I deploy software where it matters most.
Forward Deployed Engineer at Alpheya. I sit between engineering and the client—building, integrating, and shipping solutions for banks and financial institutions.

Engineer turned deployer
Forward Deployed Engineer at Alpheya · NYU Abu Dhabi · Abu Dhabi, UAE
I'm a Forward Deployed Engineer at Alpheya, where I work directly with banks and financial institutions to deploy and integrate software solutions. It's a client-facing role that blends engineering depth with real business outcomes—and I genuinely enjoy being the person in the room who can both talk to the client and write the code.
Before this, I spent nearly two years as a Full Stack Engineer at Mental, building production systems from scratch—an LMS serving 1,000+ users, AI proctoring, real-time payments, the works. I graduated from NYU Abu Dhabi with a B.S. in Computer Science and a minor in Interactive Media.
The Path So Far
2025 - Present
Joined Alpheya as Forward Deployed Engineer, working with banks and financial clients
2024
Full Stack Engineer at Mental—built an LMS, AI proctoring, payment systems from scratch
2023
NBCUniversal internship in NYC—migrated systems handling $2M+ daily in transactions
2020
Full scholarship to NYU Abu Dhabi—Computer Science, Interactive Media minor
What Drives Me
A Few Things About Me
Originally from Fiji—island roots, global career
I cook to decompress (and I'm pretty good at it)
Traveled across 15+ countries and counting
Active crypto and markets watcher
Will never turn down a chess game
Interested in working together?
Whether it's a project, a conversation about fintech, or just connecting—I'm always up for it.
What's a Forward Deployed Engineer?
It's a role most people haven't heard of. Think startup CTO meets technical consultant—you embed with clients, build on the product, and ship outcomes. Here are some resources that explain it well.
What are Forward Deployed Engineers, and why are they so in demand?
A deep dive into the FDE role pioneered by Palantir, how OpenAI and Ramp structure their FDE teams, and why the role is booming in 2025.
The Pragmatic Engineer
The FDE Playbook for AI Startups with Bob McGrew
Y Combinator sits down with Bob McGrew to break down how AI startups should think about forward deployment, client integration, and scaling.
Y Combinator
FDE Hub
A newsletter by Milos Mandic covering what Forward Deployed Engineers actually do day-to-day and what the community is learning from real engagements.
Substack
Professional Experience
Forward Deployed Engineer · NYU Abu Dhabi · GPA: 3.97/4.0
Work Experience
Forward Deployed Engineer
Working directly with banks and financial institutions to deploy, integrate, and customize software solutions. A client-facing role bridging engineering depth with business outcomes.
- Embedded with banking clients to scope, build, and ship custom integrations on top of Alpheya's platform.
- Serve as the primary technical point of contact for client engagements, translating business requirements into working software.
- Collaborate across engineering, product, and sales to feed field insights back into the core product roadmap.
Full Stack Software Engineer
Built a production-grade Learning Management System and customer platforms for Mental and foodstars.ai, serving 1000+ active users across global teams.
- Architected a production-grade Learning Management System from scratch using Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript, and Shadcn/UI, serving 1000+ active trainees across 5 languages with RTL support.
- Designed and implemented a scalable Node.js/Express microservices backend integrating AWS services (Cognito, S3, SES), MongoDB, and WebSocket connections for real-time updates, handling 10,000+ API requests daily with 99.9% uptime.
- Engineered a real-time payment system integrating Amazon Payment Services with Server-Sent Events (SSE) and webhooks for 3DS authentication monitoring, achieving 98% completion rate.
- Designed an analytics dashboard with 40+ components using Recharts and D3.js, delivering real-time business intelligence, user analytics, and financial insights on engagement, revenue, and region distribution.
- Built a WhatsApp support system from scratch using Meta Business API and webhooks, managing live conversations with media messaging, ticket assignment, and Slack integration, reducing response time by 60%.
- Developed an AI-powered proctoring system with real-time violation detection tracking 15+ violation types (face detection, tab switching, browser security), implementing automated session termination, risk scoring, S3 evidence storage, and a comprehensive admin reporting interface via WebSocket connections.
- Engineered a Unity WebGL wrapper with custom React integration, implementing intelligent scene caching and iOS-specific optimizations that reduced memory usage by 35% and improved mobile performance by 40%.
- Established a multi-environment CI/CD pipeline using Vercel and AWS EC2, supporting 3 environments with automatic deployments, preview URLs for pull requests, and zero-downtime deployments.
Software Engineer Intern (Full Stack)
Supported the GolfNow migration by delivering enterprise booking experiences that process $2M+ daily in peak-season tee time sales.
- Contributed an end-to-end migration from a legacy system to a modern management and booking engine page, facilitating the processing of over $2M per day in tee time sales during peak seasons.
- Executed the migration of 2 critical endpoints using Hapi.js, enhancing the backend infrastructure built on Node.js, implementing advanced querying techniques, and optimizing database schemas to ensure data integrity in MongoDB.
- Elevated the GolfNow frontend by integrating a custom design system package with Material UI through reusable components, adopted across 50+ course sites and utilized by 15 developers.
- Doubled the number of services leveraging the design system, delivering a standardized UI andaccelerated development process.
Software Engineer Intern (Full Stack)
Developed a comprehensive database web application preserving historical shipping records for the DHAKIRA Center.
- Engineered a database web application handling over 75,000+ shipping records using Node.js and React.
- Boosted backend search engine speed by 80% and doubled auto-suggestion speed using Express.js.
- Created collections in MongoDB and linked 3 separate databases within the backend, streamlining research workflows.
- Automated data filtering, cleaning, and seeding of entries using Mongoose.js to maintain data fidelity.
- Performed photogrammetry of primitive sailing boats and generated 3D scans of 50+ components, documenting traditional construction techniques.
Web Development Intern
Delivered a K-12 academic platform serving 11,000+ students in Fiji with unified curricula and learning resources.
- Developed an academic platform providing access to a comprehensive K-12 curriculum for 11,000+ students in Fiji, enabling consistent learning engagement.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams of developers, content providers, teachers, and leadership to implement an integrated learning dashboard within six weeks.
- Successfully tested the platform with over 600 students, improving curricular compliance by 98% and meeting student engagement expectations by 94%.
VR Logistics Intern
Managed VR headset training and logistics that brought immersive experiences to Expo 2020 audiences.
- Directed VR headset training for participants in virtual events at Expo 2020, ensuring smooth onboarding.
- Configured headsets and maintained Engage accounts to support continuous programming.
- Delivered logistic and technical support to VR participants throughout the 3-day event.
- Presented custom-built virtual environments to high-ranking Gulf government officials, showcasing immersive storytelling.
Web Developer
Built a travel storytelling platform for Professor Piia Mustamaki with bespoke design and launch collateral.
- Shipped a fully-fledged travel blog using WordPress with custom CSS and HTML tailored to the client's aesthetic.
- Documented detailed site management guides to streamline content updates for the client.
- Designed the visual identity, including the site layout and logo, and produced supporting imagery with Photoshop.
Education
B.S. Computer Science, Minor in Interactive Media
Full Tuition Scholarship to NYU with the Global Studies Track for Computer Science
GPA: 3.97/4.0
High School Diploma, Computer Science
Technical Skills
Languages
Frontend
Backend
Databases & Caching
DevOps & Cloud
Things I've Built
A mix of production work, side projects, and experiments

