Portfolio website of Minhaj - Experiences

Experiences

List of my professional experiences

Jan 2026 - Running

•Architect and develop scalable distributed systems and SaaS products for global markets, operating with complete technical autonomy.
•Engineered Sentinel, a secure, high-throughput system audit log utilizing Go and Kafka, successfully designing robust consumer strategies and dead-letter queues to mitigate thundering herd problems.
•Designed and launched the Refund & Return Risk Analyzer Shopify application, utilizing a modern PHP/Laravel, MySQL, and Redis stack to deliver a margin-protection product for e-commerce merchants.
•Consult on cloud infrastructure modernization, including migrating monolithic applications to scalable, containerized microservices ecosystems using Docker and Kubernetes on AWS.

Jul 2023 - Dec 2025

•Led the transition of a core product from prototype to a production-ready platform, defining the technical roadmap and reducing time-to-market
•Made key architectural decisions and designed scalable, maintainable systems aligned with business needs
•Designed and optimised AWS cloud infrastructure, reducing costs by ~30% while ensuring high availability and reliability
•Led the deployment of ML and NLP models into production, enabling real-time data processing for large-scale applications
•Improved MySQL and PostgreSQL performance, reducing query latency by 60% and ensuring scalability for high-traffic systems
•Set and maintained engineering best practices, including code reviews and clean coding standards
•Managed and mentored a team of 10+ engineers, increasing team productivity and sprint velocity
•Worked closely with product managers, designers, and stakeholders to ensure clear communication and smooth delivery
•Planned, tracked, and delivered projects on time while maintaining high quality
•Built and improved CI/CD pipelines, reducing release time
•Introduced better tools and processes to improve team efficiency and product quality
•Monitored system performance and fixed bottlenecks to keep applications fast and reliable
•Clearly communicated technical decisions and progress to both technical and non-technical audiences
•Helped resolve complex technical problems by guiding the team toward effective solutions

Dec 2018 - Jun 2023

•Led the design and architecture of scalable, high-availability systems handling 500K+ daily requests with 99.95% uptime
•Partnered with product and business stakeholders to translate requirements into scalable technical solutions and system designs
•Defined system architecture, established coding standards, and ensured best practices for maintainability, scalability, and performance
•Oversaw development of RESTful APIs (Laravel, Python) powering 15+ integrations
•Guided full-stack delivery using Laravel, React.js, Next.js, improving performance through SSR and optimisation strategies
•Architected caching and performance strategies (Redis, Memcached, Nginx) reducing database load and improving response times
•Directed database design and optimisation (MySQL, PostgreSQL) for scalability, consistency, and high availability
•Owned AWS infrastructure architecture and operations, maintaining 99.9% SLA for enterprise-grade systems
•Established and improved CI/CD pipelines, enabling faster release cycles and reducing deployment risks
•Mentored engineers, conducted code reviews, and drove engineering excellence across the team

Jun 2015 - Nov 2018

•Designed and built a highly available, scalable backend system supporting 1M monthly active users, maintaining low latency under peak load
•Developed server-side applications using Python, PHP (Laravel), Node.js, Vue.js, and MySQL
•Provisioned and managed AWS infrastructure (RDS, API Gateway, Lambda, SQS) using CloudFormation, reducing setup and eliminating manual errors
•Integrated third-party APIs including Facebook, Google Graph, and Account Kit, increasing social login adoption to 65% of new users
•Built real-time systems using Socket.io, reducing response time and improving user retention
•Implemented caching strategies using Nginx, Redis, and Memcached to improve system performance and reduce server load
•Monitored application and server performance, identifying bottlenecks and applying optimisations
•Developed automated browser testing workflows using Selenium, reducing regression testing time
•Managed project tasks and coordinated team activities using Asana to ensure smooth and timely delivery

Nov 2014 – May 2015

•Developed and customised WordPress themes and plugins for multiple marketplace platforms based on business requirements
•Extended and optimised third-party plugins to enhance website functionality, performance, and user experience
•Collaborated closely with the Team Lead, Business Analyst, and Product Owner to deliver project requirements effectively
•Managed hosting environments using cPanel, including deployment, configuration, and basic server maintenance