Working with me

How it starts

Every engagement begins with a discovery call — usually 30–45 minutes. No pitch, no slides. I want to understand the actual problem, what’s been tried, and what success looks like for you.

After that, I’ll tell you honestly whether I’m the right fit. If I’m not, I’ll say so.

Engagement types

Project-based A defined scope with a clear deliverable. Good when you know what you need — a migration, a new CI/CD setup, a security remediation. We agree on scope and price upfront.

Retainer Ongoing work on a monthly basis. Good when you need a reliable engineer in the mix over a longer period — platform ownership, regular improvements, someone who knows the context.

One-off consultation A focused session or short review — architecture review, second opinion, help getting unstuck. No long-term commitment required.

Quick job Need a targeted fix, a focused review, or a specific thing that just needs doing? I’ll do it, hand it over, and you may never need to contact me again. Typically 2–4 hours. Priced flat, scoped upfront, no retainer needed.

Not sure which fits? Bring the problem and we’ll figure it out together.

How we work together

I work async-first. That means written updates over unnecessary meetings, decisions documented where you can find them, and no expectation of instant replies outside agreed hours.

That said, I’m not unreachable. We agree on a communication cadence upfront — typically a weekly written update and a short check-in when needed. If something urgent comes up, you’ll hear from me.

You stay informed without having to chase.

What’s included by default

Documentation and runbooks are baked into the working hours, not an add-on. When I build something, I write down how it works, why decisions were made, and how to operate it.

Basic architecture diagrams, deployment notes, and a handover document come with every engagement. Not a wall of text — enough that someone else can take it from here.

What’s negotiated

Some things depend on your context:

• Delivery approach — full IaC (Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation, or AWS CDK) for reproducibility, or faster manual setup where speed matters more than long-term reproducibility. We pick what fits the situation.
• Documentation scope — the basics are always included; deeper runbooks, training sessions, or internal wiki contributions are scoped separately.
• Post-project support — a defined support window can be included; open-ended availability is a retainer.

How it ends

Every engagement ends with a handover. That means:

• A final review of what was built and why
• Documentation you can actually use
• Any credentials, access, or ownership properly transferred
• A walkthrough call if needed

When I’m done, you’re not dependent on me to keep things running. That’s the point.

Ready to start?

If you’ve read this far and it sounds like a fit, the next step is simple — send me a message or book a call. Tell me what you’re working on, and we’ll take it from there.

I respond to every message within 24 hours. No exceptions, no auto-replies. You’ll hear from me directly.

Want to see past work first? Here’s the portfolio.

If you need my CV: here.