Esmail Shabayek – Engineering Manager & Software Tech Lead

About Me

I’m Esmail Shabayek, an engineering leader based in Cairo, Egypt, with 8+ years of experience building and scaling SaaS platforms across backend, web, and mobile.

Most recently I led a multi-disciplinary engineering organization spanning Backend, Frontend, Mobile (Flutter), QA/QC, UX/UI, Data Analytics, and DevOps. I own technology roadmaps, set engineering standards, hire and mentor engineers, and partner with Product, Business, and Operations to deliver against business goals.

I stay hands-on with PHP (Laravel), Node.js, Python, and cloud infrastructure on AWS and GCP.

What I Do

I lead engineering teams and build the platforms behind them, from architecture to delivery

Leadership

Hiring, mentoring, code review culture and delivery practices.

Architecture

Multi-tenant SaaS, API design, scalability and build-vs-buy decisions.

Backend

Laravel, Node.js (NestJS) and Python (Django) APIs.

Cloud & DevOps

AWS, GCP, Docker, CI/CD, monitoring and disaster recovery.

Web & Mobile

Vue.js, React.js and Flutter, from dashboards to native apps.

Integrations

Payments, shipping, ZATCA e-invoicing, Elasticsearch and SMS.

EXPERIENCE

April 2025 – October 2026
Software Tech Lead
Elyak · Saudi Arabia (Remote)
- Led the engineering organization across Backend, Frontend, Mobile (Flutter), QA/QC, UX/UI, Data Analytics, and DevOps for sumaya369.net, a subscription-based digital learning platform.
- Owned the technology roadmap, architecture and build-vs-buy decisions, engineering standards, and technical governance.
- Managed 14 people directly and supported 15+ more; recruited, mentored, and developed engineers and technical leads across all functions.
- Led a full rebrand and platform overhaul: modernized infrastructure, redesigned the website, and shipped a custom loyalty system, a new admin dashboard, and a client dashboard.
- Directed the launch of new native iOS and Android apps and a full refactor of the LAX mobile app.
- Owned cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, monitoring, and disaster-recovery strategy.
October 2023 – March 2025
Backend Team Lead → Software Tech Lead
Speero · Saudi Arabia (Remote)
- Promoted to Software Tech Lead in April 2024, owning system design and technical decisions for a SaaS platform serving car service centers.
- Designed a multi-tenant architecture with isolated tenant databases and role-based access control.
- Led the end-to-end platform overhaul, improving performance, scalability, and maintainability.
- Delivered sales, spare-parts inventory, procurement, appointment booking, and automated reminder modules, plus ZATCA E-Invoicing and Qoyod integrations.
- Optimized AWS infrastructure (EC2, S3, ElastiCache, RDS) for high availability and cost efficiency.
- The platform now serves 237 tenant companies across 370 branches, with SAR 78.5M in transactions processed.
April 2021 – September 2023
Senior Backend Developer
El Dokan Software · Maadi, Egypt
- Built and maintained Laravel RESTful APIs for a high-traffic e-commerce platform, documented in Swagger/OpenAPI.
- Built CI/CD pipelines with Jenkins and GitLab CI/CD, automating build, test, and deployment with fast rollback.
- Integrated Elasticsearch search, payment gateways, and shipping carriers.
July 2020 – April 2021
Senior PHP Developer
UAE Barq Group · UAE (Remote)
- Built RESTful APIs for Android and iOS apps and a central dashboard managing multiple company apps.
- Improved performance with Redis caching and load balancing; managed AWS infrastructure (EC2, S3, RDS).
April 2020 – October 2020
Development Team Lead
Arish University · North Sinai, Egypt
- Led a cross-functional team of developers, designers, and testers, on-site and remote.
- Delivered a multi-tenant university platform giving each faculty its own branding and content.
December 2019 – April 2020
Senior PHP Developer
Leader Investment Group · Nasr City, Egypt
- Built APIs and an admin dashboard for a food delivery app covering ordering, payments, and delivery tracking.
July 2018 – December 2019
PHP Developer → Senior PHP Developer
Marketune · Maadi, Egypt
- Promoted to Senior PHP Developer in November 2018.
- Led development of the Adwitter social media ad exchange system and the Tabi’e real-time school bus tracking system.

Impact in Numbers

Teams I led and the platforms they built

50+

people managed & mentored across my career

14 direct reports

15+ supported

in my latest role

237

tenant companies

370

branches

34,426

invoices issued

SAR 78.5M

in transactions processed

What People Say

Recommendations from people I’ve worked with

I had the privilege of working directly with Esmail, and he is truly one of the most capable and loyal Engineering Leaders I’ve worked with. As a Software Tech Lead and Engineering Manager, he possesses a rare combination of deep technical mastery especially in backend architecture, API development, and scalable SaaS platforms and genuine, people-first leadership. Esmail doesn’t just manage; he takes full technical ownership, unblocks his team effortlessly, and fosters a high-trust environment where engineers can do their best work.

AE Ayman ElkhoulyRecommendation on LinkedIn

It’s been a pleasure working with Esmail. I really appreciate their support, guidance and willingness to always help. They’re a great Tech Lead who is always supportive, helpful, and willing to share their knowledge, a great mentor and genuinely a great person to work with. I’m grateful to have been part of their team!

ST Shreen TaherRecommendation on LinkedIn

Read all 9 on LinkedIn

Latest Projects

Selected products I have built and led

90Minute

On-demand laundry pickup-and-delivery platform for Saudi Arabia, with customer and driver mobile apps, an admin dashboard, real-time map tracking, and push notifications.

Laravel · Mobile APIs · Real-time tracking
View Project

aru.edu.eg

Arish University

Multi-tenant university platform letting each faculty and department run its own branding and content on shared infrastructure. Led the team of developers, designers, and testers.

Multi-tenant · Team lead
View Project

speero.works

Speero Works

Cloud SaaS for car service centers in Saudi Arabia, now serving 237 tenant companies across 370 branches. Designed its multi-tenant architecture with isolated tenant databases, and delivered sales, inventory, procurement, appointment booking, ZATCA e-invoicing, and Qoyod integrations.

Multi-tenant SaaS · AWS · ZATCA
View Project

Open Source

Packages and developer tools I maintain

cloudkit-cli

Shell helpers for AWS and Google Cloud: interactive session management with SSO and chained profiles, service wrappers, and a color-coded prompt across both clouds.