Contact for project collaboration or hiring

Open to full-time roles, contract work, and collaborations where architecture, delivery, and implementation need to move together.


Got something worth building properly?

Solutions Architect

ETHAN HITCHCOCK

Ethan Hitchcock

A content-driven Next.js portfolio engineered for fast updates, clear SEO signals, and credible storytelling
across architecture leadership, full-stack delivery, and case study outcomes.


### Problem

A professional portfolio needs to communicate technical depth and business impact to both hiring managers and engineering audiences — without becoming a maintenance burden or sacrificing performance.

### Ownership

End-to-end: information architecture, content model, component system, SEO foundation, deployment pipeline, and ongoing content updates.

### Architecture & stack

- **Framework:** Next.js 14 + TypeScript — static generation for crawlability and fast global delivery
- **Styling:** Tailwind CSS with a Geist-inspired design system
- **Content:** Markdown + Stackbit CMS fields for visual or Git-based editing
- **SEO:** Canonical URLs, structured data, sitemap, meta descriptions, Open Graph defaults
- **Hosting:** Netlify with the Next.js plugin

### Constraints

- Content editors need to update case studies without touching application code
- Pages must be indexable, shareable, and fast on mobile
- Brand voice should stay distinctive while remaining credible to enterprise hiring audiences

### Outcome

A lightweight publishing system that positions solution architecture, integration, and delivery capability — with a technical foundation that supports ongoing SEO and content growth.

### Related services

Solution architecture · full-stack web applications · technical product ownership

### Get in touch

Open to roles and projects where architecture, delivery, and implementation move together — [email me](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=Project%20enquiry) or view [more projects](/projects).


A content-driven Next.js portfolio built for fast updates, SEO, and clear storytelling across solution architecture, full-stack delivery, and case study outcomes.


Portfolio Website — Next.js Case Study

This Website

Advanced web scraper designed to navigate and extract product directory information from Amazon and similar
large e-commerce platforms with anti-scraping countermeasures.


### Problem

Large e-commerce platforms actively block automated access. Naive scrapers fail quickly — rate limits, CAPTCHAs, fingerprinting, and dynamic markup all break simple HTTP requests.

### Who it serves

Market research, competitive intelligence, and catalogue operations that need structured product data from platforms that resist extraction.

### Ownership

Anti-detection strategy, scraping architecture, data normalisation, and operational reliability patterns.

### Architecture

1. **Request layer** — user-agent rotation, IP rotation, throttling, cookie management
2. **Browser automation** — headless browsers for JavaScript-rendered content
3. **Extraction pipeline** — parsing, cleaning, and structured output
4. **Resilience** — retry logic, CAPTCHA handling hooks, session persistence

### Technologies

Python · requests · BeautifulSoup · Selenium/Playwright · proxy services · CAPTCHA API integrations

### Constraints

- Platform terms of service and legal boundaries must be respected for any production use
- Anti-bot measures evolve — scrapers need modular adapter patterns, not one-off scripts
- Data quality depends on handling partial page loads and variant product structures

### Outcome

Demonstrates data engineering and systems resilience applied to hostile extraction environments — relevant to market intelligence, catalogue sync, and competitive monitoring architectures.

### Related services

Data pipelines · workflow automation · web applications

### Get in touch

[Discuss data extraction or pipeline architecture](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=Data%20pipeline%20project).


Advanced web scraper designed to navigate anti-bot measures on large e-commerce platforms — with rotation, throttling, and headless browser strategies for reliable product directory extraction.


Amazon Scraper — Resilient E-commerce Data Extraction

Amazon Scraper

Comprehensive personal finance platform concept offering net worth tracking, budget management, financial
analytics, goal setting, and scenario planning with bank aggregation.


### Problem

Most personal finance tools solve one slice — budgeting OR net worth OR goals — but not the full decision loop from tracking to forecasting to action.

### Who it serves

Individuals who want clarity and control over their financial lives, with enough analytical depth to model scenarios and track progress toward goals.

### Ownership

Product vision, module architecture, data model design, and technology stack evaluation for a full-platform build.

