Blake Bowling

Senior Software Engineer

I build production systems, fix the ones that are broken, and make sure they stay fixed.

Let's TalkWhat I Do
15+ years shipping production software·SOC 2 Type 2 delivered·Rails, Python, Stripe, AWS
B. B.
§ 01
The Idea

The fixer who
builds the
firebreak.

Most bad codebases aren't beyond saving. Legacy apps hide business logic that still makes money. Payment flows fail on edge cases nobody tested. An AI strategy is a slide deck until someone builds the tool.

I find the friction you can't see and fix it before it costs you. Then I build the tests, pipelines, and monitoring so it doesn't come back.

Capabilities

What I do.

i.

Backend & Platform Engineering

3-to-6 month retainer
Anchor service

Rails and Python backends, payments, third-party integrations, and the data pipelines between them. I migrated a 75,000-user platform from Authorize.net to Stripe, built webhook processing that survives duplicate and out-of-order events, and pulled working business logic out of legacy PHP.

  • — Ruby on Rails & Python services
  • — Stripe payments & webhooks
  • — ETL & third-party integrations
  • — Legacy system modernization
  • — CI/CD & test coverage
  • — SQL performance tuning
ii.

AI & Operational Effectiveness

Audit + implementation

AI is a tool, not a strategy. I help engineering and operations teams identify where AI actually reduces friction and ship real implementations. Not strategy decks. Not silver bullets. Concrete opportunities scoped, ranked, and built.

  • — 3-day AI Operations Audit
  • — AI workflows & n8n integrations
  • — Custom agents & process automation
  • — Engineering productivity tooling
iii.

SOC 2 & Compliance

2-week readiness sprint

Two weeks, fixed scope. You get a written gap analysis, a 90-day execution roadmap, and a tooling pairing for what you already use. Optional retainer advisory for teams in active audit cycles.

  • — Written gap analysis
  • — 90-day execution roadmap
  • — Vanta, Drata, Secureframe pairing
  • — Optional ongoing advisory
iv.

When the work calls for it, I build.

Bespoke implementation

Custom SaaS. Platform modernization. Senior IC work clients ask for once I'm already inside the company.

§ 02
Approach

Three steps. No theater.

i.

Working call

Thirty minutes. The actual problem. I tell you whether I can help and how I would scope it.

ii.

Scoped engagement

A wedge or a retainer. Named deliverables. Fixed price for fixed-scope work. Clear start and end dates.

iii.

Hand-off

Documentation. A 90-day plan. A codebase that doesn't need me anymore. The right outcome is your team running without me.

Receipts

Real work. Real outcomes.

75K+
Users on a platform I coded
17M
Line codebase to daily deploys
60%
Query latency reduced
15%+
Client sales growth from a module I co-built
SRA Watchtower · VP of Engineering

Joined a fintech risk platform mid-merger. Built Rails risk modules and ETL intake for bank and federal data files. Scaffolded and co-built a module from business logic extracted out of a legacy PHP app everyone wanted to bury. It became the suite's flagship feature and grew client sales 15%+.

American Alpine Club · Director of IT

Replaced a system where developers were editing PHP directly on production servers. Designed and personally coded a Ruby on Rails platform supporting 75,000+ users across membership, lodging, donor management, and payments. Optimized SQL on 10M+ records to sub-second response times. That platform is still in production today.

“

The thing nobody wanted to touch became the thing the sales team led with. Technical debt isn't a cleanup problem. It's a revenue problem.

§ 03
About

The short version.

Blake Bowling

I'm Blake Bowling. Hands-on engineer, fifteen-plus years fixing broken systems and building the ones that keep them from breaking again. I write production code, review PRs, and debug when the servers are melting. That's the work I'm here for.

I've built risk modules and ETL pipelines for a fintech platform processing bank and government data, in SOC 2 Type 2 environments on AWS and GCP. I've turned legacy applications everyone wanted to throw away into flagship revenue drivers. I've built CRMs from scratch, shipped platforms for 75,000+ users, and delivered for clients from startups to the Department of Justice.

I've also spent 30 years assessing risk outside of software. As a climbing guide, route developer, and published guidebook author, and as Captain of the Kentucky Search and Rescue team for 12+ years. The discipline is the same whether the environment is a rock face or a codebase: read the situation, stabilize it, build the system that prevents the next crisis.

Q & A

Common questions.

Are you available for full-time roles?

+

Yes. I'm pursuing senior individual contributor roles at product-focused companies. Remote preferred, hybrid in the Cincinnati area works. If you're hiring senior engineers, let's talk.

How long is a typical consulting retainer?

+

Three to six months. Two-month engagements happen when the scope is narrow. I do not pitch indefinite arrangements. The right outcome is your team running without me.

How many hours per week?

+

Fifteen to twenty-five hours per week from me, with bench support layered in for specialist needs. I can flex up for a launch window or audit cycle and back down for steady-state.

What does pricing look like?

+

Wedge engagements are fixed price by named scope. Retainers are a monthly fee scoped to the engagement and any bench support required. I quote per engagement after the working call.

§ 04
B. B.
Send a Note

Something
broken?

Hiring engineers, need fractional help, or just want to talk shop. 30 minutes, no pitch.

blake@primedirectiveconsulting.com

Or put it on the calendar.

Schedule on Cal.com