Software EngineerSoftware ArchitectSoftware Consultant
I'm a principal software engineer with 25+ years of experience in architecture and technical decision-making. I help companies and engineering teams build reliable, scalable systems, make better technical decisions, and adopt AI responsibly.
About
More than two decades in software engineering have put me in front of most kinds of hard technical problems.
From architecture and product engineering to scaling, technical debt, and — more recently — figuring out where AI genuinely belongs in an engineering process.
My working philosophy is simple: understand the problem correctly, make the trade-offs explicit, and build something that actually holds up in production — not just on a whiteboard.
I favour solutions that are correct, maintainable, and proportional to the problem, not the most sophisticated one available. Good engineering decisions are also good business decisions, so I keep outcomes in view at every layer — and I can go deep technically while still being someone a non-technical founder can follow.
Pragmatic by nature
I favour solutions that are correct, maintainable, and proportional to the problem — not the most sophisticated approach available.
Business-oriented thinking
Good engineering decisions are also good business decisions. I keep outcomes and trade-offs in view at every layer.
Clear communication
I translate technical complexity into clear language for founders, investors, and leadership — and back again for engineering teams.
Problems I Help With
If any of this sounds familiar, let's talk.
Our architecture is turning into a constraint on product development.
We need senior technical judgment on an important decision, and can't wait to hire.
Technical debt is making every change slower and riskier.
We're scaling fast and don't know if the system will hold.
We want to bring AI into engineering, but don't know where it actually creates value.
Our prototype works — we don't know how to make it production-ready.
We need a new product or platform built, and want it done right the first time.
Engineering productivity is dropping as the team grows.
Where I Help
Six focused areas, organised around the problems teams actually bring me.
Software Architecture Review
A structured review of your architecture, codebase, and infrastructure — risks identified, complexity simplified, a practical roadmap out.
Software Architecture Review
- System design review
- Scalability assessment
- Technical debt prioritisation
- Cloud cost review
- CI/CD and testing review
- Reliability and observability
Product, Web & Mobile Engineering
Taking an idea to a working, shippable product — including full website and mobile app design and development — at startup speed, built to last.
Product, Web & Mobile Engineering
- Idea-to-MVP development
- Website design & development
- Mobile app design & development (iOS & Android)
- Startup technical co-founder support
- Rapid prototyping
- Scaling from MVP to production
Fractional Principal Engineer / CTO Advisory
Senior technical leadership for companies that need experienced judgment without a full-time executive hire.
Fractional Principal Engineer / CTO Advisory
- Technical strategy
- Architecture direction
- Vendor and tooling decisions
- Executive technical communication
- Engineering process improvements
AI Engineering & Adoption
Finding where AI actually creates value, then building it in — from architecture down to daily practice — without sacrificing quality or security.
AI Engineering & Adoption
- AI opportunity assessment
- LLM application & RAG architecture
- AI-assisted development workflows
- Model and vendor selection
- Production-readiness review
Technical Hiring & Team Building
Building and scaling engineering teams that keep performing well as they grow.
Technical Hiring & Team Building
- Technical interview process design
- Candidate technical evaluation
- Engineering team structure and org design
- Onboarding process design
- Building a strong engineering culture
Mentoring & Coaching
One-on-one mentoring for engineers, tech leads, and founders — better decisions, and the confidence to make them alone.
Mentoring & Coaching
- One-on-one engineering mentoring
- Career growth guidance for engineers
- Founder technical mentoring
- Code review and feedback coaching
- Interview and technical communication coaching
How I Work
A clear process from first conversation to lasting improvement.
Understand
I start with your context — the business goal, the technical landscape, the team, and the actual constraint you're up against.
Assess
I review the systems, code, and decisions involved to find the real issue — not just its symptoms.
Decide
Clear recommendations, an architecture proposal, or a decision framework — built for your actual constraints, not a generic best practice.
Build
Where it's useful, I build alongside your team, or guide your engineers through implementation directly.
Improve
I review what happened, adjust the approach, and help put in place what keeps the improvement going after I'm gone.
Ways to Work Together
Flexible engagement models based on your situation.
Advisory Retainer
Ongoing senior technical guidance for founders, CTOs, or engineering leaders who need experienced input without a full-time hire.
- Weekly or biweekly advisory calls
- Architecture and code reviews
- Decision support
- Hiring and interview guidance
- Async guidance via chat
- Roadmap reviews
Architecture & AI Audit
A focused assessment of your current systems, AI opportunities, risks, and next steps — with a clear, actionable output.
- Technical assessment report
- Prioritised recommendations
- Architecture diagrams where needed
- 90-day roadmap
- Executive summary
- Team walkthrough session
Workshop or Training
Focused sessions for engineering teams on high-value topics that improve decision-making, quality, and velocity.
- AI for engineering teams
- Production-ready LLM applications
- Architecture decision-making
- Engineering productivity
- AI-assisted development workflows
- Custom-tailored workshop content
Prototype / Proof of Concept
A short engagement to validate a technical idea — with a working prototype, honest assessment, and a clear path forward.
- Working prototype
- Technical feasibility assessment
- Recommended architecture
- Cost and risk estimate
- Next-step roadmap
- Founder and stakeholder demo session
Background & Expertise
What I bring to an engagement.
Principal-level engineering experience
Deep technical seniority across the full software development lifecycle — from architecture design to production operations.
Production systems background
Hands-on experience designing and operating systems at real scale, with the reliability and operational challenges that come with it.
Architecture and system design expertise
Strong grounding in distributed systems, API design, data modelling, and the trade-offs that define long-lived systems.
Cross-functional communication
Comfortable working across product, engineering, and business contexts — translating technical decisions into business terms and back.
Practical AI adoption experience
Building production-ready AI systems that hold up under real conditions — not just prototypes.
Engineering leadership perspective
Mentoring engineers, guiding teams through hard technical decisions, and shaping engineering culture.