CTO · Architect · Engineering Leader
Warren Parad
Hands-on leader, distributed systems architect, and business technology strategist. Passionate about solving complex problems with technology and growing engineering leaders who build lasting things.
International Conference Speaker
FOSDEM, Voxxed Days, AWS Summit, and more
AWS Community Builder
Security & Serverless · 2024 – Present
IETF OAuth Working Group
Active contributor
Architecture and org design
Designing new patterns for new usages or reviewing existing architecture solutions for potential improvements and designing the engineering organization to deliver them effectively.
Leading and developing
Creating high performing teams able to deliver quickly the right solutions at the right time. Developing leaders — from team leads and product managers to engineers of all levels.
Executive partnership
Providing technology insight for product and business refinement by partnering with internal and external leaders throughout the industry. Success is a collaboration.
Prioritization and organization
Setting up and leading team reviews, retros, planning meetings, OKR and initiative creation. The right process at the right time is genuinely effective.
Technology adoption
Supporting and leading cloud migrations, complex database changes, breaking apart monoliths, microservice choreography, and external integrations.
IT management
Vendor selection, technology fit, and ongoing cloud spend evaluation to make sure it aligns with business expectations.
Authress
CTO & Chief Security Architect
Pioneered security at Authress by building multiple B2B products and scaling engineering teams in the SaaS security space, focused on user access control and authorization. Collaborated with executives across the business to align strategic initiatives, and developed the engineering division by recruiting, hiring, and growing talent across geographic locations.
Rhosys
Fractional CTO
Fractional tech leadership and CTO services for companies scaling effectiveness and engineering teams. Helped build and lead impactful, cohesive technology teams delivering world-class software. Focused on architecture that drives business decisions, improving technology platforms, and rapidly delivering the next innovation.
Cimpress
Lead Software Architect & Team Lead, Cimpress Technology
Led a team of software engineers developing microservices for the Mass Customization Platform — connecting fulfillers, merchants, and content artists across the world at billions of requests per day. Fostered collaboration across distributed teams on multiple continents. Created cross-team programs including IaC, security reviews, and cross-team design sessions.
Serify
Chief Technology Officer and Executive Advisor
Founded and built a revitalized healthcare platform addressing concerning trends related to dating apps. Built the initial engineering team and the original mobile apps (Android and iOS), websites, and services. Researched and implemented integrations between healthcare providers across the US for secure patient data exchange.
SpaceX
Principal Software Architect, Avionics Manufacturing
Led teams in production manufacturing, software development, and manufacturing integration to create automated software solutions for building flight vehicles. Implemented agile software design, RESTful APIs, lean manufacturing, and cross-department collaboration to deliver at scale.
Vistaprint
Senior Software Developer, Manufacturing
Designed and architected manufacturing plants' software including volume forecasting, scheduling optimization, and hardware automation. Led an engineering book club, introduced Kanban, git, and CI/CD across a distributed multicultural team.
Cornell University
Electrical & Computer Engineering — Cum laude
Publications
- •Grossman, James, Warren Parad, Hod Lipson. (2009) Design and Construction of a 6-DoF Fabrication Platform.
- •Lipton, Jeffrey L., Warren Parad, et al. (2009) Fab@Home Model 2: Towards Ubiquitous Personal Fabrication Devices.
Personal strategy
I care about cutting through to the value and delivering it. Here's what I focus on:
- •Delivering the business value
- •Doing it transparently
- •Holding myself and others accountable
- •Flexibility — when circumstances shift, I adapt
- •Long-term sustainability in technology and architecture choices
- •Right-sized solutions — short, medium, and long term
Strategic preferences
I apply what I've learned to every situation. When given a choice, I default to:
- AWS: Global reach, serverless-first, strong security posture, and fast delivery
- JS/TS: Expansive ecosystem, fast iteration, seamless across UI and services
- ZeroTrust: Identity-first security enables remote teams without perimeter assumptions
- Agile with Kanban: The right process at the right time keeps focus on delivery
- Full stack team ownership: On-call, support, design, development, testing — the best teams own all of it
I write and answer questions across these communities to help engineers and aspiring leaders discover new technologies and techniques to deliver effectively. I owe my skills to the awesome individuals and companies I've worked with.