Simon Yost
Testimonials
Services
Experience
Testimonials
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Simon and I worked together on a project that his team was developing for us, and I must say not only did his team deliver top-notch results, I was extremely impressed with Simon's project management ...
Vice President, Middle East & Africa | Isolation Valves at Emerson
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Simon possesses the rare combination of skill AND character. He can be trusted both personally and professionally. He is a rare genius with high level technical skills who can also accomplish large sc...
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Mike managed Simon directly. Simon is an innovator and problem solver. He brings unique perspective to any team and is a great
collaborator. I enjoyed working with Simon on solving problems because hi...
Vice President at Central States Water Resources, Leading Teams to Success
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Trip was senior to Simon but didn't manage Simon directly On Simon was the PM for my engineering team for about 8 months. He made the time to understand our product and consistently delivered on our r...
Manager, Software Engineering at The Walt Disney Company
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Simon has the unique ability to combine his technical knowledge, attention to detail, and excellent
project management skills to deliver quality work. He deeply cares for clients and the product that ...
Founder, CEO, & Candidate for Kirkwood City Council
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My experience working with Simon has been incredibly enjoyable. Simon's flexible approach to leadership, coupled with his ability to adapt and fulfill various roles within the team, demonstrates remar...
Product Manager at InStride
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I have worked with Simon on a number of projects through the years and have enjoyed each one.
Whether it was building a site together for a client or handling the development of a web tool that was
a ...
Partner Chapter 324
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In my role as the Delivery Practice Director at 1904labs, I've been able to witness Simon Yost's strong
contributions. Hired for his ability to lead teams and interface with clients, Simon successfull...
Delivery Practice Director
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It's with great enthusiasm that I recommend Simon, with whom I had the pleasure of working with on a
data lake modernization project. As an Engineering Manager, Simon exemplified what it means to be a...
Enterprise Architect & Software Engineer
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On You consistently demonstrated a remarkable ability to navigate complex data engineering projects, leading our teams to achieve outstanding results time and time again. Your expertise and guidance h...
Software Architect, Tech Leader and Full-Stack Developer
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Simon is one of the most committed and innovative managers I have ever had. It is a pleasure to work for him because he always facilitates communication and collaboration between different roles and p...
Data Engineer and MSc. In Computer Science
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Simon is an awesome teammate, leader and developer with an eye for design, but his true strength lies
in seeing the big picture and making all the right connections to bring everything together. He's ...
Software Engineer
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Experience
Swipe ARAS
Fractional Platform Intelligence Lead
Feb 2026 - Present
I help founders and executives when AI initiatives stall because the data and platform layer underneath them can't support what the business is trying to do. I build data fabric architectures that connect disconnected systems into governed, trusted platforms, and design the orchestration layers (MCP integrations, agent tooling, skills) that move AI from demo to production capability. Currently doing this as Fractional Risk & Platform Intelligence Lead at SwipeAras, a payments processor on Adyen, where I built the real-time intelligence layer connecting transaction data to compliance, risk detection, and operational decision-making. Background includes $12M in infrastructure savings at Pinterest, platform orchestration at Disney, and building a production voice AI system from scratch at my own startup before winding it down.
Pinterest
Fractional Cloud & FinOps Program Lead
Nov 2024 - Present
A Fortune 500 visual discovery platform serving hundreds of millions of users worldwide.
• Designed multi-tenant cloud governance strategy delivering $12M annual savings
• Eliminated $750K/month AWS cost regression through architectural optimization
• Built cross-functional accountability across engineering, finance, and infrastructure
The Walt Disney Company
Fractional Infrastructure & Reliability Lead
Nov 2023 - Oct 2024
A global media technology division powering Disney+, ESPN+, and broadcast platforms.
• Reduced scaling time 86% for global live events across Disney+ and ESPN+
• Led chaos engineering initiatives to harden international streaming reliability
• Coordinated U.S. and UK teams during high-pressure, revenue-critical events
Mastercard
Data Engineering Manager
Dec 2021 - Aug 2022
Global payments technology company enabling secure, seamless transactions in 210+ countries.
• Led global engineering teams delivering high-throughput, secure platform services
• Improved reliability and delivery velocity across regulated, multi-region systems
InStride
Data & Platform Engineering Manager
Aug 2022 - Aug 2023
Workforce-education company helping employers deliver life-changing learning programs.
• Unified fragmented data systems, driving 48% user growth and 26% renewal lift
• Modernized data platform and automated testing, restoring trust and delivery velocity
ThreatBlockr, Inc.
Senior Product Manager
Feb 2017 - Apr 2018
Cybersecurity appliance and SaaS platform for active threat intelligence.
• Increased product adoption 82% and reduced support volume through system simplification
Washington University in St. Louis
Adjunct Instructor
Oct 2012 - Jun 2016