Long-Term Partnership.
Retained engineering for products that need steady velocity — not a one-off project, a quarter-by-quarter relationship with a senior engineer who already knows your codebase.
- 01Q1 · onboard
- two-week deep read of the codebase
- state-of-product doc
- first ship: a real, small launch
- 02Q2 · cadence
- two-week ship rhythm
- performance + accessibility passes
- quarterly roadmap review
- 03Q3 · operate
- absorb on-call shifts where it fits
- internal tooling investments
- pair sessions with team members
- 04Q4 · renew
- decide: continue, scope down, close
- no lock-in · 90-day rolling
- knowledge stays in the company
Three shapes of retainer. 90-day rolling, no lock-in.
I scale with the product. Most relationships start as Steady and move up if it keeps earning.
established product, slow but steady velocity
- Two ships per fortnight
- Performance + a11y passes quarterly
- Reactive cover during incidents
- Pair sessions — 1 per week
you're scaling and your senior hire isn't here yet
- Daily ship rhythm
- On-call coverage
- Roadmap ownership for one product surface
- Quarterly OKR review
- Hands-on hire / interviewer
you have a team — you just need a senior on speed-dial
- Weekly check-in
- Architecture / migration support
- Emergency cover for incidents
- Code review for risky PRs
- W1Onboard · read the codebase, ship one tiny thing
- W2State-of-product doc · roadmap alignment
- W4First real ship · in production
- W6Performance + accessibility pass
- W12Quarter review — continue / scope down / close
What's included.
- +Dedicated engineering days per week (3–5)
- +Quarterly roadmap reviews tied to business outcomes
- +Continuous improvement: performance, accessibility, infrastructure
- +Escalation path during incidents (real on-call, not just Slack)
- +Pair sessions with your team to keep knowledge inside the company
- +Rolling 90-day rolling renewals — nothing locked in for a year
What you can expect.
- ▶Predictable shipping cadence — small launches every two weeks
- ▶Codebase quality that improves quarter-over-quarter
- ▶Real cover for incidents and surprise scope without a panic call
How an engagement runs.
First two weeks: deep read of the codebase, the deploy story, and the open issues. I write a one-page state-of-product doc.
Weekly 1:1, fortnightly demos, quarterly roadmap. Standing meeting cap so most of the time is spent shipping.
I show up, ship the work, and absorb the on-call shifts where it makes sense. Boring, in the best way.
Every 90 days, both sides decide: continue, scope down, or close out. No surprises, no lock-in.
Best for.
- ◇Funded products without a full-time senior engineer (yet)
- ◇Founders who want one trusted hand across a year, not a dozen contractors
- ◇Companies migrating off a vendor and need a senior they can borrow
Engagement & pricing.
Retainer starts at 3 days/week. Pricing scales with days, not surprises. 90-day rolling.
- Whatever's already in your stack
- Plus a few quiet improvements I'll suggest
Recent projects in this lane.
Ready to start?
Send a one-paragraph brief.
What you're building, the rough timeline, and one constraint that matters. I'll reply within a day with a one-page response and a quote.