Embedded engineering leadership

Justin Pewitt Moore

Head of Technology · Engineering Leader · Coach

I take teams from chaos to order — post-crisis recovery, infrastructure modernization, and shipping in high-stakes environments.

Let's talk → Download CV
LinkedIn GitHub CKA Certified · 2024
Justin Pewitt Moore
Palo Alto, CA
30+
engineers led across Mobile, Data, Infrastructure, DevOps, QA & Product
40%
AWS infrastructure cost cut while migrating to Kubernetes (EKS)
$10B+
in Bitcoin cold storage protected · zero-downtime operations
What I've led

Three things I'm relentless about

I went from handling software and hardware for robotic telescopes across 3 continents to leading 30+ engineers building secure Bitcoin multisig collaborative custody infrastructure. I bring patterns from systems most people never get to take apart.

🧭

Team leadership & crisis management

  • Led 30+ engineer organization across Mobile, Data, Infrastructure, DevOps, QA, and Product teams
  • Took over post-RIF: management responsibility changed overnight from 0 → 18 engineers
  • Scaled team 3x while improving delivery from bi-weekly → weekly → daily production releases
  • Built Unchained University, Proving Grounds, and Internal Navigator onboarding programs
⚙️

Infrastructure & cost optimization

  • Cut AWS infrastructure costs by 40% while migrating to Kubernetes (EKS)
  • Passed SOC 2 Type II audit on first attempt
  • Maintained zero-downtime operations for Bitcoin custody systems
  • Migrated from Ansible + EC2 to containerized infrastructure with custom Helm charts
🔭

Systems at scale

  • Designed, operated, and contributed to systems handling Bitcoin custody and trading at scale (cold storage protecting $10B+ | 100k BTC)
  • Built and shipped automation reducing manual effort by 90%
  • Managed distributed robotic telescope network spanning 3 continents (PhD work)
  • Built custom hardware + software for astronomical research (custom polarimeter for GRBs)

Technologies: Python, Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, Azure, React, Flask, Bitcoin protocol, Terraform, Helm, Jenkins, PostgreSQL, Redis
Certified: CKA (Kubernetes Administrator, 2024)

What I bring

Pattern recognition across complex systems

Root-cause instinct

When your team is stuck, I find the thread

I've debugged Kubernetes issues, designed and implemented Bitcoin custody architecture, and managed a global telescope network observing one-time astronomical events. I can usually identify the root cause quickly — not because I'm smarter, but because I've taken a lot of things apart and I am relentless at solving puzzles.

Recent example: Led post-RIF recovery, scaled team 3x, shipped daily releases, and cut AWS costs 40% simultaneously.
Thriving in low-information environments

Energized by what makes others anxious

Give me a crisis situation with unclear root cause, an unfamiliar codebase with no documentation, or a new cloud platform I've never used. I'm energized by what makes others anxious.

War story: Management responsibility changed overnight 0→18 engineers post-RIF. Team recovered within 6 months, scaled to 30+ within 18 months, with zero regrettable attrition.
Building high-performing teams

I build teams that ship, not just systems

I created comprehensive onboarding programs (Unchained University, Proving Grounds) that reduced ramp-up time from weeks/months to a day or two. Fearless in sharing my opinions.

Track record: Led teams from 5 to 30+ engineers, established coding standards and review processes, and coached multiple engineers — across departments — into leadership roles.
Full-stack thinking

From PCBs to cloud to business impact

PhD-dropout training taught me to think deeply about complex systems. I can debug from hardware (PCBs, networking, home labs) through cloud infrastructure (Kubernetes, AWS, GCP, Azure) to business impact (cost optimization, delivery predictability). Handy with agents.

Unique background: custom scientific instrumentation in the machine shop → multi-continent distributed systems → Bitcoin infrastructure teams. I bring patterns from all three worlds.
My ideal scenarios

Chaos → Order → Knowledge Transfer → Next Challenge

I specialize in

  • Post-crisis team recovery and scaling
  • Infrastructure modernization and cost optimization
  • Shipping in regulated/high-stakes environments (SOC 2, Bitcoin custody)
  • Building teams and culture from scratch or rebuilding after disruption
  • Embedded leadership for high-impact technical initiatives
  • Finding and growing talent

Not my sweet spot

  • Long-term maintenance of stable systems (I'll get bored, you'll get diminishing returns)
  • Pure HR / organizational design across departments
  • Vendor management and procurement negotiations
How I work

Short, embedded, high-trust engagements

2 weeks to 12 months. I become part of your team, dive in to understand the problem(s) deeply, and work alongside you to solve it — then transfer the knowledge so you're empowered to continue without me.

My guarantee

If after the first week you don't see clear value, I'll refund the engagement. In my career, I've never had to do this.

100%
first-week
value guarantee

What success looks like: your team is unblocked and shipping · infrastructure costs optimized · delivery predictability improved · knowledge transferred, not hoarded · you're empowered to continue without me.

Let's talk

How can I serve?

For CTOs, VPs of Engineering, Founders

Embed with your team

Need someone to embed for a high-stakes project, turn around a stuck initiative, or bring technical leadership during growth or crisis?

work@mycojmo.com
For technical conversations

Just want to nerd out?

Interesting problems, distributed systems, Bitcoin infrastructure, garden tech, fungal networks, or Kubernetes architecture.

play@mycojmo.com
Mycorrhizae
Why the name

Better, together

The word "Myco" relates to fungi and their mycorrhizal networks — underground symbiotic connections that help forests thrive. Like mycorrhizae, I embed with organizations to enable growth through collaborative problem-solving.

Plus, jmo is what people call me.

Looking for parenting help? Find me over here → parentinginthedebugger.com

Note: This is the consulting / fractional work site. For full-time leadership roles or co-founder opportunities, let's talk about what you're building and whether my background fits your needs.