Vacancy Spotlight: Pulsed Power Engineer | First Light Fusion
We are looking to expand the Pulsed Power team, who are responsible for the design, construction and operation of our pulsed power fusion experiments.
We are interested in talented individuals with a range of experience to complement the existing world class team of engineers and scientists, and have positions available for a range of different experience levels up to and including lead scientist or engineer roles
You will work on projects which will range from the design and construction of M4, our future experimental driver, developing our electro-magnetic launch capability through simulation and experiments on both our existing and external facilities, and development of machine and experimental diagnostics.
Responsibilities will include
Providing expert engineering/scientific input into multidisciplinary teams
Producing analysis and calculations for design work
Using schematic capture, circuit simulation and other modelling package
Essential
Degree in Physics, Engineering or similar
Experience of CAD design tools and simulation software, for example COMSOL and SolidWorks; training in the specific tools used at First Light will be provided
Ability to perform calculations and analysis associated with electrical engineering
Knowledge of health and safety matters relating to pulsed power systems
Passion for fusion and for taking a bold approach to a high-risk transformational
technology
Fast and effective problem solving skills
Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines
Strong communication and interpersonal skills
Desirable
Experience solving complex engineering problems in a scientific environment
Demonstrated ability to deliver to agreed objectives and manage resources using project management techniques
Looking for career advice?
Launch your career with Sky with their graduate programmes
Launch your career with Sky through one of their graduate programmes!
Passionate about building tech that improves how the world watches sport? Want to work in finance and support the future of your favourite show? Keen to pick up heaps of new skills trying out lots of different functions?
At Sky, you can combine what you love with what you do best to shape a brilliant career.
With 24 million customers across six countries, it’s no surprise Sky is Europe’s biggest entertainment brand. But Sky is more than must-watch shows, cutting-edge tech and market-leading packages. Sky are a place where people from all walks of life get the freedom and support to do their best work.
Sky’s range of graduate programmes means everyone can find a job they love to talk about and they also offer internships and insight events designed to give you a sneak peek at life at Sky. So, whatever your background, skills or passions, you can choose a career path that suits you.
Ready to start a career like no other?
At Sky you can.
OSTERLEY
Automated Software Testing Graduate Programme
Join the teams that built Sky Mobile, NOW and Sky Q. Create products used by millions. Use cutting- edge tech. Deliver top-quality software. Learn the fundamentals of software engineering, testing and gain an understanding of DevOps. Collaborate with our software teams across the globe on video streaming platforms. There’s only one place you’ll see action like this in your career – and that’s Sky.
Leeds
Mobile Development Graduate Programme
Change the way customers interact with the Sky Go interface. Collaborate with our software teams across the globe on video streaming platforms. Create software technology that influences the way they watch their favourite shows. Use cutting-edge technology and contribute to the success of current and future products. Develop software that underpins our products and improves how we work. Make an impact and get all the support you need to do your best work.
BRENTWOOD
Software Development Graduate Programme
The software development programme will see you learn about how we develop software and the processes used. You will also get to work closely with the hardware and device-drivers on the Sky Broadband Routers or Sky Q Set-Top-Boxes and be supported by engineers at the top of their game.
OSTERLEY
Mobile Development Graduate Programme
The Mobile software development programme might see you create the next iteration of Sky Go, work on a new feature for NOW and develop capabilities on our iOS and Android platforms. You’ll learn a lot on this seven-month programme. After just eight weeks, you’ll be familiar with our major software engineering principles, Swift and Kotlin development, iOS and Android platforms and continuous build, and integration
Leeds
Automated Software Testing Graduate Programme
Start your career in software engineering with our automated tester graduate programme. You’ll learn a lot in seven months. After five weeks, you’ll be familiar with major software engineering and testing principles, as well as DevOps and test-driven development. Master the fundamentals of performance and API, mobile and hardware testing. And the security principles that underpin all our work.
Discover more like this
Vacancy Spotlight: Cloud Application Advisor | Invesco
Invesco is driven by a pure focus on investment. It’s all we do.
We focus on doing work that matters and being a firm that gives a voice to every employee. In fact, we make a promise to our clients and each other to create greater possibilities together. We’re looking for people who have fresh perspectives. Who can come together to share ideas, listen and challenge each other to achieve better solutions for our clients.
