Endika
Lazkano
Curious about the Swiss secrecy and precision, Endika grabbed his chance when a SICPA office opened in Madrid. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering in Telecommunications Technology, he started in 2011, feeling that it would be a great opportunity for him to improve his knowledge in several new technologies and to learn more about himself. Today, 9 years after he started working at SICPA, he tells us more about his evolution.
Why do you enjoy working at SICPA?
After so many years, it feels like family to me. Our office in Madrid has just the right size between a start-up and a big company. You get to say hello to everyone in the morning, but at the same time, there is a structure and well-defined teams.
Career wise, I have been given the chance to develop myself as a team leader and as a software engineer, so I am grateful for that. When it comes to technology, I have also witnessed our main product evolving massively at least three times, so it’s nice to be part of something that is growing and improving.
SICPA has an incredible diversity when it comes to gender, religion, race, colour and sexual orientation and I find it really enriching to share my working hours with people that somehow are different. I have visited several countries for work (Training, Support, Alignment meetings), and this has allowed me to meet many great colleagues in person and to visit their countries.
What is your main objective in your job?
I’m currently working as a Senior Software Developer for a new product that will transform our main solution using cutting-edge technologies.
What did SICPA bring to you professionally and personally?
I have gone through quite a lot during these years, ups and downs, but I believe I have been able to know myself better through this experience. Keeping a cool head while troubleshooting an issue in production, learning to say no, negotiating the scope of a change, dealing with different personalities and people from a different background, learning about new technologies are all the qualities that acquired directly in the field. Indeed, since I started in 2011, I had the chance to grow a lot through contacts with my colleagues.
Describe your typical working day at SICPA?
Our work is organised with Scrum Agile methodology, so the day usually starts with a daily meeting in which the team gives a quick update on the work that has been accomplished since the day before. As a Senior Software Developer, I try to guide my teammates when it comes to technical doubts and share my business knowledge with them. Along with other members, we also lead a backend community in which we share our concerns and discuss about possible improvements for all the projects we work on at SICPA, from the oldest one that requires minor support to the newest ones that are being built from scratch.
What kind of interactions do you experience between teams, departments or even countries in your daily work at SICPA?
Depending on the situation, I may communicate with Kenya to provide support to open incidents, with Ecuador to guide them in the usage of the application, with Switzerland or Malaysia for projects that are currently in development.
The use of chat and videoconferences is widely extended, so even if we work in a global company, it really feels you can talk to anybody as if they were sitting next to you.
How do you manage your professional and personal life?
I love travelling and we have a quite flexible policy when it comes to holiday entitlement, so I have been able to book some bargain travel deals off high season. Working hours are flexible too, so depending on my needs I may get to the office sooner or later in the morning, which is really great for my work-life balance.
What was your dream job while growing up?
I always dreamt of being an architect. I’m glad to see I’m building softwares at least.
If you could choose only three words to describe SICPA and your daily life at SICPA, what would they be?
Global, Evolving, Diverse