★EngineeringLeadership
Why I refuse to stop being technical as an Engineering Manager
The case for staying close to the code when your job title says otherwise. How technical depth makes you a better engineering leader, not a worse one.
Engineering leadership with technical depth.
I'm Cristian Gutui, an Engineering Manager who stays close to the code, bridges business and engineering, and builds teams that ship with clarity.
15+years in engineering
10+engineers led
EMat Refurbed
Full-stacktechnical depth
Creative Coding
What Creative Coding means to me
I believe engineering is a creative discipline. The best solutions come from people who think beyond the ticket, who understand context, question assumptions, and care about craft. That's what Creative Coding is: the space between the human problem and the binary output. That's where I work.
Engineering Leadership
Building and leading high-performing engineering teams. Hiring, mentoring, setting technical direction, and creating the conditions for people to do their best work.
Delivery & Execution
Turning ambiguous product goals into shipped software. I bring structure to chaos: clear priorities, healthy processes, and teams that deliver consistently.
Technical Architecture
Making architecture decisions that balance today's delivery with tomorrow's scalability. I stay hands-on enough to challenge assumptions and unblock teams.
Business–Engineering Bridge
Translating business requirements into engineering strategy and vice versa. I've been on both sides, running a company and leading teams inside one.
Selected outcomes
Impact, not just activity
European circular economy marketplace, 200+ employees
Engineering Manager
- Led a team of 10+ engineers delivering core product features across web and mobile platforms
- Established engineering practices that improved delivery predictability and reduced cycle times
- Bridged product and engineering functions, aligning technical execution with company growth targets
Madrid-based services company, building from zero
Lead Fullstack Developer & Architect
- Designed and built the entire technical architecture: custom ERP, React frontend, Flutter mobile app with offline NFC timekeeping
- Managed a team of 4 engineers through the full product lifecycle from concept to production
- Maintained direct relationship with the CEO, translating business needs into product development
Cloud infrastructure platform, early-stage product
Lead Frontend Developer
- Built and maintained the entire dashboard frontend for a complex cloud infrastructure application
- Worked across the stack to deliver a product that simplified cloud management for engineering teams
About
The short version
I started building for the web in 2011 when I founded my own development company. This site used to show screenshots of the websites I built for small businesses. Over the years, I've moved from writing code to leading the people who write it, without ever losing the instinct to understand what's happening under the hood. Today, I lead engineering teams at Refurbed, a European marketplace giving electronics a second life. I care about building things that matter, with people who care about how they build them.
Writing
Thinking out loud
Notes on engineering leadership, technical decision-making, AI, and building products in the circular economy.
★EngineeringCareer
What is Creative Coding, and why I named my entire career after it
Creative Coding isn't a technology or a framework. It's a belief that engineering is a creative discipline, and that the best solutions come from people who think beyond the ticket.
Let's have a conversation.
Whether you're thinking about engineering leadership, team structure, technical direction, or just want to exchange ideas, I'm always open to a good conversation.