Matthew Thompson

Professional Summary

Head of Engineering, Fractional CTO, and Software Architect with 15+ years of experience building scalable, high-availability systems across healthcare, fintech, and e-commerce. Specialized in full stack architecture and development across numerous stacks and distributed systems. Certified Stripe Architect recognized for redesigning complex payment and fund-flow platforms serving nationwide user populations using Stripe Connect and Terminal. Experienced in leading teams of engineers, guiding architecture strategy, and delivering secure, compliant solutions (HIPAA, PCI). Passionate about mentoring engineers and aligning technology with measurable business outcomes.

Core Competencies & Certifications

Core Competencies System Architecture • High-Availability Systems • API Design • Distributed Systems • Security & Compliance (HIPAA/PCI) • Payment Processing • Cloud Infrastructure • Team Leadership & Mentorship • Cross-Functional Collaboration Certifications

• Stripe Professional Architect
• Stripe Developer Certified

Technical Highlights (not limited to) Full-stack development and cloud architecture across Elixir/Phoenix, Ruby on Rails, Python, React, Next.js, Remix, Node.js, and TypeScript. Experienced with AWS/Azure, Docker, CI/CD, distributed systems, and architecting REST/GraphQL APIs. Relational Database Architecture with Postgres, MySQL, SQLite, etc. Strong background in payments (Stripe Connect/Terminal), security, and HIPAA-compliant system design.

Work Experience

CutTime

Head of Engineering

Jan 2026 – Present

Lead engineering for CutTime, owning technical strategy, architecture, and delivery as the company scales.

• Own technical direction and roadmap in partnership with the CEO, COO, and Head of Product.
• Drive cross-department alignment across product, operations, sales, and support, operating with executive-level scope across the business.
• Set architecture standards and drive key build-vs-buy and platform decisions.
• Lead and grow the engineering teams: Project Management, 1:1s, career development, architecture review.

Matthew Thompson Consulting

Owner and Architect

Jan 2026 – Present

Independent consulting for startups and growing teams that need senior technical leadership without a full-time hire.

• Fractional CTO / Director of Engineering: technical strategy, architecture, hiring, and delivery process.
• Stripe Certified Architect: Connect marketplaces, fund flows, billing, and Terminal.
• Healthcare systems: HIPAA-compliant telehealth, patient portals, and EHR integrations.
• AI implementations, from research and architecture through production.
• Architecture reviews and technical due diligence.
• Zero-to-launch product builds and leadership coaching.

Echobind

Fractional Architect

Jan 2026 – Jun 2026

• Software Architect for client engagements across Payment Systems, Healthcare, and AI.
• Stripe Architect for payment integrations and fund-flow design.
• AI research and architecture.

Lead Software Engineer (Principal)

Jun 2021 – Dec 2025

• Lead client engagements from technical architecture through product launch.
• Work with stakeholders on requirements and use cases, architecting long-term scalable solutions to support products and teams from MVP to scale. Developing the roadmap and estimate ROI for long term organizational goals.
• Cross department collaboration with the CTO and other Directors to evaluate the company’s direction and overall strategy.
• Architect solutions for national-scale healthcare and fintech platforms, supporting millions of annual transactions and users across multiple states—without naming specific clients to remain NDA-compliant.
• Oversee multiple clients and teams to support engineering growth, weighing architectural decisions, and to instill project confidence.
• Lead multiple engineering teams of 4–6 engineers (35 total), conducting 1:1s, performance reviews, code reviews, and architecture guidance.
• Served as primary architect for multiple payment integrations and migrations, between multiple payment providers including Recurly, AuthNet, PayPal, and Stripe. Redesigned fund flows, improve reliability, and streamline onboarding and settlement processes.
• Architect and build foundational solutions for the core team to build upon including Mobile, Payment Terminals, Web, Server, Cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, etc.
• Help maintain company partnerships and certifications throughout the team.
• Research and spike new technologies and patterns for future knowledge.
• Conduct tech talks to upskill the team and community.

Senior Software Engineer and Manager

Jun 2020 – Jul 2021

• Architect and implement secure telehealth platforms for providers and patients.
• HIPAA-compliant data storage and transmission solutions. Coordinated with product and design to ensure project milestones, system scalability, and security requirements were met.
• Managed cross-functional engineering teams delivering SaaS, healthcare, and commerce applications with strict uptime and compliance requirements.
• Integrate Provider / EHR systems for patient records and billing.
• Manage reports, focusing on quarterly goals (personal and company-related).
• Lead apprenticeship cohorts, successfully coaching new full-time hires.

Software Engineer

Aug 2018 – Jun 2020

• Develop backend services for WebRTC using Elixir/Phoenix, focusing on reliability and performance.
• Develop and maintain full-stack web applications for large enterprise companies using Ruby on Rails and React.
• Lead client engagements as a technical resource.
• Contribute to the development of cloud-based solutions using AWS/Azure.
• Implementing APIs for 3rd party consumption.
• Develop full component libraries and brand guides for responsive front-ends with React.

El Toro IP Targeting Company

Team Lead / Developer

April 2017 - August 2018

• Led a team of 20 developers, ten interns, and co-op students.
• Built high-throughput advertising technology systems serving national-level marketing campaigns. Developed data ingestion workflows, audience segmentation tools, and reporting features for large-scale ad operations. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to improve system reliability, performance, and reporting accuracy.

Community Involvement

• Actively engage with the tech community through online forums, virtual meetups, and conferences.
• Previously co-coordinated Louisville’s JsLou and ElixirLou meetups.
  • Planned and promoted monthly talks and events.
  • Organized casual learning nights to foster language adoption.
  • Delivered presentations to encourage community growth.
• Company/Client lunch and learn sessions to share knowledge and best practices.
• Provide personal 1:1 coaching to aspiring developers.
  • Served as a mentor for local initiatives like Code Louisville and Code Kentucky.
  • Taught core programming concepts and guided project development.