Architecture & Engineering Leadership Consultant.
Hi, I’m Jessica.
I am an architecture and engineering leader. The work I take on is Head of Architecture, CTO, and Head of Engineering: covering the role for a defined period, or helping you see a platform clearly enough to decide what to do next.
The goal is the same either way: to leave things in a better state than I found them, both the code and the culture.
Technical debt is not just a code problem. It is a people problem: the teams who maintain the systems, the stakeholders who rely on them, and the outcomes the business actually needs. I would rather a solution your engineers can own than a clever design that only works while I am in the room.
Most of my career has been architecture and engineering leadership in highly regulated environments, in companies from eight-person startups through to large organisations. I have been Head of Architecture at NewDay, and I have taken interim CTO work, including the technology and engineering plan for a business-critical initiative.
At NewDay I was the technical interface for an 18-month client onboarding programme across 52 engineering teams, translating contractual obligations into architectural roadmaps with security, data, platform, and engineering leadership. I built and scaled the architecture function, moved design into the teams so it was not a bottleneck, and put architecture roadmaps into the product lifecycle with ExCo reporting on progress, cost, and risk. Compliance has included PCI DSS v4 and ISO 27001.
Before that I was a technical architect at the Legal Aid Agency, including the migration of a 30-year-old estate onto modern services on AWS, and the guilds (observability, testing, security) that make that kind of change stick. Typical problems have been aligning a platform with business and regulatory goals; making PCI and data governance something engineering can operate; technical roadmaps that can compete fairly with product work; and systems that have grown through years of local decisions.
That includes covering senior roles (CTO, Head of Engineering, Head of Architecture) and advisory work on systems strategy, assessments, and targeted architectural support. Recent examples are on the Case Studies page. The current offer is on Services.
I have been involved in the tech community for a long time, including a term on the .NET Foundation Board Of Directors, co-founding DDD East Midlands Conference, and speaking at conferences internationally. Topics have included stabilising legacy systems, monitoring culture, and architecture.
The best way to reach me is a direct message on
LinkedIn.
If email is easier, use jessica@jbrentnalldigital.com.
For speaking, Sessionize is the simplest place to start.
Senior Manager GRC
I’ve worked with Jess for the past 2 years on architectural governance to help us achieve and maintain PCI and ISO compliance. Jess is one of those people who just gets it, she understands the requirements and how they need to be achieved. She is a pleasure to work with and is knowledgeable and always positive in her approach.
Senior Principal Security Architect
I’ve had the pleasure of working with Jessica, our remarkable Head of Architecture, and it’s impossible to overstate her impact on the team and company. Jessica brings an extraordinary blend of technical expertise and strategic vision, elevating engineering practices with a focus on resilience, cost efficiency, performance, and adherence to industry-leading compliance standards.
Principal Engineer
Jessica is an exemplary individual whose leadership and technical expertise continue to drive our organisation forward. With a keen eye for detail and a strategic approach to problem-solving, she navigates the complexities and turns project tangles into triumphs, time after time. In addition to her architectural role, her public speaking skills are truly remarkable. Her mentorship and commitment to knowledge-sharing have cultivated a culture of continuous learning within our organisation. Her dedication to excellence is reflected in the high quality of her work and the esteem in which she is held by peers and the industry. Jess is an invaluable asset to any project or initiative, and I wholeheartedly endorse her for any future endeavors she may undertake.
Senior Software Engineer
Jess completely changed how our teams work together. She brought clarity, trust, and a culture of shared ownership that still shapes how we build today. She has a talent for cutting through noise, asking the right questions, and making people feel heard. The team she’s built reflects her values - smart, approachable, and widely respected. Jess leads with a deep understanding of both people and systems. She’s the kind of leader you learn from just by being around her. Any team would be lucky to have her.
Product Manager
Jess is one of the most brilliant individuals I have ever had the privilege of working with. She is incredibly wise and experienced when it comes to the digital space, both in regards to solving technical problems but also in regards to establishing effective working practices. As brilliant as Jess in her own professional capabilities, arguably the most value she brings to an organisation lucky enough to employ her is her dedication and capacity to develop those around her. This extends far beyond those within her own profession too.
Senior Delivery Manager
Jess is a leader and someone who can deliver on her promises. She can talk the talk but more importantly is that when she does talk the talk, she walks the walk to back it up. She has been known to go out of her way to spend time with team members to help them improve to her own detriment and she can carry her heart on her sleeve sometimes, but this is not a negative as it just shows the level of passion that she brings with any job she does. She’s passionate about coding standards and best practices, and she’s helped teach the whole department about better security practices.
Head of Information Security
Jessica is part of a rare group of individuals who are not only technically brilliant but also exceptional with people. She consistently demonstrates a proactive approach and does not shy away from taking responsibility, always focusing on delivery. She is always looking to take the front foot, ensuring that tasks are not only completed but completed to the highest standard. Jessica's natural leadership qualities shine through in every project she undertakes. She effortlessly steps up to lead, inspire, and motivate her team, creating a collaborative and high-performing environment. She has an incredible ability to inspire and elevate her colleagues, fostering an atmosphere of excellence and collaboration.
QA Engineer
Since starting my role as a QA, Jess has made me feel really welcome within the team and provided me with so much support. It’s a real pleasure to work alongside an individual who is not only passionate about tech but also the well-being of the team. Jess has made a massive difference to the team by going above and beyond her current role responsibilitie