Jeddah, Saudi Arabia · Open to senior architecture roles

Mustafa Saad

I design systems that are scalable, resilient and cost-aware — bridging clean application code and well-architected cloud infrastructure. Eleven years building the platforms that carry Hajj and Umrah at national scale.

AWS SAA AWS DVA AWS AIF AWS CLF GCP ACE MongoDB Associate
Portrait of Mustafa Saad
11 yrs at GAMA
6 AWS + GCP certs
27 shipped projects
0
Pilgrims processed in one Hajj season
0
Bags tracked end-to-end
0
IoT access transactions in a year
0
Pilgrims served by Madar at peak
0
Languages in the AI assistance engine
About

Architecture-first, vendor-second

My work sits at the intersection of software engineering and cloud strategy — architecting backend services, designing distributed systems, and implementing the practices that keep them running in production.

I care about building things that don't just work on launch day, but scale gracefully and stay maintainable as they grow. That shows up in how I pick platforms: I design and deploy across both AWS and Google Cloud, choosing the right services for the problem rather than forcing a single vendor.

Most of what I build lives under extreme seasonal load. Hajj and Umrah platforms sit idle for months and then absorb national-scale traffic in a matter of days — which makes serverless-first architecture, elastic data layers and real observability design requirements rather than nice-to-haves.

The harder problems are rarely the compute ones. Integrating with government providers whose API contracts shift underneath you, keeping data flowing with zero loss, and shipping one platform as several white-labelled products — that's where the architecture actually earns its keep.

I also write. Tech, Unfiltered is my biweekly newsletter on code, cloud and architecture — real solutions and lessons from a decade of building software.

Cloud & platform

Google Cloud RunCloud SQLMemoryStore Cloud StorageAWS LambdaAmazon RDS ElastiCacheAmazon S3CloudFront EC2CloudFormation

Backend & architecture

ASP.NET Core 8C#REST APIs Distributed systemsServerlessEvent-driven sync Entity FrameworkSignalRSolution design

Data

MySQLMongoDBRedis SQL ServerPolyglot persistenceSchema design Caching strategy

Mobile & client

React NativeExpoNative Android (Java) Native iOS (Swift)Passport MRZ scanningOffline-first

AI & ML

Multilingual NLPRAG applicationsGenerative AI integration LLM prompting & planning

Operations

Cloud LoggingError ReportingCloudWatch AWS X-RayDistributed tracingMulti-brand pipelines
Experience

Seventeen years, one throughline

From freelance web work in 2009 to owning the architecture of national-scale pilgrimage platforms — the constant has been shipping systems people actually depend on.

Cloud and Software Architect

Global Arabian for Modern Applications Ltd.
Jan 2020 — Present
  • Architect and technical lead for five production platforms across GCP and AWS, including Madar, Traveler without bag and Vesa.
  • Design serverless-first architectures on Cloud Run and Lambda that absorb Hajj-season traffic spikes without manual intervention, while keeping off-season cost near zero.
  • Engineer resilient integration layers against volatile third-party government APIs — a decoupled synchronization scheduler insulates core systems from upstream contract changes, delivering uninterrupted data flow and zero data loss.
  • Define polyglot persistence strategies across Cloud SQL, MongoDB, Redis clusters and object storage, matching each workload to the right engine for latency, throughput and cost.
  • Integrated a multilingual AI assistance engine so pilgrims can raise inquiries in 16 languages.
  • Built a multi-brand deployment pipeline letting one platform ship as several white-labelled products without code divergence.
  • Mentor and technical lead for the engineering team, including principal-level engineers.
GCPAWSASP.NET Core 8 React NativeServerlessAI/NLP

Software Architect

Global Arabian for Modern Applications Ltd.
Aug 2015 — Dec 2019
  • Developed web, Android and iOS applications for the company and the Ministry of Hajj & Umrah, enhancing user experience and accessibility.
  • Monitored and optimised databases for Umrah systems, ensuring efficient data management and performance.
  • Created desktop applications for the Ministry of Hajj's internal management, integrating with LDAP and Group Policy.
ASP.NET MVCWeb API AndroidiOSSQL Server