Your team
Our mission is to build world-class, client-centric technology solutions that drive competitive advantage, grow our global business, and deliver an investment experience that helps people get more out of life. This mission is fueled by inventive and cohesive teams, which thrive on teamwork and shared trust and demonstrate the diversity of thought. Our success is driven by our people, which is why we invest heavily in our talent, promoting continuous learning and development, offering opportunities to work with emerging technologies, and creating the space to discover.
Our high-performing, OneTech team is seeking candidates who innovate, operate effectively in an agile environment, challenges the status quo, and are driven to succeed.
Your role
As the Cloud Application Adviser you will advise and empower application teams with knowledge and experience to accelerate standards-based cloud adoption across the Invesco application development org.
Sound Interesting? You will advise application teams on cloud patterns and trade-offs, collaborate on cloud solution designs, and help as a concierge to connect application teams with platform teams and resources. As the Adviser we will ask you to evangelize cloud patterns and Invesco blueprints to promote standards-based cloud adoption and take the lead on AWS training sessions.
You will build strong relationships with key stakeholders and customers and create compelling business cases to enable customers to leverage modern cloud services. We will look for you to encourage teams to integrate application development and cloud delivery/operations, with leaders accountable for the full lifecycle and enable customers to rapidly discover and deliver business value from their investment in the cloud.
We are looking for someone to bring solid experience with developing application cloud-native workloads hosted in the public cloud and expertise in combined roles of application development, enterprise or technical architecture, cloud platform development, cloud strategy, IT strategy, or infrastructure.
Your understanding of DevOps and DevSecOps culture with hands on experience with agile methodologies and toolchains is key and we will look for you to highlight your knowledge of the asset management industry.
Show us you can collaborate and communicate and build relationships that allow you to showcase your skills and knowledge.
The good stuff
We have an outstanding benefits package, which includes
- Competitive salary and bonus
- Company-provided healthcare
- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays
- Generous pension provisions
- Income protection
- Health and wellness benefits
- Volunteering days
- Enhanced parental leave
- Life insurance
Our commitment to you
We recognise that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone. As part of Invesco’s commitment to ensuring our teams have the broad range of experiences and backgrounds required to promote diversity of thought, and to maintaining a positive, engaging work environment, we champion flexible working.
Please feel free to discuss flexible working options with us.
Our commitment to the community and environmental, social and governance investing
We partner with charitable organisations globally to make an impact in the communities where we live and work. Our people are encouraged to support the charities they feel most passionate about. We are also committed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. We serve our clients in this space as a trusted partner both on specific responsible investment product strategies as well as part of our commitment to deliver a superior investment experience.
Join Us
We’re proud to be a firm that achieves more together. One that is focused on doing work that matters. One that gives a voice to every employee. One that genuinely cares. By coming together to share our ideas, listen, and challenge each other’s perspectives, we get to better solutions for our clients.
Our ambition is high. By working smart and supporting one another, we can continuously push ourselves to grow. We all have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our business, our industry and our clients’ lives.
Let’s create greater possibilities together!
Find career advice below
Vacancy Spotlight: Senior Data Analyst – Engineering Distribution | Invesco
Invesco is driven by a pure focus on investment. It’s all we do.
We focus on doing work that matters and being a firm that gives a voice to every employee. In fact, we make a promise to our clients and each other to create greater possibilities together. We’re looking for people who have fresh perspectives. Who can come together to share ideas, listen and challenge each other to achieve better solutions for our clients.
Your role
Invesco Technology is seeking a Senior Data Analyst Engineer to be part of a new team that is standing up Client and Transaction Data Management capabilities to support our European and Asia-Pacific business. This position will partner closely with Technology colleagues and the Product Owners in our business units.
The ideal candidate is passionate about data and has solid understanding of fund management distribution data in EMEA and APAC. The successful candidate will focus on analysing and mapping the data to our systems, supporting operational reports and analytics. The ability to effectively communicate with both business partners and technology professionals is essential.
The position offers a unique opportunity to work in a global role and leverage your skills to collaborate and deliver alongside a talented team of technology professionals.
