Consulting
I spent 20+ years building systems at Google, AWS, Meta, and high-growth startups. Now I help engineering organizations solve the problems I’ve already solved.
I’m available for consulting and advisory work.
What I Actually Know
Cloud infrastructure at scale. I built and operated CloudFront’s global CDN (700+ PoPs), AWS IoT systems managing millions of devices, and Meta’s exabyte-scale storage. I’ve done the multi-account AWS migrations, the Terraform automation, the “why is this costing us $200k/month” investigations. I’ve seen what works and what becomes a maintenance nightmare.
Growing engineering teams without losing velocity. At Assurance, I scaled engineering from a handful of people to 100+ while the company grew from 100 to 500 employees. At CQG, I built and ran a 60-person R&D office. The hard part isn’t hiring—it’s keeping teams productive while adding people. I’ve figured out what processes help and which ones just create overhead.
Security and compliance that doesn’t slow you down. I led Assurance through SOC 2 Type II, PCI-DSS, and NYDFS audits as CISO. These things don’t have to be painful. Most teams overcomplicate them or treat them as checkbox exercises. There’s a middle path.
Surviving hypergrowth. Assurance went through Prudential’s $2.35B acquisition, rapid scaling, and eventually wind-down. I’ve seen what happens when systems built for 10x load hit 100x. I’ve managed the transition from “startup chaos” to “enterprise operations” without killing the culture.
How I Work
I’m not looking to rack up billable hours. I’d rather spend a few focused sessions helping you avoid mistakes I’ve already made than drag out an engagement.
Typical work includes:
- Architecture reviews before you commit to a design
- Scaling strategy when you’re about to outgrow your current setup
- Leadership coaching for new engineering managers
- Security program design before your first audit
- Second opinions when your team is stuck on a hard decision
Get in Touch
Book a 30-minute call. I’ll listen to what you’re dealing with and tell you honestly if I can help.
No pitch, no pressure. If it’s not a fit, I’ll say so.