Cat Zhang, Developer in Los Angeles, CA, United States
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Cat Zhang

Airtable Consultant and Developer

Los Angeles, CA, United States

Toptal member since March 26, 2026

Bio

Cat designs and builds operational systems that replace messy workflows with scalable infrastructure. With a background in engineering and product, she specializes in Airtable architectures, automation, and integrations that reduce manual work and support growth. Cat is typically brought in when systems are breaking down or don’t exist, and she turns them into structured, reliable operations.

Portfolio

Freelance Clients
Airtable, Data Modeling, Workflow Automation, API Integration...
Freelance Client
Airtable, Airtable Interfaces, Airtable Automations, Airtable Scripting...
Coinstructive
Airtable, Data Modeling, Workflow Automation, Business Design...

Experience

  • System Architecture - 14 years
  • Data Modeling - 14 years
  • Relational Databases - 14 years
  • Business Design - 14 years
  • Airtable - 7 years
  • Airtable Automations - 5 years
  • Airtable Scripting - 5 years
  • Airtable Interfaces - 5 years

Preferred Environment

Airtable

The most amazing...

...work I’ve done is rapidly design and deploy systems from vague requirements, turning chaos into clean, usable workflows.

Work Experience

Airtable Architect & Specialist

2021 - PRESENT
Freelance Clients
  • Owned system architecture and served as the technical lead across multiple client implementations.
  • Acted as technical owner, delivering documentation, training, and clean handoffs to ensure long-term adoption.
  • Led end-to-end Airtable implementations, translating undefined workflows into scalable, production-ready systems.
  • Architected data models, automations, and integrations to replace manual processes and reduce operational overhead.
  • Built automation pipelines using Airtable scripting and Make to sync data across internal and 3rd-party systems.
Technologies: Airtable, Data Modeling, Workflow Automation, API Integration, Relational Databases, Airtable Automations, Airtable Scripting, Airtable Interfaces, System Architecture, Process Optimization, Business Design

Airtable Architect & Specialist

2023 - 2024
Freelance Client
  • Architected and delivered a full end-to-end ERP system in Airtable covering inventory, orders, purchasing, and analytics.
  • Owned system design from architecture through implementation, testing, and rollout.
  • Built automated workflows to manage the data lifecycle across all business operations.
  • Created documentation and training materials to support system adoption and scalability.
Technologies: Airtable, Airtable Interfaces, Airtable Automations, Airtable Scripting, API Integration, Business Design, Process Optimization

Advisor & Airtable Implementation Specialist

2020 - 2024
Coinstructive
  • Architected Airtable as the core operating system across multiple departments, centralizing investigations, compliance, and reporting.
  • Designed multi-base systems for case management, evidence tracking, and regulatory workflows.
  • Built advanced automations and integrations to eliminate manual handoffs and improve cross-team efficiency.
  • Partnered with leadership to translate complex investigative and regulatory requirements into scalable systems.
Technologies: Airtable, Data Modeling, Workflow Automation, Business Design, Process Optimization

Senior Product Manager

2021 - 2022
Tillster
  • Led launch of the Canada ordering platform, driving end-to-end delivery from planning through release across web and mobile.
  • Owned the US digital ordering ecosystem for web and mobile, ensuring stability, performance, and continuous feature delivery.
  • Drove cross-functional execution across engineering, design, and stakeholders to deliver production-ready releases on tight timelines.
  • Established product and delivery processes to improve release velocity and reduce operational friction.
Technologies: API Integration, System Architecture, Business Design

Senior Product Manager

2020 - 2020
Griddy
  • Defined product and user research strategy, leading initial user interviews to inform product direction.
  • Led cross-functional execution across design, engineering, and marketing to deliver a major product redesign.
  • Designed API integration strategy for 3rd-party systems to support product scalability.
  • Translated user insights into structured personas and product requirements to guide development.
Technologies: API Integration, Business Design, Process Optimization

Senior Technical Product Manager

2019 - 2020
Builder.ai
  • Designed and implemented foundational data pipeline architecture to support ML-driven product initiatives.
  • Established product development processes across teams, improving execution and delivery consistency.
  • Led technical documentation and training initiatives across engineering teams.
  • Managed reusable component catalog to accelerate development and reduce redundancy.
Technologies: System Architecture, Data Modeling, Business Design

Senior Technical Product Manager

2018 - 2019
CoreLogic
  • Led product strategy and delivery for the company’s first eCommerce platform, enabling data monetization via existing APIs.
  • Defined roadmap, MVP scope, and release cycles, launching two products with ongoing bi-weekly releases.
  • Built data quality testing systems that surfaced critical API inaccuracies.
  • Reduced onboarding time from over one month to minutes through the launch of a new eCommerce platform.
Technologies: API Integration, System Architecture, Business Design, Process Optimization

Technical Product Manager

2017 - 2018
Legal Maven
  • Designed and implemented an NLP-driven framework converting legal flowcharts into interactive decision systems.
  • Designed rule-based logic systems enabling non-technical users to encode complex legal processes.
  • Translated legal requirements into structured, scalable product systems.
Technologies: System Architecture, Workflow Automation, Business Design

