Fernando from Starion

I work for Starion within the European Space Agency (ESA) in the European Space Astronomy Centre’s (ESAC’s) Science Data Centre (ESDC) in Madrid, Spain, and have been with the company since December 2021.

What does a typical day in your working life entail?

My role is a mix of technical, managerial and administrative work.

Around 50% of my time is spent following up the evolution of the Scrum sprints of the five teams that develop and support the space data archives at ESDC. The other 50% is working on activities that involve reporting, improvement actions (for example generating templates and testing), coaching, documentation, reviews and coordination of activities with other product assurance staff at ESAC to undertake common actions.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

I enjoy being able to help my colleagues work better and ensuring that things are not only done but done correctly. That means that the agreed processes are followed and that the improvements provide a tangible result.

Even more rewarding is when my colleagues recognise that my activities benefit the team and lead to real improvements.

What has been your most memorable highlight or achievement?

I think it was during the beginning of the pandemic and lockdown, not long before I joined Starion. In a matter of 3 days, we had to reorganise everything so we could continue with our business while switching to fully telecommuting; at the level of our quality assurance (QA) department, it was a challenge to achieve this in such a short time.

It was a very delicate situation, with hundreds of clients worried about how it would be possible to continue obtaining their service – at that time we were managing, among other things, the payroll for tens of thousands of people who needed to receive their salaries on time. It was a total success, with an almost zero incident rate and, at the company level, more than 500 people working ‘normally’ in a totally new environment.

Do you have any tips for people trying to get jobs in your area of expertise?

For the product assurance and quality roles, the ideal is a combination of technical (software engineering) and soft skills. Also, critical thinking is essential. We must always analyse and challenge what is done and consider how to keep improving even if everything seems to be working well.

I think these jobs are better suited to experienced people. It is not that a newcomer could not do it, but there are many circumstances where experience is a plus, especially when addressing senior staff and pointing out deficiencies or improvement needs. You need to be considered as a reference regarding your knowledge area so that your opinions are taken into account by your colleagues.

How do you wind down after a working day?

Well, having two teenage girls at home helps me to quickly disconnect from work! More seriously, I try to free my mind from work problems or activities and focus on my personal life: walking the dog helps me wind down. In addition, doing DIY, cooking, reading or undertaking some completely different activity helps you focus on other matters. All of this contributes to returning to work fresher the next day.