Hernan Albano - personal webpage

Hi, I'm Hernan

Senior Full-Stack Engineer | Product Engineer | Startup Co-Founder | UI/UX Design

Thanks for visiting my website.

Full-stack engineer and startup Co-Founder, with 14+ years of experience, building scalable SaaS products, and customer-facing applications. Expertise in React, TypeScript, Node, NextJS, and a sharp eye for user interface designs. Proven track record of improving UX/UI, and leading teams to deliver high-growth SaaS solutions.

const hernan = {
  title: 'Senior Product Engineer & Co-Founder',
  languages: ['TypeScript', 'JavaScript', 'Ruby', 'PHP', 'Python'],
  librariesAndFrameworks: [
    'React (Next.js) & React Native',
    'Redux',
    'AngularJS & Angular 18',
    'React-Query',
    'WebSockets'
    'Ruby on Rails', 
    'Node.js (Express)', 
    'PHP (Symfony, Doctrine)', 
    'Django'
  ],
  databases: ['PostgreSQL', 'MySQL', 'MongoDB'],
  devOps: ['GitHub Actions', 'Docker', 'AWS', 'Bitrise'],
  tooling: ['Slack', 'Figma', 'Postman', 'Notion'],
  certifications: [
    'Certified Scrum Master',
    'Arc.dev Certified Remote Engineer (Issued Jan 2025)'
  ],
  passion: 'Building elegant solutions to complex problems 🎨 + ⚙️',
  location: 'Montevideo, Uruguay 🇺🇾',
  currentStatus: 'Probably optimizing something that was already working.'
};

Work Experience

Dec 2024 - Present

Board Member & Advisor | Co-Founder

pymo

Planning and discussing strategy every week with the board and co-founding team.
Focusing on expansion to Paraguay, capturing more users on the existing market, and launching add-ons to the basic plan.

2014 - Dec 2024

COO | Engineer | Co-Founder

pymo

Onboarded +3,500 satisfied clients with 95%+ satisfaction.
Automated operational processes, reducing onboarding time by 75% during 1,000% growth.
Built the Frontend (Angular) and Backend (Rails) and managed a 10-person team.

Aug 2022 - Aug 2024

Senior Frontend Engineer

Customer.io

Improved UX/UI patterns, boosting adoption scores by 40%.
Led the implementation of flexible, auto-layout columns for a multiplatform visual editor.
Enhanced Web Vitals (reduced load times by 30%) and introduced Prettier, linters, and TypeScript.

Jun 2020 - Jul 2022

Senior Mobile & Web Engineer

UX Cabin

Led a team to build EMS, a React Native app generating millions in revenue.
Worked on multiple in-house products, including "Don't Pester," a smart home app.

May 2018 - Jan 2020

Engineering Manager & Mobile Engineer

Xmartlabs

Aligned product direction with iPlayMe2's CEO.
Led a cross-functional team of 9, managing daily standups, sprint planning, and retrospectives.

Oct 2015 - Aug 2017

Partner & iOS Engineer

Linguoo

Developed Linguoo’s iOS app from scratch and maintained it for years.
Led to participation in European startup accelerator programs (HubRaum, NextStep Challenge).

Education

November 2017

Certified Scrum Master - Agile Facilitator

Kleer (http://www.kleer.la/) - Montevideo, Uruguay

Topics: Fundamentals of the Scrum Framework, Facilitation techniques, and collaborative decision making. Estimation and planning techniques.

March 2006 - November 2014

Systems Engineer

Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de la República - Montevideo, Uruguay

March 2006 - February 2010

Systems Analyst

Faculty of Engineering, Universidad de la República - Montevideo, Uruguay

Skills

Programming Languages

TypeScript

JavaScript

Node.js

Ruby

Python

Frameworks and Libraries

React

React Native

Redux

Next.js

Rails

Django

Angular

Tools and Platforms

AWS

Docker

GitHub Actions

Postman

Others

UX/UI Design

Database Design

Figma

Languages

English

Professional Working

Full professional proficiency (C1)

Spanish

Native Speaker

Mother tongue, perfect command

Portuguese

Intermediate

Professional working proficiency (B2)

Interests

Music

As a multi-instrumentalist, music is a deep passion of mine. I'm actively involved in several projects in Montevideo, Uruguay. As the Red Hot Chili Peppers put it, "Music is my aeroplane."

Family & Love

My family is the light of my life. We cherish moments filled with joy, love, and clarity. Family is invaluable to me, and I prioritize being present and attentive to my loved ones.

Travel

Traveling broadens my horizons, introduces me to new people, and helps me embrace change. I see myself as a bit of an anthropologist, always eager to discover the local voices and stories of the places I visit. I love having my next adventure booked—though, as a parent, those adventures have taken on a new and equally exciting shape!

Sports

To balance the sedentary nature of my work, I stay active in various sports. I love running and biking and have competed in several races. Lately, I’ve been diving deeper into calisthenics and making solid progress in kettlebell training. I'm also focused on improving my swimming, a challenge I find both demanding and rewarding.