Sound interesting? You will be working with the business to understand their data needs with a focus on EMEA and APAC Distribution and Marketing data which will include internal and external Sales teams, Management and Marketing teams as well as Client Servicing and Operations. As well as delivering data requirements you will work on data sourcing research, data mapping and data validation.
The Senior Engineer will build trusted relationships to be able to solve problems and be the point of contact for making recommendations and technology suggestions.
Bring a strong understanding of the financial services/asset management industry and show case your experience in business data analysis and process flows. We will look for solid understanding of Alteryx and SQL and the experience working with report tools such as Cognos and Tableau.
If you enjoy challenging and thought-provoking work and have a strong desire to learn and progress this could be the role for you.
The good stuff
We have an outstanding benefits package, which includes
- Competitive salary and bonus
- Company-provided healthcare
- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays
- Generous pension provisions
- Income protection
- Health and wellness benefits
- Volunteering days
- Enhanced parental leave
- Life insurance
Our commitment to you
We recognise that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone. As part of Invesco’s commitment to ensuring our teams have the broad range of experiences and backgrounds required to promote diversity of thought, and to maintaining a positive, engaging work environment, we champion flexible working.
Please feel free to discuss flexible working options with us.
Our commitment to the community and environmental, social and governance investing
We partner with charitable organisations globally to make an impact in the communities where we live and work. Our people are encouraged to support the charities they feel most passionate about. We are also committed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. We serve our clients in this space as a trusted partner both on specific responsible investment product strategies as well as part of our commitment to deliver a superior investment experience.
Join Us
We’re proud to be a firm that achieves more together. One that is focused on doing work that matters. One that gives a voice to every employee. One that genuinely cares. By coming together to share our ideas, listen, and challenge each other’s perspectives, we get to better solutions for our clients.
Our ambition is high. By working smart and supporting one another, we can continuously push ourselves to grow. We all have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our business, our industry and our clients’ lives.
Let’s create greater possibilities together!
Find career advice below
Vacancy Spotlight: Advanced Support Analyst | Invesco
Invesco is driven by a pure focus on investment.
It’s all we do. We focus on doing work that matters and being a firm that gives a voice to every employee. In fact, we make a promise to our clients and each other to create greater possibilities together. We’re looking for people who have fresh perspectives. Who can come together to share ideas, listen and challenge each other to achieve better solutions for our clients.
Your role
To provide support for business application/systems in specified business areas related to the investment management industry.
Sound interesting? You will monitor system integrity through daily system checks and capture any system bugs, enhancements or new busines requirements. As the Support Analyst we will look for you to resolve application issues on a day-to-day basis and develop relationships with key business partners. You will be responsible for maintaining system support documentation and assisting with regular system upgrades as well as having the opportunity to work on projects.
We are looking for you to bring CRD or front office support experience with SQL database query skills. You will show your investment industry knowledge and bring a business or Tech related degree. Your team player attitude will shine through along with your strong desire to learn and progress. Our environment can be fast paced and we will ask you to remain customer focused and reliable with an ability to communicate with all levels.
The good stuff
We have an outstanding benefits package, which includes
- Competitive salary and bonus
- Company-provided healthcare
- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays
- Generous pension provisions
- Income protection
- Health and wellness benefits
- Volunteering days
- Enhanced parental leave
- Life insurance
Our commitment to you
We recognise that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone. As part of Invesco’s commitment to ensuring our teams have the broad range of experiences and backgrounds required to promote diversity of thought, and to maintaining a positive, engaging work environment, we champion flexible working.
Please feel free to discuss flexible working options with us.
Our commitment to the community and environmental, social and governance investing
We partner with charitable organisations globally to make an impact in the communities where we live and work. Our people are encouraged to support the charities they feel most passionate about. We are also committed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. We serve our clients in this space as a trusted partner both on specific responsible investment product strategies as well as part of our commitment to deliver a superior investment experience.
Join Us
We’re proud to be a firm that achieves more together. One that is focused on doing work that matters. One that gives a voice to every employee. One that genuinely cares. By coming together to share our ideas, listen, and challenge each other’s perspectives, we get to better solutions for our clients.
Our ambition is high. By working smart and supporting one another, we can continuously push ourselves to grow. We all have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our business, our industry and our clients’ lives.
Let’s create greater possibilities together!
