
Cat Zhang
Verified Expert in Engineering
Airtable Consultant and Developer
Los Angeles, CA, United States
Toptal member since March 26, 2026
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
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
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.
Airtable Architect & Specialist
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.
Advisor & Airtable Implementation Specialist
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.
Senior Product Manager
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.
Senior Product Manager
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.
Senior Technical Product Manager
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.
Senior Technical Product Manager
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.
Technical Product Manager
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.
Product Manager (Contract)
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.
Software Engineer
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.
Software Engineer
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.
Software Engineer
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.
UI Developer
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.
Computer Systems Technologist
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.
Experience
ERP System
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)
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
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)
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
Retail Marketing Operations Platform
Education
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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