The product is built.
Now it needs to work.
A senior engineer who embeds into your team, takes ownership of what's broken, and delivers the fix. Code, process, and momentum — in 3 to 6 months.
The weight of a working product.
There is a specific point in a software product's life where the original momentum stalls. You have real users and real revenue, but development has become a source of friction rather than a lever for progress.
Feature velocity dropped and no one can explain why.
The PM is overloaded and engineering is drifting.
You need to ship something critical in the next 60–90 days.
A senior engineer left and momentum disappeared with them.
"Most teams don't have a talent problem. They have an ownership problem."
I join your team. I own the problem. I fix it.
Every engagement starts with a specific problem. Here are the four most common situations where I step in.
The Rescue
A critical project has stalled or gone sideways. I diagnose the root cause and lead delivery to completion.
The Migration
A major technical change is needed. I plan it, execute it, and make sure nothing breaks.
The Cleanup
The codebase has accumulated shortcuts and fragile deployments. I systematically address the tech debt that's slowing you down.
The Gap
Your senior developer or tech lead left. I fill the role and maintain momentum while you find a permanent replacement.
Three ways to work together.
The Diagnosis
Before we fix anything, we need to understand exactly what's broken and what it's costing you.
The Fix
I take ownership of a defined problem and eliminate it.
The Embedded Senior
I become your team's technical backbone for as long as you need.
A deliberate path toward stability.
Assess
I review the codebase, talk to the team, and identify exactly what's blocking progress. You get an honest written assessment within the first week.
Scope
We agree on the scope: what I'm here to fix, what success looks like, and the timeline. No ambiguity.
Deliver
I work alongside your team — writing code, reviewing PRs, making the hard calls — until the problem is resolved.
Handover
I document everything, transfer knowledge to the team, and make sure the fix sticks after I leave.
9th Hour Is
- One senior engineer who takes ownership of the outcome.
- A temporary engagement (3–6 months).
- Hands-on. I write code, review code, and lead by doing.
- Direct, honest, and decisive.
9th Hour Is Not
- An agency looking to bill hours.
- A recruitment or body-leasing service.
- A source of generic 'advice.'
- A permanent hire.
AI as an amplifier, not a replacement.
I use AI daily — across planning, debugging, refactoring, architecture validation, and documentation. It's embedded in how I work.
AI accelerates execution. But ownership, trade-offs, and final decisions stay human.
"AI won't replace senior engineers. It will expose weak ones."
For products with real complexity.
9th Hour is designed for B2B founders and CTOs with engineering teams of 3 to 15 people.
Your product has an established user base and revenue.
A specific technical problem is blocking your progress and nobody on the team can own it.
You feel like you are losing the 'big picture' to daily fires.
You're looking for someone who will take responsibility for a result — not bill hours and wait for instructions.
Patrik Mihaljevic
9th Hour is run by Patrik Mihaljevic, a senior fullstack engineer with 10+ years of experience building and maintaining B2B software across modern web stacks — backend, frontend, infrastructure, and deployment.
I've led teams, rescued stalled deliveries, and maintained products serving real users and real revenue. I adapt to your existing technology, not the other way around.
I work remotely from Croatia (CET) and embed fully into your team's workflow.
Start a conversation.
Tell me what's stuck. I'll give you an honest assessment of whether I can help — and if I can't, I'll tell you that too.
Typical response within 24 hours.
Execution speed comes from ownership, clarity, and decisive architecture.