~/abul-qasim/portfolio
whoami
Hello, I'm Abul Qasim
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const mission = "Developing code, building products, and mentoring the next generation of developers";
9+
Years Shipping
7
Team Size
0%
Turnover
100+
Devs Mentored
● Onlinev2.4.0
UTF-8TypeScript
Career Journey
while(alive) { learn(); build(); lead(); }
Engineering Manager
Ratehub
Feb 2026 - Present
// Key Impact
- >Leading a cross-functional squad of 6 engineers (3 FE, 2 BE, 1 QA) as the engineering pillar of a Product-Design-Engineering triad, shipping core platform infrastructure and the flagship Memberships product suite
- >Owning quarterly and annual capacity planning with a lightweight estimation model now used across every engineering team, keeping delivery predictable and comparable across squads
- >Driving an engineering-first review culture with high-fidelity architecture and code reviews that surface technical debt early, plus rapid proof-of-concept workflows that de-risk technical direction before Product commits
- >Introducing an engineering onboarding playbook that ramps new hires quickly and consistently, and owning hiring across levels with structured rubrics and live technical assessments
- >Coaching peer engineering leads new to management and steering org-wide structural decisions in a Director-adjacent capacity after the departure of senior engineering leadership
- >Partnering with Marketing to build Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) infrastructure, defining front-end readability standards that make content discoverable to LLMs, a first-mover capability in Canadian fintech
import leadership_principle;
"Fail fast, iron out the engineering early, and de-risk before we scale."
Technologies & Skills
ReactTypeScriptNode.jsAWSMicroservicesGEO
Software Development Manager
Allocadia (Uptempo)
Aug 2023 - Jan 2026
// Key Impact
- >Led cross-functional team of 7 engineers, 1 PM, and 1 UX designer delivering an enterprise marketing operations platform serving 500+ enterprise customers
- >Architected and delivered scalable microservices using Java, Spring Boot, Apache Kafka, React, GraphQL, and MySQL achieving 99.9% uptime
- >Optimized Agile processes and sprint planning, achieving 95% on-time delivery and 20% improvement in sprint velocity
- >Implemented comprehensive monitoring with AWS CloudWatch, Raygun, and New Relic reducing mean time to resolution by 30%
- >Established 1:1 coaching and career development programs resulting in zero voluntary turnover and 3 internal promotions
- >Collaborated with C-level executives and product stakeholders to define technical roadmap and prioritize high-impact features
import leadership_principle;
"Clear roadblocks, enable flow, and trust the team to execute."
Technologies & Skills
JavaSpring BootApache KafkaReactGraphQLMySQLAWS
Development Team Lead / Senior Full Stack Engineer
Telus International
Jul 2022 - Aug 2023
// Key Impact
- >Led engineering team of 6 developers building customer-facing telecommunications applications serving 1M+ active users
- >Designed and implemented containerized microservices architecture using Docker and Kubernetes on Google Cloud Platform, improving deployment efficiency by 40%
- >Developed high-performance web applications using Ruby on Rails, Vue.js, React, Backbone.js, and Node.js with comprehensive test coverage
- >Established code review standards, mentoring protocols, and best practices increasing team code quality metrics by 25%
- >Collaborated with cross-functional product, design, and QA teams to deliver 20+ major features aligned with business objectives
import leadership_principle;
"Ship value, not just code. Validated learning over guesswork."
Technologies & Skills
Ruby on RailsVue.jsReactNode.jsDockerKubernetesGCP
Senior Full Stack Engineer / Team Lead
Guardian Capital (Modern Advisor)
Mar 2020 - Sep 2021
// Key Impact
- >Led team of 5 Full Stack Engineers modernizing legacy financial management systems into an automated portfolio management platform
- >Architected and developed fintech applications using Ruby on Rails, AngularJS, React, Node.js, and Material UI handling $50M+ in assets
- >Implemented comprehensive TDD practices using RSpec, achieving 85% test coverage and reducing production incidents by 35%
- >Collaborated with financial advisors and compliance teams to ensure regulatory adherence and a seamless user experience
- >Optimized database performance and implemented caching strategies improving application response times by 30%
import leadership_principle;
"Automate everything. If you do it twice, script it."
