Oana C.

Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world.

• Developed a pioneering AI agent platform for a US construction enterprise, enhancing access to a vast construction project knowledge base.
• Led the engineering of core platform APIs for Mrs Wordsmith, an edtech startup, revolutionizing AI and gaming-based language learning.
• Implemented a language learning module for the Queen Rania Foundation, expanding access to education for over 2 million learners in the Arab world.

Dalia's Book disrupts the Romanian education system by offering modern learning contexts for digital literacy, involving the community, IT companies, schools, and professionals.

• Bootstrapped an award-winning non-profit engaging over 1,000 tech experts to provide futuristic job security skills to over 10,000 children.
• Recognized as Best Social Impact Startup - Regional Finalist in Central European Startup Awards (2018 & 2020) and awarded for Best Digital Skills in Education by the European Commission (2018).

EarthLink Telecommunications is Iraq's leading internet service provider, offering a broad range of ICT solutions since 2005.

• Developed and launched product roadmaps for an enterprise telecom solution encompassing 15+ systems, defining key product and technical features.
• Oversaw five multidisciplinary teams totaling over 50 members, coordinating efforts across product/project management, design, engineering, testing, devops, and IT.
• Implemented engineering best practices, automation design, and coordinated load & penetration testing to ensure quality, performance, reliability, and security.
• Pioneered cross-functional agile processes that resolved project stagnation, leading to the highest team velocity within the department and adoption across the company.

• Redesigned the organizational structure for the 50+ member R&D Department to transition from a flat to a hierarchical matrix, enabling a 50% departmental scale-up.
• Developed a matrix reporting structure, defined career tracks, role responsibilities, and assessment KPIs across multiple teams including design, engineering, test, support, and project management.
• Designed a performance management strategy fostering a culture of excellence and growth.
• Created a change management plan to support an iterative transition, ensuring smooth adaptation to the new organizational architecture.

• Led the successful migration of Toptal’s Staff Portal from a monolithic architecture to a microservices-based infrastructure, enhancing scalability and flexibility.
• Utilized a diverse tech stack including React, Node.js, Ruby, Web Services, and GraphQL, demonstrating versatility and technical proficiency in project execution.

Evozon specializes in end-to-end software development with a commitment to technical and strategic consultancy, emphasizing a flat organizational structure for efficient decision-making and promoting a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

• Managed a 20-member game production team across multiple disciplines, leading to the production of 2 award-winning mobile games featured by Apple.
• Revolutionized game development processes by designing a hybrid agile and waterfall development process, reducing the production lifecycle from 2 years to 10 months.
• Directed product and go-to-market strategy, successfully penetrating the casual gaming market.

• Led a team of 30 senior engineers to foster a support and growth culture among 130 software engineers, enhancing team dynamics and productivity.
• Standardized key processes including onboarding, performance assessment, and project staffing, creating a structured and efficient departmental workflow.
• Designed a new career track for L3 Support Engineering, expanding career opportunities and supporting skill development across the company.
• Played a pivotal role in learning and development initiatives to address skill gaps, thereby improving project delivery and performance.

In 2020, iQuest Group joined Nagarro, helping to transform and adapt to the future through digital product engineering with a global team of experts in 26 countries.

• Coordinated 4 teams across engineering, QA, design, and customer support, successfully delivering 3 enterprise systems across 40+ countries using a hybrid V-Model Waterfall and Agile Scrum development process.
• Managed release roadmaps for 3 web products, effectively translating complex business requirements into executable engineering tasks.
• Architected scalable solutions for software, REST APIs, data, search engine, and business processes, achieving a 7x improvement in scalability that significantly reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs.
• Developed and implemented an automated testing strategy, including a test automation blueprint for end-to-end business flows, enhancing software reliability and operational efficiency.

• Designed and developed key web systems and ETL components, significantly enhancing the efficiency and reliability of medical data visualization platforms.
• Implemented and introduced quality processes for development through coding standards, peer, and architectural reviews, elevating the project's overall software quality and maintainability.
• Authored comprehensive architecture documentation using UML and the 4+1 view model, providing a clear framework and guidelines for current and future development efforts.
• Mentored a team of 7 software engineers, guiding their professional development from junior to senior levels, and significantly contributed to the team's expertise and project outcomes.

UMT Software joins North Highland, further enhancing capabilities in holistic transformation design, management, and value delivery.

• Led the engineering team in developing the 1st standalone version of UMT 360, transitioning from a component of Microsoft Project and Portfolio Server.
• Introduced agile practices across the company, incorporating scrum, refactoring, code reviews, and coding conventions, significantly advancing the software development process.
• Played a pivotal role in translating business and customer requirements into actionable product features, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and product fit.
• Designed and established a comprehensive software development lifecycle, including custom CI/CD pipelines, leveraging Microsoft TFS, which streamlined release processes and improved code quality.