Podgorica, Montenegro
I’m a senior full stack engineer and system architect who thrives at the intersection of deep technical execution, team leadership, and stakeholder collaboration. With over 11 years of experience across JavaScript, TypeScript, and PHP ecosystems, I’ve led architecture efforts, mentored engineers, and driven the delivery of scalable, secure applications across startups and enterprise systems. I'm most effective in roles where I can combine hands-on development with big-picture ownership—from design and prototyping to long-term scaling and team enablement. I’ve always worked closely with product owners, designers, and founders to translate business needs into pragmatic, performant systems. I’ve helped modernize legacy stacks, architected OAuth2 identity platforms, and implemented LLM-backed tooling and agent workflows. My recent focus is on integrating AI into real-world applications—using vector search, retrieval-augmented generation, and agent frameworks to build smart, adaptive systems. While I’ve been called on to provide technical leadership similar to a fractional CTO in some engagements, I still enjoy being close to the code, collaborating on architecture, and helping dev teams succeed. Focus Areas: Senior-Level Full Stack Engineering (React, Next.js, Node.js, PHP, WordPress) AI Integration (LLMs, RAG, vector DBs, Mastra agents, Playwright MCP) System Architecture (OAuth2, Supabase, GraphQL, Cloudflare Workers) Scalable Product Development (Monorepos, CI/CD, SSR, mobile/web parity) Stakeholder-Facing Delivery & Communication Team Mentorship & Codebase Stewardship
As a staff software engineer, I operate across a large-scale application with a focus on making delivery, reliability, and engineering quality predictable. I maintain a broad view of the system and ensure that best practices are enforced through the platform rather than dependent on individuals. This includes implementing guardrails that prevent defects before production, embedding SLA constraints into CI/CD and release processes, and evolving testing strategies to support safe refactoring and modernization. I focus heavily on strengthening testing across unit, integration, and functional layers to reduce flakiness and improve confidence in changes. I also introduce agentic context into the development workflow so both engineers and AI-assisted tools operate within defined system boundaries and constraints. I standardize patterns to improve maintainability and reduce errors through system design. While I support developers through code reviews and guidance, my primary focus is on system behavior, risk reduction, and consistent delivery outcomes.
As a senior full-stack JavaScript developer, I am responsible for having a large overview of the project and ensuring that the best solutions and practices are implemented. I'm required to have a high level of knowledge of coding standards and practices, which are essential in maintaining the quality of the code. I also oversee the team, conduct code reviews, and provide support and guidelines to junior and intermediate developers. My guidance is instrumental in helping the team grow and excel.
As a staff software engineer, I operate across a large-scale application with a focus on making delivery, reliability, and engineering quality predictable. I maintain a broad view of the system and ensure that best practices are enforced through the platform rather than dependent on individuals. This includes implementing guardrails that prevent defects before production, embedding SLA constraints into CI/CD and release processes, and evolving testing strategies to support safe refactoring and modernization. I focus heavily on strengthening testing across unit, integration, and functional layers to reduce flakiness and improve confidence in changes. I also introduce agentic context into the development workflow so both engineers and AI-assisted tools operate within defined system boundaries and constraints. I standardize patterns to improve maintainability and reduce errors through system design. While I support developers through code reviews and guidance, my primary focus is on system behavior, risk reduction, and consistent delivery outcomes.
As a senior full-stack JavaScript developer, I am responsible for having a large overview of the project and ensuring that the best solutions and practices are implemented. I'm required to have a high level of knowledge of coding standards and practices, which are essential in maintaining the quality of the code. I also oversee the team, conduct code reviews, and provide support and guidelines to junior and intermediate developers. My guidance is instrumental in helping the team grow and excel.
David's responsibilities as a front end and WordPress developer for Toptal are to provide clients with the most performant and precise solutions on the web. Specifically, this includes the following: • Building performant and modern user interfaces in React.js, Vue.js, HTML, CSS, and Javascript/Typescript according to strict client requirements. • Configuring and managing WordPress websites for clients to the highest standards to meet goals. Projects completed include: • React.js & WordPress websites for a payments processor. • WordPress design & management for several educational platforms. • React.js site development and WordPress design & management for a HIPAA compliant medical research firm. • Preact.js, jQuery, and PHP development for a PCI compliant payment processor and ecommerce analytics platform.