Umar Farooq

Engineering executive with 16+ years of experience (7 years UAE, 9+ years Pakistan), currently leading a 70-person engineering organization as VP Engineering. Restructured delivery for AI-native development, cutting cycle time and operating cost by ~40%. Hands-on software architect with deep expertise in .NET, microservices, Kubernetes, cloud-native systems, AI/ML platforms (LLM, RAG, LangChain, LangGraph, MCP) and frontend technologies.

Track record of scaling microservices to 200+ instances and shipping enterprise platforms. Brings a rare blend of C-suite executive leadership, deep technical authority, and client-facing skills across healthcare, fintech, capital markets, hospitality, and ERP domains.

VP Engineering | TechVerx, Lahore, Pakistan | Mar 2025 – Present

• Define and execute company-wide technology strategy, leading a 70-person engineering organization through AI-driven transformation aligned with business objectives.
• Restructured the engineering department to meet AI disruption, reducing delivery cycle time and operating budget by ~40% while increasing team performance and cross-functional efficiency.
• Lead architecture, infrastructure, and software delivery for scalable, data-driven, AI-native solutions across multiple flagship products. Owned the architecture of LLM-powered, RAG-based, and agentic AI systems deployed to production.
• Own client relationships for major accounts, driving successful delivery and coaching team members on client communication and stakeholder management. Recruited, mentored and grew engineering talent.
• Introduced new AI/ML technologies, engineering best practices, structured sprint ceremonies, code review standards, and technical career ladders; aligned engineering with executive leadership and other departments including sales & pre-sales to achieve company goals.

Software Architect | EWS, Lahore, Pakistan | Jun 2024 – Mar 2025

• Owned application architecture for a US-based Laboratory Information System (LIS). Revamped a legacy InterSystems Caché platform into a modern microservices stack.
• Designed and enforced architecture using Kubernetes, .NET Core microservices, Kafka, Ocelot API gateway, SQL Server, Angular, and Azure DevOps.
• Led a cross-functional team of 12 developers and QA engineers; personally hired ~50% of the team and onboarded them to their respective modules.
• Contributed hands-on to the redevelopment of the reporting module — the most complex component in the system — ensuring functional parity with the legacy platform developed using InterSystems Caché.

Software Architect | Northbay, Lahore, Pakistan | Aug 2022 – May 2024

• Led architecture and delivery for Inovalon's medical insurance analytics product (QSI-XL / BatchTA), running on a high-volume big-data platform.
• Scaled critical microservices to 200+ instances to meet enterprise data processing requirements; resolved system-wide performance and reliability issues. Handled big data using Snowflake.
• Managed a team of 10 developers and served as the primary technical point of contact for the Canada/USA-based client.
• Built and maintained services and modules using .NET Core microservices, Kubernetes, RabbitMQ, Snowflake, Redis, Stonebranch, AWS Aurora (PostgreSQL), MongoDB, Angular, DataDog, and Azure DevOps.
• Introduced new technologies, patterns, and engineering best practices that improved code quality and operational stability.

Associate Software Architect / Team Lead | TechVerx, Lahore, Pakistan | Feb 2021 – Jul 2022

• Led architecture and delivery of LightPoint's capital markets trading platform for a US-based client, gathering requirements directly from stakeholders.
• Led Agile ceremonies, sprint planning, and code reviews for a team of 10 developers and 2 QA engineers; owned design, implementation oversight, and end-to-end client delivery.
• Worked hands-on with WPF, WCF, Angular, ASP.NET Core, microservices, and Azure (App Service, Functions, CosmosDB, Managed Identities, CI/CD).

Tech Lead / ERP Consultant | Zaabeel Palace Hospitality – H.H. The Ruler's Court, Govt. of Dubai, UAE | May 2014 – Oct 2020

• Provided techno-functional consultancy on Epicor iScala ERP, including configuration, deployment, customization, and integration with Dubai Government's ARP system.
• Led and mentored a technology team responsible for 10+ operational departments including Reservation, F&B, Transport, Security, Hygiene, and QA. Delivered desktop, web, and mobile applications tailored to departmental workflows using ASP.NET Core/MVC, WPF, Web API, Angular, Xamarin, and SQL Server.
• Ran end-to-end SDLC — requirements gathering with stakeholders, design, implementation, deployment, testing, and support. Developed applications related to ERP, hospitality and event management domains.
• Awarded ‘Employee of the Month’ (2015) for delivery and impact across hospitality operations.

Senior Software Engineer | Fusion Software Development, Dubai, UAE | Oct 2013 – May 2014

• Built backend and frontend modules for automobile dealership web platforms (AMS & VSR) using C#, ASP.NET MVC, Orchard CMS, Web API, SQL Server, and OpenCV/EmguCV for OCR features.

Senior Software Engineer | NetSol Technologies Inc., Lahore, Pakistan | Jun 2011 – Sep 2013

• Implemented core modules of NetSol Financial Suite (NFS) — one of the world's leading asset finance platforms. Used C#, WPF, WCF, and SQL Server during the development of Contract Management System and Wholesale Finance System.
• Recognized with the Star Performer Award (2013) for technical contribution and delivery.

Software Engineer | Vector Solutions, Lahore, Pakistan | Nov 2007 – Jun 2011

• Developed stock market and risk analytics applications using C#, WPF, ASP.NET, and SQL Server.

BS Computer Science — FAST National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan (2011)

Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate (AZ-204) — Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure (2021)