Did you always have an interest in software development from a young age?
I definitely had an interest in computers but I didn’t know what software development was. I remember being very small when my dad got me a BBC Model B computer and then when I was a bit older we got a family Commodore Amiga A500. I used it to play Superfrog and Lemmings but my dad, who was a mechanical engineer by profession, had become interested in software development. Luckily for me he had built up a small home library of software and web development books that I could dip into as a teenager when I first became interested in making a website. Unfortunately, at university my dissertation supervisor put me off software engineering by warning me “you should be careful, you might end up a developer!” leading me to believe this would be an awful career. Thankfully, in my twenties I ended up in software development anyway and this warning couldn’t have been more false. I was careful; I ended up as a developer; and it is great!
How did you end up getting into engineering management?
After working in software engineering and then later data engineering, alongside volunteering for women-in-tech organisations such as PyLadies and Anita Borg, I had developed a strong interest in managing teams. My experience of managing events and mentoring others helped me pursue the engineering management career path. This interest in leadership was cemented when in a previous job I took the opportunity to step up as the team tech lead, a role that I both enjoyed and received a lot of positive feedback from.
I decided to finally make the switch from individual contributor to engineering manager last year and since joining the Guardian in January I’ve been getting my first full-time engineering management experience which I’m really enjoying.
Where can I find open positions?
Apply for one of our open positions here.
What can I expect from the interview process?
We aim to be as fair and transparent as possible in our hiring process. Similar to other organisations, there is a CV screening, phone interview, coding exercise and a face to face interview. Read more about what to expect and apply now here.
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What attracted you to working for the Guardian?
I worked in news at a previous organisation and I enjoyed the media environment. I’ll admit that I’ve liked the Guardian brand since I was a student and last year while researching the organisation, I found out about The Scott Trust and the Guardian’s unique ownership structure, which allows for editorial freedom.
Additionally, the Guardian offers an associate (junior) engineering manager role as an entry into the engineering management career pathway, which is quite rare. I really appreciate this because engineering management can be difficult to break into. In this role I am given extra support and training as I learn to take on the new challenges of line management and overseeing a team of engineers.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Ignore your dissertation supervisor!
Development of digital products is central to the Guardian. You could be building the products that showcase our progressive and independent journalism, crafting the tools that journalists use to write their stories, developing the services that allow those stories to be distributed across the globe, or safeguarding our financial future.
If you’re interested in joining our product and engineering team, please visit the Guardian News & Media careers page.
