Business Area, Diversity & Inclusion, Featured, Shannon, Shannon Life, Software

We have a strong Diversity & Inclusion culture here

‘During the 11th year of my Software Engineering career working in Healthcare domain, I took the most difficult decision in my life – to apply abroad for Software Engineer roles. My husband motivated me to do so, while I was thinking of switching jobs.

On February 2019, we moved to Ireland with our child, and I started my role as a Senior Software Developer at Jaguar Land Rover. This was a huge transition, with everything being so new – but we settled well.

One of the best things working here in Jaguar Land Rover,  Shannon is that we are a relatively small and diverse group of people – from so many diverse cultures and countries. You can be part of a project team of six people from five continents – it’s amazing. I feel the company provides us with a very non – hierarchical organization structure – with a culture that has made me become a more confident person. Everyone has a voice here, I truly feel.

I am part of the Onboard Software Development Team. I currently work for Vehicle Analytics project. We have the opportunity to work on Jaguar Land Rover’s next generation vehicle software platform development. It’s very satisfying to see the code we develop gets deployed onto our premium vehicles – it’s always a proud moment for me.

We have a strong Diversity & Inclusion culture here. This year I joined as a committee member in She++ community – which is  Shannon’s in-house community that supports women in Jaguar Land Rover, Shannon. She++ community has women in Shannon and their allies as members. As part of She++ community activities, I was fortunate enough to participate as a panelist in a She++ panel discussion and get involved in various other programmes organized by She++ community. She++ community activities really resonates with my passion to contribute back to the community – especially to inspire girls to consider a career in technology and engineering.

One final thing that has impressed me about the company culture is the support from the business and how valued it makes you feel. The past two years have been difficult for everyone with the pandemic – but our managers have always made sure our work life balance and wellbeing have been looked after.’

Interested in joining our team in Shannon . Visit http://ow.ly/hqrF50IvQNH to find out more.

Business Area, Diversity & Inclusion, Home Page, Shannon, Shannon Life, Software

Women in Tech Mentoring Project

All three women are currently reskilling, have completed their nine month software development training course and are now on internship for three months within Jaguar Land Rover, Shannon.

Fiona Gilchrist, (R&D Strategy Lead, Commercial Team), Ritu Johnstone (Project Manager/AGILE RTE), Arifa Khan (Senior Software Developer – Technical Lead), Tanya Flood (Senior Software Developer) and Madhuvanthi Nirmalnath (Software Developer) are participating in the Mentoring programme and are giving their free time to mentor women who have taken a break from their career and the workplace – and are now looking to reskill in tech.

Throughout the project, mentees are given access to key engineers within Jaguar Land Rover who are continuously sharing knowledge on coding skills, products and process that are critical to software engineering and the AGILE way of working. The skills that are being shared with the mentees are critical to working in the Tech and Automotive industry.

The mentees are also being guided on how to prepare for interviews and have been given a non-confidential overview of how software engineering is being used in JLRs products and processes. Garrett Colins, Engineering Manager from the VDC team and Padraig Jones (Software Engineering Manager) have also given up their time to demonstrate the latter. Karen O’Halloran recently provided an overview of the Jaguar Land Rover Graduate programme.

Fiona Gilchrist is hosting the mentees on the project on daily basis and organised for the mentors within Shannon to give up their valuable time to supporting technical aspects and soft skills. The mentees have access to office space on a weekly basis and key engineering personnel which is key to advancing their skills and knowledge for career progression within the Tech Industry.

All of the mentors agree that “this is a fantastic way to give back and, personally, learn different aspects of mentoring”. The project is a huge learning curve for the mentees and really helps build their confidence after such a lengthy career break – as it can be quite overwhelming to go back into the workplace.

Autonomous, Business Area, Diversity & Inclusion, Electrical Engineering, Featured, Home Page, People, Shannon, Shannon Life, Software, Technology

Even though I had no automotive experience – my skills and knowledge have been essential in the ADAS team

‘I’m originally from Vietnam and that’s where my passion for computing began. I originally did a degree in Mathematics and Informatics followed by a scholarship to do my Masters in Applied Mathematics. I then received a scholarship to do my PHD at NUI Galway.

I didn’t know a great deal about Ireland, so it was a huge decision to make the big leap to live a such a different country. After time spent doing a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Limerick I decided to move over from academia to industry – joining Jaguar Land Rover after a short time in Valeo to be involved in computer modelling for autonomous vehicles – an area where my mathematics background fitted well.

Even though I had no automotive experience – my skills and knowledge have been essential in the ADAS team. Working here has been a big learning curve for me. I have gained new learnings and knowledge in my role. I didn’t know C ++ when I arrived in industry – or anything about computer vision – but I have learnt these new skills very quickly. I am always looking to improve my knowledge on relevant subjects, and I adapted very quickly to my role.

I’m also lucky to have worked with helpful managers and teams – the whole working environment is hugely supportive. The projects I work on are hugely challenging but the future looks extremely exciting. My academic background has been a huge benefit in helping me develop algorithms and be involved in some incredibly challenging problem solving in Autonomous driving. I love it!’

Play your part in our exciting journey http://ow.ly/aUNq50HYOW1

#LifeatJLR #ReimagineYourFuture #ADAS

Autonomous, Culture and Values, Diversity & Inclusion, Home Page, People, Shannon, Shannon Life, Software, Technology

You can propose new ideas and ways of working and get a lot of support to implement them

‘Just over two and a half years ago I moved to Shannon from Krakow in Poland. Krakow is a huge and vibrant city but there is very little diversity there. I immediately experienced such a difference when I arrived in Ireland.

What I absolutely love, since starting with Jaguar Land Rover, is working with colleagues from different cultures and backgrounds – and the benefits and respect that brings to the working environment.

I have met colleagues and become friends with people from across the globe – from Turkey, Hungary, India, Vietnam and many more countries. I feel really settled here.

My role as Scrum Master means that I talk a lot to colleagues to ensure our work is represented and we are all on track with a project. The culture in the Shannon office is very agile and openminded. You can propose new ideas and ways of working and get a lot of support to implement them.

There is a lot of collaboration and co-operation within the business. At the moment I am working closely with a very experienced Agile Coach and, since she has taken me under her wing, I am learning so much. I am pretty new to the Scrum Master role and am growing personally at a really fast pace – that’s really down to the experience of the colleagues around me.’


There are some amazing opportunities to join us in ADAS right now, discover the one for you here: https://lnkd.in/enmWQMwY

#LifeatJLR #ADAS #ReimagineYourFuture

Diversity & Inclusion, Engineering, Home Page, Shannon, Shannon Life, Software

It is inspirational to be able to reach out to so many driven women within the industry and beyond

‘Even before joining Jaguar Land Rover I have a real drive and passion for developing people and empowering them to drive a business forward.

Our goal is to enable colleagues to get the most out of their roles. We are a network of people with a very cohesive approach – who will put all ideas on the table and work collectively to move projects forward. We ensure as many people as possible are engaged with She ++ – creating panel discussions which help break down barriers and allow individuals to share their experiences. People –  both internally and externally  – speak to us about their journeys and how they have overcome obstacles in their life & careers to be successful. It is inspirational to be able to reach out to so many driven women within the industry and beyond.

The culture here in Shannon is extremely positive and there’s a great sense of trust within our business. Colleagues are encouraged to move forward, share ideas, and work collaboratively. This is something that drives me every day.’

There are some amazing opportunities to join us right now, discover the role for you here: http://www.jaguarlandrovercareers.com