David Shahidi Profile Photo

David Shahidi

Director of Engineering | Client-Facing Technology Leader

15+ Years Speaks English
Software Engineering AI & Machine Learning Cloud, DevOps & Infrastructure Engineering Management Product Management Technical Program Management Executive Leadership Startup & Early Stage

About

I’m an engineering leader and product-focused technology consultant with over a decade of experience building and scaling SaaS platforms, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering complex client-facing software programmes. I’ve operated as a developer, technical lead, Director of Engineering, and consultant, giving me a full end-to-end view of how products are built, shipped, and scaled. I support engineers and aspiring leaders who want to progress into senior, lead, or management roles. I can help with career strategy, technical leadership, stakeholder management, building high-performing teams, navigating promotions, transitioning into consulting, and operating at a more strategic level. I also support founders and product leaders who need guidance on structuring engineering teams, defining MVPs, and delivering reliably. I want to mentor because I’ve seen how much faster careers accelerate with the right guidance. Practical, direct advice at the right moment can change someone’s trajectory. I enjoy helping ambitious people think bigger, operate with confidence, and move from execution to ownership.

Available Services

Behavioral Interview Practice STAR-format answers for leadership principles, culture fit, conflict resolution, and collaboration scenarios - tailored to the specific values of the company you're targeting.

Technical Leadership Round Prepare for the leadership and vision rounds in Staff+, Principal, and EM interview loops. Cover technical strategy, cross-team influence, mentoring, and driving org-wide impact.

Resume Building & Review Get your resume built or reviewed by professionals who've screened hundreds of candidates at top companies. Optimize for ATS, highlight impact, and walk away with a resume that gets callbacks.

Job Search Strategy Build a structured plan for your job search - which companies to target, when to apply, how to handle timelines across multiple interview pipelines, and how to maximize your chances.

Promotion Guidance Get a clear roadmap to your next level. Understand what the promotion committee actually evaluates, build your case with the right artifacts, and learn how to make your impact visible.

Salary Negotiation Learn to negotiate base, equity, sign-on bonuses, and counter-offers with confidence. Get strategies specific to how top tech companies structure and approve compensation packages.

Performance Review Preparation Prepare for your upcoming performance review cycle. Learn to write strong self-assessments, quantify impact, collect peer feedback strategically, and handle calibration conversations.

Career Roadmap Planning Map out your 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year career plan. Identify skill gaps, align your growth direction, and make intentional choices about specialization vs. generalization.

Building Visibility & Executive Presence Learn how to make your work visible to leadership, build influence beyond your team, communicate in senior forums, and develop the executive presence needed for Staff+ and Director+ roles.

IC to Manager Transition Thinking about moving from an IC track to people management? Understand what changes, what stays, how to prepare, and whether the EM path is truly right for you.

First-Time Manager Coaching Just became a manager or about to? Learn the fundamentals of 1:1s, feedback delivery, delegation, performance management, and building trust - from experienced engineering leaders.

Engineering Manager Coaching Level up as an EM. Get guidance on team scaling, hiring, performance calibration, managing up, cross-org influence, and navigating the unique challenges of engineering management.

Director / VP Track Aiming for Director, VP, or CTO? Work with senior leaders who have made it. Cover organizational strategy, executive communication, multi-team management, and building a leadership brand.

MVP & Technical Architecture Plan your MVP the right way. Get guidance on tech stack selection, architecture decisions, build vs. buy, and how to ship fast without creating debt you will regret in 6 months.

Experience

Director of Engineering

Cloud Elemental

Sep 2025 — Present Current

Senior Engineering Manager

Clarivate

Nov 2021 — Aug 2025

Solution Owner

Slalom Build

May 2021 — Oct 2021

Senior Manager, Software Engineering

ProQuest

Jun 2014 — Apr 2021

Application Developer

Pi2 Solutions

Apr 2012 — Jun 2014

Graduate Software Engineer

Xerox

Oct 2010 — Apr 2012