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A software house is not only made up of programmers - the smooth implementation of activities is supervised by e.g. Project Managers, people related to sales, marketing or graphic designers. Wondering what these people do exactly? You can check it out below, although we admit - we go all out in the descriptions.
Chief Executive Officer
The CEO, is the captain of the ship, sailing on the stormy waves of running a company. He/she is responsible for its development, preparation of various strategies and implementation of the mission and vision of the company. In addition, he/she makes key decisions that affect the life of the company and represents it outside.
What qualities should a CEO have? Certainly -perseverance, responsibility, curiosity and a willingness to develop -constantly. Optimism (realistic), self-confidence, pragmatism, empathy, teamwork and openness to novelties will also be useful.
We managed to catch our CEO for a few minutes and ask what he would advise people who want to start their own business. His advice: always follow the constant desire to develop, have a positive attitude, never give up (there are no unsolvable issues), talk to and, above all, listen to those around you (especially those smarter than you!). In addition, it will be useful to delegate tasks wisely and give a lot of responsibility to others, allowing them to spread their wings.
Chief Technology Officer
The CTO is a person who, if you compare a software house to a building, would be its pillar. He/she runs projects from the technical side, makes key decisions in the field of application development and evaluates future implementations. In addition, he/she supports the CEO in the development of the company and future activities. For less experienced programmers, the CTO is a bit like Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid - he /she motivates, advises, leads, but if necessary, they can be tough. How to become a hero in this position? Start with the basics - being a developer, then a senior developer, up to a tech lead or product owner.
Be like a CTO, so like what? Independent, accurate, responsible and conscientious. In addition, they are open (to people and technologies - equally) and motivated. Acquire knowledge, but also demand it. Versatile interests and various passions will certainly be an asset, so that you can talk to different people on any topic (building relationships in the team and with clients).
What will you get in return? Certainly, constant personal development, interesting challenges and financial stability. In addition, customer satisfaction and respect in the hood, i.e. the company.
Head of Growth
The Head of Growth may not be the boss of all bosses, but definitely one of those people who plays a very important role in the flat structure of the organization. The Head of Growth works directly with the vision of the founders of the company and tries to define strategic goals with them (e.g. in the OKR methodology), and together with them define a high-level plan, takes care of measuring KPIs and ongoing development analysis. Everything taking into account the principles of business scaling.
The person in this position is responsible for creating an overall strategy for the marketing and sales team, as the name suggests – he/she takes care of the company's growth, among others, through activities at the junction of the two previously mentioned departments. It also studies various market segments and checks potential new markets, including foreign ones. Sometimes, he/she can establish relationships with business partners or with clients.
While working on growth, activities related to the internal areas of the company are equally important, i.e. the coordination of the HR strategy and the development of processes that support efficiency of the organization.
Creative thinking, an unconventional approach to various issues and business intuition will certainly come in handy here. The ability to work in a team and managing it is also important. Efficient implementation of the development vision and setting measurable short- and long-term goals will also be an asset here.
New Business Developer
If you need a quote - you should contact this person. You have an idea, but you need a contractor - you should also call the New Business Developer. We have made an application for you and you want to tell us that we are great and you want more? You know what to do.
The work of a business developer is no joke. You need to have a resource of several hundred thousand words that you can match to the right client and you need to operate them in such a way that there is no doubt who is best in the business. When you run out of one idea to attract a client, you should have 5 more up your sleeve in case something goes wrong. It is you who cares about the business development of the company, ensuring it’s future. Satisfied customers and interesting projects will definitely motivate you to act and when you are short of breath, a team building event will suddenly appear on the horizon. Remember that a potential client is everywhere, so always have your business cards in your left hand and your phone in your right hand, because it's always worth talking to someone.
HR Specialist
If someone were handing out rings of power in the company, the HR Specialist would definitely own one. This is a position mainly related to people, research, improvements and coffee. What qualities do you need to work in this position? Be curious about other people and get in order, not only your own business, but also the entire crew’s, as well as manage time, which, in software houses, is divided into epochs of the BPI (before project implementation) and the era of the PI (project implemented). Best of all, a new project usually starts right after the previous one finishes. That's why at WebMakers we don't have a clock on the wall, because what's the point?
If you want to work in this position, be like Tommy Lee Jones in The Fugitive - go straight to the point and ask, push, extract information that is relevant to the position. Good HR in the company is like gold - everyone knows where to look for it, but it's hard to find. Short deadlines, dynamic meetings, the desire to discover new things - this is our entire HR.
Project manager
Imagine the work of a project manager as a sandwich on which you put everything - from talking to the client, supervising the team's work, through employee motivation, problem solving, trying to understand the technical language, to controlling the project implementation. Not bad, right? This is what the job of a project manager looks like.
What qualities should you possess if you want to work as a project manager? First of all, focus on comprehensive communication, because you will talk differently with the client and in a completely different way with the developer from your team. Also, get ready for a daily selection of the most urgent tasks from the most urgent collection of tasks. In addition, according to our PMs, you should be characterized by openness, ability to work under time pressure, the ability to deal with demanding clients and a liking for making corrections.
Feeling discouraged? As a consolation, we can say that nothing satisfies a project manager more than a completed project, working software, a satisfied client and a motivated team. Is it worth working in such a position? The answer is simple - if you like challenges, wish there were more than only 24 hours in a day and that you were an octopus that, thanks to its tentacles, can do several things at once - you are definitely suitable.
