The Delivery department at Quantexa includes architects, developers, project managers and business analysts and is responsible for planning, managing and implementing the technical work which brings clients' requirements to life on their Quantexa platforms. Typically, we will work closely with client Product Owners and often work in integrated teams with client developers and Project Managers.
Delivery supports proof of concept and implementation projects for many of our clients globally. There are a few key goals for the team:
- Deploy the Quantexa platform for clients
- Ingest client data through Quantexa batch build
- Flag client data which requires action or review
- Customise the Quantexa platform as per clients’ needs
In this article, we hear from Phoebe, Principal Data Engineer, who works in Technical Delivery Oversight as part of the Delivery department.
Meet Phoebe...
My role is Technical Delivery Oversight.
I check in with the Tech Lead on a regular basis for each project that I oversee to ensure that we both understand what needs to be done on the project for the medium/long term plan. All this information is collated and reported to the Delivery Manager to help understand the shape of the ongoing delivery projects and identify where the biggest risks may be coming in from/where we need to focus/where we can cross-reference work.
It really depends on which projects are ongoing, but sometimes I’ll assume more of a Tech Lead position for a particular project and get stuck into some good old-fashioned coding.
I’m always liaising with some or all of the Project Manager, Architect, Business Analyst, Customer/Solution Success Manager, Product Owner, R&D engineer(s) for anything and everything. I mostly find myself being a jack of all trades, helping out across many different areas in the department.
How do you normally start your working day?
If working from home, I have 10 minutes of zen where I weigh, grind, WDT, tamp, pull an espresso shot, steam the milk, and pour myself a flat white. If in the office, I go to the WeWork barista and let them do the hard work for me.
Once the coffee is consumed, I think about how to pose my two Siamese muses (Solo and Leia) in order to appease our Slack channel dedicated to sharing our best pet photos.
What do you enjoy most in your role?
The constantly changing landscape every few months due to the rotational nature of Delivery projects. I’m never stuck doing the same thing for too long, and always end up working with different people each time.
What are your main goals for your role in Technical Delivery Oversight?
- Support each Tech Lead across different projects
- Identify cross-project opportunities to make life easier for everyone
- Roadmap planning
- If time allows, some good old-fashioned development to help the team with technical sprint tickets
What are you excited about at the moment?
The growth and diversity of the delivery opportunities within the Government sector in Quantexa. It all started with HMRC and Cabinet Office, we’re now expanding into Healthcare, Supply Chain Logistics, Student Loans and many more areas.
What are your most memorable moments?
Moving from the old Quantexa office at Capital Tower London to the new office in WeWork Waterloo a week earlier than scheduled because there was a heatwave and Capital Tower had no air con. The last straw was opening one of the floor to ceiling windows to let in a breeze which I’m sure we were not meant to because if you stepped through that window, gravity would claim you. The new WeWork office was miles ahead of the old Capital Tower HQ. It was a great decision to move offices and every day I’m grateful to be located in a fantastic building.
What do you think are the most important attributes of someone working in Technical Delivery Oversight?
Being able to multitask and understand how to work with people of different management styles and personalities.
What do you like to do outside of work?
In order of enjoyment, from most to least:
- Football (11 a side, 7 a side, 5 a side)
- Cooking and eating
- Weightlifting
- Growing fruit and vegetables in the garden
- …
- …
- …
- Emptying the cat litter
The top 4 are complementary hobbies, I exercise more so that I can cook and eat more food.