Find career advice below
Vacancy Spotlight: Head of Fundraising | Tech She Can
Tech She Can are recruiting for a Head of Fundraising to join them.
Tech She Can was founded in 2018 by Sheridan Ash MBE with 18 like-minded individuals who are all passionate about improving the pipeline of women going into technology roles. Recognising that the gender imbalance couldn’t be solved by a single organisation, and that collaboration was needed across sectors, government and educators, the founding members joined forces to set up The Tech She Can Charter.
Since 2018, Tech She Can membership has grown ten-fold to over 200 member organisations.
The role
- 1-3 days/week
- £35-40k pa (pro-rata’ed to 0.2-0.4FTE), depending on experience
- Contract type: 2-year fixed-term contract or 1-2 year Secondment (with 3-month probation)
- Responsible for developing, managing and stewarding a new philanthropic portfolio of Foundations and Trusts, major prospects and high-net worth individuals, large government and public sector grants, regular giving, digital fundraising platforms – ultimately growing our revenue streams and charitable income
The context
- Flexible working pattern and hybrid/remote working
- Inclusive, supportive team, positive and friendly culture
- Start-up environment with scope to define role and remit
- We champion equality and diversity and recognise the benefits this brings. We are actively seeking candidates from diverse backgrounds.
- It’s an exciting time to join us: in 2021 we achieved independent charity status; we’re scaling the team in line with our new strategy; and we’re committed to growing our relationships and philanthropic income with Foundations and Trusts, to complement our support from our industry members
Key stakeholders
- Internal: Executive team, Trustee Board, Steering Group
- External: Foundations and Trusts, charitable organisations – particularly those with an educational, skills and social mobility focus, UK government departments (including DfE, DCMS, DWP, BEIS)
- Reports to: co-CEO / COO
- Direct reports: N/A
About you
Essentials
- Mission-aligned: your passion for diversity in STEAMB and supporting women in technology is evident; you get it
- People oriented: you’re friendly, approachable, and a team player; you thrive when working across sectors
- Excellent analytical, written and verbal communicator: whether it’s drafting grant applications and proposals, developing financial plans, or presenting to major prospects and senior leaders, you’re articulate, passionate and across the detail
- Good governance: you are mindful of, and have a firm understanding of, charity governance and best practice
- Can-do mindset: we’re a small, fast-paced start-up on a big mission so you’ll need to hit the ground running, and work with us on common goals and to short timescales.
- You must also be legally able to work in the UK.
Desirable
- Connected: you’ll bring your own networks with in-depth understanding of the institutional funding landscape, leaders, trends, opportunities and challenges
- Compelling experience: you’ll have a stellar background in researching and stewarding individual prospects and relationships with Foundations and Trusts, and in securing philanthropic income – ideally in the charitable / skills / education sector(s); you’ll influence and inspire our new and existing supporters
Role responsibilities
- Define our philanthropic fundraising strategy for financial sustainability and design the portfolio in order to grow this new mode of income from zero
- Research, identify, coordinate and prepare proposals for philanthropic funding via large grants, Foundations and Trusts
- Devise, collate, monitor and report on fundraising OKRs and KPIs
- Ensure compliance with the charitable aims, conduct due diligence and inform good governance processes
- Lead on institutional donor grant agreement/contract negotiations and compliance
- Support collective insight and design new initiatives via CRM
- Represent the charity externally as an ambassador across high-profile networks
- Plan and coordinate stakeholder management and partnership approaches alongside the executive team
Discover career advice here
Vacancy Spotlight: Senior Data Solutions Engineer – Systematic Trading | Invesco
Invesco is driven by a pure focus on investment. It’s all we do.
We focus on doing work that matters and being a firm that gives a voice to every employee. In fact, we make a promise to our clients and each other to create greater possibilities together. We’re looking for people who have fresh perspectives. Who can come together to share ideas, listen and challenge each other to achieve better solutions for our clients.
The Team
The Systematic Trading Technology team works closely with Traders, Quants, Business Analysts and our global technology partners to build and support Invesco’s trading and trading analytics platform. Our goal is to deliver best in class trading solutions that empowers traders, trade management and the quantitative research teams to perform at the highest level. The team focuses on delivering innovative solutions using the latest technology, optimizing trading workflows, data modelling/analytics and building applications/interfaces that not only make our trading desks effective, but also bring new trader ideas to life!
