juJustin Underhill
// signal

Justin Underhill

AI Engineer & Builder

I build and ship AI products end-to-end, and I'm comfortable doing it close to the customer — turning a vague business problem into a deployed, working system. Full-stack across Next.js and Python/FastAPI, with a delivery background behind it.

Based in Johannesburg. The thread across my builds: AI is commentary, never the source of truth — the load-bearing logic stays deterministic. Behind the engineering is years of client-facing delivery: scoping, stakeholder alignment, QA, launch, and handover.

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Justin Underhill
// about

From digital craft to AI systems

My background spans software development, digital strategy, reporting, performance thinking, and enterprise project leadership. That range lets me move between technical detail and operational reality without losing the thread.

I treat AI initiatives as engineered systems — with reliability standards, governance, human oversight, and measurable adoption inside the business. The interesting work is rarely the model itself; it's the surrounding architecture that makes the model dependable.

// capabilities

Where I focus

  • 01

    Agent workflows

    Building AI agents that close the loop on a real task — combining LLM reasoning with tool use, retrieval, and execution behind a single surface.

  • 02

    LLM applications

    Practical assistants and decision-support tools with grounded context, retrieval where it matters, and outputs the user can trust.

  • 03

    AI automation

    Connecting AI into existing business workflows so they run faster, more consistently, and with less manual handling.

  • 04

    Project & delivery leadership

    Leading full project lifecycles, stakeholder alignment, and handovers that keep strategy tied to execution.

  • 05

    Data & performance thinking

    Using analytics, reporting, and KPI frameworks to measure impact and continuously improve outcomes.

  • 06

    Digital product foundations

    Hands-on background in software and web development with strong full-stack and platform fundamentals.

// skillset

Developer skillset

Hands-on development skills built across software delivery, WordPress engineering, AI tooling, and production web projects.

AI application builds

  • LLM assistants
  • Retrieval-augmented generation
  • OpenAI API
  • Anthropic Claude API
  • Context strategy
  • Guardrail design
  • Workflow automation

Agentic engineering

  • Agent workflows
  • Tool orchestration
  • Task decomposition
  • Memory & context design
  • Evaluation loops

AI coding environments

  • Claude Code
  • Codex
  • Repo-aware development
  • AI pair programming
  • Prompt iteration
  • AI-assisted debugging

Delivery & product shaping

  • Rapid prototyping
  • Product shaping
  • Human-in-the-loop QA
  • Requirements workshops
  • Quality control
  • Client handover & training

Engineering foundations

  • TypeScript / JavaScript
  • Python
  • React / Next.js
  • FastAPI
  • Node.js & backend APIs
  • Database & server integration
  • WordPress (themes, plugins, architecture)
  • HTML / CSS / PHP
// experience

Career timeline

Apr 2023 — Present

Project Manager · Merchants

Leading end-to-end delivery, stakeholder governance, and operational handovers across complex initiatives.

Aug 2022 — Mar 2023

Digital Project Manager · Bottomline SA

Drove digital transitions with precise scheduling, budget control, and cross-team alignment.

May 2022 — Jul 2022

Reporting & Dashboard Specialist · Wetpaint

Built reporting clarity and trained teams during new system rollouts.

Jan 2022 — Mar 2022

Digital & Tech Consultant · Kadraa Recruitment

Facilitated technical workshops and strengthened hiring requirements for web-focused roles.

Nov 2018 — Oct 2021

Independent Digital Consultant · NetSum

Delivered digital growth strategies through freelance consulting and omni-channel campaign execution.

2016 — 2018

Digital Lead / Strategist · Neapolitan Digital, BPD Advertising, Red September

Led channel strategy, social performance, and data-informed campaign execution across multiple organizations.

Nov 2015 — Oct 2016

Senior Software Developer · Straight Twisted

Managed full-stack project delivery, team leadership, and quality assurance under demanding timelines.

Aug 2010 — Oct 2015

WordPress Developer · Neapolitan Digital

Built custom websites, plugins, and client-ready digital platforms with strong UX and performance focus.

// digital twin

Step into the conversation

Ask about the work, the decisions, the skills, and the way I think.

Justin UnderhillDigital twin
checking
JT

Hi, I'm Justin's Digital Twin. Ask me about the work, the projects, or how I think through AI and delivery.

