Dragan R.

I architect systems that anticipate problems — and engineer outcomes that redefine what's possible. With 23 years of experience across healthcare, manufacturing, public safety, FinTech, and enterprise software, I bring the rare combination of deep technical expertise and executive-level leadership to every engagement. I've led global engineering organizations, shipped production-grade systems from scratch, and built technical foundations that hold up under real-world pressure. I don't just write code. I understand the business behind the build — the constraints, the stakeholders, the tradeoffs, and the strategy. That's what separates software that ships from software that lasts. ---------------------------------------- What I do on Upwork: ---------------------------------------- Solution Architecture & Technical Strategy — Greenfield system design, stack selection, data modeling, API architecture, and roadmap planning. I translate complex requirements into clear, buildable blueprints any team can execute against. AI Strategy & Evaluation — Honest guidance on whether AI/agents are the right fit for your problem, build-vs-buy decisions, and vendor evaluation — grounded in 23 years of architecture judgment, not hype. Tech Feasibility Reviews — Honest expert assessment of whether your idea is buildable, at what cost, and at what risk. Clarity before you spend money. Contract Engineering — Backend-first, production-ready development using Python/FastAPI, Node.js/TypeScript, PostgreSQL, and AWS. Clean, scalable systems delivered fast. Fractional CTO / Technical Advisory — Senior technical judgment without a full-time hire. I've stepped into organizations mid-crisis and stabilized them. IoT & Hardware Integration — MQTT, system integration, industrial UI/UX across robotics, medical devices, and consumer tech. ---------------------------------------- Selected Achievements: ---------------------------------------- Contributed to a 4x valuation increase for a multi-clinic healthcare organization through data governance, process standardization, and change management — delivered in 8 months Reduced per-project delivery losses from 25–30% to 1.5% in 6 months through Agile redesign and accountability structures Led front-end development for NuVasive Pulse™ navigation component — a real-time 3D surgical navigation platform improving precision outcomes across hundreds of spine procedures worldwide Architected MQTT/ROS2 infrastructure for Clean Logix's autonomous cleaning robot for food processing plants — owned full technical direction from POC through production Built a BLE-integrated cardiac monitoring platform and post-op vitals aggregation system for IoT-connected healthcare devices Achieved Amazon Vendor status, delivering specialized technical services directly to Amazon ---------------------------------------- Industries: Healthcare · Manufacturing · Public Safety · FinTech · Robotics · IoT · SaaS Tech: Python · FastAPI · Node.js · TypeScript · PostgreSQL · AWS · Terraform · MQTT · HTMX · Alpine.js · REST APIs · CI/CD Compliance: HIPAA · PHI · Multi-tenant architecture · RBAC ---------------------------------------- I work best with founders who need someone to own technical direction end-to-end, or organizations that need a senior technical voice without the overhead of a full-time executive hire. Need a fast, structured first step? Book my Development & IT Consultation for a focused session and a written recap with recommendations.