Rick Giner
Technical Leader and Strategist
I help small-but-mighty businesses scale their engineering teams, processes, and products without losing the heart of what makes them great.
Drawing on 25 years across SMBs, agencies, and the public sector, I bring a practical, people-first approach to delivering strong results on lean budgets.
About me
I've spent the last 25 years in leadership and senior software engineering roles across startups, larger enterprises, agencies, and the public sector.
My sweet spot is helping teams scale from 5 to 50 people and beyond without losing the heart of what makes them great.
I care deeply about building strong teams, clear systems, and practical structures that help businesses grow sustainably.
I've also developed a strong affinity for social impact and SaaS products, and I'm motivated by helping people learn, grow, and do meaningful work.
- Everest Engineering: helped grow the Australian arm from inception to more than 80 people, while advising a portfolio of 80+ startup clients.
- RateMyAgent: helped grow the engineering team from 5 to 30 and contributed to the path to a successful $100 million IPO.
- Broad exposure across agency, public sector, and private SMB environments.
How I can help
- Tech roadmapping and strategy
- I work with businesses to map the next 6 to 18 months, aligning technology initiatives with business milestones so investment goes into the right tools, systems, and processes.
- Scaling teams and processes
- Whether you are growing from 2 developers to 10, or 5 to 30, I can help design the org structure, define sustainable processes, and protect culture as the team expands.
- Outsourcing vs in-house guidance
- Having worked in both consultancy and private-sector environments, I can offer a clear-eyed view of the trade-offs across cost, quality, and time-to-market.
- Hands-on mentorship and leadership
- I can coach engineering leaders, advise on product and delivery decisions, and step in where experienced technical leadership is needed on a fractional or interim basis.
Real results from real businesses
Everest Engineering
Challenge
A growing software consultancy needed to scale its Australian engineering division rapidly while supporting 80+ startup clients and preserving a high-retention culture.
Role
As Managing Director and Director of Engineering, I led strategic planning, organisational design, coaching, and decisions around outsourcing versus in-house capability.
Outcomes
- Scaled the Australian team from inception to 80+ people in roughly three years
- Contributed to a 10x revenue increase within four years
- Helped establish systems and structures that supported long-term alignment and culture
Startup advisor
Challenge
A consultancy environment supporting 80+ startups across SaaS, social impact, and other sectors needed practical technical strategy and scaling support.
Role
I acted as a strategic advisor, sometimes hands-on and sometimes at a higher level, helping clients make sound decisions and scale sustainably.
Outcomes
- Supported startups in building stronger technical direction
- Helped founders navigate scaling and team structure decisions
RateMyAgent
Challenge
A fast-growing real estate platform needed to scale without sacrificing quality or culture.
Role
I introduced Agile practices, guided team growth, and helped streamline product roadmaps and delivery.
Outcomes
- Productivity increased significantly
- The engineering team grew from 5 to 30
- The business achieved a successful $100 million IPO
What people say
“Rick has been a driving force behind our growth and evolution. He shaped our way of working and designed our unique org structure that continues to define how we run the business. He's built teams, taken on some of the toughest projects, and guided clients with honesty and persistence. Along the way, he's led and launched a bunch of startups, supported larger engagements and left behind systems and structures that will outlast his time here.”
“I worked with Rick on a number of projects at Visual Jazz, varying in size and complexity and in that time he always produced great results. Rick is one of the best, expert front-end developers I've worked with in my career. Beyond his exceptional technical skills and ability to stay on top of knowledge development in his area of expertise, his attention to detail makes it easy to depend on him every time. A pleasure to work with!”
“Aside from experience and expertise, Rick has a genuine knack of communicating ideas, problems and solutions with clarity to both lay-people and developers equally. I would definitely recommend him as an excellent lead and best practice advocate.”
“Rick is a fantastic collaborator and knows the software industry inside and out. Whether leading teams, running workshops, or delivering outcomes, he combines deep expertise with a finely honed ability to engage and inspire. He's also an incredible presenter and storyteller — not to mention absolutely hilarious.”
“Rick's deep connections in the startup community brought great opportunities, and his ability to keep projects on track while delivering real value was outstanding. Rick has a knack for managing scope effectively, ensuring teams stay focused on what truly matters. On top of that, he's a great leader who fosters collaboration and empowers those around him.”
“Rick is a true gentleman and scholar, but not only that he is truly a guru of digital engineering. He always finds the best solution to the issue and architects strategies which work. He is a pleasure to work with.”
Speaking and insights
I regularly speak at conferences and run workshops on topics related to engineering leadership, communication, AI, scaling, accessibility, and team effectiveness.
- Scaling your startup without breaking your culture
- What AI prompt engineering can teach us about communication
- Translating tech tactics into leadership
- Building inclusive engineering teams
- Outsourcing vs in-house: finding the right balance
- Agile and Lean for small teams
- The business case for digital accessibility
- Platform health as the key to high-performing teams
- Pairing in leadership
- Accessible Development with Modern Frameworks
Writing
Get in touch
I'd love to hear more about your business, your technical challenges, and where you want to be in the next 6 to 12 months.
No pressure, just a friendly conversation to see whether the right kind of technical leadership support would be useful.