We never give up.
Your role
As a Senior Data Solutions Engineer, Investment Technology, you will be working on a squad that builds global trading applications and global trading data platforms. The role will see you working on requirements from the business that enables the global trading organisation to automate workflows and allows for opportunities to explore the latest technology stack to improve the current business model.
Sound interesting? The Senior Engineer will liaise with business partners and the wider product owner teams. You will deliver curated data sets to the business and deliver real time data for use by traders directly into the execution management system to implement systematic trading algorithms. We will ask you to work on the buildout of robust data pipelines using modern data engineering tech stack and Cloud architecture as well as the management of application and data integration platforms.
We are looking for someone who can bring expertise as a Software Developer, Data Engineer or Data Solutions Analyst and strong experience with Oracle, SQL Server in writing T-SQL and performance tuning. You will demonstrate a working knowledge of Informatica or any ETL tool with an understanding of Python programming.
The Senior Engineer will bring solid analytical and critical thinking skills with a team player attitude. They will be self-motivated and able to collaborate and communicate well.
The good stuff
We have an outstanding benefits package, which includes
- Competitive salary and bonus
- Company-provided healthcare
- 26 days annual leave + bank holidays
- Generous pension provisions
- Income protection
- Health and wellness benefits
- Volunteering days
- Enhanced parental leave
- Life insurance
Our commitment to you
We recognise that everyone is different and that the way in which people want to work and deliver at their best is different for everyone. As part of Invesco’s commitment to ensuring our teams have the broad range of experiences and backgrounds required to promote diversity of thought, and to maintaining a positive, engaging work environment, we champion flexible working.
Please feel free to discuss flexible working options with us.
Our commitment to the community and environmental, social and governance investing
We partner with charitable organisations globally to make an impact in the communities where we live and work. Our people are encouraged to support the charities they feel most passionate about. We are also committed to environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing. We serve our clients in this space as a trusted partner both on specific responsible investment product strategies as well as part of our commitment to deliver a superior investment experience.
Join Us
We’re proud to be a firm that achieves more together. One that is focused on doing work that matters. One that gives a voice to every employee. One that genuinely cares. By coming together to share our ideas, listen, and challenge each other’s perspectives, we get to better solutions for our clients.
Our ambition is high. By working smart and supporting one another, we can continuously push ourselves to grow. We all have the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on our business, our industry and our clients’ lives.
Let’s create greater possibilities together!
Find career advice below
Looking to break into a career in Banking? Apply to Morgan Stanley's Experienced Professionals Program
Looking to break into a career in Banking?
Due to the popularity of our inaugural Morgan Stanley Experienced Professionals Program for Sales & Trading, Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Division (IBD) & Global Capital Markets (GCM) division are pleased to announce the launch of their own Experienced Professionals Program, designed to recruit and develop professionals with or without a background in Finance.
Diversity and inclusion are critical to our success as a global organisation and we are committed to creating and providing opportunities that enable our workforce to reflect diverse backgrounds and views.
We welcome highly motivated candidates with 3+ years of postgraduate work experience in a professional environment from a diverse range of industries, including but not limited to: Actuary, Finance/Accounting, Consulting, FinTech, Law and Medicine. In line with our diversity commitments, we strongly encourage applicants who self-identify as Black and/or female.
Training Program
Based on your skillsets, experience and interests’ successful candidates will be offered a permanent, Associate level role in IBD or GCM, with both programs commencing in July 2022. On joining, participants will complete six to eight weeks of formal orientation, training, and development. You will also attend training and study sessions to prepare you for any required licensing and registration exams and will be provided with a wide range of resources and support including a dedicated program leader, mentor and buddy, and ongoing product-specific training and career management tools.
About Investment Banking Division
Morgan Stanley’s Investment Banking Division provides industry, regional and product expertise to corporations, institutions, and government clients in order to develop and execute innovative and customized solutions to the most challenging strategic and financing issues faced in the global marketplace.
IBD is comprised of several industry and product groups that work closely with several divisions throughout the Firm to provide relevant market insight, product creativity, and execution expertise to clients. These solutions include initial public offerings (IPO); public and private equity and equity-linked financings; mergers, acquisitions, and restructurings; defense advisory assignments; strategic partnerships; public and private debt placements; share repurchases; and hedging, swaps and derivative transactions.
