Proekspert seeks a .NET developer for large-scale project

Proekspert is once again adding to its team! This time, we seek a .NET developer to help digitize industry and take our clients in manufacturing to the next level.

The position comes with multiple challenges and responsibilities, but also the opportunity to collaborate with world-class companies and work in a bossless environment.

The Estonian magazine, Geenius, spoke with Mihkel Reimand, Proekspert’s industry digitalization lead, to find out more about the projects and the content of the job being offered.

The coronavirus crisis has had a clear impact on the activities and budgets of many companies. Has the crisis also affected Proekspert’s clients?

When the coronavirus pandemic broke out last year, companies in the industrial sector were hit hard, and many of them reduced resources previously earmarked for software development.

Today, the field has largely recovered, and clients increasingly understand the need for IT solutions. Investing in automation and digitizing manual work is a priority. We are currently working on information systems development projects for several large industrial enterprises. In essence, they cover day-to-day operations of the client’s business, along with optimization and integration with other applications.

What are the challenges that come with the projects?

The main question is always about how to develop wisely. We need to find ways to make the architecture as smart as possible and maintain the speed of development. In our daily work, we use solutions that run from microservices to machine learning. At Proekspert, we also follow the principle that you don’t always have to develop everything from scratch. If we can find existing solutions that are adaptable to the project, it is often more sensible to use those than to produce the same thing ourselves.

What does a working day on these large-scale projects look like? Do all team members have to be “live together” and work at the same time?

Work-life balance is very important to us at Proekspert. This means that our working hours are flexible – it’s all about good communication. Our goal is to work so efficiently that there is no need for overtime. As a team, we need to work seamlessly together, plan ahead and, if necessary, support each other in difficult situations.

We are also flexible about where we work. We believe that each team member should have every opportunity to do their job as productively as possible, which can mean attending training abroad and/or having access to powerful tools. At the moment, travel and face-to-face meetings are more difficult, of course, but hopefully, in a few months, the situation will be better, and we will be able to see each other more often once again.

What kinds of skills and personal characteristics are you looking for in the new team member?

On the technical side – in addition to .NET skills – big plusses are experience with the C# programming language and prior contact with large projects. It would be beneficial if the candidate understands the inner workings of corporate information systems and how information flows between different applications. Knowledge of the logic behind the operations of an industrial enterprise is also an advantage.

In terms of character, we are looking for someone who can give and receive constructive feedback. Our DNA is our team, and at Proekspert, all team members are equal, no matter the length of their employment with the company.

In our opinion, the hallmark of a good developer is if they realize that sometimes the client’s tasks can be better solved through collaboration with the team and then offered to the client together.

On top of that, it’s beneficial to be able to take initiative. If you would like the team to support an idea, you need to inspire them and make them see new opportunities. In our experience, imposing a new idea or solution by force gets you nowhere.

As our team is an independent unit, communication and good relationships are essential. This also means understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, as well as those of others, and synchronizing activities based on that knowledge. Knowing and being aware of one’s strengths helps us work better together.

We all know that with great independence comes great responsibility. So who is ultimately responsible for the project presented to the client?

What a bossless culture really means is that the company places a great deal of trust in its employees. As a team, this means the opportunity to make decisions and operate independently, without any intervention from above, and the team is responsible for the work delivered to the client.

Traditionally, in software development, the project manager communicates with the client and acts as an intermediary with the development team. With us, it’s the developers who communicate with the client directly. Obviously, this comes with responsibility, but it can also be viewed as an opportunity for personal development.

Responsibility can mean that you’re in charge of new software deployment in ten different factories. On one hand, you are responsible for solving the client’s problem; on the other, the thing you have developed may break. You’re not likely to get this kind of experience in most other companies.

Responsibility can mean that you’re in charge of new software deployment in ten different factories. On one hand, you are responsible for solving the client’s problem; on the other, the thing you have developed may break. You’re not likely to get this kind of experience in most other companies.

Apart from great responsibility, what else does Proekspert offer the new developer?

A chance to collaborate on projects with big, world-class companies and learn how large enterprises work.

Of course, we offer the opportunity to get involved in other projects too. If one project ends, or you’re looking for new challenges, we have many opportunities for moving within the company. We are built in a way that our people can move between very different projects, keep developing personally, and gain knowledge in many different areas.

On top of the exciting work, we also offer all the other benefits that can be expected of an IT company. At Proekspert, we’re proud of our family-oriented culture – people’s personal lives are very much taken into account. Working from home while looking after children was common for us even before the pandemic. And when in-person get-togethers were still possible, there were a variety of kid-friendly events, as well as bring-your-child-to-work days.

Based on my own experience, I’d say there is the understanding at Proekspert that family is the most important thing, and the work environment has been built to allow for a balance between work and family life.

Interested in joining Proekspert? Check out our current vacancies here.

* This interview was first published in Estonian in the publication Geenius.