Meet Simon Winter

Simon recently joined Octave from Dragonfly Data Science. We have loved having you at Octave. Can you tell us a bit about your background?

‍Sure thing, thanks for having me! At school I was always interested in art, design and photography - I still am. I spent a lot of time painting and in the dark room, I think there’s something amazing about creating something out of nothing. So after leaving school I studied design and started working as a web designer. I was really lucky to work with a bunch of really generous programmers who showed me that this black art isn’t as daunting as it looked. After being bitten by the programming bug I left my job & studied Computer Science at the University of Canterbury. After that, I now had this appreciation for both design and development, for me it’s that sweet spot of great design and technology that makes this job really enjoyable.

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What were you doing before you joined Octave?‍

I’ve worked in a number of different digital agencies both here and Wellington and previously in Christchurch. My previous role was quite different though, I worked for Dragonfly Data Science, a scientific consultancy here in Wellington. They do a lot of amazing research in many fields, particularly in marine ecology and health science. The role was really about helping to lift the standard of reporting that they provide their clients, whether that’s a web tool, a dashboard or an interactive report. It’s a really interesting environment - science is known for being difficult for non-scientists to access, so it was always a challenge to find the right level of communication with the audience. The problems were always technically challenging, so it allowed me to flex my development muscles in a variety of ways that previous roles may not have. The team were a great bunch to work with who were always doing good with data!

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What interested you most about working at Octave?

Part of the move for me was to get back into a design centred organisation. As much as the technical challenges are great fun, being able to work with a team of designers is something I have been missing for a while. Talking to Rich, Claire and Logan it was pretty obvious to me that this is a great environment with a bunch of really talented people, delivering amazing work! There’s also a really nice niche for me here where I can straddle that intersection between design and technology to help with the constant improvement that is always needed in a high performance team.

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How does strategic thinking inform your approach to development and technology?

Honestly, it’s a huge driver. I’m really interested in systems and how they keep running long term. Without seeing the bigger picture, decision making about coding or technology choices become much harder and you end up with decisions that aren’t that sticky. In the frontend world in particular, technology is constantly evolving and making the right choices can be hard. With a clear framework in place, making those choices becomes more straightforward and it becomes something that the entire organisation (and clients as well) can buy into and support.

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What do you love doing outside work?

I’m a dad to two small children with an old house. So I’m likely entertaining my kids, or entertaining the idea of more DIY! My partner and I own the house she grew up in, so it’s this really nice continuity between the generations - it’s really cool seeing the kids grow up and do the same things their Mum did in the same house! It is an old house, so there’s always some DIY that needs to be tackled. Aside from that, I’ve really become enamoured with bouldering - I find it a physically demanding and mentally clearing sport to take part in - everyone should give it a go!

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Now that you’re here at Octave, what’s it been like?

It’s been awesome! I came to find a change and that’s what I’ve found. I feel like Octave’s culture is super collaborative and really supportive. I’m really enjoying the mix of challenging and rewarding work, plus the relaxed banter between the team is great to hear and be part of. Everyone is here to do great work and that’s exactly what we’re all doing.

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