Building teams that build great products
Engineering leader focused on empowering teams, driving strategic execution, and creating environments where engineers thrive. Your team's performance is your performance.
From engineer to leader
Pivoting into management was the next step in my career. After leading software projects, I took the lead of a single small team. And after that, the number of teams under my management grew — backend, mobile, frontend engineers, and cross-functional product teams.
Being a manager greatly differs from being an engineer. The role requires new skills, daily rituals, different tools, and having a more strategic mindset instead of focusing only on daily operations.
The older I get, the more I see how much I still don't understand. This is why I'm passionate about continuous learning — reading books, exploring new domains, and helping others grow in their careers.
Team Performance
Your team's performance is your performance. Success is measured by what your teams achieve together.
Strategic Focus
Good strategy is important. Consciously focus on it — don't let tactics consume all your attention.
Bias for Action
Doing something is sometimes better than doing nothing. Move forward, learn, and iterate.
What I focus on as VP of Engineering
Team Leadership & Development
Leading and developing engineering managers and senior ICs through regular 1:1s, team syncs, and performance reviews. Facilitating cross-team collaboration through leadership forums focused on knowledge sharing and career growth.
Process & Delivery Excellence
Establishing and optimizing engineering workflows including QA processes, release management, and sprint planning. Running recurring syncs to ensure delivery predictability and driving performance initiatives.
Strategic Planning & Alignment
Conducting regular executive syncs on engineering status, blockers, and product alignment. Owning KPI reviews, budget planning, and annual roadmap cycles. Translating business objectives into engineering priorities.
Cross-functional Partnership
Partnering with Product, HR, and company leadership to ensure engineering priorities align with business goals. Driving structured alignment meetings across departments for organizational coherence.
Vendor & Cost Optimization
Negotiating cloud infrastructure contracts, evaluating tooling investments, and managing engineering SaaS spend. Driving FinOps practices and optimizing infrastructure commitments.
Hiring & Team Scaling
Leading end-to-end recruitment including screening, technical assessments, and final hiring decisions. Evaluating external development partners and onboarding new team members effectively.
Security & Compliance
Owning security posture reviews, access audits, and compliance initiatives. Maintaining dedicated time for vulnerability management and driving retrospectives to capture technical learnings.
Culture & Innovation
Championing progressive workplace policies like the 4-day work week. Creating environments where engineers can do their best work while maintaining work-life balance.
Career progression
VP of Engineering
Leading multiple engineering teams across product development (Joan), platform infrastructure, and backend services (VSS). Driving strategic planning, engineering excellence, and technical governance. Successfully implemented a 4-day work week policy.
Engineering Manager
Grew from leading a single team to managing multiple cross-functional teams including backend, mobile, and frontend engineers. Established engineering processes and delivery frameworks.
Software Engineer & Tech Lead
Built foundational expertise in C and Go programming. Led software projects and developed deep understanding of backend systems, scalability, and architectural design.
Technical Foundation
My engineering background gives me the context to make informed decisions, speak the language of my teams, and understand the technical implications of strategic choices.
Languages
Infrastructure
Observability
CI/CD
Books that shaped my leadership
Continuous learning is essential for growth. These books have profoundly influenced how I think about leadership, strategy, and building high-performing teams.