Zac Melnick

About

I build distributed product and platform systems across frontend, backend, and operations. I spent 10+ years at AWS working across EC2, VPC, and broader AWS Consoles. My work covered React/TypeScript frontend systems, Java backend services, AWS services, developer tooling, AI-assisted engineering workflows, and operational ownership. Over that time, my role evolved from building features to leading technical direction and helping teams deliver when systems were complex, ambiguous, or blocked. I led work both as a solo IC and as a technical lead, defining the work, aligning teams and mentoring engineers through technical decisions, delivery and career growth. I’m most effective where the work is ambiguous, cross-team, or operationally risky: setting direction, breaking the problem down, mentoring engineers involved, and getting the work shipped. I care about building systems that last, reducing unnecessary complexity, and creating mechanisms that help teams move faster without dropping the quality bar.

Experience

Education