POV: I'm a Software Engineering Manager at Progress

Tell us more about yourself and the product your team is working on.

My name is Stoyan and I’m currently a Software Engineering manager on the MOVEit team.

My journey with Progress began with a clear mission to find individuals who are not just skilled but are passionate about making a difference in the world of secure and efficient file transfer technologies. As for the product we are working on, MOVEit is a Managed File Transfer solution, a product that provides secure collaboration and automated file transfers of sensitive data and advanced workflow automation capabilities without the need for scripting.

Our organization has seen remarkable growth, underscoring the need to expand our talented team. This expansion is not just a testament to our success but a step forward in our commitment to accelerate product development and reinforce our core.

You’re now a manager on the Progress MOVEit team and you have a challenging assignment: to hire and build up your new engineering team. How do you approach this task?

When you are a manager in active hiring, you are a company representative. The candidates’ first impression is from you and the talent acquisition partner. As an external manager joining Progress, to be accurate and authentic, it was important for me to dive deep into company culture and learn about the product my team works on as well as many processes.

Our recruitment efforts are diverse, leveraging different job boards and paid advertisements, engaging with communities on social media platforms and, of course, counting on internal referrals from existing Progress employees.

It is a challenge to build a new team. Growth in any organization means team dynamics. I have the pleasure of working closely with an existing MOVEit team. During the next months, we will be continually onboarding new team members. I will make sure to pass on my positive experience as a newcomer.

What technologies and methodology does the team use?

The most-used technologies on the team are C#, C++ and React. Working on a file transfer product, we gain deeper knowledge about different transfer protocols like SFTP and HTTPS.

The new team will collaborate closely with four other teams spread across Bulgaria, Ireland and the United States, using Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) to ensure seamless integration and efficiency. This global collaboration is a cornerstone of our strategy, bringing together diverse perspectives and rich domain knowledge.

What kind of people do you hope to attract? Besides technical skills, what are the other qualities that are essential to you?

One of the interviews is entirely oriented to assess soft skills and team fit. To a full extent the behaviors we are looking for are inspired by and aligned with our corporate values. To briefly list some of them, people who are collaborative, cherish feedback, are flexible and can adapt.

What are some exciting upcoming engineering projects for you and your team?

MOVEit is the G2 leader for Managed File Transfer software products. Our roadmap is driven by customer feedback and research as well as the engineering initiative to strengthen security and minimize tech debt. From an engineering perspective, we use cryptography algorithms for file encryption, integrate with other tools and work with some of the world’s best security researchers.

As our platform grows to serve a diverse range of clients, efficient resource utilization is a complex but exciting challenge that requires deep understating of software architecture and cloud infrastructure.

What is one goal you would like to accomplish and feel content with within a year?

Speaking as my ambitious and optimistic self, I will be proud of our efforts if in a year we deliver features with a fully functional, self-sufficient team; a team of professionals who trust each other and drive innovative solutions throughout every phase of the software development lifecycle.

Ready to embark on your new career journey? Click to apply.