Engineering UnZipped: Q&A with Archana

Say hi to Archana Kanakamedala, and learn who and what have inspired her journey and career progression to her current role of Engineering Manager in our ANZ Core Product Squad.

Archana tell us about your background, how long you’ve been with Zip and a little bit about your role and your day to day work here

My name’s Archana and I’m an Engineering Manager in the Core Product squad, where I’ve been for the last six months. I started at Zip four years ago as a Software Engineer, and have grown with the company thanks to some great mentors and leaders who supported me to progress through our Associate Engineering Manager pathway. This role enabled me to build my people management capabilities while honing my technical skills, giving me the confidence to step up to the next level as an Engineering Manager.

What I love about my current role in Core Product is that I’m constantly learning. Our team works with so many different parts of the business, which means there’s still a lot of learning ahead of me. For a lifelong learner like me, that’s very exciting.

What are some of the benefits of working in an Engineering team that is constantly building and shipping new work to customers?

Zip is a fast paced environment and we need to adapt to changes quickly. We don’t have to wait for multiple layers of approval to deploy our code - when the Engineer is confident to release. they do. This means that we are always building with the customer in mind and are able to make the biggest impact for our customers within the quickest time.

What are some of the examples you can share that highlight how Engineers are empowered to do impactful work and grow their careers at Zip?

In our team, even the more junior engineers are encouraged to take ownership of really big, impactful projects. A great example is the work we’re owning on instalments, which is a really complex piece of work. Our engineers have been building tools to automate manual processes, aimed at fixing issues customers may see with their payment instalments. The team is given the time and space to experiment with this highly technical work which means they’re able to grow outside of their day to day responsibilities.

In some organisations, junior engineers wouldn’t get the opportunity to work on projects of this nature due to the implications if something went wrong. Here we put trust in Zipsters at all levels.

What are some of the important projects or pieces of work that have tested your skills, and had a significant impact on the business?

One of the pieces of work that I am most proud of is when I joined the Customer Core squad, I noticed that there was an opportunity to speed up the response rates for customer tech support queries.

Taking ownership of this project really helped me feel closer to our customers, meaning I could see the positive impact my work was having on their experience transacting with Zip.

As I’ve moved through my career, our team has implemented this shared way of working and we all set aside time on a Friday to work through these tickets. As a team, we feel it’s the best way for us to better understand what our customers are looking for, so we can build products that better meet their needs.

What’s a key learning that has helped you grow?

At Zip I’ve had the opportunity to step into the Associate Engineering Manager role which is a pathway Zip has designed for engineers who are individual contributors, to test whether leading a team of people is aligned to their career aspirations and personal development plan. I’ve found this pathway a great fit, as it’s allowed me to test and grow my skills as a leader. My main takeaway is the learning that ‘one size doesn’t fit all’. As a leader you need to tailor your management style to fit with your team members’ needs.

Working in smaller squads or teams at Zip means we often need to take on new responsibilities, learning on the job as we go. What appeals to you about this way of working?

In Core Product we work on a variety of different tasks, each with their own set of challenges that we need to tackle every day. It’s a lot of fun to start exploring solutions knowing the impact our work can have on the end user, and on Zip’s strategy more broadly.

What’s more, Engineers at every level have the flexibility to step outside of their day job and take on broader responsibilities that align with their interests. These come with their own unique opportunities for problem solving, but also help us gain knowledge and grow new skills.

You don’t have to solve the problem on your own, but we all make sure we’ve completed our own exploration before leaning on other Zipsters who in my experience are always eager to support.

What sets working in Engineering at Zip apart from how you’ve experienced working in your previous career?

The vibe and energy that Zip has is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and that’s one of the things that has kept me here for four years. During that time I’ve also had so many opportunities for growth and learning, including being a part of three different squads and more recently, I’ve been given the opportunity to step into a people leadership role through our Associate Engineering Manager pathway.

How does Zip support Women into leadership roles?

At Zip we have support groups where women in technology can come together to share their experiences and impact change across the business to better support other female technologists. We also have a partnership with Girls In Tech and hosting events at Zip has allowed us to build a broader community of women in STEM.

What has been the most rewarding part of managing a team at Zip?

I would say that when your team is happy and when your team is growing, you grow. I feel fortunate that reflects my experience so far.