Gavin

Can you describe in a few sentences what your job involves? 

I meet with stakeholders to understand their technical landscape and requirements. This involves researching and appraising technical options. I then recommend approaches for them to proceed with, as informed by the project team. This ranges from individual cloud migration projects to full-scale digital transformation. 

What's been your most rewarding project? 

ScotGov payments. This was a new subject matter for me, so it was good to learn about financial compliance and the tech involved. It was a great collaborative effort between Storm and SG. From the feedback we received, the progress we made allowed them to understand the area better. SG was then able to make necessary decisions that improved the service for users. 

What challenges you most in your role? 

My report writing motivation. I always find excuses to spend time on structure, formatting, and reviewing rather than just getting the content down.

What makes you excited to come to work? 

The team - people are happy to make the work fun, and everyone will always make time if you need some help with something. 

What career path did you take to get here?  

I studied computer games software development. After university, I worked for a large software consultancy firm in Glasgow as a software developer. I jumped to the public sector after a few years and expanded their software development team as their manager. This led me to manage the full IT team, covering ops, security, governance, and dev. I then decided to return to the private sector with Storm, so I could spend time getting immersed in tech again as their tech consultant. 

How do you find the work-life balance at Storm? 

Being one of two in the tech consultancy team, I'm busy and the next project is always lined up. No one expects you to work out of hours so it's all down to you to stick to that. I've found Storm to be really flexible with how you make up your time. So if you need a late start due to the school run or an MOT, it's no problem - you just make up the time later in the week.

What do you enjoy most about life at Storm? 

Again, the people. Meeting up with people outside of work when you hit a major milestone or complete a project is great fun.

How have you grown at Storm? 

My knowledge of certain technologies which I had no prior experience with. For instance, machine learning, azure cognitive services, identity authentication, and data processing. Also, in my ways of working, my role in a larger project team, and in the software dev lifecycle.

Do you have any hidden talents or interesting hobbies? 

I play international touch rugby and captained our men's team to a bronze medal in the euros in 2018. I am also fanatical about American BBQ. I purchased a smoker over lockdown and have been perfecting my ribs, pulled pork, and brisket for the last few years. I'm now moving into cold smoking butter, cheese, and garlic.