IT Consultant Software Engineer Philippines
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FRACTIONAL CTO · AI AUTOMATION · 15+ YEARS

I help founders ship the right software, faster.

Currently Head of IT at Simuclear (US, remote), leading the migration of legacy platforms to AWS and replacing manual operations with AI-driven automations. For 15+ years I've built and led engineering for startups, SMBs, and enterprises across the Philippines, US, Canada, and Australia — taking on independent client work since I was a college student in 2009.

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Zach Campaner — Fractional CTO and IT Consultant Philippines
WHAT I BELIEVE

Most software fails because of decisions, not code.

01

Ship in weeks, not quarters

If your MVP is taking 6 months, the problem isn't engineering — it's scope. The job of a good CTO is to cut, not add.

02

Right-sized architecture wins

Most startups don't need microservices, Kubernetes, or a service mesh. They need one well-built monolith and a team that can ship.

03

Hire for judgment, not pedigree

The best engineer I've worked with didn't go to college. The worst had a Stanford CS degree. Skill compounds — credentials don't.

04

Automate the boring, build the rest

Half the engineering hours in most companies are spent on repetitive work n8n, Make, or a custom AI agent could do for $40/month. Audit the manual work first.

05

Honest beats polished

I'd rather lose an engagement telling you the truth than win one selling you a bigger build than you need.

06

Leave the team stronger than you found it

Fractional means temporary. Every engagement should ship documentation, runbooks, and a successor playbook so the company isn't dependent on me to keep moving.

FIT CHECK

Who I work with — and who I don't

✅ Great fit

  • Pre-Series A founders who need to ship a real MVP and don't want to learn engineering management on the job
  • SMBs replacing legacy software with custom-built systems
  • US / CA / AU teams looking to extend with senior PH engineers (time-zone arbitrage + cost)
  • Founders mid-build who suspect their current dev shop is overengineering or under-delivering
  • Operators who want a written technical audit before raising or selling

❌ Not a fit

  • Idea-stage with no validation — get to first paying customer first, then call
  • Cheapest-quote shoppers — I'm not the lowest bid and won't try to be
  • Crypto / NFT speculation — I build software for real businesses, not exit liquidity
  • "Just code what I tell you" — if you don't want strategic input, hire a freelancer
  • Sub-$5K projects — overhead alone makes these uneconomical for both sides

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Projects Shipped

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Years in Production

0

Countries Served

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Founders Advised
Zach Campaner — IT Consultant Philippines
🏆
Coding Wizard — Multisys Hackathon
2019
THE STORY

From self-taught coder to fractional CTO

I started writing code in high school and took on my first paid client work in 2009 while still in college — Elance and Odesk days, back when freelancing was still a side hustle. I never stopped. Sixteen years later, I've worn every hat in the stack: junior dev, lead engineer, senior architect, manager, head of engineering, CTO.

Today I lead engineering as Head of IT at Simuclear (US, remote) while serving founders as a fractional CTO. Most engagements pair classic engineering leadership with practical AI & automation — n8n, Make, Zapier, custom AI agents — because half the work most teams pay engineers to do can be automated for $40/month.

Some engagements are a 90-day MVP build. Some are a year of weekly architecture review. Some are a two-week technical audit before a board meeting. The right shape depends on the problem, not on what I'd prefer to sell.

"I don't just write code. I solve business problems. Most developers build what you tell them to. I figure out what you actually need."

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Selected experience

A curated list of the engagements that shaped how I think about building software. Full work history available in the CV.

Full CV
Head of IT Apr 2025 — Present

Simuclear — South Carolina, USA · Remote

Lead the company's full technical estate across multiple brands. Migrated all platforms from GoDaddy to AWS, set up CI/CD for faster releases, and rebuilt the legacy Clear Ballistics platform (V2). Built n8n automations for SEO, marketing, and internal ops — replacing manual work with reliable workflows.

Independent Consultant & Builder Nov 2009 — Present

Self-directed · Worldwide clients

Started taking on paid client work as a college student in 2009 (Elance / Odesk era) and never stopped. Sixteen years of independent engagements alongside corporate roles. Public launches include EngagePOS, EngageHRIS, LaundryIT, Raketlance, and the V2 rebuild of Tokkatok (Airbnb-style services marketplace).

Chief Technology Officer Mar 2020 — May 2022

GM Technologies Inc (MyToda) — Mandaluyong

Owned product direction and engineering for MyToda ride-hailing e-commerce. Set baseline security, ran the dev team, and made the architecture decisions still in production today.

IT Consultant Developer — Long-Term Jul 2019 — Jul 2024

Primero Integrado Learning Center — Pasig

Architected and shipped V1 + V2 of Todds Learning PWApp (React, Node.js, MongoDB) — real-time child monitoring, enrollment, lesson plans, attendance. Led the cross-functional team. 5-year engagement = trust, not a one-off project.

IT Consultant — Remote Jan 2022 — Mar 2023

Avanza Inc

Built the next-generation Loyalty Platform from scratch (CodeIgniter, Node.js, MySQL) and the Caltex Promo Web App end-to-end. Ran the IT function — developers, pipelines, architecture decisions.

Senior Internal Tools Developer & BI Lead Sep 2016 — Jun 2017

Beestripe LLC (Zigzag Media) — Hawaii, USA

First US engagement. Built the data warehouse on AWS Redshift, integrated Segment / Amplitude / Mode Analytics, and shipped marketing automation workflows in Mautic + ActiveCampaign + Drip.

Let's see if there's a fit.

30 minutes. No deck. No pitch. We unpack your problem and you leave with a clear next step — even if it isn't working with me.

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