentico CMSWebpackAODA Compliance

Front-end developer building governance, risk, and compliance platforms for regulated professional associations across Canada. Delivered accessible, standards-compliant web experiences to clients in legal, healthcare, and licensing sectors.

Highlights
  • Led front-end redevelopment projects for 5+ regulatory association clients
  • Achieved WCAG 2.0 AA, W3C, and AODA compliance across all delivered platforms
  • Trained client teams on CMS usage, enabling self-sufficient content management post-handoff
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Organizations I've worked with

College and Association of Nurses of the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, College of Alberta Dental Assistants, The Law Society of the Northwest Territories

ReactJavaScriptWordpressAODA Compliance

Application developer on CIBC's mobile banking product, contributing to backend API development and QA within an agile delivery team. First role transitioning from Caribbean banking systems into a large Canadian enterprise engineering environment.

Highlights
  • Built and maintained RESTful APIs supporting core mobile banking features in production
  • Supported production incident response across mobile and core banking systems
  • Collaborated across product, QA, and infrastructure within an agile, cross-functional team
Location Toronto, Ontario, Canada
JavaMavenWebsphereMS SQL Server

Systems developer across an 8-year tenure at CIBC's Caribbean subsidiary, maintaining and evolving core banking infrastructure for Electronic Channels and Cards Systems across the region.

Highlights
  • Built an internal web app for customer-facing staff to process refunds, saving 2+ hours of manual work per transaction
  • Winner of quarterly process improvement award for process automation
  • Reduced back-office handling time for new customer onboarding by eliminating manual data entry steps
  • Cut frontend staff statement processing time by 30% through system optimizations
Location Barbados
JavaSQLSSISBanking SystemsPayment Processing

Twenty-year independent engineering practice delivering full-service web solutions for government bodies, international organizations, and regional businesses across the Caribbean and North America. Engaged across the complete project lifecycle — client discovery, requirements gathering, UX design, front-end and back-end development, hosting infrastructure, and ongoing technical support.

Highlights
  • Delivered production web platforms for the Government of Barbados and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), meeting public-sector compliance, accessibility, and stakeholder requirements
  • Built a volunteer management application for Cricket World Cup that cut check-in time by 60% — delivered for a high-profile international sporting event with tight operational deadlines
  • Managed 30+ client engagements end-to-end: requirements gathering, UI/UX design, full-stack development, QA, deployment, and long-term maintenance
  • Sustained long-term retainer relationships with Bajan Reporter, Newport Water, Journal of West Indian Literature, Hydrate Caribbean, and Barbados Amateur Swimming Association — demonstrating consistent delivery and client trust over multiple years
  • Delivered WCAG-compliant, cross-browser, mobile-responsive web experiences for public-facing government and non-profit platforms
Location Barbados & Canada
Selected clients I've worked with

Government of Barbados, UNDP, Cricket World Cup (2010), Journal of West Indian Literature (UWI), Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies (UWI), Bajanreporter.com, Antilles Economics, Barbados Amateur Swimming Association

JavaScriptPHPWordPressWooCommerceMySQLHTML5CSS3ReactREST APIsUX DesignRequirements GatheringStakeholder ManagementProject ManagementWCAG 2.0 Compliance

What others say

"Talented developer, supportive coworker, provides solutions and alternatives."

Jennifer Ghiricociu Thrillworks

"Delivers quality work quickly; mentors others and contributes meaningfully."

Sarah Pengelly Reason One

"Asset to any organization; calm, critical thinker, respectful colleague."

Stacey Bailey Reason One

"Great team member, always willing to help, solves technical problems."

Rosemary Ku Software Engineer

"Professional, energetic, innovative; works at fast pace for success."

Saurabh Keshari Lead Software Engineer

"Achieves tremendous results; detail-oriented and fun to collaborate with."

Sunset Sealy Art Director

"Professional problem-solver who adapts solutions to evolving needs."

Stacia Howard Antilles Economics

"Marcus simplifies your website wishes so clearly, then adds more service than expected."

Ian Bourne Bajanreporter.com

"One of the best web developers in Barbados and the Caribbean."

Omar Robertson Ceratech Coatings Barbados Ltd

"Extremely efficient and timely; changes seem implemented before requests."

Allison Maynard Paradise Properties

Let's talk

Have a project in mind? I'm interested in full-time roles, contract work, and strategic partnerships.