This article was originally published on 18 October 2023.
You can read the original article on the 6point6 website here.
Katie was shortlisted as a finalist in the 2023 Women in Tech Excellence Awards. Reflecting on her rapid progression from a graduate trainee to becoming a delivery lead, Katie shares what motivates her about her role and the importance of raising the profile of women in tech.
What I do
I am one of the delivery leads at 6point6 working on digital transformation projects across financial services. Planning and coordination are key components of my work. I’m the principal planner and problem solver, helping everyone involved – from software engineers to architects and testers – to deliver the right solutions for our clients. I also act as the facilitator of conversations with clients to listen, understand and empathise, seeking the right solutions while ensuring everyone is up to date on every single aspect of the delivery programme. Ultimately, my focus is building a more stable delivery approach.
While at university studying Physics, I had no idea a delivery management role even existed, but I knew that I wanted to build a career in tech. I joined 6point6 as a graduate technology analyst in September 2021 becoming a delivery lead in 2022. I am delighted to be shortlisted as Rising Star of the Year finalist by Women in Tech Excellence and excited to be working at 6point6, which recognises my talent and supports me every step of the way.
A day in my working life
As a delivery lead, life is anything but boring! Every day brings its own opportunities and challenges. Tackling obstacles and keeping on top of client delivery targets are key aspects of my day-to-day work, and the projects I deal with are complex and often time-sensitive. For example, we had to recently work against the clock to deliver a project for a client following regulatory change, which meant consolidating millions of sub-£100 pension fund accounts in just six months! I was the conduit, engaging with the client and overseeing developers and technical engineers who created a tool to automate the identification of funds with similar characteristics. We did it in time unlocking cost savings for the client of more than £600,000 a year.
What is exciting for me is watching these short pieces of work evolve into long-term projects, like when the same client asked us to support them on a large and complex project to migrate the service we had previously built, along with its data. My motto is to throw myself in first before the daunting mindset takes charge leaving great opportunities behind. I’ve found that overcoming these fears and jumping at new prospects is highly rewarding – like delivering a key presentation, or facilitating a meeting with senior executives from the client side.
Career highlights
My top personal achievement has definitely been taking on the wide range of responsibilities of a delivery lead at 24. I am conscious that being a young woman has its obstacles. To get to where I am now fills me with confidence for what more can be achieved for me and other women starting our careers in tech. Overseeing two development teams solving challenging problems made me realise that I am a great connector – finding the right person to solve particularly challenging problems, tracking the right information, and ensuring every technical team member has the right support.
My next ambition is to progress to managing larger projects and programmes as the sole delivery lead, with full responsibility and ownership while also maintaining the collaborative team spirit that I enjoy. Becoming a people manager is also part of my aspiration. 6point6 is a great place to do this as their comprehensive leadership training programme will give me the confidence to hone my situational leadership style and management technique.
Delivery is one the best jobs in the world because…
If you’re looking for a hands-on role with plenty of variety and challenges, then this is the perfect role for you. The diverse range of skills is endless – from stakeholder engagement, problem-solving and collaboration to being pivotal in shaping the success of projects. You get to be part of making an impact by influencing outcomes and ensuring that solutions are delivered efficiently. Soft skills are much needed in this role and are more important than your technical know-how since your focus is on fostering a supportive and collaborative team. It helps a lot if you’re working in a compassionate culture with colleagues who have your back. That’s enabled me to be innovative at 6point6, helping me to take ownership and build effective relationships.
Katie Vega, Delivery Lead
Katie studied Physics before embarking on a career in delivery. Her keen interest in technology, strong communication skills and positive approach makes her ideally suited to motivating and connecting teams as they deliver technological solutions that address complex, time-sensitive challenges. When she’s not working, Katie can be found enjoying live music, bouldering or playing with her old university jazz band.
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