Syed Umer Faheem — Full-Stack Engineer & DesignerI design it. Then I go build it. Seven years, two countries, and a stubborn belief that how a thing looks and how a thing works are the same problem. I build web and mobile products with React, React Native and Node, for telecoms, fintechs and founders who move fast.Based in Karachi, Pakistan. Previously Dubai, UAE. Available for work, remote or relocation.At a glance

7+ years shipping (since 2016)

1M+ monthly users (on apps I helped build)

15+ apps in the stores (iOS & Android)

2 countries (Pakistan & UAE)

ExperienceSr. Full-Stack Engineer — Independent ConsultantDubai clients, remote · Jun 2025 to Present. Running two to three client builds at a time: architecture, delivery and the awkward conversations in between. The part I like: owning a product end to end instead of one slice of it.

Ship web and mobile from one codebase story: Node, Express, React, Next and React Native

Design REST and GraphQL layers with caching, validation and sane state management

Automate releases with GitHub Actions, Docker and Fastlane straight to the stores

Lock things down properly: OAuth, JWT sessions, encrypted payloads

Tech: React, Next.js, React Native, Node.js, GraphQL, DockerFull-Stack Mobile & Web Engineer — du Telecom (Linnk Group)Dubai, UAE · Feb 2024 to Apr 2025. The biggest room I have worked in. A national telecom platform across web, iOS and Android. The kind where a bad release is a news story, so you learn to be careful without getting slow.

Built UAE PASS / Digital Dubai identity into eSIM activation, cutting onboarding from 15 minutes to 5

Cut app response times ~35% through frontend profiling and render work

Moved data fetching onto Apollo Client and GraphQL to kill over-fetching

Mentored 4 junior developers through GitLab reviews and training sessions

Drove bugs down ~45% with Jest and React Native Testing Library

Tech: React Native, React, Next.js, GraphQL, Apollo, JestSenior Full-Stack Developer — Modsoft TechnologyDubai, UAE · May 2023 to Feb 2024. Technical architect for a five-person frontend and mobile team. This is where I got properly comfortable with cryptography and real-time systems, and where I learned that leading is mostly unblocking other people.

Built an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform: AES-256 and RSA, JWT auth, 100K+ users

Wrote custom WebSocket modules and background services; feature usage climbed ~40%

Native React Native module to securely track OTP and SMS

Dockerised the stack and set up CI/CD so deploys stopped being an event

Shipped a marketing site that cut bundle size ~40% and sharpened Time to Interactive

Tech: React, Node.js, WebSockets, AES-256 / RSA, Docker, TailwindFrontend Developer — TNC IT GroupDubai, UAE · Jul 2022 to Mar 2023. Fintech and blockchain, startup pace. Crypto wallets, live streaming and a survey platform that paid people in tokens. Chaotic in the good way.

Shipped 3+ apps on React Native, React, TypeScript and Redux for 150K+ users

Ported core features off native Kotlin/Swift into React Native, cutting ~40% of the code to maintain

Built wallet management against blockchain REST APIs for 50K+ active wallets

Reworked a survey-rewards app; engagement up ~60% in three months

Designed the reusable component architecture the team still builds on

Tech: React Native, TypeScript, Redux Saga, Blockchain APIs, GPT-3Associate Software Developer — CubixKarachi, Pakistan · May 2021 to Mar 2022. Agency life: many clients, many apps, very little time. Ten-plus apps to the stores taught me more about shipping than any single long project could have.

Published 10+ React Native apps wired to Firebase and REST backends

Integrated Stripe, Tap, location services and live chat

Built a shared design system reused across 5 apps, saving ~30% of frontend time

Shipped AR features with ViroReact; product interaction tripled

Tech: React Native, Firebase, Stripe, ViroReact, ReduxFull-Stack MERN Developer — Web-ITechKarachi, Pakistan · Jul 2020 to May 2021. Where the backend finally clicked. Indexes, query plans, auth flows: the unglamorous half of full-stack that makes the glamorous half possible.

Ran MERN apps serving 10,000+ monthly users

Improved DB query performance ~40% through indexing in MongoDB and MySQL

JWT auth across endpoints handling 1M+ API calls a month

Lazy loading, asset compression and tighter state, for a ~50% faster frontend

Tech: MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js, MySQLFrontend Developer — Steel Business Information ServicesKarachi, Pakistan · Aug 2019 to Jul 2020. The crossover year. Still running the UI/UX side, but now writing the React that brought the designs to life, and discovering I never wanted to hand a mockup to someone else again.

