Robert Whittaker
Senior Software Engineer
Software Engineer with six years of experience building enterprise applications across defence, winery management, and consumer technology sectors.
About
Software Engineer with six years of experience building enterprise applications across defence, winery management, and consumer technology sectors. Proven track record delivering production systems from conception to deployment.
Expertise in React/TypeScript frontends, Flutter mobile development, and PostgreSQL-backed cloud infrastructure. Equally comfortable leading projects independently or contributing within cross-functional teams.
Education
Bachelor of Software Engineering (Honours)
The Australian National University (ANU) | 2014 - 2019
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
Previously lived in Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne
Hobbies
Tennis, Backpacking, Hiking, Travel
Skills & Expertise
Tap any bubble to see where I've used it.
Select a skill to see details
AI & Prompt Engineering
I integrate AI tools deeply into my development workflow — not as a replacement for engineering judgment, but as a force multiplier that lets me build faster and think more clearly.
Tools I Use
Claude (Anthropic)
My primary AI coding assistant. I use Claude extensively for code generation, architecture decisions, debugging, code review, and technical writing.
- •Claude Code for full-stack development workflows
- •Pair programming and real-time code iteration
- •Generating boilerplate and scaffolding new features
- •Debugging complex issues across multiple files
- •Writing documentation and technical content
IntelliJ IDEA & JetBrains AI
My primary IDE for Java, Kotlin, and full-stack development. JetBrains AI Assistant provides intelligent code completion, refactoring suggestions, and inline explanations directly within the IDE.
- •AI-powered code completion and generation within IntelliJ
- •Intelligent refactoring and code transformation suggestions
- •Inline documentation and code explanations
- •Multi-language support across Java, TypeScript, Go, and Dart
AI-Augmented Workflow
Planning
Use AI to explore technical approaches, evaluate trade-offs, and draft architecture documents before writing any code.
Building
Pair-program with Claude Code for implementation — generating scaffolding, writing business logic, and iterating on features in real time.
Testing
Generate comprehensive test cases, edge case scenarios, and test data. AI catches patterns I might miss in manual testing.
Reviewing
Use AI as a second pair of eyes for code review — checking for bugs, performance issues, security vulnerabilities, and best practices.
Documenting
Generate clear documentation, API references, and setup guides. This portfolio site itself was built with Claude Code.
My Approach to Prompt Engineering
Context-Rich Prompts
I provide full context — project structure, tech stack, constraints, and goals — so the AI can make informed decisions rather than generic suggestions.
Iterative Refinement
I treat AI output as a first draft. I review, test, and iterate rather than accepting generated code blindly. The best results come from back-and-forth dialogue.
Architectural Guidance
I use AI to explore design options, then make the final architectural decisions myself. AI is a thinking partner, not the architect.
Code Review Mindset
Every line of AI-generated code goes through the same scrutiny as human-written code — checking for security issues, edge cases, and maintainability.
Experience
Tap a role to see details.
Founder / Full-Stack Developer
Itinatour Pty Ltd
- Built Image Blocx and Itinatour applications on both App Store and the Play Store using Flutter, with corresponding websites using React & NextJS.
- Participated in the University of Adelaide ThincSeed Pre-Accelerator for founders.
- Managed tasks using an Agile Kanban approach and using GitHub for version control.
- Created backends using PostgreSQL, Golang and Typescript.
Full-Stack Developer
Vintrace
Junior Software Engineer
Sintelix
Junior Java Developer
Citadel / Department of Defence
Projects
Personal & Startup
Itinatour
Founder & Full-Stack Developer · 2024 - Jan 2026
A comprehensive travel planning platform with mobile apps on iOS and Android, and a Next.js website. Features interactive maps, AI-powered itineraries, and real-time collaboration.
Lectyr
Founder & Full-Stack Developer · 2025 - Present
A local-first mobile and web application featuring on-device text-to-speech, offline storage, background audio, and subscription management. Built as a monorepo with Flutter, Go, Next.js, and Supabase.
Image Blocx
Founder & Full-Stack Developer · 2025 - Present
A photo sharing and management application built for iOS and Android. Features media processing, cloud storage, and social sharing capabilities.
Professional Experience
Vintrace
Full-Stack Developer · 2021 - 2024
Enterprise winery management platform used by wineries worldwide. Led the language translation project and built features across the full stack using Java, React, and MySQL.
Sintelix
Junior Software Engineer · 2020 - 2021
Text analytics and intelligence platform. Created pattern recognition scripts and built a merge tool for combining different Sintelix project configurations.
Department of Defence
Junior Java Developer · 2018 - 2019
Document processing automation and data processing projects for the Australian Department of Defence. Developed enterprise solutions with security clearance requirements.
GitHub Activity
All repositories are private. Includes contributions from private repositories.
Get in Touch
Let's build something great together.
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
© 2026 Robert Whittaker. All rights reserved.
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