Who is Tom Smykowski?
Tom Smykowski is a Lead Software Engineer based in Poland, available for remote collaboration with teams across the EU, UK, and US. With nearly two decades of experience in product delivery, he is the ideal hire for organizations seeking a product-minded technical leader who can take ownership from initial discovery through to production deployment. His background combines deep engineering expertise with UX and product thinking, making him a strategic partner for founders, CTOs, and executives looking to build, scale, or modernize their software products.
His career demonstrates a consistent pattern of leading technical initiatives and building robust systems. As Staff Software Engineer at Croissant, he partnered directly with the CEO and CTO on compliance and collaboration features for a workplace platform. At Printify, he led the design system and rebrand initiative ahead of a significant merger, a project utilized by over 60 frontend engineers serving a marketplace of 10M+ merchants. These experiences, among others with clients like DeLaval, GE Healthcare, and Unilever, underscore his ability to operate at a strategic level while ensuring technical excellence.
Tom's approach is holistic. He doesn't just write code, he architects solutions with the entire product lifecycle in mind. This makes him particularly effective in lead roles where bridging the gap between business objectives, user experience, and technical implementation is critical. His remote work setup from Poland is optimized for collaboration with international teams, offering flexibility for synchronous work during overlapping hours in European, UK, and US East Coast time zones.
Technical Leadership and Architectural Vision
A Lead Software Engineer must provide clear technical direction and establish architectural foundations that scale. Tom excels in this by setting standards, choosing appropriate technologies, and designing systems that are both robust and adaptable. His work often involves creating design systems, as seen at Printify and Fream, which ensure consistency, accelerate development, and improve the end-user experience across large engineering teams.
His leadership extends beyond pure architecture into process and team enablement. He focuses on creating environments where engineers can do their best work. This includes implementing best practices for code reviews, CI/CD pipelines, and testing strategies. At Websoul, a company he founded, he architected a fintech SaaS marketing automation platform that scaled to serve over 32,000 businesses, utilizing a modern stack of Vue.js, TypeScript, Supabase, and AG Grid. This hands-on experience in building a product from the ground up gives him unique insight into the trade-offs and decisions required in a lead role.
Tom's architectural philosophy balances immediate business needs with long-term maintainability. He is adept at modernizing legacy systems, having worked on industrial ERPs earlier in his career, and understands the challenges of incrementally improving complex, mission-critical software. For teams looking to refactor, migrate, or scale their architecture, his lead engineer perspective ensures changes are pragmatic, well-communicated, and successfully implemented.
Full Ownership from Discovery to Production
What distinguishes Tom as a Lead Software Engineer is his commitment to full ownership. He engages deeply in the discovery phase, working with stakeholders to understand problem domains and define requirements. This product-minded approach ensures that the engineering work is tightly aligned with business goals from the very beginning. He then carries this understanding through architecture, implementation, deployment, and ongoing iteration.
This end-to-end responsibility is evident in his project history. Whether leading the frontend for an industrial SaaS at Fream with a focus on conversion-driven UX and complex map integrations, or tackling compliance features at Croissant, he sees projects through to successful outcomes. He is comfortable making decisions that impact the entire software development lifecycle, from selecting cloud infrastructure and defining API contracts to establishing monitoring and observability practices.
For hiring managers, this means you gain a lead who can be entrusted with a product or a major feature area. He acts as a technical anchor point, coordinating efforts, mitigating risks, and ensuring delivery. This level of ownership is particularly valuable for remote or distributed teams, where clear accountability and proactive communication are essential for success. Tom's ability to work autonomously while maintaining tight alignment with team goals makes him an effective remote lead.
Driving Team Excellence and Developer Experience
A lead role is as much about people and process as it is about technology. Tom focuses on elevating the entire engineering team. He prioritizes Developer Experience (DevEx) by improving tooling, automating repetitive tasks, and fostering a culture of knowledge sharing. His experience includes mentoring engineers, conducting technical training, and establishing collaborative workflows that enhance productivity and job satisfaction.
He is a strong advocate for clarity and documentation, stemming from his early career in technical writing. This translates into well-documented codebases, clear architectural decision records, and effective internal communication. He understands that a high-performing team requires not just skilled individuals, but also efficient processes and a supportive environment. His work often involves setting up or optimizing CI/CD pipelines, introducing AI-assisted coding workflows to boost productivity, and implementing quality gates to maintain high standards.
Tom's leadership style is inclusive and pragmatic. He believes in empowering team members, delegating effectively, and providing the guidance needed for them to grow. This approach builds resilient teams capable of tackling complex challenges. For organizations looking to scale their engineering capacity or improve team dynamics, hiring Tom as a Lead Software Engineer brings a leader who is invested in the long-term health and growth of both the technology and the people who build it.
Remote Collaboration with International Teams
Based in Poland, Tom is a seasoned remote professional adept at collaborating with teams across different time zones and cultures. He has a proven track record of successful engagements with companies in the EU, UK, and US, including marquee names like Ordnance Survey, Bunge, and the Polish Tourism Organisation. His remote work practices are built on proactive communication, async-first principles, and strategic use of synchronous time for high-bandwidth collaboration.
He structures his work to provide visibility and predictability for stakeholders, regardless of location. This includes detailed written updates, regular demos, and clear project tracking. He is available for overlapping hours with US East Coast teams and can accommodate occasional on-site workshops, client visits, and team offsites, as noted in his working preferences. This flexibility makes him an ideal lead for distributed or hybrid organizations.
Hiring a remote Lead Software Engineer like Tom allows companies to access top-tier talent without geographical constraints. He integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, whether your team uses Agile, Scrum, or a more fluid product development process. His ability to lead and inspire a team remotely is a core competency, ensuring that distance is never a barrier to effective technical leadership and project delivery.
When This is a Good Fit
Hiring Tom as your Lead Software Engineer is an excellent fit if you are a founder, CTO, or executive needing a hands-on technical leader to own a critical product area or drive a major initiative. It is ideal for teams building or scaling SaaS products, modernizing Angular or React applications, integrating AI capabilities, or requiring strong architectural guidance. If you value a product-minded engineer who combines strategic thinking with executional excellence and can collaborate effectively across time zones, Tom is the right candidate to lead your engineering efforts to success.