THINK.BUILD.LEAD.

J I L A N I Y A H Y A O U I

Full-Stack EngineerSystems Architect

“I don’t just write code. I turn complex challenges into clear, scalable solutions.”

About me

From Idea to Production

Hi, I’m Jilani, a CTO and Software Engineer based in Montreal, Canada.

I bridge vision and execution, turning complex ideas into scalable, production-ready systems. I design software architecture, collaborate with teams, and build products that help businesses move faster and smarter.

Working with distributed teams across Canada, Europe, and Asia, I bring clarity, structure, and momentum to every stage of development.

I stay close to the code, adapting quickly, staying curious, and solving real problems with purpose and precision.

My mission:

Clarify software complexity

Design robust systems

Turn needs into solutions

Collaborate closely in teams

Improve code quality

Optimize performance & stability

Code with Purpose.
Engineer with Care.

I don’t just work with technologies. I use them to solve real problems. I care about building systems that are clear, reliable, and built to last. Clean architecture, scalability, and quality aren’t goals for me, they’re habits in how I think and code.

Android Studio
Ansible
Apache
Azure
C
Cloudflare
CSS3
Docker
Gimp
Github
Gradle
Graphql
HTML5
Java
Jest
JQuery
Kotlin
Laravel
MongoDB
N8n
Nextjs
Oracle
PostgreSQL
Python
Redis
SQLite
Unity
Visual Studio
Android Studio
Ansible
Apache
Azure
C
Cloudflare
CSS3
Docker
Gimp
Github
Gradle
Graphql
HTML5
Java
Jest
JQuery
Kotlin
Laravel
MongoDB
N8n
Nextjs
Oracle
PostgreSQL
Python
Redis
SQLite
Unity
Visual Studio

Angular
Apache Tomcat
Azure SQL Database
Blender
C++
Confluence
Cypress
Eclipse
Git
Gitlab
Grafana
Hibernate
Intellij
Jenkins
Jira
JUnit
Kubernetes
Maven
MySQL
Neo4j
Nodejs Wordmark
PHP
Postman
React
Spring
TypeScript
Visual Studio Code
Angular
Apache Tomcat
Azure SQL Database
Blender
C++
Confluence
Cypress
Eclipse
Git
Gitlab
Grafana
Hibernate
Intellij
Jenkins
Jira
JUnit
Kubernetes
Maven
MySQL
Neo4j
Nodejs Wordmark
PHP
Postman
React
Spring
TypeScript
Visual Studio Code

Solve with Clarity.
Collaborate with Purpose.

I believe meaningful work begins with people, understanding their needs, connecting ideas across disciplines, and growing together through collaboration. I adapt quickly to new challenges and enjoy turning complexity into clarity. Curiosity keeps me learning, and empathy helps me design solutions that truly make an impact.

Over the years, I’ve learned that technology isn’t what creates impact, it’s the clarity we bring, the people we support, and the problems we choose to solve.

Highlights

At Intact, I partnered closely with product owners, business analysts, and QA to clarify requirements, ask the right questions early, and align cross-functional teams so complex issues across 200+ systems could be solved efficiently and with minimal rework.

At VIA Rail Canada, I created development standards and best-practice documentation that improved team consistency, reduced ambiguity, and gave developers a dependable reference for day-to-day decisions.

At nForto, I coordinated engineering efforts across Europe, the UK, and Asia, improving communication flow and helping distributed teams deliver smoothly despite different time zones and working cultures.

At VIA Rail Canada, I collaborated with mechanical engineering teams to understand real operational constraints on the ground, listen first, and design solutions that genuinely supported how their crews worked every day.

Shaped by Experience.
Grounded in Reality.

I’ve worked across insurance, real estate, rail transport, and construction, gaining hands-on experience with large systems, diverse workflows, and real operational constraints.

Projects at Intact, VIA Rail Canada, XpertSource, and my hands-on Software Developer/CTO role at nForto in the UK shaped how I design systems, build features end to end, and collaborate across countries. These experiences reinforced my belief that strong engineering comes from clear thinking, teamwork, and practical solutions to complex problems.

