Full-stack engineer & technical leader
I have built software with startups since 1998 — the interface, the services behind it, and the cloud infrastructure underneath. TypeScript, React, Node, and serverless architecture on AWS.
I am equally at home leading the work: scoping what is worth building, choosing an architecture that survives the next year, mentoring the people writing it, and staying answerable for what ships.
01 How I work
Much of a team’s development load is self-inflicted. The cheapest work to deliver is the work you establish you do not need, and that is settled in planning rather than in review — which means asking what the product actually has to do before anyone opens an editor.
Then test what does get built. Moving fast is not worth the exposure of poorly tested code, and the tests are what let the next person change it without fear. The architecture and the documentation around it follow the same rule: both are written for whoever inherits them.
It is a marathon, not a sprint. Measured steps beat all-nighters and they are endlessly repeatable. I use current tooling, AI included, and hold what it produces to the bar I have always used — code the next person can read, and a system I can defend in a room.
02 Capabilities
TypeScript · JavaScript
SQL, HTML & CSS
React · Astro
Design systems, Component libraries, Gatsby, Angular, Web performance, Accessibility
Node.js · Serverless
Express, REST APIs, Event-driven services, Background jobs & scheduling
AWS · CI/CD
Lambda, DynamoDB, S3, SQS & SNS, RDS, Google Cloud, Docker, Netlify
Postgres · DynamoDB
MongoDB, Data modelling, Third-party API integration
Technical leadership · Product development
System architecture, Mentoring, Testing strategy, Client engagement, Project management, AI-assisted development, Documentation
03 Selected work
Senior Software Engineer / 2017 — 2019
Bloomberg’s marketplace for bulk financial data, letting institutional customers browse and license datasets for their own in-house systems. One of three engineers on the customer-facing application — the most rigorously tested codebase I have worked in.
React · Node.js · Express · Docker · Jest · Jenkins
Lead Front End Engineer / 2019
Retirement financial planning for baby boomers. Led the marketing site, set up the CI/CD pipeline, and built a shared component library that published to NPM on every merge so the front and back ends stayed in sync without cross-team dependencies. Mentored a junior developer, and together we implemented the design system that turned mockups into components.
TypeScript · React · Gatsby · Node.js · CircleCI · Netlify
Founder / 2020
A scheduling API — recurring tasks, uptime monitors and watchdogs — built to spare other developers the calendar, RRULE and cron problems I had already solved twice. Serverless throughout to keep it cheap to run.
AWS Lambda · DynamoDB · TypeScript · React · Gatsby
04 Experience
2025 — present
Full-stack product work for startups — architecture, delivery, and the product decisions around both. Current tooling, AI-assisted development included, reviewed to the same standard as anything else that ships.
2020 — 2025
Consulting engagements and self-directed products — the TimeyTim scheduling API, and the React front end and Ethereum trading bots for Consortium Key among them.
Project work rather than a salaried role.
2019
Led development of the marketing site, selected the stack, and set up the CI/CD pipeline. Built a shared component library that published to NPM on every merge, and mentored a junior developer while we implemented the design system together.
2017 — 2019
One of three engineers on the customer-facing Enterprise Access Point application — Express on the server, React on the front end, and the most rigorously tested codebase I have worked in.
2015 — 2016
Content tooling for FiftyThree’s Mix, and two products of my own — Foghorn and iz u ded?. Scoped the work, built it, and handled the client relationship end to end.
Engagements from this period are detailed under Selected work above.
1998 — 2015
Lead UI, full-stack and co-founder roles across consumer social, media and health products. Small teams, shipped products, real users — and, at Healthy Hand, three outside developers to keep pointed in one direction.
Detailed under Selected work above.
05 Endorsements
I can highlight that he’s an exceptionally skilled developer, but that wouldn’t do him justice.
Where Michael stands out is in his “soft” skills: his personality and character. Michael is among the most loyal, hardworking, persevering, personable, and empathetic people I have had the pleasure to know and the privilege to work with, and to find such a combination in such a strong developer is a rarity.
Chris Mirabile Serial Entrepreneur Michael is the epitome of a team player.
His addition to our team brought forth an immediate shift in dynamic, increasing collaborative ideation and information-sharing, as well as enhancing our general team camaraderie. He offers suggestions readily and in an egoless manner — truly attempting to make the team better — and encourages others to do the same, regardless of their experience level.
He helps create an environment of learning — formally sharing presentations with the team on newly-implemented tools, while also eagerly sharing his time to sit with folks and work through hairy problems. He encourages clean code practices and keeps up-to-date on modern trends — he’s excited to discover new and useful things, but is intelligent about settling on sustainable approaches.
Also, he absolutely loves building things. He’s an engineer who delights in his work and his delight rubs off on others, bringing laughter to stressful days and making the work environment exciting and fun.
Bethanne Zink Software Engineer at Feather The most skilled and technically proficient UI developer I’ve ever worked with.
He has a comprehensive knowledge of the latest front-end tools, techniques and libraries. He constantly seems to be learning and improving the systems he builds, writes understandable documentation and works seamlessly with back-end developers — I would not hesitate to work with him again as I don’t think I could find anyone better.
Dave Stern DevOps Engineer & Consulting CTO What strikes me about his work is how complete it is on delivery.
Few things are as valuable to a JavaScript developer as mastery of the language. On more than a few occasions, Michael has rescued me from a predicament arising from my naiveté on the subject.
Michael takes care to cover every detail in realizing a goal. His management of AWS resources would prove invaluable to an organization looking to utilize all of even their most obscure services.
Cameron Moss Senior Software Engineer at Talkspace