Meet Martina Ivaničová, one of our engineering leads from the Bratislava office who previously worked as a Solution Architect before joining our company. She enjoys working at the brand new Bratislava office with her team because getting to see them in person every day has been very motivating following her remote work during Covid-19. She spends her days with Kiwi.com managing 8 engineers and meeting new people!
What made working for Kiwi.com sound more appealing than other jobs as an engineering lead? What are some aspects of the company that encourage you to stay?
I knew about Kiwi.com before applying to work here, I like to travel and had used it to book trips. My former job experience and skillsets matched up for the position perfectly. Working for Kiwi.com has fulfilled my passion to work with both data and people. Kiwi.com isn’t just a travel company, it is a highly advanced technology that proves just how much data matters in life. This job allows me to work in a team of inspiring people and improve my communication skills while also getting the opportunity to work with numbers, coding, and data.
How does communication between the leads and the engineers in the office work?
There are several levels of management at our company. Currently, I work as a bridge between 8 engineers and the higher management. I help the engineers during their day-to-day operations. I have learned that in order to effectively manage, I have to be able to thoroughly communicate with them in both Czech and English. Knowing both languages is extremely helpful for successfully managing.
What is your management style?
My managing style adjusts to who I am working with. Some people need more time and freedom to work more creatively and effectively and so I manage by collecting their opinions on the project and moving on from there. Getting to know my team on both a professional and personal level helps me to learn their preferences and manage them in a way that I think they will succeed the best.
Besides having an engineering focus, what makes the office in Bratislava unique compared to the others?
Kiwi.com still maintains a start-up atmosphere and spirit because it is continually growing and getting better. There are people of all ages which creates a young dynamic. This aspect of Kiwi.com is very motivating while working in the office, everyone is constantly inspired by the new ideas and developments in the company, which makes work both fun and inspiring. The brand new office is located right next to the Danube River, which is a great place to walk around and eat lunch with members of the team.
What are the most successful performance measures used by the office in Bratislava?
We are very data-driven at the Bratislava office. With everyone being so technologically advanced, it is easy to measure our performance with numbers. For my team, we are always trying to create objectives that are measurable so we can successfully learn what we can do better. We often recognize employees for their exceptional performance by having parties and giving prizes. There is a well-defined career path here and every employee has meetings with their manager to go over the quarter and receive feedback. During Covid-19, we had online parties where we got to meet online and played fun games to celebrate together safely.
Describe a day in the life of Martina Ivaničová.
I like to start my day very early because I am very focused and can work on things like coding and code reviews. Every day at 9 AM I meet with my team to discuss any new projects, where we are standing, and what we are planning to do. After that, every day is different. I get to meet with lots of different people every day, including stakeholders or people involved with our platform. These meetings help me to get a grasp on what initiatives we should do. I try to dedicate time each day with my team whether it be in one-on-ones, smaller group meetings, or team ceremonies.
How does the atmosphere of the office motivate you?
I started working for Kiwi.com during the Covid-19 pandemic, so it was hard to really get to know my team through online meetings. Now, we all get to work together at the brand new office, have lunch together, and do things outside of work. The office is a really nice place, and we always have lots of food and nice things there to motivate us. Being able to work with my team face-to-face has been great. It allows us to speak our opinions more freely and generate new ideas as a group.
See the Youtube recording from the interview or check it as a podcast on Spotify.
Get to know more about the Bratislava office
Get to know more about the Bratislava office and check out the interview with our previous Bratislava office site lead Tomáš Majer and a current one, Martin Škarbala. You can also visit our Bratislava office page for more details.
Are you interested in open positions in the Bratislava office?
We’re searching for people who can bring leadership and knowledge to the office. Check the role of Javascript Engineer, Android Engineer, iOS Engineer, Data Platform Engineer, and Python Engineer for Finance Tribe.