Financial & Administration Manager
A professional scribe, a master of desk boarding, and at the same time a person who knows the source code of the company so well that, waking up in the middle of the night, he/she will tell you when the supply of teas and coffees will be delivered and where they will be located in the company. In short – A Financial & administration manager who is also our mum, dad, sister and aunt, will shout at us sometimes, but then pat us and give us chocolate. What qualities should such a person have?
Imagine that the company is a well-functioning machine, each element of which is very important. The office manager makes sure that every part of the company works as it should and that employees feel good in it. He/she supports the sales, marketing or HR department with his/her advice, moving from one task to another. Working as a Financial & Administration Manager, you will definitely need patience, not only with employees, but also with clients for whom you are the first line of support. Be firm and organized, listen and try to bring out what's best for the company. The effects of your work will make people smile and tell you ‘I wouldn't change this job for any other’. Thanks to you, it will be known that the first association with the word officeis a good atmosphere and a great team. And it will all be thanks to you.
Marketing specialist / Head of Marketing
What does a marketing specialist do? The answer is not simple, but we will try to answer this question. Of course, we could say that everything related to marketing, but that's not the way. :) As a rule, this person creates a marketing strategy, supports the sales department in acquiring customers, builds databases of potential customers, takes care of regular sending of the newsletter and other content to customers.
In addition, he/she is responsible for running advertising campaigns and their optimization, preparing multimedia presentations and organizing promotional events. It's not easy, but the awareness of good results gives a lot of motivation.
Which qualities should a person have, who would like to work in marketing? A large dose of humility, perseverance and consistency will certainly come in handy. Remember that the effects of some steps take a while, so patience will also be recommended here. If you demonstrate the ability to work in a team and read customer needs well, you will certainly succeed in this position.
Graphic designer
Would Leonardo da Vinci be a painter today or maybe a graphic designer? Would he work for an international corporation or a startup? We can only guess, but we know one thing for sure - a talented graphic designer in a software house is necessary, like .... (Let us know like what!), which is a lot.
Each graphic designer is a bit like a goldfish - They will fulfill your wish, but along the way they will give you a lot of comments, express their opinions, make corrections and only then you can enjoy the effect. We are lucky that every project prepared by our graphic designer is great (greetings to you Grzegorz, keep doing it). He says that in his work these 3 things are the most important (and it's not about the salary): creation, colors and shapes. He designs websites, applications, systems and also prepares great graphics that you can admire with us.
If you would like to work as a graphic designer, you must be prepared for criticism that may surround you like smog in London in the past. However, it is necessary, because thanks to this, you will design better. And what will motivate you? For sure, everyday new challenges, and customers’ ideas, thanks to which your aesthetic sense will be at such a level that Salvador Dali, if he were alive, would high five you.
Back-end developer
A mixture of coffee and yerba flows in their veins instead of blood. ‘Rear frontline’ commanders of the operation of websites and applications. Tireless writers and programming polyglots - back-end specialists are one of the pillars of many companies, not only software houses.
When asked what a person in their position does, they answer that they do magic (keeping things running), collecting praise, and drinking coffee. In between these activities, they also take care of the technical side of the implemented projects, analyzing the client's vision or advising on the selection of appropriate technologies.
Back-end and front-end work closely together, creating a harmonious duo like Asterix and Obelix. Thanks to this, it is possible to create a product that not only works well, but also looks good. If you want to work in this position, you must feel responsible for the effects of your work, but at the same time not to treat oneself too seriously - you can't know everything, right? In addition, inquisitiveness, meticulousness and constant willingness to learn will be useful. Sometimes you'll also be Sherlock Holmes, solving puzzles like ‘Why doesn't it work’ and where is that letter in the code.
What motivates our back-end developers to work? The awareness that their work helps other people, customer satisfaction and new, interesting projects. Of course, apart from mundane things like earnings and fruit Thursdays.
Front-end developer
Front-end developer’s favorite quote is certainly not: What is essential is invisible to the eye. They combine writing codes with a sense of aesthetics, which is why they are liked by non-technical people. A front-end developer is a modern painter – he/she selects techniques, scripts and technologies in such a way that an image appears in front of your eyes, to which you can only react in this way: 😮. A front-end developer is also something of a wizard – he/she can prepare a project in such a way that the graphic designers think that they still have a window with Photoshop open, even though it is not their screen. If you want to become a front-end developer, you'd better learn terms like aesthetics, UX, JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.
You will definitely have a lot of work and learning ahead of you. Dozens of lines of code, lots of PSD files and hectoliters of coffee or yerba. Plus, a lot of revisions, even though you think your work is perfect and finished or perfectly finished. What should make you stand out if you want to become a front-end developer? You believe in attention to detail so much that you sign your ID card not with your name, but pixel perfect! You face comments from the client and the project manager and politely make corrections, even though you are building voodoo dolls in your mind. Remember that everyone wants a good design, so don't take the comments personally. Also, respect your eyesight and look for inspiration - both activities will definitely be useful to you. To sum up - if someone tells you that something can't be done, make yourself a coffee and say with a smile: "Hold my monitor".
As you can see, there are plenty positions in software houses. We have described only a few of them, and you need to remember that there are many others, such as Happiness Manager, Customer Care czy Head of Growth. The more the IT industry develops (but not only), the more specialist positions will be created. That is why we are of the opinion that it is worth taking the path of development and acquiring both soft skills that will be necessary to work in a team, as well as skills related to given technical issues (regardless of whether you want to be a programmer or, for example, a graphic designer).
