Getting to know our managers @ FC: Jennie Woods— Head of Engineering…

Name: Jennie Woods

What is your role at FC? Head of Engineering

What department do you look after? Distribution

How long have you been with FC? 3 months

Why did you choose to join FC?

Funding Circle’s mission of ‘helping small businesses get the funding they need to win’ really resonated with me. I like shopping local and supporting small businesses, particularly given the impact of the Covid pandemic, so this felt like a great opportunity for me to contribute further through my work.

What’s the story of your career so far?

My Dad was Head of IT at a secondary school so computers were something I grew up with and he definitely sparked my interest in this area. IT was something I always enjoyed and excelled at through school, but my passion for programming started a bit later during my placement year at the Estee Lauder Companies whilst I was studying for my degree at Bournemouth University. I went on to spend many years as a developer at Estee Lauder Companies, mainly in Perl and PHP, and gradually started leading teams and managing people. I had plenty to learn in this area and my move to Maru as a Software Development Manager provided me with the opportunities and support I needed to really develop my skills. I went on to become Head of Engineering at Maru and then moved on to a similar role at PureGym leading their development team across web, platform, and mobile. I moved to Funding Circle three months ago and am thoroughly enjoying my new role.

What do you love most about what you do?

I love problem solving and really enjoy being a part of a cross-functional team who are working through how to solve interesting and complex business problems. I like having the context and big picture of what we are trying to achieve, and finding creative ways to use technology to solve the problem and move the business forward.

What do you aspire for your team to achieve in 2022?

Significant growth in our distribution channels, API and Marketplace, enabling us to help even more small businesses get the funding they need via a range of channels and strategic partners. The team’s passion, creative thinking, and incredible technical skills will enable us to win in this space.

What challenges do you think 2022 will bring?

Executing our scaling plans is a big focus for us at the moment so there are going to be lots of exciting challenges around how we recruit and onboard new people, and how we adapt our processes and ways of working as we continue to grow. One of the great things about working in Tech is that there are always new and interesting challenges so I’m looking forward to tackling whatever comes next!

How do you plan to get the best out of your team and achieve great results for your department?

Empowerment and autonomy are the key things I believe a team needs to be successful. My role is to cultivate a safe environment where the team has all the context they need to make informed decisions, find creative solutions, and work in the way that is best for them to achieve their goal. My general approach to this is to ensure the team is aligned behind the vision and they understand how they directly contribute towards it through transparency, communication, knowledge sharing, and continuous improvement, ensuring I provide them with the support they need along the way.

How would you describe FC’s culture?

The open, collaborative, and diverse culture at Funding Circle is something which has made an immediate impact on me. ‘Live the adventure’ is one of our Funding Circle values and that’s evident in everyone’s approach to challenging the status quo, driving continuous improvement, and empowering people to implement change. Our culture is something which is at the forefront of everything we do and a huge amount of effort goes into ensuring all our Circlers live and breathe our Funding Circle values.

What do you enjoy most about working at FC?

The people. I’ve learnt a huge amount through collaborating with such a talented and diverse group of people since joining the business and have enjoyed every moment of it! Being new to FinTech I’ve had a huge amount to learn about the industry, as well as our products and tech stack. My colleagues have been with me every step of the way and made my onboarding a truly enjoyable experience.

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