Meet Our Team
William Young
Role - Lead Back End Engineer
Joined - July 2019
Education - MSci Computer Science Exeter University
What attracted you to working at Origin?
I joined Origin straight from University, having worked part-time throughout my course as a full-stack developer. I knew at the time that I wanted to work at a start-up because of my assumption that it offered the opportunity to learn a lot and would allow me to have a large and immediate impact on the outcome for our clients.
As a developer, skills transfer across domains as the underlying technical stack can remain for the most part identical, but one thing that does change is the approach to development. With Origin being a fintech start-up, it stood out as a great opportunity to learn about the unique challenges of needing to balance the security and reliability required by financial institutions whilst also needing to rapidly prototype and adapt to new requirements and integrations. We’ve subsequently faced so many interesting challenges as we connect our platform to others.
When I first started, the engineering team was five people strong, which meant I got to work with some really talented people and contribute to discussions on the technical direction our platform would take. Now we’re at twelve and only getting stronger, with the platform and best practices growing to continue our promotion of collaboration. I strongly believe that a platform embodies the values of the team that creates it, that’s why when I heard about Origin and met the team I knew that it would be a pleasure to arrive at work every day. Communication, team work, and a team with an amazing range of skills means there are always new things to learn, do, and grow from.
What are the key attributes that a Software Engineer at Origin needs?
Writing code that is not only functionally correct and efficient, but also readable, easily modified, and extended beyond the initial version is critical to avoid technical debt. We continually iterate on our codebase as new requirements and feedback come in, so how easy the code and tests are to work with becomes far more important than how quick it was to first write. At times, this may feel counterintuitive on the first pass but pays dividends over time. An attribute that’s core to being a software engineer at Origin is an appreciation for maintainability, through strong architecture and a framework of thoughtfully written tests.
We’re an agile team, in the dictionary definition of the word, meaning that the ability to communicate effectively is crucial. We often have ad hoc discussions on best practices and potential approaches, which requires that everyone brings their expertise to the table and those expertise are heard. When I first joined I heard the phrase “the best idea wins”, and that couldn’t be a better representation of the ethos we try to embody as engineers at Origin. This extends not only internally on the engineering team but externally with our product and business development teams, where context and terminology are important factors to effectively convey ideas and concerns.
Anusha Sonthalia
Role - Product Manager
Joined - July 2021
Education - MEng in Design Engineering from Imperial College London
What does it mean to be a Product Manager at Origin?
Product management can manifest as something different in every organisation. Origin is a small, fast-paced, collaborative environment which means Product Managers have to wear many different hats. For example, on the days where I am working with the dev team, my tasks can be quite technical, like discussing the best implementation approach for a new feature. On other days my tasks can be more design oriented and exploratory, like prototyping solutions for a user problem.
As the connection between various functions in the organisation, the Product Manager is also key in enabling progress. Some days, I’ll be focused on unblocking day-to-day operations doing whatever might be needed to help deliver the product from creating mockups, to product testing, to debugging. One thing Product Managers at Origin have in common with all product-led organisations though, is that we strive to put our clients at the heart of our decision making process. At its core, being a PM at Origin means being able to listen to, understand, and empathise with users.
How does the Origin team work together to deliver products?
We have two independent “Pods” each responsible for progressing different parts of the Origin platform. Each Pod is responsible for design, development, and ensuring the Quality Assurance of their individual products. Wee meet with the sales team weekly to ensure we are aligning our work with client needs. Both Pods work in two-week sprints and we have a combined release process twice a week. Sprints start with scopes of work and long to-do lists which we prioritise together to create a backlog. We have daily stand-ups to see what people are focusing on and make sure everyone has the support they need. On Mondays and Wednesdays we release software, so time during the week also goes into making sure our releases are stable and that we are deploying the features we have promised. Towards the end of a sprint we reflect on what we’ve achieved, plan the next block of work, and make sure we continue to improve our processes.
Tian Hu
Role - Business Development Manager
Joined - November 2020
Education - Masters in Financial Analysis from London Business school
Why did you choose Origin over a larger institution?
I was looking for growth and flexibility at this stage of my career. Coming straight out of graduate school, I wanted to develop a comprehensive skill set for my personal and professional growth. Origin let me do exactly that.
Being a Business Development Manager at a startup means that I’m free to explore areas such as marketing, negotiation, project management, and of course financial markets as we operate in this space. Being immersed in an entrepreneurial environment, I’m given the freedom to take charge of my own growth journey.
What does the work of a Business Development Manager at Origin entail?
As much of a cliche as it sounds, no two days are the same at Origin. Sometimes I spend my days doing data analysis and visualisation to understand platform usage and use the data to guide our engagement and sales strategies. Other times, I work with product managers to figure out the most logical product design choices from a business perspective.
The most exciting part of my job is definitely the relationship building aspect. My background in finance has helped me confidently speak the language of financial markets with clients. Sometimes it’s just friendly chit-chat with clients, and that’s important too for the sales process.