One Tech World Virtual Conference 2022
01 APRIL 2022
Join us for keynotes, panels, fireside chats, networking opportunities and much more. Supported by 18 corporate sponsors, with over 120 sessions and 160+ speakers across 6 stages – plus watch it on-demand for 30 days!
About Global Capital Markets
Morgan Stanley’s Global Capital Markets division is a world leader in raising capital for a global client base comprising corporations, institutions, and government clients. GCM advises clients, originates, structures and distributes debt and equity offerings as well as derivatives solutions. Whether executing an IPO, a green bond issuance or a leveraged buyout, GCM combines Morgan Stanley’s expertise in both Investment Banking and Sales and Trading to offer our clients seamless advice and best-in-class solutions.
GCM is organised across 3 main verticals:
- Equity Capital Markets (ECM) bankers focus primarily on IPOs, SPACs, equity financing and equity-related solutions
- Fixed Income Capital Markets (FICM) bankers focus primarily on large Investment-Grade bond offerings, acquisition financing, sustainable offerings and debt-related solutions
- Leveraged Finance (LevFin) bankers focus primarily on High-Yield bond offerings, LBOs and project finance
Qualifications
You must have at least three years of post-graduate experience along with a strong academic background (an MBA, CPA and/or CFA designation would be an asset), analytical skills, client and/or project management skills, excellent communication and genuine intellectual curiosity. Applicants should be results driven, committed to excellence in their work and able to perform to a high standard under pressure and against tight deadlines.
Application Process & Deadline
In order to be considered, candidates must apply by March 6, 2022 at 23:59 GMT. As part of the application process, you will have the option to select your division of preference. The selection process will conclude by the end of April and all applications will be reviewed post this deadline.
Program Location
The Program is based in Morgan Stanley’s London offices. The health and safety of our employees is important to Morgan Stanley and with this in mind the firm has put in place a broad range of measures. We will take into consideration government guidelines and any other relevant factors at the time to determine whether part of the program ought to take place in a virtual environment at our discretion.
Diversity & Inclusion at Morgan Stanley
Commit to Diversity and Inclusion is one of our core values at Morgan Stanley. We strive to build an organisation that is diverse in experience and background, reflecting our standards of integrity and excellence. A diverse, dynamic, and inclusive culture underlies the success of our company. It widens our perspective, helps our employees achieve their professional objectives and allows us to better serve our clients.
About Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing a wide range of investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. The Firm’s employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, and individuals from more than 1,200 offices in 43 countries.
As a market leader, the talent and passion of our people is critical to our success. Together, we share a common set of values rooted in integrity, excellence, and strong team ethic. Morgan Stanley can provide a superior foundation for building a professional career – a place for people to learn, to achieve and grow. A philosophy that balances personal lifestyles, perspectives and needs is an important part of our culture.
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How to kickstart your fulfilling career in 2022
Janice Burns, Chief Career Experience Officer at Degreed, discusses how you can get ahead in your purpose-driven career in 2022.
It has, undoubtedly, been a tough time in the workplace and ensuring your career’s survival might’ve been your top priority over the past few months. But as we enter 2022, you have an opportunity to take stock and reflect on how you’d like to move forward in your career. It’s worth thinking about what a fulfilling career means to you – what it looks like, how you can get there, and who can support you with your goals.
Becoming your own career architect
My career has been transformed over and over. In the early days, I wanted to become a psychologist. Then, I became a public school teacher, and eventually, I entered the corporate world as a marketer, HR leader and eventually, Chief Learning Officer at Mastercard. Now, I’m the Chief Career Experience Officer at Degreed, a role that I shaped myself and that involves working with leaders in Fortune 500 companies, to help them support their workers in a personal and authentic way.
What links this all is courage, the ability to adapt and learn, and an understanding of the art and science of career management. The first step in building a fulfilling career is to become your own career architect. To know how to design a career with a strong foundation and structure, and that challenges and excites you.
