Our people,
their stories

Prior to RDT, I studied Computer Science at the University of Greenwich where my true love for the field was fully ignited.  After graduating from university in 2022, I wanted to apply this passion to real and impactful problems. Following a stint of working night shifts at a supermarket and completing a coding bootcamp, I applied to work at RDT and the rest is history. During my time working here, I can safely say that I have never felt more respected or fulfilled in a role, and I get to do what I love all day with great people.

As an associate software engineer at RDT, I am responsible for adhering to RDT’s software development lifecycle. My role involves writing the CI/CD scripts, developing the frontend, backend, and database, reviewing code, and contributing ideas alongside potential solutions, with the goal of meeting our project’s requirements in a timely manner.   

My favourite thing about working at RDT is the people, especially those in my team. Not only are they great company in and out of work, but they are also reliable and always willing to help. Another key aspect I appreciate about working at RDT is the respect and autonomy the company gives its employees, which makes the work much more fulfilling as you feel invested in a company that is invested in you. The work itself is also rewarding because it is challenging – every morning presents a new problem to solve and every evening I go home having overcome one.

Outside of work and programming, my current passion is learning the guitar. It is simultaneously rewarding and humbling. Some of RDT’s other musicians and I are planning to get together outside of work to relax, socialise, and play some music together. I am also attempting to learn a second language. Curiously, it would seem that both my work and hobbies share a similar foundation in the balance between challenge and reward.  

As mentioned above, RDT is a company that respects its employees and understands that happy staff lead to greater productivity. This is one of many ways in which I feel supported at RDT. Another example is the dynamic I have with my manager as I feel comfortable approaching them at any time to discuss any issues I have, as well as, having bi-monthly meetings where we can sit down and review progress. Furthermore, RDT has also supported me by providing the resources to obtain Microsoft certifications which are relevant to the work I do here and also beneficial for future career growth.

Before joining RDT, I was studying A Levels in Design and Photography, along with a BTEC in Music Production, at sixth form. But even from Year 10, I was already freelancing. I started by creating song covers for people on Spotify, which eventually led to designing logos. This progressed to building websites, and I grew my network of clients by handing out flyers to local businesses like pubs, takeaway shops, and hotels. I also connected with friends’ dads in the construction industry who needed help with websites. Alongside school, I was juggling my freelance work and working part-time as a delivery driver for Chinese food.

I joined RDT in April 2023 as an Intern Software Engineer on a fixed-term contract for six months. Before the contract ended, I was offered a permanent position by August. I initially joined with a strong design focus, working in one of the Tech Teams, where I started with front-end design work. But as I took on more coding-related tasks and developed a curiosity about programming, I naturally enrolled in RDT’s degree apprenticeship program.

Currently, I’m focused on building web products for our clients. My team handles everything—we don’t have a BA, Delivery Manager, or QA—so I enjoy being involved in every aspect of the workload and working collaboratively. I use Blazor, Visual Studio, and Azure DevOps on a daily basis.

What I love most about RDT is two things. First, I really like the people I work with. My team is young, but I also work alongside senior software engineers from whom I can learn a lot. Second, I love that RDT isn’t a massive corporate environment. I feel like I have the freedom to pitch ideas directly to the Execs, without worrying about being young or just starting out. This has given me the confidence to take initiative and drive products forward.

I’m passionate about building things and seeing them through to the end product. Outside of work, I’m a big fan of golf and have recently gotten into paddle tennis. My passion for design will always be a part of me, and I still take on a little freelance work when I can.

I feel incredibly supported at RDT. I have great management, and I feel safe and comfortable in my role. The opportunity to earn while learning, especially with a degree that comes without any debt, is something I think is amazing. I’m managing my workload and coursework well, and the Open University has been fantastic with extensions when necessary—though I haven’t needed to ask for one yet. RDT provides me with one study day a week, and they’ve made it clear that if I need more time, it’s available to me.

