Meet the senior software engineering director at Workvivo

A software engineering chief at 1 of Ireland’s rapid-escalating get started-ups, Andrea Graham tells us about her vocation and the prime techniques she has discovered together the way.

The latest information from LinkedIn and the Environment Financial Discussion board (WEF) highlights that women are underrepresented at management amounts.

The data suggests that just 24laptop of C-suite positions are held by women in Eire. Globally, the data also highlighted gender gaps in particular industries, with girls creating up 32laptop of program and IT services positions, but only 24laptop of management roles within this sector.

1 senior chief who seeks to amplify women’s illustration in tech is Andrea Graham, senior computer software engineering director at Workvivo. This Cork-based mostly start out-up is building program for worker communications.

Right after operating at Dell EMC as a application engineer, Graham joined Workvivo as just one of the early solution staff hires. She started as a senior computer software engineer and workforce guide and progressed up to her present-day director job.

‘If something’s not doing the job, we change and adapt’
^{– ANDREA GRAHAM}

She explained to SiliconRepublic.com that she fell in adore with software advancement when she did her degree in organization facts programs at University Faculty Cork in advance of starting up her part at Dell EMC.

“It was a excellent spot to aid me expand both of those professionally as an engineer and personally with fantastic staff resource groups and opportunities.”

In the early times of Workvivo, Graham spent a great deal of her time doing software package growth. Now as a director, her times are spent main her staff and pivoting to their needs and the requires of the small business.

Graham also has a MBA from Munster Technological University, which she explained has presented her a “fundamental knowing of how to imagine and run strategically”.

“We’ve a phenomenal workforce and the precedence for me is ensuring that they and all engineering things to do operate efficiently and effectively. I lead and am dependable for the software advancement and software package top quality assurance teams and am closely included in the route of the product doing work intently with our CEO, CTO and director of solution,” she reported.

In 2020, Workvivo declared 100 new work opportunities for its headquarters in Cork, having secured €14.7m in Series A funding before that calendar year. And just last month, it raised a further €20.8m to fuel the following phase of its journey and proceed developing its platform.

The business now has 300 shopper organisations in much more than 90 nations around the world, with clients which include Amazon, VMware, Cubic Telcom, Bupa and Netgear.

Graham explained mainly because the corporation is developing speedily, it is important to have a potent target on technique and ensure the team can achieve its aims.

“My part is a combine of strategic and operational. We obsess more than our customers and delighting them with each feature we deliver. If something’s not working, we adjust and adapt. We have around a million users on our system and do the job with some of the world’s greatest makes, and so it’s vital that we provide great new capabilities though guaranteeing platform steadiness.”

Variety in tech

Though the recent facts on the leadership gender gap in Ireland and about the globe is stark, Graham claimed she has been “very fortunate” at each Workvivo and Dell EMC.

“The industry is very a distance from a 50/50 gender split, particularly in computer software engineering, even so I do feel this is shifting,” she said.

“For me, the biggest obstacle is exposure and encouragement at the early education decades. I’m a huge advocate for females in tech and have been included in good initiatives this sort of as CoderDojo, STEM Aspire and IWish exposing and encouraging pupils at main, secondary and third level into STEM. There are so many excellent profession chances in tech and it is vital to get the phrase out there and distribute awareness.”

Outside of gender variety, Graham is also particularly passionate about accessibility, specially when it comes to making merchandise for employees all-around the globe.

“For us, it is essential to assure just about every staff can feel the beneficial impact of Workvivo no matter of variations in qualities. The Workvivo platform can be easily navigated with screen visitors and by using keyboard. We acquire all our attributes with marketplace normal WCAG 2.1 AA tips in intellect.”

Management learnings

As a director operating in the tech field, Graham could be observed as a strong role design for females in tech. But when she was climbing her own job ladder, she explained there were plenty of folks together the way who experienced a positive affect on her.

“My father usually encourages me and has a fantastic ‘why not give it a go’ mindset when it arrives to seeking nearly anything new,” she reported.

“I’m understanding from my remarkable colleagues every single day, but in individual our co-founder Joe Lennon has been an unbelievable supporter of mine. I initially fulfilled Joe even though finding out organization info techniques and was in awe of his successes.

‘No want for a blame culture. Make confident to rejoice the workforce successes too’
^{– ANDREA GRAHAM}

“From an engineering perspective, Joe taught me how to actually crack down the boundaries and that there is normally a way to attain something – you just maintain hoping. In a standard sense, he’s generally encouraged me to shoot for the stars with my aspirations.”

Now that she is a senior leader in tech, Graham has her have takeaways that she has figured out. It starts with advocating for teamwork.

“We have a extremely strong team ethos of ‘we’re all in it together’. We pull together when we require to and if some thing goes erroneous, we’re open up, we’ll deal with it and we’ll operate with each other to determine out how to stay clear of it occurring once again subsequent time. No will need for a blame tradition. Make positive to rejoice the workforce successes far too!”

She also reported that trusting the folks you get the job done with and offering them autonomy is significant. “Listening to what persons really have to say is also important. It is crucial to create superior relationships with your colleagues to aid an environment where by they experience comfortable sharing with you.”

For budding computer software engineers just starting up out, she advised learning as a lot as doable and that doing work in a SaaS surroundings is a good position to start off.

“There’s great pleasure and it will equip you with the skills to work wherever. There is normally a way to do some thing, no will need to reinvent the wheel – Stack Overflow is your buddy!”

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