Hi, I'm Matthew.
I'm an engineering director who never stopped building. The way I see the job is simple: bring the right people and the right technology together around a problem, then find the solution that delivers the most value the fastest. I lead from the details and default to action. If I'm not living the same problem my team is, I have no business giving them advice about it.
What I'm actually good at
I get obsessed with problems. I like to understand a system all the way down, then explain it to someone who has never read a line of code and turn that conversation into a problem worth solving. The wins I chase are the creative ones: a solution nobody expected that ships real value quickly. That is true whether I'm building the thing or coaching the team building it. I spend a lot of my time helping people find the one or two behavior changes that multiply everything else they do.
A leader who still builds
Being a director is a constant negotiation with myself: do this one, or coach someone else through it? I lean toward staying close to the work, because grounded advice beats theory every time. And the obsession does not switch off at the keyboard. When we renovated our last house, I decided the kitchen needed new cabinets, so I taught myself to build them - doors and all, having never made a cabinet door in my life. That is roughly how I approach most things.
Titles don't make leaders
I don't put much stock in titles. A leader is anyone who can pull people around a problem and find a way through, whether they manage a team or own a single ticket. I'd rather be measured by the problems we solved together than by the line on an org chart.
Beyond the Code
When I'm not in the code or the org chart, I'm usually outside. My wife Sarah and I live on five acres in rural Ontario with our golden doodle, Sasha. We're slowly reforesting one field, clearing deadfall from another, and learning the name of every tree on the property (Sarah is winning).
In early 2026 we were handed the best problem yet: our daughter, Shea. She has rearranged my priorities, my sleep, and my perspective, and the project backlog has never been longer. Worth it. The rest of the time you'll find me in the basement gym, on a trail, or losing a board game.
Want the professional detail? The resume has the full work history. Matthew Maynes, Engineering Director, based in Ontario, Canada.