Team Leader & Senior .NET Developer

Wasltec
Feb 2015 — May 2016
  • Led the development team and owned .NET delivery across web and mobile products.
.NETTeam leadership

Freelance Web & Application Developer

Self-employed
Feb 2009 — Aug 2015
  • Web applications with ASP.NET MVC and PHP; Windows desktop applications with WPF.
  • Cross-platform mobile apps with Apache Cordova and Ionic; Windows Phone apps.
ASP.NET MVCPHPWPFCordova

Senior PHP Developer

Contact Arab
Oct 2014 — Feb 2015
  • Web applications using the PHP CodeIgniter framework.
  • Cross-platform mobile apps with Apache Cordova for government and consumer clients, including the Department of Economic Development.
PHPCodeIgniterCordova

Education

2005 — 2008
  • Diploma, Computer Science — Abbasia Institute of Computer Science and Business. Grade: Very Good.
  • Udacity Nanodegrees: Cloud Developer (AWS), Android Developer, iOS Developer.
Arabic — nativeEnglish — professional working
Selected work

Platforms built for a season that can't fail

Hajj and Umrah systems have one rehearsal a year and no second chance. These are the platforms I architected and led.

Traveler without bag

Cloud Architect · Software Architect · Lead Developer
2026 — Present
~1M pilgrims in one season 2.3M+ bags Zero data loss

A high-scale logistics and synchronisation platform for luggage tracking and field operations. The hardest problem was not throughput — it was integrating with a service provider whose API specification and business rules kept moving. I solved it with a decoupled, highly adaptable synchronisation scheduler that insulated the core system from upstream change, keeping data flowing without a single loss.

  • Mobile (React Native & Expo) — field operator app with on-device passport MRZ scanning and bulk upload.
  • REST API (ASP.NET Core 8) — from authentication through massive data ingestion.
  • Sync scheduler (ASP.NET Core 8) — resilient background engine for external pilgrim and baggage data.
  • Backoffice (ASP.NET Core 8 MVC) — data management, Excel import/export, real-time dashboards.
  • Cloud (GCP) — Cloud Run for portal, API and scheduler; Cloud SQL (MySQL) and MemoryStore Redis Cluster.
Private client system — walkthrough available on request.

Madar

Cloud Architect · Software Architect · Lead Developer
2023 — Present
500K+ pilgrims at peak 4 years in production 16 languages

An end-to-end Hajj management platform orchestrating the complete pilgrim journey and acting as the operational hub for Hajj companies — logistics, housing and communication in one place.

  • AI assistance engine — multilingual NLP letting pilgrims raise inquiries in 16 languages.
  • Mobile (React Native & Expo) — 35-service app covering packages, SOS and complaints, religious content.
  • Sync scheduler — external integrations, identity creation, mass SMS and email dispatch.
  • Cloud (GCP) — Cloud Run; Cloud SQL + MongoDB + Cloud Storage; MemoryStore Redis; Cloud Logging and Error Reporting.
Private client system — walkthrough available on request.

Vesa

Cloud Architect · Software Architect · Lead Developer
2020 — Present
100M+ IoT transactions/yr 5 years in production RFID · BLE · QR

Enterprise access control and security management securing construction sites in Diriyah — governance over company hierarchies, tracking employees, vehicles and temporary visitors through RFID, BLE and QR tagging.

  • Android gateway app — local control of UHF device gateways, RFID readers and mechanical barriers.
  • IoT ingestion API — high-performance validation of concurrent hardware device calls.
  • Transaction scheduler — asynchronous real-time telemetry processing.
  • Cloud (GCP) — Cloud Run; Cloud SQL for access rules, MongoDB for telemetry; Redis Cluster for the ultra-low latency gate validation demands.
Private client system — walkthrough available on request.

Travotels

Cloud Architect · Software Architect · Lead Developer
2020 — 2021
B2B + B2CGlobal supplier integrations

An online booking platform for hotels, flights and activities, integrating global travel suppliers and payment gateways with complex data mapping, high-speed caching and secure payment validation.

  • Three portals — backoffice for operators, B2B suite for agencies, B2C booking engine.
  • Cloud (AWS) — Lambda for all portal APIs and supplier integrations; Angular on S3 + CloudFront; RDS MySQL; ElastiCache; CloudWatch and X-Ray tracing.

