Dwain Lourens Maralack

South Africa | Remote-Ready E: [email protected] | Li: linkedin.com/in/dwainm

Engineering Manager | Technical Lead

Executive Summary

Human-first engineering leader with over a decade of experience building and scaling digital payment platforms, marketplace extensions, and internal engineering systems. Known for simplifying complex systems, enabling team cohesion, and solving high-stakes technical challenges with empathy and precision. At Automattic (WooCommerce/WooPayments), led transformative cross-team initiatives in fraud risk mitigation, incident response, and sprint efficiency across 8 globally distributed teams. Adept at shaping engineering culture, defining product strategy, and mentoring diverse talent. Specializes in remote engineering management, risk and compliance infrastructure, and technical process design.

Career Highlights

• Engineering Leadership & Cross-Team Collaboration: Reduced fraud losses from 90bps to 10bps by leading the design and deployment of a processor-agnostic Merchant Risk Service API. Built and scaled a new engineering team from inception, fostering a neurodiverse, high-trust culture across four global meetups. Championed incident review retrospectives and built new standards for on-call rotations across 8 engineering teams, reducing burnout and increasing coverage.

• Platform & Infrastructure Development: Implemented automated vendor deployment systems that improved release cycles and empowered 3rd-party developers on WooCommerce Marketplace. Built infrastructure for OAuth stability and token refresh logic in the Square extension, minimizing disruptions for global merchants. Created Technical Solution Document templates that standardized project kickoffs and improved estimation across cross-functional teams.

• Process Innovation & Scaling Systems: Rolled out a 5-week sprint model with cooldowns and GitHub Projects adoption, leading to better prioritization and delivery timelines. Drove the integration of real-time support chat tools, replacing a clunky ticket system and improving merchant satisfaction. Led documentation and support for flagship extension testing, maintaining sales volume and platform stability across over 100 SKUs.

Technical Skills & Toolkit

• Languages & Frameworks: PHP · JavaScript · React · Node.js · HTML/CSS · REST APIs
• Dev & Ops Tools: Git · GitHub · CLI Tools · Docker · CI/CD pipelines · Automated Testing (PHPUnit, Jest)
• Platforms & Product Domains: WooCommerce · WooPayments · Sensei LMS · Square Extension · WordPress Ecosystem
• Team Collaboration & Management: Sprint Planning · GitHub Projects · Asynchronous Workflows · Skills Matrix Development · Hiring & Mentorship
• Soft Skills & Leadership Competencies: Stakeholder Engagement · Cross-Team Coordination · Incident Management · Technical Project Management · Process Engineering · Remote Team Building

Professional Experience

Automattic Inc. – Remote

ENGINEERING MANAGER – WooPayments Division | 2020 – 2025

Led global cross-functional engineering teams responsible for enhancing platform security, developer velocity, and product scalability within the WooPayments vertical.

Key Contributions:

• Reduced fraud losses by 88% through implementation of a flexible, processor-agnostic Merchant Risk Service API.
• Redesigned on-call rotation across 8 teams, improving service reliability and mitigating burnout.
• Built a new, neurodiverse team from scratch; introduced a lightweight process framework and led 4 global meetups to strengthen collaboration.
• Introduced and scaled a 5-week sprint cycle model using GitHub Projects; increased visibility and prioritization of critical tasks.
• Authored the Technical Solutions Document template adopted by all Transact teams, improving kickoff consistency and estimation accuracy.

Automattic Inc. – Remote

PRODUCT DEVELOPER – WooCommerce Extensions Team | 2016 – 2017

Supported maintenance, feature releases, and internal tools for the multi-million-dollar WooCommerce Marketplace ecosystem.

Key Contributions:

• Designed and deployed an automated deployment pipeline for third-party vendors, dramatically reducing release cycle time.
• Diagnosed and resolved OAuth/token refresh failures in the Square payment extension, stabilizing transaction processes.
• Led integration of a new support chat system, improving merchant experience and internal support workflows.
• Authored incident reports and retrospectives that became a standard for the engineering org.

Automattic Inc. – Remote

PRODUCT DEVELOPER – WooCommerce Extensions Maintenance | 2016 – 2017

Key Contributions:

• Maintained over 100 flagship WooCommerce extensions impacting 1M+ global merchants.
• Built automated test frameworks for PHP and JavaScript to manage critical updates across shipping and payments extensions.

Earlier Experience

SOFTWARE ENGINEER – SENSEI LMS | WooThemes (acquired by Automattic) | Jan 2015 – Jun 2015

• Led backend development for Sensei LMS. Simplified architecture, resolved high-priority bugs, and owned second-line support. Improved product stability and UX for learners and educators globally.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT SPECIALIST – WooThemes | Remote | Jan 2013 – Dec 2014

• Provided frontline support to global WordPress users and WooCommerce merchants. Gained deep product understanding and customer empathy that shaped future product development work.

FREELANCE SOFTWARE ENGINEER | Remote | Feb 2012 – Dec 2012

• Delivered custom backend WordPress solutions to digital agencies across South Africa.

FOUNDER / WEB DEVELOPER – MIIWEB | Paarl, South Africa | Jan 2008 – Feb 2012

• Ran independent web development business serving local SMEs. Led all aspects of design, development, sales, and support.

Leadership & Community Engagement

• Speaker and Advocate for Automattic’s Diversity Program at global tech events.
• Featured in DEI storytelling campaigns and printed assets, amplifying inclusivity.
• Contributor to hiring via code test evaluations, reducing backlog and supporting high-velocity recruitment.

Education & Professional Development

Cape Peninsula University of Technology National Diploma, Information Technology (Software Development) | 2005 - 2007