What does a Solution Building Engineer do?
When I first started at Sopra Steria, I was a backend Developer, so I was managing applications without a user interface, and my job was mainly to add new features, or to remove bugs if there were some. Since a year now, I am working in the frontend as well, so I am working on web development.
I have always been part of the same team, working together mostly with other Developers. I also always worked for the same client, namely the Ministry of Finance, but on multiple applications. All the tools that we are handling are working together and are used to process documents, like tax files, that need to be sent to citizens or companies. The applications are used to produce the documents, send them to the post office and check their evolution. If the application doesn’t work properly, citizens will not receive documents on time or they will for example receive a batch of documents twice, so I believe my job really has an impact.
Working on different applications is an advantage in my opinion, because each application has different functionalities, and different users so there is a lot of variety in my job and I can learn different languages, which is important for a Developer.
Some time ago, Sopra Steria Benelux gave me the opportunity to follow a training to become a Scrum Master, and I am really proud of this. So, on top of my general mission as a Solution Building Engineer, I am also handling tickets and issues that need to be processed and assigned to other Developers.
What are the most important qualities for a Solution Building Engineer/Developer?
First, you should be able to stay calm and focused. Second, you should be strong in analysing issues, and finding a solution quickly, because an issue can really have a big impact on citizens. Third, communication skills are also important, especially for the members in the team who handle the users.
How would you convince someone to join Sopra Steria?
I would talk about the friendliness, and the opportunities we have in our company. We can follow trainings and learn on the job and therefore easily grow, and I think this is important, especially for Developers. It is good to update your knowledge, because otherwise you can be stuck in a project.
Fun fact
If Amandine could switch jobs for one day with someone else at Sopra Steria, she would go for Michel Lorgeré’s job, because she would like to know what a day looks like for him.
What can you say about the culture and atmosphere at Sopra Steria Benelux?
At first, it can seem a bit scary to enter a company that has a lot of employees, but Sopra Steria is really like a ‘big friendly company’. Everyone is welcoming and the atmosphere is informal, which surprised me at first. In French we have the ‘tu’ and the ‘vous’ and in the beginning I was always saying ‘vous’ to people and everyone was like “no we don’t do that here, you can use tu”, even with colleagues I didn’t really know. Also, the management is open to ideas, and if you have a question, we can always contact them.
At Sopra Steria, you are recognised for the work you do, and I really feel appreciated here, since I get a lot of feedback, and I can easily get the material I need to do my job well. We have the freedom and autonomy to plan our day and work the way we want to, and I really like this.
Fun fact
If Sopra Steria was an animal, Amandine thinks it would be a cat, because just like Sopra Steria, a cat is a friendly animal – at least the cats Amandine knows.