About Izhharuddin Syanmil
Engineering Leader • Psychology-Informed Team Builder • Award-Winning Game Designer
My Professional Journey
My career began with a psychology degree and a passion for helping people overcome challenges. But I quickly realized that individual counseling, while meaningful, limited my impact to one person at a time. This led me to training and team development, where I could help multiple people simultaneously.
The real breakthrough came when I discovered software engineering. Here was a way to create solutions that could scale to help thousands, even millions of people. My psychology background gave me a unique edge in understanding user behavior, team dynamics, and what truly motivates people to do their best work.
Over 7+ years, I've proven that technical excellence and team engagement aren't mutually exclusive. I've led 30+ engineers, reduced app performance by 66%, built systems that cut downtime by 83%, and achieved the highest engagement scores company-wide—all by applying psychology principles to engineering leadership.
Recently, I've been exploring game design as another avenue for impact. In 2025 alone, I've won multiple awards for innovative board games that tackle social issues like empathy, workplace stress, and community building. This isn't just a hobby—it's research into how game mechanics can make learning more engaging and effective.
The Pendulum Philosophy: IC → EM → IC
Individual Contributor
Started as a full-stack developer, building 90% of an MVP from scratch. Learned the fundamentals of React, React Native, and system design.
- • Built core application serving thousands of users
- • Reduced app startup time from 35 to 12 minutes
- • Handled 12x user growth (10K to 120K users)
Engineering Manager
Scaled to manage 30+ engineers across multiple squads. Applied psychology principles to build high-performing, engaged teams.
- • Achieved highest company-wide engagement scores
- • Led remote-first culture transformation
- • Built psychological safety frameworks
- • Reduced planning overhead by 66%
Back to IC (Present)
Returned to individual contribution to stay technically sharp while applying leadership insights to solve problems directly.
- • 66% performance improvement (LCP optimization)
- • Technical mentoring through expertise
- • Architecture decisions with team impact in mind
Why the Pendulum Approach Works
Moving between IC and management roles isn't career indecision—it's strategic skill building. Each phase informs and strengthens the other. As an IC, I build things with deep awareness of team dynamics. As a manager, I understand the technical complexities my team faces. This pendulum approach keeps me sharp on both fronts.
Professional Achievements
Engineering Leadership Impact
Game Design & Community Impact
Technical Expertise & Skills
Core Technologies
Leadership & Soft Skills
Leadership Philosophy & Values
Psychology-Informed Team Dynamics
I believe great engineering teams are built on psychological safety. When people feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, and share ideas freely, they produce their best work. My psychology background helps me create environments where technical excellence and human flourishing go hand in hand.
Game Design Thinking for Processes
Games are masters at making complex systems engaging and learnable. I apply game design principles to technical processes—turning code reviews into collaborative puzzles, sprint planning into strategic gameplay, and learning into adventure. When work feels engaging, quality naturally follows.
Technical Excellence with Human Focus
Clean code matters, but so does team sustainability. I pursue technical excellence through systems that support rather than burden the team. This means choosing technologies that enhance rather than complicate workflows, and building processes that scale human understanding alongside system capability.
Community Building & Cross-Cultural Management
The best technology comes from diverse teams that genuinely want to work together. I focus on building communities within teams—creating shared purpose, celebrating different perspectives, and fostering relationships that extend beyond work deliverables.
Personal & Working Style
What Drives Me
I'm motivated by the intersection of technology and human potential. Whether it's helping a team breakthrough a technical challenge or designing a game that teaches empathy, I'm energized by solutions that make people's lives meaningfully better.
My transition from psychology to engineering wasn't a career change—it was scaling my impact. Every line of code and every team decision is informed by understanding what motivates people and how they learn best.
How I Work Best
- Collaborative problem-solving: I thrive in environments where technical challenges are tackled together
- Remote-first with intentional connection: Distributed teams with strong communication practices
- Purpose-driven projects: Technology that solves real problems for real people
- Continuous learning: Teams that encourage experimentation and growth
Current Focus & Future Aspirations
Currently, I'm focused on staying at the cutting edge of frontend development while exploring how game design principles can revolutionize technical education and team processes. My goal is to help build technology that's not just functional, but genuinely engaging and human-centered.
I'm particularly interested in opportunities with organizations that value both technical excellence and positive social impact—companies building tools for education, community development, or solving meaningful problems.
What's Next?
I'm open to senior individual contributor roles where I can apply my leadership experience to solve complex technical problems, as well as engineering management positions where I can help teams reach their full potential. The key is finding the right match where technical skills and human understanding can create something meaningful together.
Let's Build Something Amazing Together
Whether you're looking for technical leadership, engineering excellence, or innovative approaches to team building, I'd love to explore how we can create impact together.