I studied Sociology at university and unexpectedly loved the data metrics and data analysis most.

After a couple of jobs in this space, I caught the bug for coding and testing, which started my QA journey and quickly moved to automated testing which really worked for me as I loved the technical nature of the role.

It was time for a move and I was approached by RDT.  I was interested in the growth opportunities, the tools being used, such as TFS, the fact they are a Microsoft gold partner, and that they were open to meeting my need for some flexibility around childcare.  I felt this was a great opportunity to show my daughter that as well as being mum, you can go and chase your dreams and that tech is not just for the boys!!

I work as part of a Scrum team and I am involved in the team’s story preparation where we look at the stories coming along in the next couple of months and try and establish what is needed.  On an ongoing basis, the work varies depending on where we are in the story and what we decide is the priority at the daily stand-up.  It is mostly a combination of test planning, manual execution or automation.  We also run retrospectives and the usual scrum ceremonies.  Other aspects of the role include planning for future releases, communication with the Product Owner, Business Analyst and developers.

I am currently working on Landscape, which is a core RDT product in the Atlas platform, working on new UI features for our clients, so we have to look carefully at what the client requires as well as whether it is the right progression for Landscape.  This requires a lot of liaising with other teams and looking at good practice.  When we get feedback from clients about the things we have done and things we have improved, it is really good to know the difference we have made.

I stay at RDT because of the people I work with and what I get involved in every day.  You can always find people here to speak to about the work, and their knowledge and experience is very high with an incredible level of professionalism.  I used to think I preferred working alone, but since working at RDT I have actually found that I prefer to work collaboratively in a team – probably because of the people and environment.

The social aspect at RDT is wonderful, it is a fun place to work, we laugh… a lot!  We spend time together in and out of work and the social events that are organised are really good too..

The work-life balance is great – RDT have been so flexible in terms of organising my working hours to fit around my family.  I am able to do a job I love whist still having time with daughter – it is very satisfying.