“My day is all about collaborating with colleagues across Engineering and Global Markets. My team, part of Global Markets Engineering, develops intuitive and relevant analytics to optimize business leaders’ decision making and convert data-driven insights into action by embedding those analytics into simple front-line sales and trading workflow tools across FICC and Equities. I joined my team full-time following a six-month work placement, which was a really helpful introduction to the work we do.”
Morning
o Create to-do list for the day and prioritize tasks
o Check email and prepare for meetings
o Attend daily team stand up call
Afternoon
o Begin working on current project
o Grab lunch with my team
o Attend project stand up call
o Coffee with a colleague
Evening
o Return to project work
o Code reviews and consult with teammates on my design and implement their feedback
o Join knowledge share sessions
o Organize and prioritize for tomorrow
When I’m not at my desk during the day…
You can find me with my teammates discussing our projects over lunch at a nearby establishment or in the cafeteria. I also collaborate with a range of people from engineering to the sales team, so you will find me in meetings with those groups, too.
Skills to be successful in my role…
Adaptability and communication are skills I have developed and relied on in my role. Being nimble and an effective communicator complement each other when managing stakeholders and understanding their requirements, which can frequently change. One outcome of good communication skills is being transparent with your team so they understand your strengths and areas of development.
Best advice I’ve received at GS…
If you are experiencing challenges, reach out to someone to brainstorm solutions. I was put on a large, global project and was the only full-time developer in London working with colleagues in Bengaluru, New York and Hong Kong. I was concerned about feeling disconnected from my local team so I spoke up, and my manager encouraged me to use the “20%-time project” team initiative, which allows you to allocate 20% of your time to self-development, sponsored or unsponsored projects. My line manager suggested a new project to work on with the other London developers. This gave me the opportunity to work with my local team, learn business and technical knowledge directly from them and feel more connected to the team, which I really appreciated!
How I’d describe my team dynamic…
My team is global, talented, constantly evolving and fun. Having collaborated with team members across regions has helped me gain awareness of different working and communication styles. Our global meetings give us a chance to connect over video conference, so it’s always nice to put a face to the voice you are usually on calls with. Not only that, we visit and are visited by team members across regions, so that’s always a good excuse to organize a social over food or drinks!
Our team is relatively new and has been evolving over the past couple of years so it’s been rewarding to help the team shape its priorities and grow.
Who I am makes me better at what I do…
I am a member of EMEA Women in Engineering (WE) – and have volunteered for several events, one of which was a Goldman Sachs sponsored Catalyst Hack aimed at accelerating change for women and non-confirming individuals and ultimately closing the STEM gender gap. This was a great way to reach out to the younger generation and I was inspired by their ideas and approaches to the task. Another initiative I leveraged in WE was the Code First: Girls program, where I completed the Advanced Python course outside of work hours which was applicable to my current development role. Joining a network has been great for networking and brainstorming. There is always someone to bounce ideas off of if you need a fresh perspective.
When I’m not brushing up on my skills, I like to attend aerial silks classes. I also enjoy running and am part of the EMEA badminton club. Taking part in these activities outside of work have rounded out my teamwork and creative thinking skills – they help get me in the right headspace for when I’m on the desk.
Lightning Round
Favorite work perk
Mentoring – I have two mentors and hope to become a mentor to someone else over the next five years.
Lunch go-to
Little sandwich shop around the corner. I personally am not a “sandwich person”, but this one will change your mind.
Favorite Talks at GS guest
Benedict Cumberbatch – I’m a big fan of Sherlock!
First thing I mastered after joining GS
Tailoring presentations and communication to different stakeholders.
Skill I’m building now
Project leadership – moving away from receiving guidance for projects.