Built and maintained the company's responsive React website

Wired the CRM into third-party platforms and automated the sales lead lifecycle

Cut support tickets ~40% and lifted lead volume ~35% within three months

Hand-built HTML newsletters that survived contact with real email clients

Tech: React, HTML, CSS, Bitrix24 CRMUI/UX & Graphic Designer — E2B SolutionsKarachi, Pakistan · Nov 2016 to Jun 2020. Where it started. Four years in Illustrator, Photoshop and XD: brand systems, campaigns, editorial layouts, app screens. I did not know it then, but this is the reason my components have opinions about spacing.

Designed brand systems, campaigns and print work across a dozen-plus clients

Ran multiple design and web projects at once, start to finish

Moved from static mockups into building the interfaces myself

Tech: Illustrator, Photoshop, Adobe XD, Design SystemsProducts shippeddu — Telecom super-appdu Telecom (Linnk Group), 2024-2025. One of the UAE's national telecom apps: manage plans, pay bills, top up and activate an eSIM, across web, iOS and Android. Role: Frontend and mobile engineering on the onboarding and activation flows, plus the GraphQL data layer underneath them.

UAE PASS / Digital Dubai identity for secure eSIM activation

Onboarding cut from 15 minutes to 5

~35% faster through frontend optimisation

Mentored 4 juniors; bugs down ~45% with Jest and RNTL

du on App Storedu on Google PlaywCookin — Meal plans & recipesRiding App LLC (FZ), 2025. Meal planning and recipes for people who mean well on Sunday and panic on Wednesday: plans, shopping lists and step-by-step cooking. Role: Sole mobile and frontend developer. Architecture, build and App Store release, from empty repo to published app.

Owned the architecture end to end as the only engineer

Cross-platform React Native build

Shipped to the App Store and maintained post-launch

wCookin on App StoreCovChat — Encrypted messagingModsoft Technology, 2023-2024. A secure end-to-end encrypted chat platform for communities and organisations. Nothing is readable in transit, nothing trusted that does not have to be. Role: Architected the crypto and transport layers: AES-256 and RSA, JWT auth, and custom WebSocket modules with background services.

End-to-end encryption across 100K+ users

Hand-rolled WebSocket modules for real-time delivery

Background services for reliable mobile delivery

Feature usage up ~40% after launch

CovChat on covchat365.comReal Research — Blockchain survey & walletsTNC IT Group, 2022-2023. A survey platform with a crypto-based reward system. Businesses and government bodies run studies, respondents get paid in tokens, and the wallet suite that pays everyone out is part of the same product. Role: Built the survey generator, and the wallet and exchange surfaces behind the reward loop, against blockchain REST APIs.

Survey generator for non-technical researchers

Wallet management across 50K+ active wallets

Kotlin/Swift features ported to React Native via native bridging

Engagement up ~60% in the first three months

Real Research on App StoreReal Research on Google PlayBuyaladdin Store — Crypto e-commerceTNC IT Group, 2022-2023. An e-commerce platform built to accept digital currencies alongside regular payment: browse, cart and checkout with crypto settling in the background. Role: Mobile and frontend engineering across the storefront, cart and crypto checkout flows.

Digital-currency checkout beside conventional payment rails

Shared component architecture across the storefront

Shipped to both App Store and Google Play

Buyaladdin Store on App StoreBuyaladdin Store on Google PlayMeitalk TV — Live streamingTNC IT Group, 2022-2023. A live streaming and content creation app. Creators broadcast, audiences watch and interact in real time. Role: Mobile engineering on the streaming and creator surfaces, including native module work.

Real-time streaming playback and broadcast flows

Native module bridging for the video layer

Published on both stores

Meitalk TV on App StoreMeitalk TV on Google PlayGlamic — Beauty marketplaceCubix, 2021-2022. A two-sided platform connecting makeup artists with clients: discovery, booking and on-the-day logistics for both sides of the appointment. Role: Cross-platform mobile build covering booking, profiles and scheduling.

Two-sided booking flow for artists and clients

Location-aware discovery

Shipped to both stores for the UAE market

Glamic on App StoreGlamic on Google PlayPartyShark — Social event platformCubix, client in California, 2021-2022. A C2C platform for people arranging or looking for parties: discovery, guest coordination, vendor booking and ticket management in one place. Role: Cross-platform mobile build with location, real-time tracking and social sharing.

Location-based party discovery

Vendor booking and ticket management

Real-time event tracking

PartyShark on App StorePartyShark on Google PlayPartyShark on Case studySijily — Finance portalWeb-ITech, 2020-2021. An accounts and finance management portal for companies: ledgers, reporting and the unglamorous back office that a business actually runs on. Role: Full-stack MERN work across the portal, with database and query optimisation.

