Meet Jon Finerty, Engineering Manager
Jon is Engineering Manager at WorldRemit, where he is responsible for managing a team to build a product which customer’s value. In this post, Jon shares what it is like working on the people side of software development at WorldRemit.
What did you do before joining WorldRemit?
Before WorldRemit I worked at a 3-person startup based in a WeWork co-working space. I was doing a little bit of everything from office admin to interviewing, but I was mostly building a platform and an Android app to help people earn mobile credit and companies understand the needs of emergent market demographics. I’ve been working in technology start-ups all of my careers so far, mostly doing Android and the Microsoft stack, but recently I’ve moved into the management side of software development.
Why did you join WorldRemit?
I was referred by my old colleague Harry, who now leads the iOS Engineering Chapter here. The two parts of the pitch that appealed to me were the growth trajectory of the company and how much the users value the product. People need to send money for life-changing reasons like housing, education or access to healthcare, it’s a little bit special to be able to help them out with that. The fact that the company is growing rapidly each year means we must do a decent job at it.
What does your typical day look like?
My day is roughly split 40/60 between developing software and managing a team. I get in a little before 9 and then it’s a mix of coding on new features, reviewing pull requests, having one-to-ones with my team, delivering feedback, interviewing new candidates, chatting with our product owner about upcoming projects, white-boarding new designs with senior engineers and a whole bunch of other things. My team’s daily standup where we check in on progress and blockers is my main routine, beyond that every day is somewhat unique depending on what work needs doing and where I can help.
What does your role as Engineering Manager involve?
Engineering Management at WorldRemit tends to steer towards the ‘Servant Leader’ role. My job is to make sure my team is as effective and productive as they can be. I’m there to unblock them, help them overcome challenges, provide constructive feedback and guide their growth. All our teams have subject matter experts who know more about their specialism than I do, so my time is best spent making sure they are aiming at the right goals and have the right support, rather than telling them how to code.
What do you enjoy about your job?
I enjoy the self-improvement side of engineering. As a team we’re doing two things — we’re building the product, but we’re also building better ways to build the product. To do software development well you’ve got to be constantly reflecting on how you and your team do the job itself. You can then improve your processes, tools and people so you can just keep going faster and faster. As an Engineering Manager, I influence this on a team and individual level. I get to help people set and achieve goals, which can be incredibly rewarding knowing you’ve had a positive impact on someone’s career.
What is an interesting book/blog/newspaper you recently read?
I’m currently reading “Making of a Manager” by Julie Zhuo the VP of product design at Facebook. It’s a great, down to earth, relatable read about becoming a manager for the first time. I can really recommend it to anyone in the same position or looking to get into the people side of the software. A lot of management books can be quite dry and tough to get through, but this one is very much an exception.
Do you have any passions outside of work?
Bouldering is my main hobby, which is rock climbing short routes without ropes. In London, this typically means it’s indoors on wooden walls with plastic holds, but occasionally I get to go on a field trip to some fresh air and blue skies. It’s a bit like physical problem solving which I think appeals to the engineering side of me, but it keeps me active and away from a screen for a little bit.
Are there any specific roles you’re hiring for at the moment?
Engineers! We’re looking to grow pretty much all of our teams and start some new ones. That means DotNet engineers, iOS (Swift) engineers, Android (Kotlin) engineers, Machine Learning Engineers, Scrum Masters and more. Have a look at our careers page to see who else we’re looking for.
To learn more about career opportunities at WorldRemit, visit our website.
