Rick Molenaar
Orchestrating Transitions | Senior Software Engineering Leader, Coach & Mentor, Available for Interim and Fractional Assignments
My Contributions in Action
Delivering Impactful Projects
Leading complex IT projects requires collaboration and leadership, and I have been fortunate to contribute to major transitions that have reshaped organizations and their technical landscapes. One of most complex projects I had a leadership role in was the migration of three enterprise technology stacks into a single, unified platform. I’ve also been instrumental in launching new websites and products in emerging markets, where my teams were responsible for delivering the IT infrastructure and solutions that made it possible. Regulatory changes have often introduced additional layers of complexity, demanding major software adjustments, customer pilots, and carefully controlled rollouts. Notably, I led the implementation of stricter information security standards accross software, infrastructure & processes to ensure PCI-DSS compliance, safeguarding both systems and customer trust.
Building and Growing High-Performing Teams
Throughout my career, I've been dedicated to supporting the growth of teams across various settings, ensuring they have the right people and the tools to succeed. This included assessing candidates, attending fairs, and working with marketing to strengthen employer branding. I also proposed onboarding programs to ensure new hires were well-integrated, and I played a role in establishing remote teams in locations like India and Athens to handle key functions effectively. My focus has always been on building teams sustainably. By introducing clear grading and performance management systems, I helped create an environment where people could thrive while addressing underperformance when needed. Whether supporting energy transition goals through targeted recruitment or fostering collaboration in remote setups, my efforts aimed to build solid, adaptable teams ready for the challenges ahead.
Developing Leaders for Sustainable Organizational Success
Having had the privilege of coaching and mentoring engineering leaders, I’ve supported their growth by helping them navigate new challenges and clarify their goals. By supporting them through new challenges, I helped them grow their skills, clarify their goals, and contribute more effectively to their teams. I’m proud to see many of these individuals now holding important positions, and I’m grateful to have played a small role in their journey. Their success has often translated into stronger team performance, improved collaboration, and lasting contributions to their organizations.
Technical Strategy Validation
Throughout my professional journey, I have guided organizations through critical technical decisions, balancing innovation with strategic business needs. Whether it’s evaluating design patterns, low-code solutions, or determining the right architectural strategies like monoliths versus microservices. In the past, I’ve led teams at the forefront of innovations such as AI-driven pricing and the adoption of a different data technology stack. I’ve also managed complex transitions, including refactoring, technical migrations, and implementing CICD and automation. My value comes from deeply understanding technology, allowing me to challenge engineers thoughtfully while assessing both the business opportunities and technical impacts of decisions. I'm used to planning and executing large-scale initiatives and finding the right balance between giving teams the space they need to innovate and ensuring they stay focused, avoiding unnecessary delays.
Stability in Transition
Navigating complex transitions and stabilizing teams has been a core focus of my work, ensuring organizations are equipped to build strong foundations for future success. My experience includes integrating newly acquired teams, fostering collaboration, and creating shared solutions across diverse groups. In fast-paced environments, I’ve stabilized operations, improved workflow, and made strategic hires to strengthen teams. When leadership gaps arose, I stepped in to rebuild teams and platforms from the ground up, appointing key leaders to ensure continuity.
Engineering Organization Transformation
I bring a proven track record of transforming engineering organizations by aligning team structures with strategic priorities to foster focus, adaptability, and delivery excellence. Over the years, I have implemented organizational changes to address challenges such as balancing customer needs with platform stability, supporting innovation while ensuring operational flow, and integrating teams during periods of growth or structural change. I’ve successfully defined value-driven team structures, created manageable scopes for leadership, and optimized team focus around business priorities such as customer support, product development, and innovation. My past interventions have consistently ensured that engineering organizations are set up for sustainable success, with tailored solutions that address the unique context of each organization while adapting to evolving needs.
Streamlining Delivery for More Impact
Over the years, I’ve been able to help teams streamline their delivery processes, achieving greater efficiency and speed. By introducing relative complexity and value estimation, teams have been able to avoid spending countless hours in meetings, focusing instead on delivering meaningful work. Incorporating development best practices—such as CI/CD pipelines, test automation, feature flags, and AI tooling—has played a pivotal role in bringing stability, predictability, and shorter feedback cycles. Leveraging slicing techniques and guiding teams to embrace a rhythm of delivering small, incremental changes has significantly enhanced feedback cycles. By shifting the focus from delivering features to achieving OKRs and KPIs, teams felt more empowered to make difference which typically yielded great results. Coupled with the introduction of experimentation frameworks, these approaches have dramatically reduced time to market, enabling teams to adapt quickly and iterate effectively.
Establishing Clear Expectations and Grading Systems for Technology Teams
My hands-on experience in developing job profiles and grading frameworks, particularly in software engineering, has allowed me to create competency matrices and clear expectations that align with organizational goals. I have also worked on crafting detailed job profiles with clear skill requirements across seniority levels, which proved valuable not only for career development but also for recruitment. By incorporating skills assessments into hiring processes, I’ve helped organizations map candidates effectively to the appropriate levels, streamlining recruitment and ensuring the right fit. Although my focus has been primarily on software engineering, many of the methods and frameworks I’ve developed—such as competency matrices and structured grading systems—are versatile and can be adapted for use in other professional domains.
Delivering Results with a Hands-On Approach
Leveraging my hands-on technical expertise, I have directly contributed to solving organizational challenges and improving efficiency through automation and data-driven decision-making. With a background in Software Engineering, I am comfortable not only using tools like PowerBI, Tableau, and Jira but also extending their functionality through scripting, automation, and custom integrations. For example, I’ve built models that consolidated data from multiple departments to analyze cost-saving scenarios and organizational structures. I’ve developed custom adaptors to integrate disparate data systems and automated reporting processes to save time and improve accuracy. Additionally, I’ve configured project management tools to streamline workflows and align team activities with business objectives. This combination of technical proficiency and problem-solving ensures that I can support teams in making data-driven decisions, enhancing productivity, and achieving their goals more effectively.