Technologies & Skills
Ruby on RailsAngularJSReactNode.jsRSpecMaterial UI
Computer Science Professor
Algonquin College
Aug 2019 - Present
// Key Impact
- >Deliver lectures and labs in Web Development, OOP Java, Mobile Development, and Computer Architecture
- >Mentor 100+ students annually in software development and career guidance
- >Developed curriculum for modern web technologies and industry best practices
- >Received excellent student feedback and course evaluations
import leadership_principle;
"Learn by building. Theory without practice is just trivia."
Technologies & Skills
JavaJavaScriptReactNode.jsMobile Development
Full Stack Web Developer
National Judicial Institute
Jun 2019 - Mar 2020
// Key Impact
- >Developed judicial education web applications and automation tools using ColdFusion, Mura CMS, and Hibernate ORM
- >Built advanced ColdFusion Components (CFCs) with complex business logic for legal case management systems
- >Designed responsive interfaces using HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript improving user engagement by 20%
- >Implemented automated testing frameworks ensuring 98% application uptime for critical judicial systems
import leadership_principle;
"Extreme Ownership. The buck stops here."
Technologies & Skills
ColdFusionMura CMSHibernateHTML5CSS3JavaScript
Software Developer
Department of National Defence
Jan 2018 - Jun 2019
// Key Impact
- >Designed and developed secure web-based defense applications using .NET Framework, C#, and ASP.NET for military operations
- >Architected efficient SQL Server databases and stored procedures optimizing data retrieval by 25%
- >Facilitated cross-departmental communication gathering requirements for mission-critical government systems
- >Ensured compliance with government security standards and implemented robust authentication mechanisms
import leadership_principle;
"Mission critical reliability. Zero margin for error."
Technologies & Skills
.NET FrameworkC#ASP.NETSQL Server
Guiding Principles
const values = { leadership, building, collaboration };
EXEC
Ship > Perfect
Real artists ship. Perfection is the enemy of progress.
Wait...Prototype it today, refine it tomorrow.
EXEC
Fail Fast, Recover Faster
Post-mortems are for learning, not blaming. Optimism in the face of failure.
Wait...First deployment broke? Fix it, learn, and deploy again.
EXEC
Default to Open
Trust is given, not earned. Transparency builds velocity.
Wait...Share work in progress. Hide nothing.
EXEC
Strong Opinions, Loosely Held
Argue like you're right, listen like you're wrong.
Wait...Challenge assumptions, but commit fully once a decision is made.
EXEC
Fall in Love with the Problem
Don't retrofit a solution. Understand the "Why" before the "How".
Wait...Is this a real user issue or just engineering vanity?
EXEC
Extreme Ownership
You build it, you run it. No throwing code over the wall.
Wait...If the build breaks, you fix it. No excuses.
EXEC
Figure It Out
Google the error, read the docs, try things. Invalidate hypotheses.
Wait...Spent 15 minutes debugging before asking for help.
EXEC
Patience Over Speed
Go slow to go fast. Measure twice, cut once.
Wait...Design doc first, code second.
EXEC
Good Enough is Good Enough
Diminishing returns are real. Know when to stop.
Wait...80% solution shipped beats 100% solution delayed.
EXEC
Build to Demand
YAGNI (You Aren't Gonna Need It). optimizing for the future is a trap.
Wait...Don't build a generic framework for one use case.
// Inspired by Ray Dalio's "Principles" — optimized for engineering
Skills & Expertise
import { capabilities } from 'experience';
$Leadership & Management
Team Leadership (7-10 engineers)Agile/Scrum MasterStakeholder ManagementTechnical StrategyPerformance ManagementHiring & Mentoring
$Backend Development
JavaSpring FrameworkRuby on RailsNode.jsPythonC#.NETREST/GraphQL APIsMicroservices Architecture
$Frontend Development
React.jsVue.jsAngularJSJavaScript/ES6+HTML5/CSS3Responsive DesignMaterial UIBackbone.js
$Cloud & DevOps
AWS (EC2, S3, RDS)Google Cloud PlatformDockerKubernetesCI/CD PipelinesInfrastructure as Code
$Database & Data
PostgreSQLMySQLMongoDBRedisApache KafkaSQL ServerData Modeling
$Tools & Practices
Git/GitHubJIRANew RelicRaygunTDD/BDDCode ReviewsTechnical Documentation
Loading projects...
Teaching
npm run teach --live
Full Stack Development
Course Slide Deck
An interactive slide deck I built and maintain for teaching full stack web development — covering the front end, back end, APIs, and modern tooling. Deployed live on GitHub Pages.
ReactViteTeachingFull Stack
Let's Connect
$ ssh abul@portfolio.com
// Or reach out directly: