Marco Lee
Senior Backend Engineer
Laravel · NestJS · Node.js · MySQL/PostgreSQL · AWS
I build and run the backends behind web platforms serving 5M+ users a month — and lead the teams that ship them.
Guatemala (UTC-6) · English C1 · Remote
12+ years building backend systems across Latin America — high-traffic media portals, Laravel and NestJS REST APIs, and auto-scaling AWS infrastructure. I own architecture end to end: APIs, data models, performance, and scalability. React and Next.js support the work; AI-accelerated tooling (Claude, Codex, Gemini, CLI agents) speeds it up.
- Years of experience
- 12+
- Years of experience
- Monthly users served
- 5M+
- Monthly users served
- Products built & operated
- 4
- Products built & operated
- Remote since 2020
- 100%
- Remote since 2020
GitHub Contributions
Consistency compounds — a snapshot of my open activity.
Experience
12+ years of shipping, leading, and owning production systems.
- Scaled multi-brand content platforms to 5M+ monthly users on auto-scaling AWS.
- Drove the backend migration from monolithic WordPress to headless WordPress + NestJS APIs.
- Owned ad systems, performance, and backend architecture across the network.
- Mentored the engineering team and introduced AI-assisted development workflows — fully remote.
AWSHeadless WordPressNestJSNode.jsTeam Leadership- Built Laravel REST APIs and data models for multi-brand media properties, with React/JavaScript frontends on top.
- Shipped web + hybrid mobile products on high-traffic LAMP/WordPress systems at scale.
- Delivered continuously at media scale for five years.
LaravelREST APIsMySQLHybrid Mobile- 2018 — Present
Founder & Product Engineer
Independent Products
- Design, build, and operate 4 products end to end — SEO tools, browser games, and applied AI systems.
- Full lifecycle ownership: Next.js/Laravel, SEO, AdSense monetization, AWS/Vercel.
- Shipped a games portal in 6 languages and a paid AI agents course platform.
Next.jsSEOAdSenseApplied AI - Jan 2014 — Sep 2015
Web Developer
XYZ Network Inc
- High-traffic LAMP/WordPress delivery for brands including Star Media.
- Frontend and backend feature work under production load.
LAMPWordPressHigh Traffic
Case Study
How I approach backend architecture at scale — one real example.
Scaling Guatemala.com's platform to 5M+ monthly users
01The challenge
A multi-brand media network running on legacy monolithic WordPress, under heavy and spiky Latin American traffic — with ad revenue directly tied to speed and uptime.
02What I did
Led the backend re-architecture to headless WordPress + NestJS APIs on auto-scaling AWS, with Next.js frontends consuming them. Owned ad systems and performance, planned the migration path, and mentored the team while introducing AI-assisted engineering workflows.
03The outcome
A modern platform serving 5M+ monthly users, faster pages that protect ad revenue, and a stack a fully remote team ships on with confidence.
Featured Projects
Products I design, build, ship, and operate end to end.
agente-ia.dev
AI agents course platform. Built with Next.js, Turso DB, and Lemon Squeezy for payments.
0→1 paid course platform, built and operated solo.
calcufast.com
Suite of fast, SEO-optimized online calculators. Built with Next.js for performance and organic search growth.
SEO-first finance tools for Guatemala & Central America.
gaminglab.dev
Browser games portal with 6-language internationalization. Monetized with AdSense and validated for ads.
80+ games in 6 languages, AdSense-approved.
singlesbar.net
Website for Single's Bar, Puerto Barrios. Built with Astro and Tailwind CSS for maximum speed.
Real client work — WhatsApp bookings for a live venue.
Skills & Tools
Backend-first: the stack I use to design, build, and run systems in production.
Backend & APIs
Cloud, CMS & Tooling
Frontend
Mobile
Applied AI
What you get when you hire me
Beyond the stack — how I actually add value.
Architecture ownership
From data models and APIs to production infrastructure: I design it, build it, ship it, and operate it. You get outcomes, not tickets.
Team leadership
Years leading and mentoring remote engineering teams on backend and platform work — clear async communication in English (C1) or Spanish.
AI-accelerated delivery
Claude, Codex, Gemini, and CLI agents wired into daily engineering workflows — real speed on production work, not demos.
Contact
Let's build something that ships.
I'm open to senior backend, platform, and tech lead roles — remote, English or Spanish. If you need someone who owns architecture end to end and delivers under real traffic, let's talk.
I reply within 24 hours.
Based in Guatemala (UTC-6) — full overlap with US time zones.