Company-wide accounts and finance management

Query performance tuning through indexing

Role-based access across finance teams

Sijily on sijil.comVaqil — Legal CRMWeb-ITech, 2020-2021. Lead management and client communication for lawyers. A CRM shaped around how a legal practice actually takes on and tracks work. Role: Full-stack build covering lead capture, pipeline and client communication.

Lead pipeline built for legal practice workflows

Client communication threaded per matter

REST API and auth layer

Vaqil on vaqil.pkOpen source

super-app-mvp — Micro-frontends on mobile. A React Native host that loads mini apps at runtime with Re.Pack v5, Rspack and Module Federation v2, sharing auth, notifications and localization across them.

teamPoll — Realtime, end to end. Live polling where vote counts update over WebSockets: anonymous JWT auth, Redis-backed rate limiting so one person cannot stuff the ballot, PostgreSQL underneath.

taskTracker — Offline-first architecture. The structure I reach for on a new React Native app: Redux Toolkit, local persistence, offline-first behaviour and a modular layout that survives a second engineer.

What he can build

UAE PASS auth: National digital identity wired straight into onboarding and eSIM activation. (du Telecom, 15 min → 5 min onboarding)

eSIM activation: Full telecom onboarding: eligibility, KYC, provisioning, activation. (du Telecom, National carrier scale)

End-to-end encryption: AES-256 and RSA across a messaging platform. Unreadable in transit, by design. (Covchat, 100K+ users)

Real-time chat: Custom WebSocket modules with background delivery services on mobile. (Covchat, +40% feature usage)

Crypto wallets: Wallet management and on-chain transactions behind a token reward loop. (Real Research, 50K+ active wallets)

Payments: Stripe and Tap integrations across e-commerce and services apps. (Cubix, Live in 5+ apps)

Maps & location: Location discovery, geofencing and live event tracking. (Party Shark, Real-time tracking)

Live streaming: Streaming surfaces inside consumer and exchange products. (TNC Group, 150K+ users reached)

Background services: Native modules that securely track OTP and SMS, plus push delivery. (Modsoft, Android native bridge)

AR experiences: ViroReact product visualisation people actually played with. (Cubix, 3× interaction)

AI features: GPT API integrations inside real consumer product flows. (TNC Group, Shipped 2022)

GraphQL data layer: Apollo caching and schema design against enterprise backends. (du Telecom, Killed over-fetching)

Native bridging: Kotlin and Swift features lifted into React Native via native modules. (TNC Group, −40% codebase)

Design systems: Shared component libraries reused across whole app portfolios. (Cubix / Modsoft, 5+ apps, −30% build time)

CI/CD pipelines: Build, test and deploy pipelines on GitHub Actions and GitLab CI, so releases stop being an event. (Independent / Modsoft, −50% deployment errors)

Automated store releases: Fastlane lanes that sign, build and publish straight to the App Store and Play Store, with no manual uploads. (Independent / SportsLive OS, One command to ship)

Containerised stacks: Dockerised full stacks with multi-environment deploys, so local matches production. (Modsoft, Whole stack, one command)

Performance engineering: Render profiling, lazy loading, asset compression and bundle surgery on apps people actually wait on. (du Telecom / Modsoft, −40% bundle, +35% speed)

Database optimisation: Indexing and query-plan work across MongoDB and MySQL when the slow part turned out to be the data layer. (Web-ITech, +40% query performance)

High-volume APIs: RESTful endpoints tuned and hardened to carry a million-plus calls a month without drama. (Web-ITech, 1M+ API calls / month)

Testing & TDD: Unit and integration coverage with Jest and React Native Testing Library, written before the fix. (du Telecom, −45% production bugs)

SSR & Next.js: Server-rendered and statically generated front ends where first paint and crawlability matter. (Independent / Modsoft, Faster TTI)

State at scale: Redux, Toolkit, Saga and Context wired so a large app stays predictable as the team grows. (TNC Group, 3+ apps, 150K+ users)

Multi-brand theming: One component library, several brands, using tokens and theming rather than forked codebases. (Cubix / Modsoft, 5 apps, one system)

XSS hardening: Input sanitisation and output escaping across user-generated content surfaces. (Modsoft, Sanitised by default)

Code review & mentoring: Review standards, architecture sessions and four junior developers brought up to speed. (du Telecom / Modsoft, 4 devs mentored)

Store operations: Submissions, review pushback, staged rollouts and post-launch maintenance on both stores. (Cubix / Independent, 15+ apps published)

CRM & lifecycle automation: Bitrix24 integration and automated lead workflows, plus HTML email that survives real clients. (Steel Business, −40% support tickets)

Design work

An Nas — Islamic learning app, 2025. A full product design: sign-up, dashboard, reader, bookmarks, search and settings. The dark theme was designed alongside the light one rather than inverted afterwards, because people read Qur'an at night.

