Q & A with Miguel Uzcategui, Lead Full Stack Engineer

Q & A with Miguel Uzcategui, Lead Full Stack Engineer

We sat down with Miguel, one of our Lead Full Stack Engineers, to find out what his day-to-day life looks like, what significant milestones he has had at Vortexa, and what he really thinks of our company culture…

03 November, 2023
Jessica Irvin
Jessica Irvin, VP People & Operations

Miguel is a technical lead of a pod of full stack engineers on the Application Development Team. He has been working in software development for the last 11 years, the last of them in Vortexa. 

Fun fact: Miguel has lived in 5 different countries and counting.

We wanted to find out what inspired Miguel to join Vortexa, what some of his biggest milestones have been to date and what day-to-day life really looks like for a Lead Full Stack Engineer… 

What inspired you to join Vortexa? 

I was seeking a challenge and the opportunity to build something different. During the interview process, I had the chance to speak with brilliant engineers. In these interviews, I had fabulous conversations and came to understand that this was a place where I would like to work, not just for the tech challenge but the people.

What would you say is the most interesting aspect of your role? 

I would say that is the fact that the problem we’re trying to solve is not an easy one, and we have the freedom and trust to build it in the way we think will be the best, also the amount of data we deal with, and how we use it to create something that’s useful that represents real life.

What have been some significant milestone moments for you at Vortexa? 

In the last year, I’ve been fortunate to be involved in many significant projects and initiatives. I would highlight my efforts to improve our testing processes and ensure the quality of our products. Additionally, I took ownership of one of the pods with the most complex datasets we have.

Our culture is all about collaboration and a willingness to share and help.
What does day-to-day life look like for you as a Lead Full Stack Engineer?  

My day always starts with a cup of tea or preparing my mate (drink), reading the news, checking the Slack channels, and probably doing some code reviews until we have our stand-up meeting with the team. After that, every day can be entirely different from the other. We aim to spend as much time as possible in ‘focus mode’. During these times, I investigate solutions we need to implement, work on proof of concepts, assist the engineers with their tasks, try to unblock any issues, and prepare everything to be ready for them. I also have meetings with the product team to understand what we need to build, with other engineers to share what we know, and ask about feedback on our proposals.

What key qualities make a Lead Full Stack Engineer successful? 

Well, I believe that the key qualities a Lead needs are: revolve around a sense of ownership, setting an example, and helping the growth of your team members. Our business is complex and you need to really understand how the real world behaves to understand what to do, leading by example is crucial, actions speak louder than words, and you need to be passionate about helping others grow, supporting your team members, providing guidance, constructive feedback, and opportunities for skill development. After all, the success of what we do is closely tied to the personal and professional growth of our team. It’s a win-win situation.

How would you describe the culture at Vortexa? 

Our culture is all about collaboration and a willingness to share and help. It’s a place where teamwork and support are at the core of what we do. ​

What advice would you give to people hoping to join Vortexa? 

Just do it, it’s challenging but you will enjoy it.

Describe your working life at Vortexa in three words! 

Continuous Learning Voyage

Jessica Irvin
VP People & Operations
Vortexa
Jessica Irvin
Jessica is the VP People & Operations at Vortexa and is responsible for hiring, learning & development, culture, engagement, performance management and leading expansion plans.