Frontend Developer
& Product Thinker.

Self-taught since 2018. From retail operations to shipping products at HYRE and SEA-WATCH. Now building Goodsomeday, a career storytelling platform for people with non-linear paths.


Melbourne → Berlin → Amsterdam → Melbourne

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Hi, I’m Mel Jones

In 2018, a conversation about tech diversity sparked a career change. I remembered loving CSS from high school, found an intro JavaScript workshop online, and was immediately hooked.

Explored everything at first (React, Vue, Flutter, Python - all of it). Learned what I actually care about: accessibility, performance, clean components, and building products that work for everyone.

Retail operations management → self-taught developer → product roles → building my own platform. Non-traditional path = different perspective on user needs.

  • Frontend: React, Next.js, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS

    Backend: PostgreSQL, Node.js
    Tools: Git, Linear, Figma, n8n, Claude Code

    Focus: Accessibility (WCAG), Performance, Component Architecture

  • 2025-now: Building Goodsomeday

    2023-2024: Skill development, Career exploration, Community building

    2020-2023: HYRE & SEA-WATCH (Frontend Developer & Product Roles)

    2018-2020: Self-directed learning, first web development projects

    BEFORE TECH: Operations management, leading teams 30+, Melbourne & Berlin

  • Accessibility (WCAG)

    Performance optimisation

    Component-driven architecture

    AI-assisted development

    Clean, maintainable code

WORK

CURRENT

GOODSOMEDAY
A platform for people with non-linear career paths to transform barriers into transformation narratives.

PAST

HYRE (HR Tech Startup)
Led frontend development and cross-functional collaboration

  • Built web application in 2 months solving critical onboarding abandonment, expanded platform from iOS-only to cross-platform using existing Firebase backend

  • Ran weekly office hours and created self-serve guides, empowering non-technical teams (marketing, ops, sales) to use internal tools (Canva, Webflow) independently and reducing engineering support requests

  • Led CRM requirements gathering and vendor evaluation with COO and ops team, identifying Airtable as solution for data-driven job matching workflow

SEA-WATCH (Humanitarian NGO)
Led frontend development and technical coordination for volunteer team

  • Designed and launched three accessible websites (WCAG AA) for humanitarian search and rescue operations, ensuring compatibility with assistive technologies for global audiences

  • Built reusable component library reducing development time by 25%, enabling rapid deployment of campaign sites during crisis response periods

  • Established centralized documentation system for high-turnover volunteer developer team, reducing onboarding time from weeks to days

Contact Mel

Drop me a message, or find me on LinkedIn