### Architecture (planned modules)

1. **Net worth tracker** — account aggregation via Plaid, manual assets, historical visualisation
2. **Budget management** — custom categories, automatic transaction categorisation, spend vs limit views
3. **Financial analytics** — spending patterns, income trends, savings opportunity identification
4. **Goals planning** — target amounts, progress tracking, projected completion dates
5. **Scenario planning** — model savings rate changes, return assumptions, and goal impact

### Technologies (evaluated)

React/Next.js frontend · Python or Node backend · PostgreSQL · Plaid API · secure auth · cloud deployment

### Constraints

- Financial data aggregation requires robust security and compliance awareness
- Multi-module platforms need a shared data model to avoid duplicate transaction handling
- Forecasting features must balance sophistication with understandable UX

### Outcome

A structured product blueprint demonstrating how to design an integrated finance platform — relevant to fintech product architecture and personal finance automation engagements.

### Related services

Solution architecture · data analytics · API integration · full-stack web applications

### Get in touch

[Discuss fintech or finance platform architecture](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=Finance%20platform%20project).


Concept for an all-in-one personal finance platform: net worth tracking, budgeting, analytics, goal planning, and scenario forecasting with bank aggregation via Plaid.


Finance Wizard — Personal Finance Platform Concept

Finance Wizard

AI-based hotkey transcription application for quick, seamless voice-to-text input across any active
application window.


### Problem

Switching to a dictation app, copying text, and pasting back breaks flow — especially for developers, writers, and operators who need fast capture without leaving their current tool.

### Who it serves

Power users who want ambient voice input across any desktop application with minimal friction.

### Ownership

Application design, hotkey capture, transcription pipeline, cross-window text insertion, and local/cloud mode configuration.

### Architecture

1. **Global hotkey listener** — activates recording without focus change
2. **Speech capture** — audio input with configurable quality
3. **AI transcription** — Whisper-based speech-to-text with custom vocabulary support
4. **Text insertion** — injects transcribed text into the active application window

### Technologies

Python · SpeechRecognition · pynput/keyboard · Tkinter/PyQt · OpenAI Whisper

### Constraints

- Cross-application text insertion varies by OS and target application behaviour
- Local vs cloud transcription modes trade privacy against accuracy and latency
- Custom vocabulary improves domain-specific accuracy (technical terms, names)

### Outcome

A practical productivity tool demonstrating desktop automation, AI integration, and user-centred interaction design — applicable to assistive tooling and operational capture workflows.

### Related services

AI applications · workflow automation · desktop tooling

### Get in touch

[Discuss voice or desktop automation tooling](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=GetDict-style%20project).


Desktop voice-to-text tool activated by hotkey — transcribes speech with Whisper and inserts text into any active application window.


GetDict — AI Hotkey Voice Transcription

GetDict

Voice-first assistant architecture that accepts natural language requests and orchestrates actions across
messaging platforms, productivity tools, and APIs — one intent layer, many execution surfaces.


### Problem

Most automation tools are channel-specific. Users learn separate interfaces for calendar, email, tasks, and search — and operational assistants in support or financial services need a unified intent layer that works across surfaces.

### Who it serves

Individuals and operations teams who need fast, conversational task execution without switching between five apps to plan a day or triage work.

### Ownership

Full-stack systems design: input pipelines, intent parsing, tool orchestration, platform adapters, error handling, and extensibility model.

### Architecture

1. **Unified input pipeline** — voice and text via WhatsApp, Telegram, and web
2. **Intent interpretation** — LLM-assisted parsing of intent, entities, and required tool actions
3. **Action orchestration** — dispatcher routes tasks to calendar, email, tasks, search, and custom scripts
4. **Response layer** — human-readable confirmations and optional voice responses

### Technologies

Python/Node integration adapters · LLM intent parsing · REST APIs · messaging platform webhooks · extensible tool registry

### Constraints

- Each platform has different message formats, rate limits, and failure modes
- Multi-step conversations require context management without runaway token cost
- New capabilities must plug in without rewiring the core agent

### Outcome

Demonstrates full-stack systems thinking applied to AI products — from interface design to orchestration reliability. The same pattern applies to operational assistants in regulated support and financial services teams.

