Engineering leader · full-stack architect
I’m Santiago Molina, known online as santi020k—an engineering leader and full-stack architect helping teams modernize systems, automate delivery, and improve developer experience.
Available for tech lead, staff-level full-stack, and engineering leadership roles
Experience
12+ years
Building web, mobile, backend, automation, and developer experience systems.
Team leadership
14 people
Largest cross-functional team led across product, design, frontend, and backend.
Delivery systems
-75%
Release lead-time reduction through CI/CD and quality-gate automation.
01The shape of the work
A working model of what I care about, where I can help, and why the details matter.
Based in Medellín, Colombia, I have spent the last decade-plus shipping products across commerce, SaaS, gaming, real estate, and media.
Across these projects, I focus on architecture that can evolve, delivery pipelines that catch problems early, and team habits that make decisions clearer.
I like being close to the product and close to the code. The best technical leadership I have seen is practical, calm, and specific enough that teams can move faster without guessing what “good” means.
Architecture and modernization for products that need to keep shipping.
Developer experience, automation, testing, linting, and CI/CD systems that reduce review noise.
Technical leadership for teams that need clearer standards and calmer decisions under pressure.
02Collaboration
The places where hands-on engineering and technical leadership can make the biggest difference.
01
Best fit when a team is shipping, but needs clearer standards, calmer releases, and stronger technical decision-making across the stack.
Useful for product teams that need leadership without losing hands-on depth.
02
Useful when a platform needs to get faster, more accessible, and easier to evolve without freezing delivery for months.
Strong match for rebuilds, migrations, architecture cleanup, and performance-heavy work.
03
I improve linting, testing, CI/CD, and documentation so teams spend less time on repeated fixes and release friction.
Best when the team already feels the friction every week and wants a calmer default.
03Context
Commerce, SaaS, gaming, real estate, and community. Each brought a different problem to solve.
VoidTechnical leadership across esports web, mobile, backend, and real-time delivery at Void.Read case study
Optic PowerProduct engineering shipped across Team Liquid, NurtureBoss, and Stardust.gg client work.Read case study
DatagranAI martech dashboards and campaign workflows supporting brands including Rappi and Subway.Read case study
X GamesHigh-traffic sports media platform and programmatic ad infrastructure for one of the world’s most recognized extreme sports brands.Read case study
Smith CommerceA faster, more accessible headless commerce experience for Marcone and its product teams.Read case study
PADSLuxury real estate web, back-office, and mobile experiences that improved broker workflows.Read case study
JustbitA boutique software studio behind 10+ client launches and measurable organic growth.Read case study
Nebular TechnologiesClient web, Android, and commerce work across Rails, AngularJS, Java, and WordPress.Read case study
ReactJS ColombiaCommunity talks, workshops, and mentorship through one of Medellin’s most active React groups.Read case study04Principles
The principles I come back to when a product is moving fast and the team needs decisions that hold.
01
The best automation removes toil — repetitive, low-judgment work that slows teams down. It should never replace the thinking that makes products worth building.
02
The developer experience of a codebase shapes how fast and confidently the team can move. Bad DX compounds. Good DX compounds too — invest early and measure it.
03
A good tech lead reduces ambiguity before it becomes risk. Clear standards, good tooling, and systems that fail loudly are how you protect a team's velocity at scale.
04
Speed isn't a tech concern, it's a user concern. Every kilobyte and every render-blocking resource is a choice that affects real people on real connections.
05
The goal is to solve the problem, not to use the newest tool. Stable, well-understood solutions let the team focus on the actual product.
06
A consistent codebase with some imperfections beats an inconsistent one with pockets of brilliance. Conventions compound. Exceptions cost.
05Recommendations
Communication, reliability, and helping people do better work together—in their own words.
"Santiago has excellent communication skills and is able to explain complex technical concepts in a clear and concise way. He is highly reliable, dedicated, and responsible — meeting deadlines and delivering high-quality projects."
Raphael Drummond
AI Product & Engineering Leader · Managed Santiago at Optic Power
"Santi stands out due to his outstanding technical skills, leadership abilities, and collaborative spirit. He cultivates a positive and inclusive work environment, promoting open communication and idea exchange."
Carolina G. Torres
Lead Product Designer · Colleague, same team
"He excels in good practices while coding and has solid leadership skills. He is great at sharing knowledge with fellow devs and organizing priorities to make things happen in a quality-oriented way."
David Delgado
Software Engineer · Reported to Santiago
"Santiago is a great engineer who is constantly learning and dedicated to his work — a good leader, responsible with his tasks. I recommend him to any company looking for a brilliant full-stack developer able to get results and inspire."
Jorge Luis Madrid
Senior Cloud & DevOps Engineer · Client
Keep exploring
The portfolio has the project evidence; the blog has the thinking behind the decisions.