Young Urbanite — Fashion research report, 2024. A consumer research study on young fashion buyers, laid out like a magazine instead of a deck. Executive summary through to appendices. The challenge was making survey data something a person would actually read to the end.

Nutrition Balance — Dutch dietitian practice, 2025. A social system for a diëtistenpraktijk in the Netherlands: recipes, gut-health education and booking prompts, all sitting on one grid so the feed reads as a brand rather than a pile of posts.

Naturals — Food & grocery brand, 2024. Campaign work for a Pakistani farm-to-table brand: product launches, Eid promotions and produce features, held together by a warm palette that makes everything look worth eating.

Urban Braintrust — US technology partner, 2024. B2B collateral for a US tech partner: partner-program pitches and service breakdowns. Hard yellow and ink, kept legible at thumbnail size because that is how most of it actually gets seen.

Flyers & Posters — Events, food, healthcare, 2019-2022. Art competitions, weekly restaurant menus, clinic announcements, seasonal dinners. The brief was usually “tomorrow”, which is its own design constraint and a surprisingly good teacher.

Brochure Systems — Multi-page, multi-client, 2018-2022. Bi-folds and multi-page brochures across hospitality, legal, safety testing and healthcare. Dense, obligation-heavy information that still has to feel navigable on paper.

Recommendations

In challenging situations, his commitment and resilience really stood out. I had the pleasure of working with Syed Umer Faheem at TNC Group on a Real Research application. We even joined on the same day, which made the journey more memorable. Umer is not just a great engineer but also a dependable teammate. We spent long hours coding together, shared many lunches (especially at Iqbal Restaurant!), and pushed through tight deadlines as a team. He brings strong values, takes full ownership of his work, and consistently delivers with quality. A true professional you can rely on.

I personally learned a lot from working with Umer, especially from his technical approach, problem-solving skills, and professional attitude. I had the opportunity to work closely with Syed Umer Faheem, and it has been a great experience. He is an excellent Senior Software Engineer, a strong team player, and someone who is always willing to share his knowledge and help others. He communicates well, collaborates effectively with the team, and consistently brings a positive and supportive mindset to the workplace. I highly recommend Umer to any team looking for a skilled, dependable, and collaborative software engineer.

What really stands out is his combination of development skills, creativity, and graphic design sense. I've known Syed Umer Faheem since our university days, and I'm genuinely glad to have had him as both a great friend and a talented professional. Umer is an exceptional React Native and full-stack developer with a strong eye for frontend development and user experience. His experience working in Dubai and his technical expertise make him someone who can confidently take on challenging projects. He is hardworking, dependable, and always focused on delivering high-quality work. I would definitely recommend Umer to anyone looking for a skilled, creative, and reliable developer.

He was never someone who was satisfied with just getting the task done. I had the opportunity to work with Umer early in his career, and even back then, what stood out was how quickly he learned and how curious he was to understand things beyond his immediate responsibilities. He would ask questions, explore different approaches, and constantly look for ways to improve his skills. It was great to see that curiosity turn into strong technical growth over time. Beyond his technical abilities, Umer was always a supportive and dependable teammate. He is someone who genuinely enjoys learning, sharing knowledge, and growing alongside the people around him.

A great team player with strong problem-solving skills and a strong sense of ownership. I had the pleasure of working with Syed Umer Faheem and found him to be a highly professional, reliable, and talented individual. I would gladly recommend Umer to any organization looking for a dedicated and results-oriented professional.

He is hardworking, dependable, and always willing to learn and take on new challenges. I've had the pleasure of knowing Syed Umer Faheem personally and have always found him to be a responsible, dedicated, and positive individual. While we haven't worked together as colleagues, my interactions with Umer have given me a strong appreciation for his professionalism, communication skills, and commitment to personal and professional growth. I'm confident that he would be a valuable asset to any organization.

Education and awards

B.S. Software Engineering, Iqra University, Karachi (2017-2021)

Winner, Database Design, Ecompetencia, 2019

Certified JavaScript Programming — Saylani, 2019

CPD Workshop: App Development — Pakistan Engineering Body, 2018

Data Engineering for Everyone — DataCamp, n/a

CV downloads

Syed-Umer-Faheem-Frontend.pdf

Syed-Umer-Faheem-FullStack.pdf

Syed-Umer-Faheem-Mobile.pdf

Contact

Email: umerfaheem67@gmail.com

Phone: +92 336 3274722 / +971 52 881 0817

GitHub

Medium

Behance