### Related services

AI applications · API integration · workflow automation · solution architecture

### Get in touch

[Discuss an AI assistant or integration project](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=AI%20agent%20project).


Voice-first AI assistant architecture that accepts natural language across WhatsApp, Telegram, and web — orchestrating calendar, email, tasks, and custom API actions.


Multi-platform AI Agent — Voice & Messaging Orchestration

Multi-platform AI Agent

AI-generated daily briefing that combines personal signals (calendar, tasks, email) with external context
(weather, news) into one action-oriented summary.


### Problem

People start the day across five or more apps before they can prioritise. Operations teams face the same fragmentation — calendar, inbox, task queues, and external signals live in separate systems.

### Who it serves

Knowledge workers and operations leads who need a single, scannable daily brief instead of context-switching across productivity tools.

### Ownership

Integration design, prompt engineering, orchestration scheduling, delivery channels, and output schema consistency.

### Architecture

1. **Personal context collection** — events, priority emails, and due tasks from connected services
2. **External signals** — weather and headline sources based on location and preferences
3. **Structured brief generation** — LLM converts raw feeds into concise, ranked bullet points
4. **Multi-channel delivery** — Telegram, Slack, or email on a scheduled cadence

### Technologies

Google and Microsoft API integrations · LLM prompt templates · scheduled orchestration with retry-safe runs · structured output schema

### Constraints

- API rate limits and token costs must be managed per run
- Output must stay consistent and scannable — not a wall of unstructured text
- Delivery failures on one channel should not block other channels

### Outcome

Reduced context-switching and faster daily planning. The same architecture pattern is valuable for operations teams that need fast triage and daily priority alignment.

### Related services

AI applications · workflow automation · API integration · data analytics

### Get in touch

[Discuss a briefing or orchestration system](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=DayBrief-style%20project).


AI-generated daily briefing combining calendar, tasks, email, weather, and news into one action-oriented summary — delivered on schedule to Telegram, Slack, or email.


DayBrief — AI Daily Briefing Orchestration

DayBrief

Automated reconciliation flow that ingests transactions, applies categorisation rules, and syncs to budget
tooling — built to reduce manual effort and improve financial decision cadence.


### Problem

Manual transaction reconciliation is repetitive, error-prone, and usually delayed. Personal finance workflows and small finance operations both suffer when categorisation and sync depend on someone remembering to do it weekly.

### Who it serves

Individuals managing personal budgets and finance teams who need timely, accurate transaction categorisation without increasing operational overhead.

### Ownership

End-to-end pipeline design: authenticated ingestion, normalisation rules, budget API integration, scheduling, secrets management, and audit logging.

### Architecture

1. **Data ingestion** — authenticated scraping with MFA and session rotation handling
2. **Transaction normalisation** — parsing, cleaning, and deterministic category mapping
3. **Budget API sync** — idempotent posts with duplicate checks and reconciliation logic
4. **Scheduled runtime** — GitHub Actions for daily execution with structured logs

### Technologies

Python · requests · BeautifulSoup · REST budget API · GitHub Actions · GitHub Secrets

### Constraints

- Financial data requires secure credential handling and idempotent sync behaviour
- Source systems change markup and session behaviour without notice
- Failures must be debuggable from structured logs, not silent drift

### Outcome

Turns a high-friction personal finance task into a low-touch system. The same automation pattern applies to financial operations where transaction integrity, categorisation accuracy, and processing timeliness matter.

### Related services

Workflow automation · data pipelines · API integration · reporting systems

### Get in touch

[Discuss finance automation or integration work](mailto:ethanhitchcock@gmail.com?subject=Finance%20automation%20project).


Automated reconciliation pipeline that ingests transactions, applies categorisation rules, and syncs to budget tooling — reducing manual finance overhead with scheduled, idempotent runs.


Budget Auto-reconciler — Financial Automation Pipeline

Budget Auto-reconciler

Case studies in solution architecture, API integration, workflow automation, and AI assistants — delivered with end-to-end ownership.


Projects | Solutions Architecture & Automation

Portfolio of solutions architecture and automation projects

Architecture, automation, AI assistants, and operational tooling — delivered with end-to-end ownership.

All projects.

Projects