Tom Smykowski is a senior PostgreSQL backend engineer with nearly two decades of product delivery experience, specializing in building and scaling robust data layers, APIs, and backend systems for SaaS platforms, enterprise applications, and marketing automation. He is the ideal hire for founders, CTOs, and executives seeking a product-minded engineer who takes ownership from system architecture and data modeling through to production deployment and optimization. Based in Poland, Tom works seamlessly with remote teams across the EU, UK, and US, offering deep PostgreSQL expertise alongside full-stack product thinking.
Deep PostgreSQL and Database Architecture Expertise
Effective backend engineering hinges on a profound understanding of database systems. Tom brings extensive, hands-on experience with PostgreSQL, focusing on performance tuning, complex query optimization, and scalable data architecture. His work involves designing schemas that support rapid application evolution, implementing efficient indexing strategies, and ensuring data integrity through well-defined constraints and transactions. This expertise is critical for applications requiring reliable, high-performance data access, from high-traffic SaaS platforms to data-intensive industrial systems.
Beyond basic CRUD operations, Tom architects PostgreSQL solutions that handle real-world scale and complexity. This includes designing for concurrency, managing connection pooling, and implementing strategic caching layers. His approach ensures that the database is not a bottleneck but a robust foundation supporting business logic and user experience. For teams building or modernizing applications, this level of database craftsmanship translates to faster feature delivery, improved application responsiveness, and lower long-term maintenance costs, directly impacting product success and user satisfaction.
Building Scalable Backend Systems and APIs
A powerful database needs an equally robust application layer. Tom engineers scalable backend systems and RESTful or GraphQL APIs that serve as the reliable bridge between PostgreSQL and client applications. His work emphasizes clean separation of concerns, maintainable codebases, and comprehensive testing. He has built and led backend development for platforms serving tens of thousands of businesses, where API reliability, security, and performance are non-negotiable requirements for customer trust and operational continuity.
These systems are built with future growth in mind, employing patterns that allow for easy scaling, whether through microservices, modular monoliths, or serverless functions. Tom's experience includes integrating PostgreSQL with modern backend stacks, often using TypeScript for end-to-end type safety. This results in systems where data flows predictably from the database schema through business logic to the API contract, reducing bugs and accelerating development cycles for entire engineering teams.
Full-Stack Product Delivery and Ownership
Tom's value extends far beyond backend code. As a product-minded engineer, he engages with the entire product lifecycle. This means collaborating closely with product managers and designers during discovery to ensure technical feasibility, advising on data models based on user stories, and taking ownership of features from conception to live deployment. His background includes staff and founding engineer roles where this full-stack ownership was critical to shipping successful products, such as at Croissant and as founder of Websoul.
This holistic approach ensures that backend decisions are always made in the context of user needs and business goals. He understands that a technically perfect database schema is worthless if it doesn't support the required user journeys. By bridging the gap between product vision and technical implementation, Tom helps teams avoid costly rework, build the right features faster, and create maintainable systems that can evolve with the product roadmap over many years.
Remote Collaboration with EU, UK, and US Teams
Based in Poland, Tom is an experienced remote collaborator, adept at working across time zones with teams in the EU, UK, and US East Coast. His communication style is built for distributed work, emphasizing clarity in async written updates, effective use of collaboration tools, and proactive coordination for synchronous meetings when needed. This makes him a seamless addition to international engineering teams, contributing high-level work without the friction often associated with remote roles.
He is available for full-time, part-time, or B2B contract engagements and is comfortable joining occasional on-site workshops, client visits, or team offsites. This flexibility allows organizations to leverage his senior PostgreSQL backend expertise in a model that suits their operational needs, whether for a focused project, ongoing product development, or interim technical leadership.
Proven Track Record Across Industries
Tom's PostgreSQL and backend engineering skills have been proven in diverse, demanding environments. As Staff Software Engineer at workplace platform Croissant, he worked on compliance and collaboration features requiring robust data handling. At Printify, he contributed to systems supporting over 10 million merchants as part of a large engineering organization. As founder of Websoul, he architected the backend for a marketing automation and fintech SaaS serving 32,000+ businesses, built with modern tools like Supabase and AG Grid.
His client portfolio further demonstrates this versatility, including work for global names like GE Healthcare, Unilever, and DeLaval, as well as public sector and academic institutions like the Ordnance Survey and Silesian University of Technology. This breadth of experience means he can quickly understand unique domain challenges, whether in B2B SaaS, industrial IoT, e-commerce, or data-rich public platforms, and apply his PostgreSQL expertise to deliver tailored, effective solutions.
When This is a Good Fit
Hiring Tom as your PostgreSQL backend engineer is an excellent fit if you are a founder, CTO, or technical lead needing senior-level database and backend architecture skills for a product-critical application. It is ideal for teams building or scaling a SaaS product, modernizing a legacy data layer, or requiring robust API development backed by PostgreSQL. This engagement works best for organizations that value deep technical ownership, clear communication, and a product-focused engineering mindset, and who operate with remote or distributed teams across the EU, UK, or US.