Rose Kelly from Bazaarvoice gives us a glimpse into her journey to development manager
Q. Have you always wanted to work in the tech sector and what or who inspired you to study Computer Science at Queen’s University?
My first step into the world of Technology was studying ICT at GCSE level in school and it quickly became one of my favourite subjects. My teacher was my inspiration for wanting to further explore the IT sector. At that time it was not particularly common for women to pursue a career in Software Development, however she was extremely encouraging that following in this path was possible and achievable.
Following graduation and through the years of exploring a number of different roles, I have ultimately landed in the realm of Project, Programme and Development management. Although this is not the typical role to acquire from a Computer Science Degree, I would never change my decision as this path opened so many doors for me.
I have explored many roles over the last ten years of my career. I started out as a QA engineer before having an opportunity to join a start-up Support Team located in Belfast as a Support engineer. I was then promoted into a Development Role and progressed to a new company to further learn other technologies and become familiar with them. It was then that I learned I wanted to specialise in a more customer-facing role whilst also utilising my understanding of programming to help deliver technical solutions that are the right fit for the customer. This led me to roles as a Business Analyst, Product Owner, Project/Programme Manager and most recently Development manager.
Q. Having began your career in software engineering you have transitioned through a variety of roles, can you tell us about some of your career highlights?
A big highlight for me this year is having the opportunity to join Bazaarvoice as a Development Manager and part of Belfast Leadership. My role is to lead two cross-functional teams of 14 people combined, each team consisting of Product Managers, Product Designers, Technical Writers, Software engineers and QA engineers.
During my first two months at Bazaarvoice I helped lead our site through our very first audit for ISO 27001 which is a widely recognised, international standard that focuses on a company’s information Security Management System, and we were successful in obtaining this ISO compliance certification.
Another highlight in my career has been achieving an All-Star award through peer nominations in my previous company for living out their core values, results-oriented being one. I was then further selected as 1 of 8 from a company of over 3000 employees to achieve the Circle of Excellence award and allowed the opportunity to fly to Chicago headquarters, meet with our executive team and attend the awards ceremony which formed a part of their Global Townhall.
Q. You have recently taken up a role as development manager for Bazaarvoice. What does your typical day look like?
An integral part of my role and daily routine is ensuring that my teams are equipped with what they need to progress on projects and planned work as well as supporting each member in their personal development and goal progression. I work in partnership with Product Managers to design our OKR’s and work on the vision for our team and our products. I work with teams to mature and refine processes and methodologies to deliver efficiently for customers and provide the most positive working experience for each individual. I meet regularly with the Team Product Manager to collaborate and agree on the prioritisation of work to ensure we meet our quarterly commitments and work through any blockers or challenges. I engage and lead on Project update calls with our Partners/Customers and help to build that relationship and ensure we are aligned on goals and delivery dates.
Q. What was it that attracted you to Bazaarvoice in the first instance?
As someone who is very driven and passionate in what they do, I am always wanting to learn and improve. Bazaarvoice stood out as a place where I could do exactly that. Some of Bazaarvoice’s core values are passion, transparency, innovation and customer, which strongly align with who I am as a person, and the management style I like to follow.
The company had also recently invested in fantastic facilities in Lanyon Place. They are very flexible with the hybrid approach and how much you work within the office is really up to you. For me, the chance to meet and collaborate in the flesh with colleagues again very much attracted me to Bazaarvoice.
Many people may not have heard of Bazaarvoice before but we use it every day when shopping. They are the industry gold standard, their platform allows rands and retailers to collect, display and distribute influential user-generated content in order to connect with shoppers at all stages of their journey. They have the world’s largest product review community – Influenster – with over 7 million members, almost 12,000 brands and retailers and approximately 5 billion reviews displayed in the network.
Q. Is there a different culture working in a large American corporation compared with local tech companies?
There are certainly attractions to both, however, due to the size and scale of Bazaarvoice there are various portfolios and locations to experience and work within that may not be available in smaller local setups.
Although you may think with a company so large you may feel disconnected, this is not the case at all in my experience as with Bazaarvoice there are local and global gongs to connect colleagues and provide updates on what is happening across all teams and offices.
There are also continuous meetups in place such as Communities of Practice across Design and Product, Engineering, Quality and Leadership, a forum to share knowledge and educate colleagues on each other’s processes and projects. Although headquartered in Texas, Belfast is one of the key Product Development sites and through regular opportunities to meet in our office or online you are still able to feel that sense of belonging and a part of something, as you would with a local company.
Q. How much emphasis does Bazaar voice place on continual personal development?
There is a great emphasis on personal development, 1:1 sessions with your manager are a regular occurrence, alongside performance reviews and goal setting to help you get the support you need and to where you want to go. There are also incentives such as being given a budget whereby you can purchase any books, apps or courses to help you upskill and progress. We also participate in “Thinking Thursdays”, which allows time to personally develop and learn and progress in any courses you have registered for as an example.
Q. What advice would you give to younger people thinking about a career in IT?
My advice would be that if there is something you are really passionate about and love, don’t be afraid to pursue it. Do as much research as you can and no question is stupid. Many companies would be willing to allow you to shadow or engage in a short-term placement, I would really encourage this also to help you decide what it is in IT that you enjoy the most.