Before joining RDT, I was studying A Levels at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls, where I achieved an A* in Maths and an A in Further Maths and Computer Science. I had the opportunity to attend two work experience placements at RDT, and it was the second one—where I spent a week working closely with a software development team—that made me realise this was the career path I wanted to pursue.

I was lucky enough to secure a degree apprenticeship with RDT before finishing my A Levels, and I officially joined in September 2024. I’m currently working on web applications for RDT customers as part of a team of four. I’m actively involved in all aspects of the development process, from gathering requirements to development and testing. We work collaboratively, sharing the workload, and I mainly use Visual Studio and Microsoft Azure DevOps, which I had to learn quickly to be fully operational.

At first, I was a bit apprehensive about transitioning from being a student to a full-time office job, but I’ve felt fully supported at RDT. My manager played a big part in making the change seamless, and I quickly settled in. During my onboarding, I had plenty of meetings with my manager to discuss my progress and the next steps for my development, and this continues on a fortnightly basis. Balancing my coursework and job has been going well, and I’m happy with the results I’ve been getting for my assignments.

Outside of work, I’m passionate about music. I play the piano and am teaching myself to play the electric guitar. Back in sixth form, I even formed a band, and I was worried that by not going to university, I’d miss out on joining a music group or society. However, I’ve discovered that quite a few of my colleagues here also play music, so we’ve been talking about starting our own band, which would be amazing!

As a Delivery Manager at RDT since December 2023, I am responsible for overseeing the successful delivery of critical programmes for the business, ensuring both executive and client expectations are met, projects are completed on time, and adhering to the agreed-upon budget.

In this role, I am responsible for leading cross-functional teams, coordinating resources, and removing any roadblocks that may impede project progress.

With a collaborative and empathetic leadership approach, I foster an environment where team members feel supported and motivated. I appreciate the trust and autonomy I have in my role. I am empowered to take initiative, make decisions, and contribute meaningfully to the company’s objectives.

RDT’s support for gender and ethnic diversity is commendable, our company not only enhances its own success, but also contributes to a more equitable and inclusive society. 

The way that RDT appreciates and supports young talent through mentorship is praiseworthy. We believe that the right guidance and support can make all the difference in the early stages of one’s career. Our senior leaders and experienced professionals are dedicated to providing mentorship, sharing their knowledge, and offering advice to help young talents navigate their professional journeys.

Fun fact: When I am not overseeing projects, I enjoy cooking biriyani for my colleagues.

All in all, working for RDT has been an enriching experience, and I’m excited for the future. The combination of a great team, a supportive environment, and growth opportunities has made it a place where I feel I can truly succeed and make a difference.

Before RDT, I went to Cardiff University to do a Computer Science degree, after I finished I worked on my own for while helping clients through friends and family with websites or process automation. However, I really wanted to gain more experience as a software developer, and after connecting with RDT through their Assessment Day it resulted in me being offered a Associate Software Engineer role.

As an Associate Software Engineer, I’ve gotten exactly what I was looking for as I am constantly presented with new topics to learn and understand. I apply this knowledge on given projects, where often I find myself collaborating in our the team for the best solution. In my day to day, I can find myself within code, pipelines or cloud resources… giving me a nice range of contexts to explore!

One of my favourite things about working at RDT is the culture, it makes my work here that much more enjoyable, it’s a really friendly and fun environment where I feel I can push myself whilst being able to ask any question. This is what I appreciate the most, as I want to learn/improve as much as I can and being in an environment that supports this is exactly what I was looking for.

I am most passionate about trying new things, I love to try different programming languages and frameworks. It’s interesting to me to see how one process can be done in many different ways and which one is the most efficient.

RDT has really supported me and our team with supports like flexible starting times and work from home arrangements. Our team members have longer commutes than normal, so having this flexibility really helps when it comes to making the most out of my day.

As a lead software engineer, my overarching responsibility is to ensure the quality of the code base maintained by the Policy team adheres to well-established industry standards and norms.

