I build engineering organizations that deliver, and fix the ones that don't.
I've spent 25 years in software delivery, most of it leading engineering organizations at BP, JPMorgan Chase, Calpine, Alchemy, and Vroom, and through my own firm. Most of those roles began with something that wasn't working: a stalled program at BP, a company emerging from bankruptcy at Calpine, a startup that had to become a product company at Vroom.
Every engagement should leave behind leaders who can run what we built.
The leadership program I designed at JPMorgan ran for three years and became central to the firm's technology leadership pipeline. I still mentor engineering executives, and I mentor founders, particularly women and LGBTQ+ founders in tech.
Today I work as a fractional CTO and SVP of Engineering from Portland, with clients remote and on site.
How I work
Numbers first
Every recommendation comes with its cost, its payback, and the assumptions behind it. When the numbers don't support a decision, I say so.
No hidden incentives
I sell no software and take no vendor margin, so recommending that you buy less costs me nothing. Where I do benefit, I tell you.
Results that outlast the engagement
I build your team's ability to run what we deliver, so the results hold after I leave.
Results delivered
Alchemy Technology Group
VP of AI and Application Development
Feb 2024 - Jun 2026
David Nix Associates
President | CTO
Mar 2018 - Feb 2024
Led Alchemy's AI and application development practices for enterprise clients: agentic AI delivery, AI-assisted development adoption, and AI strategy and governance for executive teams.
Built a consulting practice that Alchemy Technology Group acquired in 2024. Anchor client American Bureau of Shipping adopted agile delivery under my lead, gained a three-year cloud migration strategy, and launched an industry-first mobile platform for fleet management and survey scheduling.
Calpine
VP of Technology
2009-2012
Joined as Calpine emerged from bankruptcy and rebuilt real-time P&L, risk analysis, and scenario modeling for the trading desk. Trading revenue grew 50% in two years.
Vroom
VP of Technology
2017-2018
Delivered a 20% sales lift from systems my teams shipped, and took a 51-person engineering organization from early-stage startup to functioning product company ahead of IPO.
BP
Senior Management Consultant
2007-2009
Recovered $9M in project overspend in 18 months, cut burn by more than $1M a month, and delivered a stalled natural gas scheduling and accounting system to production.
JPMorgan Chase
VP of Technology
2003-2007
Built and led a 125-person organization across six cities running a $90M portfolio, and cut portfolio costs by more than 25%.
BP
Development Program Manager
2013-2017
Took over BP Well Advisor, a $128M program that was failing to deliver, and delivered it with 10x ROI in its first six months. I led the 150-person global team that built it after Deepwater Horizon, and its follow-on projects generated about $1B in annual revenue.