Who is Tom Smykowski?
Tom Smykowski is a remote Principal Engineer based in Poland with nearly two decades of experience in product delivery, combining deep engineering, UX, and product thinking. He is the ideal hire for founders, CTOs, and executives seeking a staff-level engineer who takes ownership from discovery through production, building scalable, user-focused systems for teams across the EU, UK, and US. His background spans from founding his own SaaS company to serving as a Staff Software Engineer for high-growth platforms, making him a versatile leader who can drive technical strategy while writing critical code.
His career is defined by a commitment to solving complex problems at the intersection of technology and business. Whether modernizing a legacy codebase, architecting a new SaaS product from scratch, or integrating AI into development workflows, Tom approaches each challenge with a product-minded perspective. This ensures that technical decisions directly support business goals, user needs, and long-term maintainability. For organizations looking to hire a remote Principal Engineer, Tom offers not just technical execution but strategic partnership, aligning engineering efforts with product vision and market opportunities.
Working remotely from Poland, Tom is adept at collaborating across time zones with international teams. He structures his communication and workflows to ensure seamless collaboration with colleagues in EU, UK, and US East Coast time zones, leveraging async practices and clear documentation. This remote-first expertise minimizes friction and maximizes productivity, allowing him to integrate effectively into distributed engineering organizations as a principal-level contributor and leader.
Principal Engineering Expertise and Project Leadership
As a Principal Engineer, Tom provides the technical vision and hands-on leadership necessary to guide complex projects to successful outcomes. His role transcends individual contribution, involving system-wide architecture, cross-team coordination, and setting engineering standards. For instance, at Croissant, a workplace platform, he operated as a Staff Software Engineer in a direct partnership with the CEO and CTO, focusing on critical areas like compliance and collaboration features. This experience honed his ability to navigate technical and business complexities simultaneously, a core requirement for a principal-level role.
His work at Printify further demonstrates this scope. Tasked with leading the design system and rebranding initiative ahead of a significant merger, his contributions directly impacted a platform serving over 10 million merchants and a frontend engineering team of around 60 developers. This required not only deep technical skill in creating scalable, reusable components but also the soft skills to evangelize best practices, mentor engineers, and ensure adoption across a large, distributed organization. A remote Principal Engineer must excel in these areas of influence, and Tom's track record proves his capability.
Earlier in his career, Tom founded and led Websoul, a marketing automation SaaS used by over 32,000 businesses. As the founding engineer and technical leader, he was responsible for the entire stack, from architecture and backend services to the frontend built with Vue.js, TypeScript, and Supabase. This end-to-end ownership from zero to scale provides an invaluable perspective for startups and scale-ups looking to hire a principal engineer who understands the full lifecycle of a product, from MVP to serving a massive user base.
Technical Depth and Modern Stack Proficiency
Tom's technical expertise is both broad and deep, covering the full stack with a particular strength in modern frontend ecosystems and scalable architecture. He is highly proficient in Vue.js and TypeScript, having used them extensively in production environments like Websoul and Fream, where he led frontend development for industrial SaaS applications. His work often involves building sophisticated data interfaces using tools like AG Grid and creating comprehensive design systems that ensure consistency, accessibility, and developer efficiency across large engineering teams.
Beyond frontend specialization, his experience as a full-stack developer and architect allows him to design cohesive systems. He understands how backend APIs, data models, and infrastructure decisions impact frontend performance and user experience. This holistic view is critical for a Principal Engineer, who must make architectural choices that balance immediate product needs with long-term scalability and maintainability. His work spans mobile and web platforms, ensuring solutions are delivered effectively across user touchpoints.
Furthermore, Tom is actively integrating AI-assisted workflows into the software development lifecycle. He advises on and implements AI software factories, leveraging tools like AI coding agents to enhance developer productivity, testing, and quality assurance. This forward-looking expertise positions him uniquely to help organizations adopt AI-natively, not as an afterthought, making him a valuable hire for teams aiming to stay at the cutting edge of engineering practices while building robust products.