Geeky — Dynamic Flows

Cloud Architect · Software Architect · Lead Developer
2020 — 2021
Active Directory + Azure ADFully serverless

Enterprise workflow automation for creating, managing and executing dynamic task flows across complex company hierarchies, with federated authentication bridging on-premise Active Directory and Azure AD.

  • Flow portal — designing, configuring and executing multi-step business workflows.
  • Cloud (AWS) — Lambda for APIs and the flow execution engine; S3 + CloudFront; RDS SQL Server; ElastiCache; CloudWatch and X-Ray.

Gaboul Ya Hajj — Umrah operations platform

Architect & lead developer · six role-based apps, iOS + Android
2016 — 2018
6 role-based appsNative iOS + AndroidReal-time tracking

A complete mobile platform for Umrah operators, shipped natively on both iOS (Swift) and Android (Java): manager, supervisor, operator (Mandoob), driver, broker and pilgrim (Mutamer) each get a purpose-built app, wired together by real-time task dispatch and live tracking over SignalR against an ASP.NET Web API backend.

Earlier delivery

Manasikana

Official app — Ministry of Hajj & Umrah
2017 — 2018
Government clientOffline maps

The ministry's official Islamic guidance app, delivered across iOS, Android and the backend: Swift and Objective-C on iOS, Java on Android, Realm for local storage, MapBox offline maps and Firebase push and analytics, over an ASP.NET Web API and Entity Framework backend.

Ministry of Hajj & Umrah

Internal systems suite · full-stack delivery
2017 — 2019
Government client
  • External Gate — the ministry's official site on ASP.NET Core 2.2 and EF Core, deployed to OpenStack with Azure load testing.
  • Volunteering system — Hajj volunteer management.
  • Seasonal hiring system — recruitment for Hajj and Umrah seasons.
  • Support chat — real-time chat between customer support, Umrah companies and agents over SignalR.

Al Borg GPS

Native Android · medical logistics
2016 — 2018
Two apps in oneReal-time dispatch

A dual-mode Android app for Al Borg Laboratories serving both clients and drivers, handling real-time sample collection requests over SignalR against an ASP.NET Web API backend.

Certifications

Deep on fundamentals, broad across platforms

Four active AWS certifications refreshed in 2026, Google Cloud, MongoDB and a current AI track — all independently verifiable.

Amazon Web Services 4 active

SAA
Solutions Architect – Associate
Jul 2026 → Jul 2029
DVA
Developer – Associate
Aug 2026 → Aug 2029
AIF
AI Practitioner
Jul 2026 → Jul 2029
CLF
Cloud Practitioner
Jun 2026 → Jun 2029

Google Cloud

ACE
Associate Cloud Engineer
Dec 2023 → Dec 2026
PCD
Professional Cloud Developer
Feb 2024 → Feb 2026 · renewal in progress

Data & AI

MDB
MongoDB Associate Data Modeler
Aug 2024
C#
MongoDB Associate Developer (C#)
Aug 2024
RAG
Build RAG Applications — IBM
Feb 2026
GEN
Develop Generative AI Applications — IBM
Jan 2026
LLM
Prompting for Effective LLM Reasoning & Planning — Udacity
Jul 2025
Recommendations

What the engineers I led say

Working under Mustafa's leadership was one of the highlights of my career. He has a rare ability to bring clarity to complex situations and get people aligned around a shared direction, all while staying calm and approachable. What stands out most isn't just his judgment and expertise — it's how generously he shares them.

Omar KhairyPrincipal Software Engineer · reported to Mustafa

He brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise and natural leadership — the kind of tech lead who can untangle a complex problem and rally people around a solution in the same breath. What sets Mustafa apart isn't just his engineering judgment, though that's excellent; it's how generously he shares it.

Mahmoud A. AwadPrincipal Software Engineer · reported to Mustafa
Contact

Let's talk architecture

Open to senior cloud and software architecture roles, and always happy to talk about scaling systems that can't afford to fall over.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia Arabic & English Remote / hybrid / on-site