Meet the Team at Gousto Tech — Joe Wood — Software Engineer
This post is the eleventh in our series interviewing members of our GoustoTech team. In this post we meet Joe Wood who is a Software Engineer in our Carrots squad.
Please introduce yourself and tell us about your role at Gousto.
Hello my name is Joe and I’m a software engineer in the Carrots team. Our main mission is to enable customers to order a Gousto box when and wherever they like.
How long have you been at Gousto?
I’ve been working at Gousto for eight months now. Wow. It has gone so fast.
Can you tell us a little about your journey before arriving at Gousto?
I started out as a broadcast engineering apprentice straight out of sixth form with the BBC. I got to travel around the country a fair amount, that was great and even worked on the 2015 general election. I did that for three years and then my brother suggested I should give this programming thing a try. After a lot of late nights later making some Java games, I knew I’d found something I was truly passionate about. I managed to get myself a placement with the internal software engineering team at the BBC. I worked there for a while before wanting to give a smaller company a try.
What made you decide to join Gousto?
I wanted to be part of something where my actions have a big impact. To be part of shaping a company and owning problems is a huge part of what Gousto is all about and that was super appealing. What really tipped me was the reduction of plastic pledges they were making. I really wanted to join a company that cared and was doing its bit for the environment.
What has been the most exciting thing you’ve worked on at Gousto since joining?
Next day delivery — for consumers these days this is almost an expected part of any service which involves delivery. My role as a software engineer in Carrots was to design and implement the technical side of it. I landed in a great team and the project opens up a whole new customer base as well as being the first meal kit company that delivers next day!
What’s in the pipeline that you’re excited about at Gousto?
I am a big fan of internal tooling. I think it’s because I despise inefficiency so watching it being blasted out the park through good tooling is 100% something I could put my feet up to. This is why I am excited about building delivery tooling which gives our operations team a way of organising where, when and how our orders get to where they need to be on a microscopic level. Potentially aesthetically pleasing too. =)
How would you describe the culture at Gousto?
That’s simple: Gousto operates with an open and honest culture where growth and constructive feedback are valued above all. It’s a wonderful place to grow your passions with plentiful opportunities to make an impact.
Why would you suggest that someone considers joining us in GoustoTech?
If you want opportunities to own a problem in a team that strives for the best while having a lot of fun in a company that is helping reduce the environmental damage we humans are causing, Gousto is a great place for you.
