Alfa

• Name: Adam Morrison
• Role: Consultant
• Joined: October 2016

"... the social side of the business: we really are very well looked after!..."

Description:

One of my friends had joined the graduate programme and told me all about how Alfa could be a really rewarding place to work. Like many graduates who join Alfa I had no technical experience before I arrived, but the induction training was incredibly thorough and supportive. Within only six weeks, I was already out working at a client’s offices!

My roles have been with some of Alfa’s longest-held clients, and this has offered an enormous range of problem-solving opportunities. Working so closely with the clients themselves has brought the opportunity to learn about the full breadth of requirements they have, meaning no two weeks are ever alike. It’s not possible to talk about my experience with Alfa without discussing the social side of the business: we really are very well looked after!

• Name: Rosie Carroll
• Role: Junior Software Engineer
• Degree: Geology

"Before starting Alfa I studied Geology, completed an internship at a FinTech start up and the first year of another graduate scheme. However, I was finding it difficult to find a position where I could improve my coding skills as I did not have a technical background. Alfa hired me for my potential as well as my previous experience in different fields. This has allowed me to undergo training to become a professional software developer. All while being supported and paid throughout. Allowing me to utilise my problem solving skills which I developed in my Geology degree. The interview process at Alfa was refreshing. It was very quick and personable.

I bonded well with my cohort and would meet up after work which we still do even on Zoom. I was happy to realise that everyone came from a variety of backgrounds and were not all fresh graduates. We had 10 weeks training in Java and asset finance, with the last 6 weeks writing production code. As a junior software developer my work is varied from writing code which creates new products for the client and internal improvements. I like that it is a mid-size company as I am able to build a reputation and create opportunities for myself. I have been able to write external blogs, give technical talks, demos to the client and organise volunteering at a local charity – Code Your Future. I am able to use my interpersonal skills every day while still being a developer. I am happy at my job, learn something new every day, have made great friends and I receive good benefits as well."

• Name: Doyinsola Ishola
• Role: Consultant
• Degree: Electronic Engineering & Engineering with Business

"I studied Electronic Engineering in University College Dublin and followed that with an MEng in Engineering with Business. As an electronic engineering graduate, it felt natural to start out in a semi-conductor company, but a little after a year, it became apparent that it wasn’t quite for me.

I realised that I wanted an environment where I would have real client exposure but would also be exposed to exciting technology. Alfa provided such an environment – challenging but with supportive structures. The graduate programme starts you off with an intense initiation where you are immersed in the functional world of Alfa and trained in Java development.

My first role in Alfa was mostly technical and afforded me the opportunity to research and scope out new and exciting technologies that could be beneficial to Alfa and our clients. The role that followed was mostly client facing where I continued to develop my problem solving and analysis skills. It also gave me first-hand experience with managing client relationships.

An important realisation I made prior to joining Alfa was that enjoying where I work and the day to day interactions with colleagues is an important aspect of working life for me.

Making these realisations really helped to narrow down my list of prospective companies. In my search, Alfa stood out to me because, in addition to ticking all the career development boxes, it was so very clear that I was going to get on with my colleagues. From first contact with the administration team, to HR and the directors during interviews, you could tell that Alfa valued inclusivity. The drive to foster an inclusive and diverse environment has continued to grow and is backed at every level. Today I co-chair the Alfa for Racial Equity community which is just one of the many inclusion initiatives we have at Alfa.

Apart from enjoying my work, the people I’ve met at Alfa really have been instrumental to settling into life in London. It’s great getting to work with so many intelligent and personable people."

• Name: Manchal Kumar
• Role: Junior Software Engineer

"I graduated from King's College London with a Masters in Pharmacy and then went on to pursue a Masters in Management at Imperial College Business School. When looking for career opportunities, I had little idea of what industry I wanted to work in but one thing I was sure about was that I needed a good company culture. I had done some basic coding during my second masters and liked the challenge so when I came across Alfa I was really happy with the combination of technology, finance and culture on offer.

My intake consisted of graduates from varying disciplines but the training structure catered to all our technical abilities and we were all well supported. The extensive training started off with four weeks of an introduction to asset finance and the technologies used within Alfa. This followed with six weeks of development initiation where we were able to apply our new skills under close supervision. It was the perfect environment for us to work on real Alfa issues, make mistakes and learn from them. Development initiation is what strengthened my decision to join product engineering as a software engineer. Even though there was a steep learning curve, I enjoyed coding and the open culture within Alfa meant that I never hesitated to seek help and support from people at all levels in the company.

After just over a year on product engineering, I decided I wanted to try out a client project. The transition was smooth, I raised my desire with my manager and a few weeks later an opportunity became available. In this role, I deal with new challenges every day and work closely with client senior staff to ensure the Alfa product fits in with their needs. I have had the opportunity to build a completely new set of skills, helping me appreciate both engineering and project teams.

The people and culture at Alfa are fantastic. The hackathons, innovations days and quarterly meetings are a great way to stay connected and inspire ideas and the company has pulled through in keeping this culture alive even during a global pandemic. We really are well looked after."

• Name: Musawar Shahid
• Role: Software Engineer

“Having studied Economics and with 6 months left of my Masters in Finance, I realised that the finance industry was well underway with its integration with the world of technology. I started to explore opportunities that would allow me to gain exposure to both these industries. Alfa was a company that situated nicely within these two industries, and assured me that even though I did not have a background in tech, it would not be an issue as they would train me in Java and other skills necessary for the role.

The graduate scheme puts you through a great training program and has you working on Alfa’s codebase almost directly from the start. So not only was I getting paid to be trained up, but I was also making changes, under supervision, that improved Alfa’s code within the first few weeks of being there, which built up my confidence in my coding ability.

Following the training program, I joined the Implementation stream as an Analyst where I was working on a project with a client that was gearing up to go-live. I was particularly drawn to Alfa as a company because of the fluidity they offered between their roles, and after spending about a year in Implementation, I moved over to Product Engineering as a Software Engineer.

I enjoy working at Alfa because they have an incredible work-life balance and they take care of us. During the pandemic, Alfa held (virtual) social events organised by our fantastic events team which kept us going. On top of that, there are many opportunities to grow and try new things; I’ve just completed running a work experience program which was awesome! The people at Alfa are nothing short of amazing, everyone treats a problem like it’s their own and are willing to help.”