Get used to pivoting
Pivoting is something once associated with the start-up world. Now, it’s par for the course. The pandemic caused widespread pivoting, both company-wide and individually. We saw automotive manufacturers like Ford switch to ventilator production, perfume factories create hand sanitizer, and airlines redeploy cabin crew as healthcare assistants. You can use this momentum to pivot your own career.
Of course, many of these moves during the pandemic were done out of necessity. But in 2022, it will be much easier to switch careers, shift industries, and explore new horizons because of the way we adapted in 2020 and 2021. Whereas before, a hiring manager may have thought twice about a candidate from another sector, this is something more commonplace now. 6.1 per cent of those employed between January to March and April to June 2020 changed jobs during the first half of 2020, compared to 5.7 per cent the year before. Of those who switched jobs, 52.5 per cent moved into another industry. Simply put, massive job shifts will no longer raise eyebrows – and therein lies the opportunity to take a leap for your career.
Five steps to a fulfilling career
However you choose to shape your career, I always recommend following the same five fundamental steps:
Follow your passion
My early passion for understanding and helping humans is my north star. It carried me through training to be a clinical psychologist, to then becoming a teacher. In this role, I first encountered what true educational inequality is like – and its lifelong impact. And this led me onto a new path, to challenge this systemic problem.
Through teaching, marketing, and being the Chief Learning Officer at Mastercard, I’ve now become the Chief Career Experience Officer at Degreed – and I’ve had to make some tough decisions along the way. But my passion always provided a framework for my decision-making, even when the pull of recognition and remuneration was strong.
Understand your value – and develop your skills to increase this
My next career step after teaching took me into a one-year management training programme in a bank. I recognised the value of my analytical and psychology skills combined and wanted to use this to differentiate myself.
After the programme, I chose to enter the marketing department at the bank as it offered the closest fit between analysing and influencing human behaviour. I enjoyed this role for many years before joining Mastercard as a product manager. Over almost three decades, I shaped my contribution at Mastercard into something that drew on my unique skillset (as well as offer personal and professional satisfaction). This translated into leading Mastercard’s diversity effort – and Mastercard eventually made it onto Diversityinc’s top 50 employers list.
All of this started with my skills – with me taking a hard look at what skills I had and what I could bring to the table. I combined this with understanding where I wanted to go and what I wanted to achieve. And then I built the skills and experience that I was missing, through different work tasks, talking to people, and formal/informal learning.
Find your career tribe
One effective way to learn new skills and build your career is to turn to your network. Find people who can act as mentors, sponsors, advocates and supporters, then leverage their skills and knowledge to become better at your work.
Seek out the people who share the same vision and who are willing to work with you to achieve the same mission. In my career, this took various forms, from Mastercard’s CEO and Chief HR Officer, who encouraged my strategic thinking, to David Blake, co-founder of Degreed and Learn In and co-author of The Expertise Economy, who shared my vision for learning equality.
Understand that everyone you meet along your career journey has a lesson to teach you. They may provide inspiration for your next step, or valuable knowledge for your current role. They may challenge your perspectives and encourage you to continuously grow.
Go for opportunities, even if not quite ready
It’s unfortunately common for women to not take a career opportunity unless they are 100 per cent qualified for them (men, meanwhile, apply when 60 per cent qualified). This is selling yourself short as it doesn’t fully value your career and learning potential. Even if you cannot do all aspects of a job, you can learn.
Conversely, in the current climate, you may have to take on work that doesn’t serve your long-term career goals. You can still learn from this. Transferable and social skills will serve you in any role, help you make significant career shifts, and future proof your career.
Pay it forward
Remember the third step? Well, this is the other side. As you grow your career, who can you bring up with you? Everyone has a skill or lesson to teach. Discover what you can offer your colleagues and then actively seek ways to teach and mentor others.
Your passion is your compass
As you journey along your career path, you won’t know where you’ll end up. And that’s part of the joy of cultivating your career. Every decision, every opportunity, can lead you to new areas. Each new role will take you closer to career fulfilment. Especially if you use your passion as a guide.
Even if you take detours, always return to your original purpose. Consider the legacy that you want to leave the world. For me, that’s making sure that everyone, regardless of their education, degree (or lack of it) and background, has access to the economic market. What’s yours?
