What kind of project is a good fit?

A good fit is a new product or extension, a focused improvement to an inherited product, or one useful AI, payment, realtime, or integration capability. The work should be specific enough to define a visible outcome and a reviewable release.

What timezone overlap can I expect?

I'm based in Pakistan (PKT / UTC+5). I work async-first with clear written updates, and we agree on useful overlap and call windows before the project starts.

Who owns the code and accounts?

The written scope defines ownership before work starts. For commissioned work, the client receives the agreed code and deliverables; pre-existing tools, open-source software, and third-party services keep their existing terms. I prefer client-owned repositories and production accounts from day one.

How do contracts and payments work?

For new clients, I usually work through Upwork. If we connect elsewhere, I can send an Upwork Direct Contract. Fixed-price work is split into written milestones, with each milestone funded before it begins.

Can you join an existing product team?

Yes. I can join an existing product team, work within the current design and backend constraints, and keep ownership, interfaces, decisions, and progress visible.

How does a project start?

We start with the product goal, current state, constraints, and the smallest useful release. If there is a fit, I follow with a written scope, milestones, acceptance criteria, and the proposed first slice.

What should I bring to an intro call?

A rough idea is enough. Share the product or workflow, what exists today, the outcome you want, any target date, and links, designs, repositories, or constraints that may shape the work.

Available for new client & contract work

Senior Full-Stack Product Engineer · Remote

I build and modernize production software.

I help teams ship new products, improve inherited codebases, and add practical AI or integrations—hands-on from technical direction through release.

7+ years · Hands-on engineering leader · Web, mobile, backend, and AI delivery

View relevant work Book an intro call Download resume

Selected work

Selected work, with the proof boundary made clear.

View all 12 case studies

Simplified CraveUp restaurant platform system map

May 2020–Present

Employer platform

CraveUp - Restaurant Ordering & Management Platform

Frontend Developer → Full-Stack Developer → Director of Engineering

Built across customer ordering, merchant operations, a React Native staff app, and shared Node services while progressing into hands-on engineering leadership.

Next.jsReactReact Native

2025 – Present

Owned product

Resumi

Full-stack engineer

Built the resume workflow from structured editing and live preview through AI assistance, customization, sharing, export, and billing gates.

Next.jsTypeScriptClerk

View sandbox demo

FormPilot workspace dashboard with submission metrics, setup progress, and recent activity

2025 – Present

Owned product

FormPilot

Full-stack engineer

Built a persisted-first intake-to-triage workflow with asynchronous, schema-validated OpenAI Responses SDK extraction, workspace access, billing, and integrations.

Next.jsTypeScriptClerk

View sandbox demo

Simplified AI operations copilot system workflow

2025

Client delivery

AI Operations Copilot

Full-stack & AI engineer

Led retrieval and agent workflows over documents, PDFs, and email, with point-of-sale context connected through a separate integration layer.

Next.jsTypeScriptSupabase / Postgres (pgvector)

View all 12 case studies

Production problems solved

Real production problems, resolved with evidence.

01 · Production incident
Named employer
Restored launch-day order visibility in the merchant dashboard
I corrected the date parsing in the order-list and analytics paths, merged the production fix, and reported completion.
Confirmed production fix
The fix was deployed during the launch incident and acknowledged by the stakeholder.
Read full story: Restored launch-day order visibility in the merchant dashboard
02 · Systems integration
Client under NDA
Connected an external POS catalog and ordering workflow
I implemented the catalog import and outbound-order path, aligned the provider SDK and data contracts, added pricing, location, and nutrition handling, and built the webhook-to-internal-status update path.
Core integration confirmed
A test order reached the provider dashboard, import fixes were deployed and acknowledged, and relevant deployment checks passed for the core flow.
Read full story: Connected an external POS catalog and ordering workflow
03 · Workflow recovery
Client under NDA
Repaired a crashing property-to-project publishing workflow
I reworked property-to-project conversion, persistence queries, assumptions state, calculations, validation, transaction handling, and budget allocation.
Confirmed repaired flow
I shared a working preview and walked through property creation, assumptions, publishing, editing, and transactions; the stakeholder acknowledged the repaired flow.
Read full story: Repaired a crashing property-to-project publishing workflow

Services

Product engineering for the work in front of you.

Whether the product is new, inherited, or missing one critical capability, I scope the work around a visible outcome and a reviewable release.

New build or extension

Ship a new product or production feature

Turn a defined product goal into a working web or mobile release, with application logic, data, integrations, and deployment handled as one product.

Product and technical scope
Web, backend, and mobile delivery
Release and handoff

Inherited product

Stabilize and extend an existing product

Understand the current codebase, isolate the highest-risk problems, and ship a focused improvement without forcing a full rewrite.

Codebase and workflow review
Prioritized risks and next release
Reviewable improvement slice

Focused capability

Add AI, payments, realtime, or integrations

Connect one useful capability to the product’s real workflow, data, and acceptance criteria—not as a disconnected demo.

AI and retrieval workflows
Payments and external APIs
Realtime product state

Process

A reviewable path from context to handoff.

01
Understand the product
- Existing state
- Desired outcome
- Constraints and risk
02
Prove the direction
- Technical direction and tradeoffs
- Small visible slice
- Acceptance checklist
03
Deliver in reviewable increments
- Scoped work packets
- Written progress
- Early blocker flags
04
Verify and hand off
- Acceptance review
- Deployment notes
- Clear next-step roadmap

Book an intro call

Experience

7+ years shipping in production.

Crave (Food-Tech)

Director of Engineering

May 2020–Present

Frontend Developer (May 2020–December 2023), Full-Stack Developer (December 2023–June 2026), Director of Engineering (June 2026–Present). Leads three engineers through functional technical leadership while remaining hands-on.

Freelance Practice

Independent Full-Stack Engineer

2024–Present

Builds and modernizes selected client and owned products across Next.js, Node.js, React Native, Flutter, payments, and AI-enabled workflows.

Tek2D

Frontend Developer

February 2019–March 2020

Developed responsive frontend web experiences and translated product and design requirements into maintainable interfaces.

About

I turn product ambiguity into a reviewable path to production.

I stay hands-on from requirements and technical direction through implementation, review, release, and handoff. I surface risk early, keep progress visible, and leave a clear next-step roadmap.

Frontend

React · Next.js · TypeScript · JavaScript · Tailwind CSS

Backend

Node.js · Express · PostgreSQL · Supabase · Row Level Security · MongoDB · Prisma · Stripe · Socket.IO

Mobile

React Native · Flutter

OpenAI APIs · RAG · LangChain · LangGraph · Vercel AI SDK

FAQ

Before we talk.

Contact

Have a product to ship? Let's see if we fit.

Bring the current product, desired outcome, and constraints. We can determine whether a focused build, modernization slice, or integration is the right next step.

develop.umar@gmail.com

Send product context, links, or a short brief.

Write email

30-minute project intro

Book an intro callopens in a new tab

A rough idea is enough. We’ll clarify the goal and constraints; if there’s a fit, I’ll follow with a written scope.

GitHub LinkedIn

Best fit for

Founders and product teamsNew products and extensionsInherited product improvementsAI, payments, and integrations