Leadership in People & Platforms

I've built and led high-performing global teams across onshore, nearshore, and offshore locations. When I say "I build high-performing teams", I'm talking about creating an environment where engineers are aligned, engaged, and consistently delivering high-quality software that moves the business forward. I don't just mean feature velocity--I also mean platform resilience, deployment confidence, and operational excellence. That doesn't happen by accident. Here's how I do it:

• Hire for Curiosity, Grit, and Collaboration

  I look for people who are not only technically solid but who are humble, curious, and wired to work well in teams. Skills can be taught. Attitude and ownership? That's harder to coach.

• Set Clear Expectations and Autonomy

  I establish clear goals and accountability early on--what good looks like, how we measure success--but I don't micromanage. Engineers need space to make decisions, own their outcomes, and learn from mistakes. Autonomy with Accountability

• MLOps/DevOps as a First-Class Citizen

  I don't treat MLOps/DevOps like an afterthought or a cleanup crew. I embed MLOps/DevOps into planning cycles, treat their roadmap as critical, and make sure they're not constantly firefighting without resourcing or recognition.

• Infra Gets a Seat at the Table

  Whether it's cost optimizations, cloud strategy, or incident response design--I make sure Infra and SREs have a voice in technical and product strategy. They hold the glue that keeps everything running.

• Invest in Developer Experience (DevEx)

  High-performing infra teams reduce friction. I champion investment in CI/CD, MLOps, observability, and self-service tooling because faster, safer deploys and better feedback loops make every team better--from frontend to infra.

• Coach Relentlessly

  I meet 1:1 with team members regularly--not just to check boxes, but to understand blockers, support their growth, and help them connect their work to the bigger picture. I've promoted juniors to leads because I invest in mentorship and skill development.

• Create Psychological Safety

  I make it safe to speak up, ask dumb questions, and respectfully challenge decisions. This builds trust--and when people trust each other, they ship faster and with less drama.

• SLOs, Not Just SLAs

  I work with platform teams to define SLOs (Service Level Objectives), track error budgets, and make sure reliability is part of our definition of "done." That gives them room to innovate without risking burnout or degraded quality.

• Align Around Shared Goals

  Product, QA, MLOps/DevOps--we're all in it together. I create strong collaboration rhythms between cross-functional partners so no one's in the dark and dependencies are flagged early.

• Celebrate Wins and Learn From Losses

  I recognize achievements, both team and individual, and we always run retros--not to assign blame but to improve. A culture of continuous improvement is what separates a team that delivers from one that transforms.

High-performing doesn't just mean 'fast delivery'--it means sustainable speed, high engagement, and a culture of trust and accountability that outlasts any one roadmap cycle.

Meet Dex - The mascot for RJL.dev

Dex embodies my approach to leadership: with a clear vision, a deep understanding of the craft, and a focus on empowering teams, we can lead innovation, not just keep up with it. Guiding Teams. Powering Platforms.