JP Morgan is a leader in financial services, offering solutions to clients in more than 100 countries with one of the most comprehensive global product platforms available. Behind the scenes of this amazing platform are people like Alex.
Alex answered a few questions for us about what it’s like to build her career in technology with a company as dedicated to the advancement of women as JP Morgan.
Tell us a little about yourself Alex
I’ve worked and studied in a variety of countries and cultures, including the UK, Spain, Belgium, Zambia, India, and Romania – my home country.
In 2020, I won the Ambassador’s Diploma from the Romanian Embassy in the UK for my achievements and academic results during my master’s degree. I speak a few languages, including English, Spanish and currently learning Korean with already a 275-day streak on Duolingo for it!
Tell us about your role at JP Morgan:
As the Product Adoption Lead for public cloud, I manage technologies, design, and business concepts to help teams more efficiently and effectively use public cloud. I’m also responsible for relationship management and customer success activities in areas including technical writing, front-end engineering, and analytics.
What’s something exciting you’ve worked on since you started at JP Morgan?
I’m continually challenged by the tech and design work we do!
One of the most complex challenges I’ve worked on was helping to enable a new conversational AI assistant for the firm. This meant connecting to all other platform APIs [Application Programming Interfaces] to pre-fill the information and data, so users would not have to repeat or provide it.
The conversational design required us to train the intent recognition by using Natural Language Processing to make it work seamlessly. We did a great deal of testing and soliciting feedback so that we could make tweaks and improvements.
With the new platform, we realized savings in support and operations costs, enabled real-time self-service to speed resolution, and freed up our technologists to focus on more difficult issues. The platform now handles over one million conversations a year.
What first attracted you to want to work at JP Morgan?
I was happy working in the gaming industry in Barcelona, when my mentor encouraged me to take an opportunity at JP Morgan that would benefit my career long term. I started in 2016 through the firm’s Tech Connect and Software Engineers Program in Bournemouth, before moving to the Glasgow site in 2020.
Working for a company as big and complex as JP Morgan affords me more opportunities to network, learn, and grow from a variety of tech teams than a smaller company would. I wanted to learn more about theoretical computer science and JP Morgan sponsored my master’s degree in Computer Science that I completed last summer. My next goal now is the Expert Engineer Program (an advanced development program for technologists), and I’m in the application stage, doing my best to get selected.
JP Morgan has many career development opportunities including access to career coaching and external mentoring programs.
How have JP Morgan supported you to grow your career in tech?
JP Morgan offers great opportunities for professional and personal development. I’m the co-lead for Glasgow’s Product Management Ignite Community, which is an employee-led group that provides learning opportunities to further develop our tech and core skills. I’m also active in several other Tech & Development communities inside and outside the firm, including Codebar, Patchwork, Innovation Week, global Hackathons and Tech for Good.
I love the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) communities and am organizing the EMEA external speaking program for our Women on The Move Centre of Excellence [COE]. I’m a partner for our Adelante Business Resource Group [BRG], an employee network where I can meet others from a Latinx and Hispanic background and practice my Spanish-speaking skills.
I also find the firm’s physical and mental well-being benefits amazing, from meditation and yoga classes to the counselling support that helped me process my grief and loss of a family member.
What top three tips would you give other women looking to grow their tech careers?
1. Surround yourself with role models, mentors, and inspirational teams from diverse technology fields to open your career and study possibilities.
2. Build your foundation of skills and knowledge — work on your core to do more!
3. It’s okay to walk away, change paths, and try different roles and industries. It’s never too late to learn new skills or use what you’ve learned in a new field. Find your ikigai—what motivates and drives your sense of purpose and go all in.
You got this!
If you want to grow your tech career with a world leading company dedicated to creating a divers and equitable workplace, find out more about JP Morgan.