There are a few things I love about RDT. Primarily,  the professionalism exhibited by the staff. Almost every person I have encountered is well-mannered and polite. It must be an institutional culture cultivated over time. Another characteristic of the work culture at RDT I love is the readiness to collaborate. It is not uncommon in the software industry for the wrong culture to be created where developers seek to prove themselves better than others and consequently fail to collaborate. In RDT, the opposite is true; most of the staff are ready to share knowledge and collaborate, making the team even more productive as a collective. The range of technical staff here at RDT is another distinguishing aspect of the company. You will always find the right mix of people to hang with and learn from at RDT.

I’m passionate about well-designed, maintainable software. It’s often said that “software is inherently complex” and “code is written once but read many times.” That’s why I believe in writing clear, readable code that others can easily understand and build upon, reducing maintenance costs and improving long-term quality.

Since software constantly evolves, code must remain accessible to developers who weren’t its original authors. This is the principle that drives my approach to development.

I’m also a strong advocate for unit testing and Test-Driven Development (TDD). A robust test suite acts as a safety net, ensuring changes don’t introduce regressions and that the code remains fit for purpose. At RDT, TDD is part of our culture, and anyone who follows the Red-Green-Refactor mantra will feel right at home.

I have found the company willing to invest in staff training where there is mutual benefit to staff and the company. I recently had time allocated out of my working hours to undertake a Microsoft certification training in Azure DevOps Pipelines and YAML. I also recently had the opportunity to attend a Microsoft-organized training on GitHub Actions at the Microsoft offices.

Overall, my experience at RDT so far has been full on and rewarding at the same time. As one from a minority race background working here at RDT, I can bear witness to how the workplace culture is embracing of all peoples regardless of socio-economic and racial backgrounds without compromising on maintaining the right levels of professionalism at the workplace.

If you are an aspiring software engineer of any background, are hardworking, and looking for a forward-looking company to help build your career in software engineering, I would highly recommend RDT.

Before joining RDT, I was studying for my A-levels at Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School, where my interest in IT and technology grew from playing video games in my spare time. I knew I wanted to enter the IT industry but was unaware of the various career paths available. When I saw an apprenticeship opportunity at RDT on Indeed, I recognised it as a chance to gain a degree while acquiring valuable work experience.

The recruitment process at RDT was thorough and welcoming. It began with two phone interviews—one with HR and one with a software engineer—after which I was invited to an assessment day. This event was an excellent opportunity to meet other apprentices and showcase my strengths through teamwork activities, a programming task, a technical interview, and another HR interview. I was thrilled to receive an offer to join RDT as an apprentice engineer.

The apprenticeship program at RDT, in partnership with the Open University, spans four years and is part-time, involving three modules per year. RDT’s support has been exceptional; they even provided extra study time when I had multiple modules simultaneously. This program allowed me to earn a degree while gaining four years of work experience alongside experienced software engineers. 

I also became a subject matter expert in several areas such as documentation and reports with Kofax, and I regularly mentor and support colleagues, being keen to develop my people-lead skills.

Across my career, I’ve worked in a number of different sectors, from Aerospace to Public Sector to Media Monitoring. I even spent a period as a Painter and Decorator, never seeming to find anything that aligned with what I wanted in both a job and a working environment.  That all changed in 2008.

When I started at RDT as a Software Engineer in 2008, it was a small company of around 20-30 employees that embraced new technology and innovation.  It had a real family feel to it.  Everyone knew everyone, and the CEO Mark’s door was always open. Now, 17 years on, I’m a Lead, and RDT has around a hundred people.  We still have that passion for technology and innovation, and that small company feeling of community.  Mark’s door is still open for anyone to discuss any aspect of life and work at RDT.

The company understands that real life happens, and has always been there to support me through my rain and shine, which is a big part of what has kept me here all this time.  I love learning, and at RDT, we’re constantly evolving to embrace new technologies and stay ahead of a very competitive market.

The bottom line is, if you’re passionate about technology and want to work in a friendly, supportive environment, RDT is the place for you.