How payments raise the stakes for software engineers

Hi Cece

Hello

Can you tell us a little… story (I’m sorry) about yourself?

(rolls eyes) Sure. I’ve been at Adyen for about a year working out of the Chicago Tech Hub. I’m an engineering team lead for our in-person payments group. I used to work at a technology consultancy firm so this is my first time working in fintech.  

How has the experience been building an engineering team in Chicago? 

It’s been exciting building the team here. The company was founded in Amsterdam, and until a couple years ago, nearly all the tech teams were based there. It’s an exciting challenge to figure out the kinds of work people can start so they have the runway to own more and more projects. We are becoming an autonomous hub and starting to take on big projects in North America.    

What traits do you look for in software engineers? 

We are looking for collaborative, independent people who don’t need all the tracks laid out in front of them. Since there’s little time overlap with some of our global colleagues, you need to have an adventurous spirit and be able to “figure things out.”

We want people interested in setting things up and thinking creatively about how we can collaborate globally.

Is it strange to call Chicago a tech hub?

Hey, I’m from Chicago. We’re a sleeper tech city. There are tons of tech people here, and many work in finance and payments. The Midwestern spirit of being open, generous, and humble melds well with the broader company and the work ahead of us.

Is there an advantage to this location? 

It’s super valuable to be close to our customers. We just spent time talking to a large, US-based retail customer about a rollout. If they have an issue, it can be solved in real time. 

Another customer we work with, Dick’s Sporting Goods, is a short flight to their headquarters in Pennsylvania, where we can talk to them in person and get feedback on our payment terminal features. Then, we can work on it right away. Since we're focused on growth in North America, we are in the perfect spot to connect with regional customers.

What are some projects you’re working on?

On the in-person payments team, we support many different types of terminals. Instead of rebuilding the software all our different vendors provide, we’re working on building the software ourselves. That way, we can run one piece of software on every device.

We're also currently building new payment features for a new terminal. The US will be a key market for this device, so Chicago is taking the lead. We'll be the first line of support since we know what they want and can visit them and be present for the pilot and launch.  

How has your work this past year supported your growth?

From a technical perspective, there's been a ton of learning. My background is traditionally in back-end Java development, and now I'm working on terminal development. It's a totally different ecosystem. 

What energizes you most when you roll out of bed and think about the day ahead?

What I find most energizing is that the software I work on is real. Solving bugs is about money for our customers. I don't feel like I'm doing random things for random reasons. The work I do is critical and the stakes are high. It's not internal software for a company where people would be sad if the software goes down, but it's not a crisis.  Here, we work on technology that can't stop working.

Any challenges working at Adyen?

Adyen wants to own everything—the full stack. This makes sense because of security and the risk of integrating with third parties. But for new hires, it can take some adjusting. There is a lot of custom software. Once you're in it, it makes sense, but it can take time to ramp up.

What is the most exciting thing about working in payments? 

One of the most exciting things about payments is the growth potential, both industry-wise and career-wise. Coming into the space, I knew payments were complex, but I didn't realize how complex. For example, regarding terminals, I didn't know how many software upgrades and features can still be innovated and built on.

It's also such a competitive industry. Since there's no clear-cut winner currently, we have a real hunger to win. That incentivizes us to work hard and, as a byproduct, grow in our roles. 

One word to describe the North American tech hub?

Vibrant

What is the best thing about the Chicago office?

The people are really lovely, and there’s great banter. You would have to work hard not to have a lively conversation. 

Thanks Cece

Np