Blake Bowling

Engineering Leader & Operator

I fix broken engineering organizations. Then I build the systems that keep them from breaking again.

Let's Talk What I Do
15+ years engineering leadership · SOC 2 Type 2 delivered · Still writing production code
B. B.
§ 01
The Idea

The fixer who
builds the
firebreak.

Most companies don't have a bad codebase problem. They have a leadership problem that looks like a bad codebase. Technical debt that's actually revenue left on the table. An offshore team that's a process on paper but a relationship gap in practice. An AI strategy that's a slide deck, not a tool.

I find the friction you can't see and fix it before it costs you. Then I install the systems, the process, and the discipline so it doesn't come back.

Capabilities

What I do.

i.

Engineering Leadership

3-to-6 month retainer
Anchor service

I embed as a player-coach. I run the engineering org, stay in the code, and leave it shipping faster than I found it. PE operating partners use me for diligence, interim coverage, and post-close stabilization. Hiring managers bring me in when engineering is the bottleneck.

  • — Technical strategy & 90-day plan
  • — CI/CD & release modernization
  • — Legacy system modernization
  • — Team scaling & distributed operations
  • — Compliance posture & SOC 2 readiness
  • — Hiring, leveling, team operations
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. Not how I lead, but on the menu when the work calls for it.

§ 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. An org that doesn't need me anymore. The right outcome is your team running without me.

Receipts

Real work. Real outcomes.

200%+
Team growth managed
50%
Productivity increase
60%
Query latency reduced
5
Time zones scaled
SRA Watchtower · VP of Engineering

Walked into a company mid-merger with a CEO transition, three principal engineers gone, and a legacy PHP application everyone wanted to bury. Scaled the org from 3 to 10+ across 5 time zones. Delivered SOC 2 Type 2. Extracted the core logic from that legacy app and rebuilt it as a module in the flagship platform. It became the primary feature driving revenue growth.

American Alpine Club · Director of IT

Replaced a system where developers were editing PHP directly on production servers. Built a modern 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 engineering leader, fifteen-plus years fixing broken systems and building the processes that keep them from breaking again. I still write production code. I still review PRs. I still debug alongside my team when the servers are melting. That's not nostalgia. It's how I lead.

I've led FinTech teams through SOC 2 Type 2, designed multi-cloud architecture across AWS and GCP, and scaled engineering organizations through 200%+ growth events. 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 actively pursuing Director and Senior Engineering Manager positions at product-focused companies. Remote preferred, hybrid in the Cincinnati area works. If you're hiring for engineering leadership, 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.

Do you replace our existing CTO or VP of Engineering?

+

No. I work alongside existing leadership, or provide interim coverage when there's a gap. I don't compete with permanent hires. PE operating partners often use me between hires or to stabilize during a transition.

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.

What's your player-coach model?

+

I maintain 20-30% code contribution while leading teams. I review PRs, debug production issues, and prototype architectural decisions myself. My teams trust my technical calls because I'm in the codebase with them, not making decisions from a slide deck.

§ 04
B. B.
Send a Note

Something
broken?

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

Or put it on the calendar.

Schedule on Cal.com