Name: Matthew McKee
Role: Product Architect at Global Payments Inc
What does your typical day look like?
My days vary quite a bit depending on what I am currently working on and at what stage the projects I am currently working on are.
If the project is at an earlier stage I may be working with product management to determine the business value of the product by working on the business case, completing market research, competitor analysis or data analysis on our products.
Once the business value has been established and the project gets the go-ahead, I make a start on architecting a product solution to meet the business objectives. I collaborate closely with key technology stakeholders such as Security Architects, Development Architects, Test Architects, UX and Engineering Directors.
Once the solution has been designed I will work closely with the engineering team to implement and deliver the solution.
What are you currently working on?
As Global Payments is such a massive organisation it means that we have lots of different product offerings and various ways to integrate with these products.
So the current focus is on creating a seamless experience for our customers to integrate with our products.
A couple of projects that I am currently working on are Multi-factor authentication for our Mobile Application and Designing payments APIs as part of the consolidation of products.
What inspired you to join this company in particular?
What stood out to me about my role initially is still why I find it so enjoyable and that is the ability to be involved within the product and engineering sides of the business. One day I could be designing API Specs and the other I could be defining a business case or completing competitor analysis.
After my interview, I was even more interested in the company as it was obvious that Global Payments was a company that cared about both its products and its customers.
Did you always want to work in this industry (tech)?
No, not always. I initially planned to join the Royal Air Force as an Air Traffic Controller.
What’s your favourite part about your work?
Working as a product architect allows me to have a firm foot in both the engineering and business functions which is what makes this role unique and enjoyable to me as it allows me to be part of the process from inception to release.
What would you say to other people considering a job in the tech industry?
I would highly recommend that they would go for it and I don’t think they would regret it. The tech industry is only going to get bigger over the next number of years, and there are lots of different types of roles available to suit peoples skill sets. It is also a fast-paced, innovative and constantly evolving industry so you will never stop learning new things.
Who inspired you to work in this field?
I wouldn’t say that it was a single person that attracted me to work within the field. Growing up I always had a massive interest in technology, especially computers either building them or trying to optimise friends and family members' computers to run faster. So when I decided to pursue a career within technology it felt like a very natural fit.
What do you consider to be the most important tech innovation or development in recent years?
I would say the most important tech innovation or development in very recent years is the COVID-19 vaccine. The world changed dramatically last year, to say the least, Previously Vaccine development was a long process taking 10-15 years to produce but that has not been the case for COVID-19 vaccines. The innovation and advancement shown by these companies to get a vaccine to market in around one year are astonishing.
What tech gadget could you not live without?
One tech gadget I could not live without would be my Apple watch. I use it to track all of my health data such as exercise, movement and sleep. I also find Apple Pay on my watch very useful in the current climate.