Product Manager (Contract)

2017 - 2018
Tripp
  • Architected cross-platform interaction systems for VR and mobile environments.
  • Designed complex input handling systems tailored to VR constraints.
  • Designed adaptive authentication flows supporting multi-device pairing and platform-specific requirements.
Technologies: Business Design

Software Engineer

2016 - 2017
Goat
  • Built anomaly detection systems that reduced lost inventory by 500+ orders.
  • Developed real-time alerting systems to improve warehouse operations.
  • Refactored a monolithic Rails app into a scalable microservices architecture.
  • Implemented test-driven development and automated testing frameworks.
Technologies: JavaScript, Business Design

Software Engineer

2015 - 2016
Pivotal
  • Delivered enterprise-scale applications using test-driven development practices.
  • Built CI/CD pipelines for automated deployment using Pivotal Cloud Foundry.
  • Led pair programming to improve code quality and team collaboration.
  • Mentored client teams on agile and engineering best practices.
Technologies: JavaScript, Business Design

Software Engineer

2014 - 2015
Workpop
  • Developed full-stack features for a job matching platform for hourly and gig workers.
  • Ramped up rapidly on MeteorJS and contributed to core product development.
  • Developed responsive interfaces for complex workflows and built prototypes for iterative product validation.
Technologies: User Interface Engineering (UIE)

UI Developer

2013 - 2014
Square One Solutions
  • Built custom UI systems for enterprise clients with full-stack integrations.
  • Developed reusable component libraries to accelerate development.
  • Delivered scalable front-end solutions across multiple projects.
Technologies: JavaScript

Computer Systems Technologist

2011 - 2013
Raytheon
  • Developed scalable web platforms for the government and education sectors.
  • Built user-focused systems emphasizing accessibility and engagement.
  • Supported the delivery of enterprise-grade web solutions.
Technologies: JavaScript

Experience

ERP System

Built a fully custom ERP system in Airtable from the ground up to manage end-to-end business operations, including product catalog, orders, purchasing, inventory, and reporting.

I led the project from initial discovery through architecture, implementation, and testing, translating loosely defined workflows into a structured, scalable system. I also designed relational data models, automated workflows, and integrations to ensure accurate data flow across all operational stages. Implemented process automation to reduce manual work and improve data consistency. I delivered comprehensive documentation and training to support adoption, enabling the system to function as a centralized source of truth across the business.

Operational Systems & Workflows (CoinStructive)

Architected and deployed Airtable as the core operating system for a cryptocurrency fraud investigation firm, supporting investigations, compliance, and reporting across multiple departments.

I designed a multi-base architecture for case management, evidence tracking, and regulatory workflows, handling complex, high-volume transaction data. I also built automation pipelines and integrations to eliminate manual handoffs and ensure data consistency across teams. I integrated AI-assisted workflows to analyze large blockchain datasets and accelerate investigation processes. Finally, I delivered a scalable, auditable system that replaced fragmented tools and enabled coordinated, cross-functional operations.

Multi-venue Booking System

Built a custom Airtable-based booking system to manage multiple venues within a shared space, handling complex availability constraints and custom scheduling rules.

I designed relational structures to track capacity, time slots, and overlapping reservations, and implemented automation logic to enforce booking rules and prevent conflicts. I also enabled efficient scheduling and coordination in a high-demand, multi-use environment, replacing manual booking processes with a structured, reliable system.

Electrical Contracting Operations System (Project Management)

Designed and implemented a custom Airtable-based project management system for an electrical contracting company to centralize job tracking, scheduling, and resource allocation.

I translated fragmented, manual workflows into a structured system supporting project timelines, task dependencies, and field operations. I built relational data models and automations to track project status, manage crews, and streamline communication between office and field teams. I also reduced reliance on spreadsheets and improved visibility across active projects.

VC Portfolio Management Platform

Developed a centralized Airtable platform for a venture capital firm to manage and analyze portfolio investments. I designed data models to track companies, funding stages, ownership, valuations, and returns, and built dashboards and reporting views to provide visibility into portfolio performance and investment metrics. I also automated data organization and updates to support decision-making and reduce manual tracking.

Retail Marketing Operations Platform

Built an Airtable-based marketing operations platform for a retail clothing company to manage campaigns, assets, launches, and content calendars. I designed workflows for campaign planning, asset tracking, approvals, and cross-team coordination. I also implemented automations to streamline content production and ensure alignment across marketing channels. I centralized previously fragmented processes into a single system, improving visibility and execution efficiency.

Education

2008 - 2012

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science

University of Southern California - Los Angeles, CA, USA

Skills

Languages

JavaScript

Storage

Relational Databases

Other

Airtable, Software, Data Modeling, Workflow Automation, Process Optimization, Business Design, API Integration, Airtable Automations, Airtable Scripting, Airtable Interfaces, System Architecture, Make.com, User Interface Engineering (UIE)

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