// portfolio

Work that I do

Live products and working prototypes across AI, legal tooling, property, specialist services, and medical support — each opens a short problem-to-result write-up alongside the running app.

prototype01Agent CopilotA scripted contact-centre call plays turn by turn while five panels — sentiment, compliance, customer context, knowledge, and next best action — are derived live by Claude Haiku from the transcript so far, and an after-call wrap-up is drafted for the agent to review.
View projectOpen live demo
live project02FanBrain AIPredict World Cup scores, track your picks, join private leagues, and let AI reveal what kind of fan you really are — no betting, just bragging rights.
View projectVisit live site
live project03The AbbotsfordMarketing site for a 16-unit Johannesburg duplex development — gallery, floor plans, unit pricing and availability, a 24/7 AI concierge that answers buyer questions from approved information, and lead capture that feeds Zoho CRM and the sales agents.
View projectVisit live site
live project04Medical Aid NavigatorPick your medical-aid situation — an emergency, a specialist referral, registering a chronic condition, a rejected claim — and get a plain-English checklist of exactly what to ask, which codes and documents to request, and what to watch out for before you use your benefits.
View projectVisit live site
live project05RenoClean SAService site for a Cape Town post-renovation cleaning specialist — clear offer, trust signals, and an enquiry form that feeds every lead into Zoho CRM as a structured sales lead.
View projectVisit live site
live project06Clinical EmergenciesHealthcare information site prioritising fast, clear access to urgent service details for South African families, with enquiries wired straight into a complete lead-to-CRM sales system on Zoho CRM.
View projectVisit live site
live project07ScamCheckPaste a suspicious link or message and ScamCheck tells you in plain language whether it's safe, suspicious, or dangerous — and why.
View projectVisit live site
Open portfolio hub →
// credentials

Education & certifications

AI engineering curriculum

Ed Donner
  • AI Builder — Agents, Voice Agents & Automation (n8n)

    Built autonomous agents, RAG-powered voice agents, and a multi-agent go-to-market system. Covered LLM integration (OpenAI, Gemini, Anthropic), Supabase vector RAG, MCP, webhooks, and JSON data pipelines.

  • AI Coder — Claude Code & Coding Agents

    Shipped live products with agentic coding workflows — including this site and its digital twin, and the PreLegal assistant. Covered Claude Code, MCP, skills, sub-agents, multi-agent orchestration, and the Claude Agent SDK.

  • AI Engineer Agentic Track — Agents & MCP in Code

    Six-week intensive building autonomous agents across every major framework — OpenAI Agents SDK, CrewAI, LangGraph, and AutoGen — starting from raw LLM design patterns and culminating in MCP (Model Context Protocol). Eight hands-on projects, capped by a trading-floor capstone: four agents making autonomous trades over six MCP servers and 44 tools.

  • AI Leadership — Strategy, Decision-Making & Governance

    Three-module workshop on leading AI initiatives with measurable commercial impact: strategy and investment frameworks, the scaling laws and cost/benefit of techniques from RAG to reasoning, the risks and opportunities of agentic AI, and AI architecture, org design, governance, and roadmap decisions from a commercial perspective.

Four completed tracks of an applied AI engineering curriculum. The FinAlly and PreLegal portfolio projects above were built as part of it.

Anthropic certified

Anthropic
  • AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations

    Academic program co-badged with University College Cork, Ringling College, and Ireland's Higher Education Authority & National Forum.

  • Claude Code 101

    Agentic coding with Claude Code — the workflow behind the builds in this portfolio.

  • Claude Platform 101

    Building on the Claude developer platform and API.

  • Claude 101

    Core foundations of working effectively with Claude.

  • Introduction to Claude Cowork

    Delegating multi-step work to Claude as an autonomous coworker.

  • AI Fluency for Small Businesses

    Applying AI to real small-business workflows and operations.

Education

  • Stellenbosch University
    Certificate in Digital Marketing
  • Stanford Online
    Computer Science coursework
  • HFPA
    Diploma in Exercise Science

Selected certifications

  • PRINCE2 Foundation
  • Generative AI for Project Managers
  • GenAI for Consultants — NTT DATA
  • AI Change Management: Leading the Transformation
  • Responsible Use of AI
Full archive on LinkedIn →
// contact

Open to AI engineering roles and build engagements

Based in Johannesburg, open to forward-deployed and AI engineering roles, plus build engagements across applied AI products, automation workflows, and delivery-led programs.

emailunderhill.justin@gmail.com
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linkedinjustinunderhill
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