FoodStars
Production-grade LMS serving 1000+ users
Architected and built a comprehensive Learning Management System from scratch using Next.js 15, React 19, TypeScript, and Shadcn/UI.

Mental Website
Business website for Mental
Built the business website for Mental using Next.js, React, and TypeScript.

NBCUniversal GolfNow Platform
Migration project handling $2M+ daily transactions
Contributed to end-to-end migration from legacy system to modern booking engine at NBCUniversal. Migrated critical endpoints using Hapi.js and MongoDB, optimized database schemas. Created custom design system with Material UI adopted across 50+ course sites.

Sytes
Your Business, Your Syte
Using Next.js's multi-tenant architecture, built a platform that allows small businesses to create a beautiful, fast, and functional business website at a fraction of the cost of traditional agencies.

Medytate - Meditation App
Meditation App
Peaceful guided meditation app built with Next.js. Generative AI voices and sleep timer features a variety of meditation sessions to help you find your inner peace.

Hololearn
Gateway to Future Learning
University Capstone Project built with Next.js. Features a variety of learning 3D VR modules and experiences to help you learn. Revolutionizing the study experience, our platform transforms static textbook content into dynamic, interactive 3D visuals.

DHAKIRA Heritage Database
Shipping records database with 75,000+ entries
Database website for the ancient shipping records and comprehensive search along with Data Visualization. Engineered using Node.js, React, and MongoDB. Boosted backend search engine speed by 80% and doubled auto-suggestion speed.

Heritage Maps
Interactive heritage storytelling
One of the many sites created by using OpenLeaf map integrated into WordPress custom theme for telling heritage stories for historical places. Features interactive maps and rich multimedia content.

Arcade.AI
AI-centered arcade studio
The first of its kind AI-centered arcade studio. Let ARCADE.AI take you on a life changing arcade experience powered by machine learning. Features multiple AI-powered games and experiences.

CLI Shell
Linux shell with multi-threading
Implemented a Linux shell with multi-threading and scheduling capabilities. Integrated a remote access capability that allows several users to use the shell at the same time.

1001Worlds | Piia's Travel Stories
Travel blog website
Built a fully-fledged travel blog website using custom CSS and HTML where needed and transferring content to new site on WordPress. Includes custom theme design and responsive layout.

Python Chess Game
Multiplayer chess game
Multiplayer chess game in Python and Processing. Features complete chess rules implementation, move validation, and an intuitive graphical interface.

Virtual File Management System
VFS with Linux commands
Developed a virtual filesystem (VFS) using Linux commands. A user can create/delete/move folders and files. Each inode contains metadata about the node (e.g., file or folder, size, date).
Let's Talk
Whether it's about a project, an opportunity, or just a good conversation—I'm always happy to connect. I usually respond within a day.
Fastest way to reach me? DM on LinkedIn or shoot me an email.
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