Management
Beyond Code
Client management, communication skills, and a track record of independently delivering enterprise-grade projects end-to-end.
Client Management at IDB
Promoted to Client Manager for IDB (Identity Building), a Belgian enterprise client building government-collaborative platforms. Managing the full client relationship for a large-scale ecosystem — scope, communication, delivery, and team coordination.
Scope Drafting & Requirements
Translating business requirements into detailed technical scope documents through discovery calls. Each document includes objectives, deliverables, acceptance criteria, dependencies, and timelines — serving as the single source of truth for the team.
Weekly Client Meetings
Running weekly status meetings with the Belgian client — presenting progress, gathering feedback, discussing blockers, and managing expectations. Adapted communication style for a European client: formal written documentation, detailed change logs, and working across time zones.
Structured Feedback Loops
Implemented a categorization system for client feedback: bug, enhancement, new requirement, or scope change. Scope changes are discussed with timeline impact analysis before being accepted. This stopped requirement churn and made the client feel heard through transparent process.
Cross-Team Coordination
Coordinating between the development team and the client, translating technical constraints into business-friendly language and vice versa. Established structured workflows for cross-app changes across the 8-frontend ecosystem using GitLab CI/CD and clear dependency documentation.
Milestone & Deadline Management
Tracking milestones on Kanban (Notion), managing sprint planning, and ensuring on-time delivery. Successfully delivered Migration, Opening Hours, and Mijn Stad milestones on schedule using the structured scope documents as tracking artifacts.
Cross-Cultural Communication
Managing a European client with Dutch, French, German, and English language requirements. Learned Belgian government compliance requirements (GDPR, EU data residency) and adapted deliverables accordingly. Multi-language support implemented correctly across the platform.
Communication Background
Professional communication experience before entering software development — training professionals and students, which directly translates to client-facing roles, technical documentation, and team coordination.
English Trainer — Speakwell Academy
Trained working professionals in communication, presentation skills, and professional English. Developed the ability to explain complex concepts in accessible ways — a skill that directly carries into client meetings, technical documentation, and cross-team communication.
Teaching Experience (Grades 8–10)
Before Speakwell, worked as a teacher for students in grades 8–10. Built foundational skills in simplifying topics, managing groups, and adapting explanations based on the audience — all transferable to managing client expectations and onboarding team members.
Communication Certification
Completed 'Communication in the 21st Century Workplace' from UC Irvine (Coursera). Grade: 85%. Focused on professional collaboration, workplace communication, conflict resolution, and cross-functional team dynamics.
Technical Communication
Communication skills applied daily in the engineering role: writing scope documents, running client calls, documenting APIs, creating changelogs, and translating between business requirements and technical implementation for both the client and the development team.
Solo Project Delivery
Track record of independently delivering enterprise-grade applications end-to-end — from architecture and development through external review processes to production deployment. Solo delivery of SocialForge directly led to the Client Manager promotion.
SocialForge: End-to-End Solo Delivery
Built an enterprise social media management platform from scratch for a major Belgian client. Handled the complete lifecycle independently — architecture, development, Meta's API scope review, and production deployment at socialforge.cloud.
Meta API Integration & Review
Independently navigated Meta's scope review process for both Facebook and Instagram Graph API access. Mapped 40+ API error codes, implemented comprehensive error handling, and managed the approval process — a notoriously difficult external dependency.
Multi-Language & Multi-Tenant Architecture
Designed SocialForge's multi-role, multi-tenant system from scratch — 4 user roles (admin, manager, client, user), Row-Level Security, and multi-language support (English, French, Dutch, German) with locale-aware formatting. Architecture decisions made independently without senior oversight.
From Solo Delivery to Promotion
The successful solo delivery of SocialForge for the same Belgian client (IDB) was a key factor in the promotion to Client Manager. Demonstrated not just technical ability but the reliability and ownership needed to manage the full client relationship.
Personal Projects: Concept to Production
All personal projects (CodexR, Aurora, GyanSetu, RegretTracker) conceived, designed, built, and shipped independently — from identifying the problem to deploying a working product. Each project involved choosing the stack, designing the architecture, and handling deployment without external guidance.
Career Trajectory
Progressed from software developer intern to Client Manager within approximately one year at the same company — through consistent delivery, expanding responsibilities, and demonstrated ownership.
Intern → Full-Time Developer
Started as a software developer intern at Kulp Labs. Rapidly learned Vue.js, Nuxt, and Django. Promoted to full-time developer within months based on code quality and delivery speed.
Full-Time → Lead Developer
Elevated to lead developer on Kulp.ai (AI developer platform, team of 4–5), then on Platoona.com (AI collaborative workspace). Took ownership of specific systems: database layer, integrations, and the full AI chat stack.
Lead Developer → Client Manager
Promoted to Client Manager for IDB after successfully solo-delivering SocialForge for the same client. Combined technical depth with communication background (English trainer, teaching experience) to manage the full client relationship.