Open to new partnershipsTop Rated Plus · 100% Job Success

Hi, I'm ijaz. AI & Engineering Lead · Solutions Architect · PM · 8+ years

I architect systems at scale & ship AI products that deliver.

I help founders and product teams go from 0→1 or 1→scale with high-throughput backends, AI agent systems that know when to stop, and architecture that survives real traffic. Commodity trade, FinTech, AI/SaaS, CRM and Healthcare.

ijaz.spec.yml
# every build starts with a spec
stack:  NestJS · Fastify · TypeScript
flows:  Temporal · BullMQ · queues
data:   PostgreSQL · Redis · graphs
ai:     LangGraph · agents · self-hosted
infra:  AWS · Kubernetes · Terraform
rule:   AI proposes, people decide ✓

Trusted by product teams, from early startups to Dubizzle Labs

Peak traffic · Geosocio

98k/s

peak requests handled on the Geosocio platform

Hover the bars · illustrative load curve

addresses geocoded, used by OLX & Zameen.com
7M+
addresses geocoded, used by OLX & Zameen.com
emails a day handled by an AI inbox I built
10k+
emails a day handled by an AI inbox I built
years as engineer, tech lead & founder
8+
years as engineer, tech lead & founder

01 Selected work

Systems I've shipped

02 How I can help

Services

For startups that need a senior technical brain before a full team, and for teams whose architecture needs straightening out.

  1. Solution Architecture

    System design, domain modelling, event-driven and microservice architecture, cloud on AWS and Kubernetes, plus a roadmap your team can actually build.

    01
  2. AI & LLM Integration

    Agent systems that do real work with a human in the loop where it matters, like MegaBrain and Deal Driver. Designed for cost, reliability and privacy, on hosted or self-hosted models.

    02
  3. Scale & Performance Rescue

    Latency, memory and throughput problems fixed at the root: queues, streaming, caching, data models. From 1→scale without a rewrite.

    04

03 How I work

Spec first. Code second. Surprises never.

Spec-Driven Development, the method I teach, applied to your product, so people and AI agents build exactly what was agreed.

  1. 01

    Discover

    Goals, users, constraints and what "done" means.

  2. 02

    Specify

    One living spec everyone signs off.

  3. 03

    Architect

    Designed for today's load and the next 10×.

  4. 04

    Build

    Engineers and AI agents ship to spec, with weekly demos.

  5. 05

    Scale

    Observability, performance and a team that can run it.

Ijaz Ul Rehman, solutions architect and AI engineering leadLahore · remote worldwide

iʿ·jāz (noun): that which cannot be imitated.

My name means inimitable. I take that as a brief: build systems that don't need to be copied, patched or rebuilt.

04 Experience

Where I've built

  1. 2025 to now

    Independent · several clients

    AI & Engineering Lead, Solutions Architect & PM

    Engineering and AI delivery for several product teams: an AI agent platform for commodity trade, a financial advice platform built from the ground up, and serverless backends on DynamoDB in healthcare.

  2. 2024 to 2025

    Smarter Contact

    Senior Software Engineer

    Part of the platform team that streamlined a high-volume SMS pipeline handling 150k+ contacts a day.

  3. 2022 to 2024

    Kross Finance

    Backend Lead

    Partner gateway on a private network, and roadmaps that lifted service performance 17%.

  4. 2021 to 2022

    Dubizzle Labs · then EMPG Labs

    R&D Software Engineer

    Geocoding for 7M+ addresses, and the R&D team’s hiring process.

  5. 2018 to 2020

    Geosocio

    Tech Lead

    83k to 98k requests a second at peak, a 350-component Angular portal and a Lighthouse score of 100.

Backend
  • TypeScript
  • Node.js
  • NestJS
  • Fastify
  • Temporal
  • BullMQ
  • RabbitMQ
  • GraphQL · REST
AI
  • LangGraph · deepagents
  • OpenAI · Claude
  • Self-hosted LLMs
  • RAG · knowledge graphs
  • Python agents
Data
  • PostgreSQL
  • Redis
  • MongoDB
  • DynamoDB
  • Prisma · TypeORM
Frontend
  • React
  • Next.js
  • Vite
  • TanStack Query
  • Tailwind
Cloud & ops
  • AWS
  • Lambda · Serverless
  • Kubernetes
  • Terraform
  • Docker
  • GitHub Actions
  • Grafana · Loki
  • SOC 2 controls
Download résumé (PDF)

05 I teach what I build

Videos & the SDD course

YouTube channel
Featured · 21 minAI for Developers: Don't Get Replaced - Get Ahead Now
ShortCS ka matlab paisa hi paisa? Reality check + what to doFree course · coming soonSpec-Driven DevelopmentFor student and junior devs in Pakistan and India, taught in Roman Urdu / Hinglish.Subscribe to get notified

06 Kind words

From people I've built with

All recommendations on LinkedIn

On Upwork

Top Rated Plus

Upwork's top tier for freelancers

Job Success Score100%
$100K+
earned with clients
5,000+
hours delivered
Open to new partnerships

Ready to build or rethink your system?

  • Architecture sprint
  • Monthly tech partner
  • Build & scale
ijazSolutions Architect & AI Engineering Lead
Book a call

10+

product teams, from early startups to Dubizzle Labs

Ijaz has consistently delivered high-quality work under tight deadlines while maintaining meticulous attention to detail … capable of independently managing large-scale product features and enterprise-level initiatives.
Thomas UnderwoodBuilder · Leader · EntrepreneurManaged Ijaz directly · 2025

24h

to a first reply. Async-first from UTC+5, with overlap for your calls.

“I worked with Ijaz at Skimli, where he architected and led our 10-service microservices platform from the ground up … He thinks like an architect and delivers like an engineer. I’d recommend him to any founder who needs a senior technical partner.”
FaisalCTO, SkimliWorked together on the platform
“Convergent thinking, passion, and impact are three very big strengths of Ijaz … exponentially enhancing our tech capabilities.”
Arsalan ArshadFDE · Orchestrator AI
“I found Ijaz to be a deep thinker … He analyses every detail before committing something. He is a man of vision.”
Ali ZerghamProgram Leader · PMP® · on a startup Ijaz founded

07 Before you ask

FAQ

How do we work across time zones?

I'm based in Pakistan (UTC+5) and work async-first, with written updates and recorded demos. I keep a few hours of overlap with your team's working day for calls.

Can you help us launch an MVP quickly?

Yes. We start with a short architecture sprint so the scope and stack are clear, then build in weekly increments you can see and test.

Fixed price or time & materials?

Both. Architecture sprints are fixed scope. Ongoing partner and build work runs monthly, so we can adjust as the product changes.

Do you work with our existing team?

Usually, yes. I often join as the lead or architect alongside your engineers, set up the specs and reviews, and leave the team stronger than I found it.

Is adding AI right for our product?

Not always. I'll tell you honestly where an LLM pays for itself and where plain software is cheaper and more reliable.

How do contracts and payments work?

A simple agreement, plus an NDA when you need one. Billing is per milestone or monthly, depending on the engagement.

Have a system to build or rethink?

Tell me where the product is today, where it needs to go, and what's in the way.

Book a discovery call

or send a message, and I'll reply within 24 hours

ijazrehman.dev@gmail.com