Umar Draz
Verified Expert in Engineering
WordPress Developer
Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan
Toptal member since June 17, 2019
Umar is a WordPress expert and AI integration specialist with over 15 years of experience. He enhances WordPress platforms with advanced AI capabilities, specializing in custom themes and plugins, WooCommerce customizations, and AI features like personalized content, intelligent chatbots, and advanced search. Umar's work has generated over $10 million in revenue, increased user engagement by 50%, and optimized eCommerce performance for high-traffic sites serving 1+ million users.
Portfolio
Experience
- WordPress REST API - 14 years
- WordPress Security - 14 years
- Customization - 14 years
- Multisite Network Management - 14 years
- WordPress Theme Customization - 14 years
- AI-powered Plugin Development - 14 years
- WooCommerce - 13 years
- Integration - 1 year
Availability
Preferred Environment
Git, Google Chrome, MacOS, Jupyter Notebook, Cursor AI, Docker, WP-CLI, Linux, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
The most amazing...
...work I did was an AI-powered WordPress platform with Android/iOS apps, multi-tier memberships, and personalized experiences scaled to millions globally.
Work Experience
Principal Software Engineer
IT Pixelz (Software Development Company)
- Managed a team of developers, designers, and project managers to deliver high-quality software solutions.
- Oversaw all aspects of business operations, including strategic planning, client relations, and project management.
- Developed over 300 custom WordPress websites, themes, and plugins tailored to client-specific needs.
- Specialized in integrating advanced AI capabilities into WordPress platforms.
- Implemented WooCommerce customizations to enhance eCommerce functionalities for clients.
- Integrated AI-driven features such as personalized content, intelligent chatbots, and advanced search functionalities into WordPress sites.
- Developed machine learning models using Python and TensorFlow to enhance user experiences.
- Implemented natural language processing (NLP) for improved search capabilities and content recommendations.
- Pioneered the development of AI-powered WordPress plugins available in the WordPress Plugin Directory.
- Helped clients generate over $10 million in revenue through optimized eCommerce solutions.
Founder and CEO
HostPel (Web Hosting Company)
- Managed and maintained hundreds of client websites, ensuring optimal performance and client satisfaction.
- Provided high-quality web hosting and domain registration services, achieving exceptional customer support ratings.
- Migrated hundreds of websites successfully to company servers with minimal downtime and zero data loss.
- Managed DNS configurations expertly, enhancing domain performance and ensuring seamless web hosting integration.
- Utilized technologies such as CSS, HTML, WHM, and cPanel to deliver customized web solutions and troubleshoot technical issues.
- Oversaw VPS/VDS server management, optimizing server operations through terminal commands and scripting.
- Led a customer support team, improving response times and enhancing client communication.
- Streamlined website migration processes, reducing migration time by 30% and increasing operational efficiency.
Principal Software Engineer
Dawsun Technologies (Software Development Company)
- Led the development of advanced WordPress solutions integrating AI and machine learning capabilities.
- Developed custom AI-powered WordPress plugins for enhanced user experiences, including personalized content delivery and intelligent chatbots.
- Architected scalable WooCommerce platforms with AI-driven recommendation engines and predictive analytics.
- Implemented NLP features in WordPress sites for improved search functionality and content categorization.
- Directed cross-functional teams in delivering high-impact projects on time and within budget.
- Created an AI-driven personalization plugin that increased user engagement by 50% for major eCommerce clients.
- Developed machine learning models integrated into WooCommerce to predict customer buying patterns, boosting sales by 30%.
- Optimized high-traffic WordPress sites to handle 1+ million daily visitors with zero downtime by implementing AI-based performance enhancements.
- Recognized for contributing to open-source projects with over 900,000 active installs.
Experience
eCommerce Platform Redesign & Scaling for Global Retailer
• Solution: Re-architected the platform using scalable cloud infrastructure (AWS) and implemented custom caching and load balancing.
• Result: 30% increase in sales, zero downtime, and improved site speed by 50% during peak traffic periods.
• Impact: The client’s revenue increased by $2 million within six months, with ongoing scalability for further growth.
Flamingo WordPress Plugin | Open Source Contribution | 700,000+ Active Installs
https://wordpress.org/plugins/flamingo/Here are more details about my contribution: https://contactform7.com/2019/09/09/flamingo-21/
WP Default Sender Email | WordPress Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-default-sender-email-by-it-pixelz/Digital Cash | Payment Gateway
WP Bootstrap Carousel | WordPress Plugin
https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-bootstrap-carousel-by-it-pixelz/Education
Bachelor of Commerce Degree in IT | Business Finance and Taxation
University of the Punjab - Lahore, Pakistan
Certifications
Supervised Machine Learning: Regression and Classification
Stanford University & DeepLearning.AI | via Coursera
Skills
Libraries/APIs
WordPress API, WordPress REST API, WooCommerce API, Google Maps API, Node.js, REST APIs, jQuery, jQuery UI, Twilio API, TensorFlow, Pushwoosh, PyTorch, TensorFlow Deep Learning Library (TFLearn), Stripe, Stripe API, Scikit-learn, Keras, NumPy, Pandas, OpenCV, Matplotlib, BuddyPress, OpenAI API
Tools
Capacitor, Adobe, Cordova Plugins, OneSignal, Claude, ChatGPT, Whisper, RingCentral, n8n, PhpStorm, Git, Terminal, WP-CLI
Languages
CSS, TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, PHP, HTML, ECMAScript (ES6), Python 3, SCSS, PHP 7, PHP 8, Python
Frameworks
PhoneGap, Angular, Ionic, Bootstrap, Vanilla JS, NestJS, Django, AutoGen, Agentic Frameworks, Laravel, Laravel 5, CodeIgniter
Paradigms
Mobile Development, Agile, Scrum, UX Design, Microservices, Microservices Architecture
Platforms
MacOS, Google Chrome, WordPress Theme Design, WordPress, Android, iOS, WooCommerce, Twilio, Kubernetes, AWS Cloud Computing Services, Linux, Unix, cPanel, Jupyter Notebook, Docker, AWS IoT, Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Storage
MariaDB, MySQL, SQLite, Database Architecture, PostgreSQL, Azure Cloud Services, MySQL/MariaDB
Industry Expertise
Accounting
Other
PSD to WordPress, APIs, Web Host Manager (WHM), API Integration, Communication, Information Technology, Website Migration, WordPress Design, Front-end, Front-end Development, Custom Post Types, Contact Form 7, Community Development, Events, Ajax, Cordova, WordPress Plugins, WordPress Themes, HTML to WordPress, Full-stack, User Experience (UX), WooCommerce Subscriptions 2, Progressive Web Applications (PWAs), Full-stack Development, Technical Leadership, Push Notifications, Design, Web Push Notifications, WordPress Theme Customization, Multisite Network Management, WordPress Security, AI-powered Plugin Development, Personalization, Database Optimization, Third-party Integration, Team Management, Customization, Android Development, iOS App Development, Recommendation Systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Performance Tuning, Integration, Elementor, FastAPI, Data Analysis, Chatbots, Scripting, Data Analytics, Email Marketing, OpenAI, Data Science, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI), ChatGPT API, Natural Language Processing (NLP), Data Visualization, LangChain, Supervised Machine Learning, Vector Databases, Pinecone, AI Agents, Agentic AI, Data Management, Workflow Automation & System Integration, Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs), VPS/VDS, Customer Support, Cursor AI, OpenAI GPT-4 API, Machine Learning, Terminal Servers, DNS Configuration, VPS, Supervised Learning, Regression, Classification Algorithms
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