Senior hands-on development: whoever drives the decisions also gets hands into the code.
For teams and founders who don't need more hands, but a senior who gets into the product and builds the parts that matter — at a senior rate.
Senior profile · Flexible engagement · Code in production
What senior hands-on development is, and who it's for.
Senior hands-on development is having a developer with many years of experience — former tech lead, former founder — join your team and write the code directly, instead of only giving directions.
It's not the cheap freelance dev from a marketplace. It's a profile who usually makes architecture and strategy decisions, but who here chooses to stay inside the product: building the delicate features, raising the team's standards and leaving the code better than found.
It's the right call if you have a team to reinforce on a delivery that matters, if the risky parts can't wait, or if you want the same person who acts as your fractional CTO also inside the code.
The typical moments teams bring in a senior alongside.
- You have a critical delivery and need someone writing senior-level code from day one, without months of onboarding.
- Your in-house team is solid but no one owns the riskiest parts: architecture, integrations, performance.
- You must ship an important release and can't afford the delicate parts being written by someone still learning.
- You need to reinforce the team for a few months (staff augmentation) but with a senior profile, not just any resource.
- You want the same person who acts as your fractional CTO also inside the code, turning decisions into real software.
Deliverables, not promises.
Code in production
Not slides: I write, test and ship the features we agree on. Readable code your team can maintain after I'm gone.
The risky parts
I take on the pieces where a mistake is expensive: architecture, external integrations, auth, payments, performance under load.
Standards and review
I raise the bar with code review, tests where they truly matter and clear conventions. The team grows working alongside, not watching from afar.
Unblock and delivery
I turn a stalled backlog into releases that actually ship. Real priorities, scope cut with judgement, frequent delivery over a big bang.
Knowledge transfer
I document the decisions and leave the code in the team's hands. Stated goal: make myself dispensable, not create dependency.
Continuity with strategy
If I also work as your fractional CTO, decisions and implementation speak the same language. Nothing lost in translation between deciding and building.
What sets it apart from junior, agency and staff augmentation.
The difference isn't the hourly cost: it's the risk. On a critical part, whoever gets it wrong costs you far more than you save on the rate.
Not a cheap junior
A junior costs less per hour, but you pay the bill in rework, production bugs and decisions to redo. I bring 10+ years and former tech lead and founder roles: risk goes down, speed on what matters goes up.
Not an agency
No project manager in between, no team rotating every sprint. You talk to the person who actually writes the code, start to finish.
Not commodity staff augmentation
I'm not an interchangeable resource dropped in to fill a slot. I get into the substance of the product, challenge the choices and own the result.
The stack serves the result, not the other way around.
I pick the right tool for the problem and for what your team can maintain — not the one I happen to know best.
Python / FastAPI
Solid backends and APIs, from prototypes to services that hold real production traffic.
TypeScript / Next.js
Modern frontend and full-stack: fast for the user, maintainable for whoever works on it next.
Java
Enterprise systems and existing codebases to evolve without rewriting everything from scratch.
AWS
Infrastructure that holds the load without over-engineering or burning cloud budget.
Characteristics
- 10+ years of experience, former tech lead and former founder.
- Senior rate: you pay for competence, not filled hours.
- I get into the code and the product, not just a board.
- Flexible engagement: a few weeks or several months, part-time or intensive.
- Remote from Italy, on-site possible for projects that call for it.
- The same person who can work with you as fractional CTO.
Hands-on development often starts here.
The questions I get most often about hands-on development.
How is this different from a cheaper freelance dev?
The price, and the why. A junior or cheap profile costs less per hour, but pays the bill in rework, bugs and decisions to redo. I work at a senior rate because I bring 10+ years and former tech lead and founder roles: less risk, more speed on the parts that truly matter.
Do you actually write code or is it just consulting?
I write code in production. This is the hands-on service: the same person who can work with you as fractional CTO here gets hands into the product and builds the features we agree on, rather than just giving directions.
How long can I have you on the team?
From a few weeks for a critical release to several months of ongoing collaboration. Part-time or more intensive, depending on what's needed. No imposed annual lock-in.
Do you work inside my team or on your own?
Inside your team: I use your tools, follow your conventions, do reviews and transfer knowledge. The goal is to leave the code in the team's hands, not create dependency on me.
What stack do you use?
Mainly Python/FastAPI, TypeScript/Next.js, Java and AWS. But the stack serves the result: I pick the right tool for the problem and for what your team will be able to maintain over time.
Need a senior who writes code?
First 30 free minutes: you tell me about the project and I tell you honestly whether the hands-on service is the right fit or whether you need something else.
Reply within 24 hours · Italy & remote