I’m building a compliance‑focused MVP and need a hands‑on fractional CTO / technical lead to validate architecture, reduce build risk, and oversee implementation.
This is not a pure strategy, roadmap, or documentation role. I’m looking for someone who stays close to real implementation, challenges weak decisions, and helps guide developers toward a practical, defensible MVP.
Context and Intent
AWS and serverless are being used intentionally and minimally. The goal is risk reduction, security, and speed, not infrastructure sophistication. This role is less about building “clever AWS” and more about preventing early architectural mistakes that create long‑term pain.
Stack / Direction
Python
AWS Lambda, API Gateway
Cognito (auth and identity boundaries)
Secrets Manager, CloudWatch
S3 / CloudFront
SmartSuite as the low‑code / no‑code relational data layer
Anthropic / AI API integrations
Plain HTML / CSS / JavaScript frontend
What I Need
Review the current architecture and call out real risks, dead ends, or over‑engineering
Reduce the MVP to the smallest defensible and buildable version
Help define the right hiring mix (what must be senior vs what can be delegated)
Oversee backend, SmartSuite integration, and frontend execution
Review and challenge technical decisions and implementation quality
Communicate clearly and directly with a non‑technical founder
You Should Be
Strong in pragmatic, security‑aware AWS application architecture, especially serverless
Comfortable simplifying systems rather than adding abstraction
Hands‑on enough to review real implementation decisions when it matters
Comfortable with hybrid systems (low‑code + custom backend/frontend)
Direct, practical, and not dependent on layers of PMs
Important
This is not a passive advisory role. This role is expected to question assumptions, reduce unnecessary complexity, and veto weak technical decisions when needed.
Please do not reply with a generic profile summary.
Instead, answer these directly:
What systems have you personally helped architect and oversee that are closest to this execution pattern?
What would you personally do in this role versus delegate?
Do you personally review code and technical decisions?
Have you worked in hybrid systems where part of the workflow lived in a low‑code/no‑code platform and part in custom AWS/backend/frontend components?
Are you comfortable starting with a short paid architecture and execution‑risk review?
This will start as a short paid engagement (1–3 weeks) and may continue into ongoing MVP oversight if there is a strong fit.
