Scale engineering with the business
Evolve the organization, leadership structure, and operating rhythms so engineering can support the company’s next stage without losing speed or accountability.
Technology & engineering leadership · SF Bay Area
Seasoned engineering leadership for your next stage of growth.
I bring 23 years of technology experience—including leading a multi-team engineering organization at Atlassian—to help startups scale teams, strengthen execution, and make consequential technology decisions.
Start a conversation23+years building technology
17+years leading teams
50person organization at peak scope
2×product performance improvement
How I help
Build the engineering organization your company needs next.
Make execution more predictable
Turn company priorities into clear ownership, sound decisions, and a delivery system that produces meaningful outcomes—not just activity.
Navigate critical technology decisions
Bring business context to architecture, platform, operational, and AI choices—balancing near-term growth with the foundations the company will need next.
Ways to work together
Executive leadership shaped around the challenge.
Every company reaches moments when engineering decisions carry consequences far beyond the technology itself. I work alongside founders and leadership teams to create clarity, strengthen the organization, and turn strategy into execution.
Engagements are tailored to the company’s stage, leadership needs, and the outcomes that matter most—from a focused assessment to ongoing fractional or interim leadership.
Clarity and direction
Strategic Advisory
- Engineering organization and leadership assessment
- Technology strategy and architecture guidance
- Executive coaching and decision support
- Prioritized recommendations for the next stage
Leadership and execution
Fractional & Interim
- Hands-on executive leadership through change
- Organizational design, hiring, and leadership development
- Operating systems for ownership and predictable delivery
- Alignment across product, engineering, and the business
Engineering executive & operator
Leadership experience from startup to enterprise scale.
Most recently, I led a multi-team Confluence Cloud engineering organization at Atlassian through managers and principal architects. My scope crossed performance, platform, CI/CD, developer productivity, APIs, ecosystem, cost efficiency, and organizational design.
Earlier, I built engineering teams and products from the ground up—as a startup CTO, a hands-on technical leader, and an engineering manager responsible for high-scale systems and customer-critical products.
View LinkedIn profileWhere I step in
Experienced leadership for moments that shape what comes next.
Scaling
The organization and its systems need to catch up with the business.
Transformation
Execution, architecture, or ways of working need a decisive reset.
Transition
The company needs experienced leadership during a search or change.
Critical decisions
The stakes call for independent executive judgment and clarity.
Engineering as a growth advantage
Build what comes next.
Let’s discuss the company’s ambitions, what is standing in the way, and the leadership needed to move forward.
ilia@iliafain.com