Daniel is a Tech Lead here at notonthehighstreet, working on all things User Identity!
We talked through life before NOTHS, how he got into Tech & the exciting projects he’s currently working on…
Tell us a bit more about your role here at notonthehighstreet…
I’m the Tech Lead within the User Identity team here at NOTHS. The team and I handle any ongoing issues with user profiles, authentication/authorisation as well as working with their communication preferences and making the process as smooth and accessible as possible.
What were doing/where were you working before getting the job here?
I was the Technical Leader for a company that provided a web to print platform for a really long time. I was there from the founding for about 10 years — starting off writing the initial code base and then gradually progressing up as we grew the team. It was great being somewhere for such a long period of time because you really got to see the product and company grow. The role was based in London, but we had a lot of remote teams and a small branch in the US.
What was it about notonthehighstreet that made you join?
I’ve always really enjoyed eCommerce. It’s an area I’ve had a lot of experience with and an area I really enjoy. I like eComm because it consistently provides a new set of challenges and things are constantly evolving. I’ve also always been really interested in user identity and have had lots of technical experience with it too. The user identity domain is one that spans many areas — from front-end & back-end through to marketing. It means you’re working collaboratively with different teams which I like, looking at things like opting in/out and social media profiling too. Notonthehighstreet therefore presented a really interesting challenge!
Have you always wanted to work in Tech and if not, what else did you want to do?
Whilst I’ve always worked in Tech, I was initially interested in languages and computational linguistics. I actually studied Linguistics along with Computer Science while I was at school. From there though, my interest went to technology, and eCommerce specifically. I think it comes from the process of building things. It’s like Lego — it all fits together neatly and you can end up building something that’s really impressive. There’s a real sense of creative pleasure.
What exciting projects are you currently working on?
I joined last September and since then we’ve been fixing a couple of bits to do with user sessions and authentication. On the horizon we’re going to be looking further into reducing friction through login for our customers and for the business that sell on our platform (who we call ‘Partners’).
What’s your favourite thing about working here?
The atmosphere is great — people are really open and always willing to help out. If you have a question, or want to know something, people will always make time for you. I think that’s what makes this place stand out.
What’s the most challenging aspect of your role?
The most challenging thing is definitely the complexity of the business model itself. Having to work with both customers and our Partners makes for an exciting challenge. We’re making some big changes. We have to update the systems; understanding the difference between the old and new infrastructure and then piecing everything together making sure it runs smoothly for everyone. It’s complex but unique!
What makes notonthehighstreet different to other places you’ve worked?
It’s great because the atmosphere is so open yet at the same time people are really ambitious here too without being selfish. It’s very much team oriented which I like, people are always there to help and support.
What would you say to someone applying for a job in the Tech team right now?
NOTHS is a very accepting place — it’s important that people are true to who they are because everyone’s from different backgrounds but that’s what works so well. Generally if you’re an open and team-oriented person, and you like to work hard but have fun, you’ll fit right in.
What are you looking forward to over the next 12 months?
I’m looking forward to seeing some of the impact of the changes we’re making to the user identify function, and how this will in turn help other teams and contribute to the business more generally.
