Services

Fractional Principal Engineer

After 25 years working at companies like SpaceX, Netflix, Google, HashiCorp, and Sequoia Capital, I retired and am staying that way, but I miss solving hard problems with great teams. I’m now providing an intentionally very limited set of slots to help companies with hard technical problems in areas like:

• Software architecture and design
• Critical code reviews
• Cloud infrastructure and DevOps
• Data engineering and data infrastructure
• High-performance real-time embedded systems
• Distributed systems (massive scale and high performance real-time)
• Building and managing software teams

Currently 2 of 3 slots are available. The max of 3 slots is a hard limit designed to make sure I can focus and provide the highest level of engagement. Here’s how each slot works:

• 8 hours sync per month: in-person (I travel) or video, divided how you choose (architecture reviews, technical planning, pair programming)
• 8 hours async per month: via Slack (code reviews, design feedback, general guidance), usually respond within 24 hours
• Travel to anywhere in Los Angeles is included or will bill separately for travel expenses outside of Los Angeles
• Month-to-month terms with no minimum number of months, 30 days notice to cancel
• 2-4 weeks of time off throughout the year with advance notice
• $8,000 per month rate

This is best for technical teams facing architecture, scaling, or infrastructure decisions beyond their current experience. Hiring a full-time principal engineer is difficult and can cost $325k+ annually with a long-term commitment. Engaging with me as a fractional principal engineer is a low cost and low friction way to get access to this expertise right when you need it - even a one month engagement is fine!

If you’d like to find out more, please contact james@modulecollective.com