About the author
As a human capital futurist and strategist, Janice Robinson Burns develops and implements talent management and development programs that drive business results. She recently joined Degreed as their first Chief Career Experience Officer. Prior to Degreed, Janice spent 27 years at Mastercard, with her most recent role as their Chief Learning Officer. As CLO, she led the design and implementation of employee learning experiences and development programs globally, as well as development of frameworks to advance managerial capabilities and effectiveness. Prior to the CLO role, Janice served as Group Head of Human Resources for the Global Products and Solutions organization and Chief Diversity Officer of Mastercard. She earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration from New York University and a Bachelor’s degree from Wesleyan University.
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Interested in a Career in Cybersecurity? Here’s How to Make a Meaningful Impact
Article by Meera Rao, Senior Director of Product Management, Synopsys Software Integrity Group
I was a software developer and continuous integration practitioner for over 20 years before I accidentally was thrown into the security field.
When I initially joined this field, I had no clue about anything related to security, and was quite nervous when talking to my own colleagues let alone speaking to clients or at conferences, as I do now. Being able to speak intelligently about the field and sharing my knowledge at conferences helped me a lot in my career in the security field. Having a solid understanding of software development, end to end knowledge of the software development life cycle, and a deep understanding of software architectures was instrumental to my success in the security field.
From data breaches, to open source security issues, IoT devices vulnerable to cyber-attacks, and unsecured servers, we have seen it all and continue observing these security issues pop up almost every day. So, how can you be part of an industry which has a severe talent deficit, make a positive impact, grow your career, and be well compensated?
In all honesty, having advanced degrees in information security is not necessary to be a leader in this industry, and I am the prime example of this fact. Let me walk you through the job requirements for some of the latest AppSec focus areas, and offer some guidance around how to contribute and be part of the latest trends in the industry:
Cloud Security Practitioner: Cloud is the talk of the town these days. Every organization (big or small) wants to move to cloud. To work as a cloud security practitioner, you need to have experience in building, communicating, and managing cloud environments. You also need to have managed migration to the cloud, delivered a cloud native project, led and/or delivered cloud automation, and have a working knowledge of Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud platforms. Knowledge of RedHat / OpenStack would also be highly valuable.
DevSecOps Engineer: Who hasn’t heard of these industry buzz words: DevOps, DevSecOps, SecDevOps? If you are interested in being part of a great DevSecOps team as a DevSecOps engineer, then you should gain experience in containerization technology—preferably Docker and Kubernetes, have written enterprise Java applications using the JEE technology stack, have deep knowledge of build automation using tools like Jenkins, Bamboo, release automation (e.g., Jenkins, Puppet, etc.) and experience using scripting languages (e.g., Ruby, Python, etc.).
Security Champion: Security Champions are software developers. They allow for application security development and architecture to provide the first level of defense when it comes to providing application security guidance to development teams. If you are part of a development team, have good communication skills, and are curious to know more about security, you can be a security champion candidate.
The following roles require that you have a solid understanding of application architectures, frameworks, threat landscape, and some security background.
Threat Modeling SME: Threat modeling identifies the types of threat agents that cause harm and adopts the perspective of malicious hackers to see how much damage can be done to a system. Threat modeling subject matter expertise would require you to review the system’s major software components, security controls, assets, and trust boundaries, and then model those threats against existing countermeasures. You would then need to evaluate the potential outcomes.
Threat modeling requires an experienced security architect with knowledge in three fundamental areas: architecture and design patterns, enterprise application technologies, and security controls and best practices. Performing threat modeling is a difficult and an expensive undertaking for most organizations. Finding skilled resources is oftentimes a challenge.
Security Consultant: Do you like traveling (a requirement under traditional circumstances)? How about working within different industry verticals such as multinational media corporations, healthcare companies, financial institutions, pharmaceutical companies, and so on? Do you like the idea of parachuting in wherever software insecurity invades and work to stomp out bugs and flaws wherever they hide? Then you would enjoy life as a security consultant. In this role you will be able to perform source code analysis, software penetration testing, secure software design and architecture, and will become an indispensable advisor to customers.
I want to leave you with a final word. What I’ve shared with you today presents a teaser of all the exciting career options you can have in the AppSec industry. However, the key to being successful is constantly learning about new attacks, threats, and above all, helping customers exterminate bugs and untangle the flaws that make their systems insecure.
