Tell us about your background and what led you to Hastings Direct?

I graduated with a Software Engineering degree from Shiraz University in Iran. After a year working in my home country I moved to the UK in 2003 to further my career in software development. My first roles in London gave me a great grounding in a variety of syntax and platforms, specialising in Microsoft Technologies such as .Net and SQL. After many years commuting to London the time was right to look for roles more locally to support a better work / family life balance and in January 2012 I found the ideal position at Hastings Direct as Senior Developer. I have been given many opportunities to expand my knowledge, use my specialisms and work with amazing people and more recently led to my promotion to a Solution Architect.

Can you tell us a bit about your work you do and the technologies you work with here at Hastings Direct?

As a Solution Architect, my role involves working with our agile teams to assist with solution design, development and quality assurance processes across all aspects of the software development life-cycle. I regularly provide technical guidance and development activities to support the IT strategy and organisational change programme with colleagues, stakeholders and external partners. I am passionate about technology and I get to use my skills and knowledge on a variety of technologies, platforms, and tools such as Microsoft C#, SQL, Java, GOSU, HTML, SOAP, REST, XML, JSON, WPF, WCF, MVC, JQuery, Web services and APIs, Guidewire, Visual studio, Jenkins, Subversion and Cloud technologies. 

Professional and personal development is part of Hastings Direct culture. What do you think about it and how it affects you?

Hastings Direct has a learning culture that encourages colleagues to develop knowledge and competence, both professionally and personally. It provides resource to help people grow and excel in their careers. I was given the opportunity to get involved in the recruitment process for our IT Graduate Scheme and provide mentoring and coaching to colleagues, which helped me expand on my personal and soft skills. There are always lots of internal courses, brown bag sessions, and learn-at-lunch events to choose from to develop new skills.

Why do you feel someone should consider joining the IT delivery team at Hastings Direct?

It’s a fantastic experience to work with a great, highly talented, supportive team, in a friendly and collaborative atmosphere. IT delivery is a modern, fast developing and fully agile team with a culture of relentless improvement that provides the space required for people to learn, innovate and utilise their skills to provide the most professional service possible.


If you would like to find out more about the opportunities in our IT team, click here