Collaboration with Founders, CTOs, and Distributed Teams
Tom is specifically oriented towards collaborations with founders, CTOs, and executives, acting as a force multiplier for technical leadership. He thrives in environments where he can partner closely with business leaders to translate product vision into technical reality. This collaborative style is built on clear communication, strategic thinking, and a shared commitment to outcomes. His engagements with marquee clients like DeLaval, GE Healthcare, Unilever, and Ordnance Survey demonstrate his ability to navigate large organizational structures and deliver value in complex, enterprise-level contexts.
His remote work model is optimized for international collaboration. Based in Poland, he seamlessly works with teams across European, UK, and US time zones, often aligning his schedule for necessary synchronous meetings with US East Coast teams while maximizing async work for deep focus. This flexibility is a key asset for globally distributed companies seeking a principal engineer who can lead initiatives without geographical constraints. He is also available for occasional on-site workshops, client visits, and team offsites, blending remote efficiency with valuable in-person collaboration when needed.
Tom's approach to teamwork emphasizes knowledge sharing and mentorship, which are essential functions of a Principal Engineer. He has a background in technical writing, public speaking, and conducting workshops, which he uses to elevate the entire engineering organization. By documenting architectural decisions, conducting training sessions on new technologies like AI, and mentoring senior and staff engineers, he builds stronger, more autonomous teams. This focus on developer experience and team growth ensures sustainable scaling alongside product development.
From Audit to Delivery: A Complete Service Offering
For organizations needing an assessment before a full engagement, Tom offers a range of consulting services that showcase his principal-level thinking. These include code reviews, architecture audits, technical due diligence, and refactoring strategies focused on performance, security, and scalability. An initial audit can quickly identify risks and opportunities, providing a clear roadmap for modernization or scaling efforts. This is particularly valuable for companies considering a longer-term principal engineering engagement and wanting to validate the fit and approach first.
His consulting extends into AI strategy and implementation. He can conduct AI software factory consultations, set up AI-native development workflows, and provide corporate AI training for engineering teams and executives. For founders and CTOs, he offers targeted briefings on AI's impact on their product and engineering strategy. These services allow organizations to tap into his strategic and technical expertise in a focused manner, whether the goal is to upskill a team, audit a codebase, or plan an AI integration.
Ultimately, these point-in-time services often evolve into deeper, long-term collaborations. By demonstrating value through audits, workshops, or targeted consulting, Tom establishes the trust and understanding necessary for a successful principal engineering partnership. Clients appreciate his ability to move seamlessly from high-level strategy to hands-on implementation, ensuring that architectural visions are executed effectively and sustainably in production.
When Hiring This Remote Principal Engineer is a Good Fit
Tom is an ideal fit for your team if you are a founder, CTO, or executive leading a product-driven company in need of staff-level technical leadership. This is especially true if you are building or scaling a SaaS product, modernizing a legacy Angular or React application, or integrating AI into your development process and product offerings. His blend of hands-on coding ability, architectural vision, and product thinking delivers exceptional value for startups and established companies alike.
He excels in remote-first or hybrid environments where clear communication and async collaboration are valued. If your team is distributed across the EU, UK, or US and you need a principal engineer who can work across time zones without losing momentum or connection, his proven model is a perfect match. Furthermore, if your goal is to not only solve immediate technical challenges but also to elevate your entire engineering team's practices, mentorship, and adoption of modern tools, his focus on knowledge sharing and developer experience will provide compounding returns.
Consider reaching out for an introductory call if your priorities include taking a product from concept to scale, overhauling a critical system with a focus on maintainability, or establishing a robust technical foundation for future growth. Tom Smykowski offers the rare combination of deep technical craft, strategic business alignment, and a collaborative leadership style that defines the modern Principal Engineer.