Josh McDannel

I'm a Principal Frontend Engineer with 25+ years of professional engineering experience, specializing in JavaScript/TypeScript, React,Vue.js, enterprise integrations, and modern web platform development. I deliver reliable, scalable, and performant applications for some of the world's largest organizations — across eCommerce, automotive, healthcare, finance, and more.

Over the years I've architected digital platforms, shipped applications used by millions, and led teams of engineers —hiring, mentoring, and building inclusive cultures that foster learning and growth. I help businesses grow with thought leadership, efficient architecture, accurate scoping and estimating, and most importantly, selling. My foundation across backend and frontend languages, frameworks and platforms allows me to adapt to new systems and technologies rapidly, contributing to business outcomes in familiar stacks or new.

Most recently I spent 18 months as senior frontend developer at Motley Fool Wealth Management, building personalized, AI-assisted investment experiences.

I'm now looking for my next senior, principal, or architect-level role — contract or full-time, fully remote.

Experience

1. Nov 2024Nov2024—Apr 2026Apr2026

   Sr Frontend Developer · Motley Fool Wealth Management

   Contract

   • Senior frontend developer on a small, senior team building personalized, AI-assisted investing products inside a regulated financial organization.
   • Developed components for a greenfield recommendation engine pairing personalized stock picks with an LLM-generated rationale; built the onboarding flow, stock-detail components, and a gamified selection UI in Next.js, React, and Tailwind CSS.
   • Developed React components for a streaming AI chatbot helping users understand Motley Fool Asset Management and ETFs — compiled to an embeddable web component and embedded into HubSpot.
   • Modernized CAPS — a stock-prediction scoring social platform (React 19, Vite, TanStack) — resolving critical bugs and improving navigation UI, enabling rapid user growth.

   Next.jsReactTypeScriptAWS BedrockWeb ComponentsTurborepoTailwindCSS
2. Oct 2023Oct2023—Jun 2024Jun2024

   eCommerce Frontend Architect · Wolverine Worldwide

   Contract

   • Architected global front-end solutions for 8+ brands across dozens of countries on the Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
   • Built prototypes with Lit-based web components and headless commerce APIs.
   • Enhanced product-detail and checkout experiences, including expedited payments with Preact and platform components.

   Salesforce Commerce CloudLitPreactPCI DSSHeadless APIsWeb Components
3. Feb 2020Feb2020—Sep 2023Sep2023

   Salesforce Frontend Engineering Manager · IBM

   • Led the frontend of a connected-vehicle support platform on the Salesforce Service Cloud for a large automotive manufacturer, integrating a React navigation system to power a large call center (remote unlock, navigation assistance) requiring advanced Webpack and DevOps configurations.
   • Built custom LWC components for a fintech insurance & annuities platform and replaced a legacy Apex reporting system with LWC components and a Custom Objects engine — cutting report generation from 3–10 minutes to under 10 seconds.

   ReactSalesforce Service CloudAutomotive CloudLWCWebpack

   Acquired · 2021

   Frontend Developer · 7Summits, an IBM Company

   • Developed LWC components and Apex themes for Salesforce Experience Cloud orgs for clients across technology, healthcare, education, fintech, and others.
   • Recruited and mentored a fast-growing team, fostering a culture of growth and learning.
   • Sole frontend developer on a HIPAA-compliant telehealth patient portal (scheduling, video visits, provider chat, prescription and health record access) in Salesforce Experience Cloud.

   LWCTwilio VideoHIPAASalesforce Experience CloudAccessibilityTeam Leadership
4. Jun 2018Jun2018—Jan 2020Jan2020

   Sr Frontend Developer · Appdetex (now Tracer.ai)

   Built React components (TypeScript, Bootstrap, REST APIs, AWS, Puppeteer) for a brand protection platform automating enforcement of trademark and copyright infringements.

   ReactTypeScriptPuppeteerAWSBootstrap
5. Jul 2012Jul2012—May 2018May2018

   Frontend Development Manager · Accenture Interactive (now Accenture Song)

   • Provided technical leadership across technology, hospitality, travel, energy, telecom, retail, and healthcare clients developing rich, accessible, performant frontend applications integrated with Adobe AEM, SAP Commerce Cloud, and Mulesoft.
   • Hired, managed, mentored, and grew a nationwide team of frontend developers.
   • Led a team of developers — including training all 8 developers in React — to deliver a mobile phone provider's customer portal, including phone activation/onboarding and account/billing management.
   • Led a team of developers to deliver 3 modern web apps in Backbone.js with a Mulesoft API layer for a utility company to manage commercial, landlord, and residential accounts.

   ReactAdobe AEMSAP Commerce CloudSAPMulesoftTeam Leadership

   Acquired · 2013

   Senior Frontend Developer · Acquity Group

   • Built a Backbone.js + Adobe Scene7 office-chair configurator in SAP Commerce Cloud with realistic image rendering and quote/order management.
   • Integrated HTML/CSS/JavaScript into SAP Commerce Cloud for a bulk custom-design gift card system with accurate previews and print files for a large food & beverage retailer.

   Backbone.jsJavaScriptAdobe Scene7SAP Commerce CloudInternationalization
6. Jan 2004Jan2004—Jun 2012Jun2012

   Application Developer · Drake Cooper

   • Developed custom CMS, eCommerce, and data management systems to enable digital transformations of client businesses and organizations using ASP.NET (C#).
   • Built and maintained dozens of ASP.NET websites for clients in government, real estate, food & beverage, and more.

   ASP.NETC#JavaScriptWordPressMSSQL

   Acquired · 2006

   Web Application Developer · AB Positive

   Built dozens of websites with content management, eCommerce, data management, authentication, and image processing. Handled 6 to 12 projects at a time in a fast-paced environment, with projects ranging from a few hours to several months.

   ASP.NETC#JavaScriptColdFusionMSSQL
7. Jan 2000Jan2000—Dec 2003Dec2003

   Application Developer · Wirestone

   Pioneered early ASP.NET adoption, delivering one of the first live public web applications built on the framework shortly after its official release. Built custom web applications for a wide range of clients, including an ASP.NET application for a large printer manufacturer to track print-product purchases and reward customers — fostering loyalty and engagement.

   ASP.NETC#JavaScriptMSSQL

Services

Projects