2024 – Present
Software Developer / CTO
nForto
·
2024 – Present
London, England, United Kingdom
- Led the technical vision and architectural framing of an early-stage platform serving multiple clients, defining system boundaries, responsibilities, and MVP scope while actively contributing to core system design and implementation.
- Designed a client-isolated, AI-enabled decision-support capability at the platform level, defining data-access constraints, isolation rules, and security requirements to support informed operational and strategic decision-making.
- Established engineering standards, defined CI/CD workflows and foundations, and maintained technical documentation, working hands-on with distributed engineers and external architects to ensure delivery quality and architectural consistency.
2024
Programmer Analyst
XpertSource.com
·
2024
Montréal, QC
- Designed and developed full-stack features across the front-end and back-end, building user interfaces with React, Next.js, and TypeScript while contributing to API integration, data flows, and overall system behavior.
- Built a custom internal CMS with dynamic multi-step workflows to manage services and sub-services, using GraphQL APIs and DynamoDB within an AWS-based system.
- Implemented a comprehensive automated testing strategy from scratch in an existing codebase with no prior test coverage, writing and maintaining 500+ Cypress E2E and Jest unit tests and raising overall test coverage to approximately 85–90%, which significantly reduced bugs, stabilized the system, and restored confidence in production releases.
2023
Backend Developer
Intact Financial Corporation
·
2023
Montréal, QC
- Developed and deployed backend features in Java and Spring Boot, contributing directly to production systems handling incident management and operational workflows.
- Redesigned and implemented a major update to the incident tracking and root cause analysis module, refactoring existing logic to improve reliability, performance, and incident resolution time.
- Diagnosed and fixed critical production issues across an ecosystem of 200+ interconnected systems by tracing data flows through large XML payloads and working closely with Product Owners, Business Analysts, and QA to identify faulty integrations.
2019 – 2021
Application Developer
VIA Rail Canada
·
2019 – 2021
Montréal, QC
- Designed and delivered internal business applications end-to-end for mechanical engineering and train release teams, owning requirements analysis, solution design, delivery, and post-release validation, which reduced maintenance approval cycles from several days to a few hours.
- Developed and maintained internal tools using Microsoft Power Platform, Symfony, C#, Node.js, and SQL Server, automating key business processes and streamlining maintenance, reporting, and operational workflows.
- Designed and delivered several (approximately 5–7) internal solutions still in active use today, working directly with engineers and administrative teams, while documenting standards, sharing best practices, and supporting the onboarding of new developers across multiple Agile projects.
2018 – 2021
Full Stack Developer
Solarium Horizon Solutions Inc.
·
2018 – 2021
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC
- Designed, developed, and deployed a full web platform end-to-end, from client needs analysis and system architecture to production delivery, ensuring alignment between business objectives and technical execution.
- Built an interactive solarium customization application using HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, and PHP, enabling customers to configure models dynamically and improving the overall sales and customer experience.
- Owned the platform lifecycle over four years, including provisioning and operating a production Linux server from a clean DigitalOcean virtual machine (IaaS), managing system users, HTTPS and security, email infrastructure and deliverability for client communications, database modeling, performance optimization, technical documentation (C4, ERD, flows), and direct collaboration with the client to ensure long-term stability and satisfaction.

Design with Intent.
Build to Last.

Here are a few projects that reflect how I think and build. I focus on clean architecture, thoughtful UX, and systems that stay reliable when constraints get real in production, not just in theory.

FEATURED

Custom 2D JRPG Engine (Built from Scratch)

Rendering pipeline, game loop, collisions and combat system developed in pure Java without external frameworks.

Key highlight: 60 FPS stable · No external engine

JavaOOPCustom RendererCollision System

PRODUCTION

Interactive Solarium Configuration Platform

Transforms manual quotation into a real-time customization experience for customers.

Key highlight: Dynamic configuration · Business automation

ReactNode.jsDynamic FormsUX Architecture

LIVE

AI-Enhanced Developer Platform

Interactive portfolio featuring a contextual AI assistant powered by structured project data.

Key highlight: Context-restricted AI · Serverless architecture

Next.jsCloudflare WorkersOpenAITypeScript

Get in touch

Currently unavailable

If you're building something meaningful and need an engineer who can jump in, solve problems, and ship reliable software, I'd be happy to hear about it.

What I can help with

Building and shipping reliable web applications
Debugging complex issues in existing or legacy systems
Designing backend architecture and clean APIs
Contributing across the stack within engineering teams
Improving delivery workflows and CI/CD pipelines