Software development
Hands-on delivery. I design, write, and ship production software — from a well-scoped feature to a system built from nothing. I stay close to the code, and I hand over work your team can actually maintain.
Independent software consultancy
Senior engineering judgment, without the full-time hire.
Salish Lab is a one-person practice. I build software, shape architecture, and serve as the technical leader for teams that need one — working directly with founders and small teams, with no layers in between.
Previously at Amazon · Microsoft · WarnerMedia
What I do
Three overlapping practices. Most engagements draw on more than one.
Architecture consulting
The decisions that are expensive to reverse. I review existing systems, weigh the trade-offs honestly, and produce a plan your engineers can act on — not a slide deck that sits in a drive.
Fractional CTO
Technical leadership on a part-time basis. Roadmap and priorities, hiring and mentoring, vendor decisions, and a clear translation between the engineering reality and the rest of the business.
How I work
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Understand before building
Every engagement starts with a conversation about the problem, not the technology. If the honest answer is that you don't need what you came for, I'll say so.
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Small scope, real output
Work is broken into pieces that produce something usable on their own. You see progress early and often, and you're never far from a natural stopping point.
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No lock-in
You get the full source, the documentation, and the reasoning behind every decision — everything your team needs to carry the work forward on their own. If you'd rather I stay on for ongoing maintenance, that's available. The difference is that it's a choice, not a dependency.
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Direct, all the way through
You work with me. No account manager, no handoff to someone junior, no surprise on the invoice.
About
I'm Mark Ciccarello. Salish Lab is my consulting practice, run out of the Pacific Northwest and working with clients wherever they are.
I bring decades of software engineering and technology leadership experience, from early-stage startups to Amazon, Microsoft, and WarnerMedia.
Modern development platforms, cloud services, and AI-assisted tooling have changed what a single experienced engineer can deliver. Work that once required a team is now within reach of one senior practitioner — provided that practitioner has the judgment to direct it. That is what makes a focused, independent practice more practical, and more valuable, than ever: clients get senior-level expertise, direct communication, and less organizational overhead.
I design and build software, make sound architectural decisions, modernize existing systems, and turn complex technical problems into practical plans — as a hands-on builder delivering complete systems, as a focused advisor, or as the technical leader your organization needs but isn't ready to hire full-time.
Let's talk about your project.
Tell me what you're working on and what's in the way. I read every message, and I'll tell you straight whether I'm the right fit.
mark@salishlab.com