Exciting Job Opportunities at JLR Shannon: Shape the Future of Automotive Technology!
Welcome to our special Q&A session, where we delve into the experiences and exciting journey of a Software Engineering Manager (Chapter Lead) – Clodagh Daly. In this blog interview, we’ll gain a glimpse into Clodagh’s life at JLR Shannon, current responsibilities, involvement in various projects and networks, and her career aspirations.
From leading and empowering a diverse team of engineers to developing software engineering practices, fostering a supportive environment together with the rest of the leadership teams, and championing Women in Engineering. She brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to her role.
Join us as we explore her life at JLR Shannon below:
Q: What position did you start in and what is your position now? Please describe your current responsibilities. ?
Software Engineering Manager (Chapter Lead).
In my role, I am primarily a People Manager and leader of Engineers. As a former Software Engineer, it is crucial to ensure that people’s development and learning is fostered in a continuous cycle, technology is evolving at such a rapid pace, we need to ensure our Engineers are at the cutting edge in their skills development. This offers support to the organisation and enables the engineers to operate at the highest levels, empowering them to grow. It is our responsibility to assist them to develop into the leaders of the future, both from a technological stand point but also as key drivers of our business and industry.
Enabling a positive environment where they are supported and empowered to develop is key. Regular touchpoints with me, reviewing how they are performing in their Agile team, identifying performance opportunities for them, to build their technical skills, develop their internal brand in JLR and for them to gain tangible experiences in our technologies and functions is really important.
My team is diverse in their roles, experience levels, skills and technology stacks. It is challenging to ensure people are given the required time and support for them to succeed. This role is vital to them being successful in their abilities to deliver our quality products, so it is a great pleasure to watch them flourish in their career progression. Without our Engineers, we have no products to sell.
Q: Are you involved in any other projects / networks? If so, please describe what they are and what your contributions are.
As a Chapter lead, we are presently putting shape to our Software Engineering Chapter, where individuals can form part of a cohesive collective of likeminded Software Engineers. Our aims, are to provide guidance, define processes, align on technology and tooling, offering a community across the Software landscape in JLR. This enables us to have a platform cross-functionally within our business where we can make strategic changes, bringing ‘Best In Class’ strategies to the fore in our Software community. This benefits both the Engineers but also the Organisation and provides our team members a cohesive space for them to collaborate, drive forward their suggestions, making meaningful strides forward in our technical evolution!
I am also a member of the SHE++ Society where we champion all things – Women in Engineering in JLR Shannon. Our aim is to foster an environment where women are supported, facilitating Mentorship talks, career development discussions. We also want to promote the idea of diversity in the Engineering and Tech divisions, giving back to the community is very important to us, so we have conducted lots of Primary School visits, promoting Women in Technology and Engineering roles and encouraging the school girls, aged 11-12, to pursue roles in STEAM in the future. This is a highly rewarding society and is key to breaking the bias of women in technology and engineering for the future! Encouraging them at a young age to recognise these options as very positive careers for Women!
Q: What do you like about working here?
JLR is a truly inspiring place to work. Our products are just sublime! Breathtakingly beautiful, the epitome of luxury, all while offering the robust off road capabilities that we in JLR are synonymous with. Our site in Shannon has Agile Squads that are driving forward the most critical technological advancements. We have teams representing the ADAS group, Data Analytics and Machine Learning, DevOps, along with a host of other Onboard and Offboard capabilities. There is something here for everyone, all tech stacks are present here. Variety is boundless.
The culture in Shannon is one which is really unique and that is down is no small measure to the approach taken from the top leaders across the site. They ensure they are giving their time to everyone; they operate an open door policy; they are vastly knowledgeable in our products and are always willing to offer guidance, advice and energy to all of the sites various communities. It has a nurturing vibe here, nobody’s questions are ever silenced and if there is something that is suggested within the site, it is welcomed, and you are given the latitude to go and bring it to fruition.
Q: What are your career aspirations? Do you feel that you get the necessary support from your management / department to help achieve your learning & development goal?
As a relative new comer to the Automotive industry, I am learning every day. Our team in JLR Shannon are working on the most ground-breaking technology available and the opportunities to learn and grow are continually extended to everyone. Each month we have 3 hours of protected time, where we can avail of training for our growth and development. We have access to internal training platforms which houses a multitude of Automotive training and technology materials. JLR have also invested in making both PluralSight and Udemy Learning platforms available to our team members. These are globally recognised suites of learning, demonstrating JLR’s commitment to growing their team members skills and investing in their development.
In JLR Shannon we are solving technically uncertain challenges daily, having the great pleasure to create the next generation of vehicles that can do things no-one has even considered possible.
My experiences in Shannon have been inspiring. The culture and atmosphere here is like a family, it is warm, welcoming and growth focused. Our team members are passionate about what we do and that is driven from the Senior Leaders on site. Autonomy in your work is the way of life here, accountable but without fear to fail, there is zero tolerance for blame here, culturally. Blame is actively discouraged in JLR Shannon, as without failure you cannot hope to innovate. In our Research & Development focused Software Centre our goal is to harness the creativity of our engineering minds not stifle them, mine included.
Q: Describe your team / department, and what makes it stand out from our competition?
Our proud team are known as the Onboard Enablers, what a great name! We are responsible for enabling all of the connections and interfaces within the vehicle, bringing cohesion to all of the technology in our cars. This provides our squads the opportunity to get first touch on new components and software, we lead, we don’t follow, breaking new ground is what we do, everyday! By engaging directly with our suppliers and building the key partnerships, we are at the cutting edge of innovation, having the greatest opportunities to bring our market-leading new features to life, delighting our customers!
Q: Tell us 3 interesting facts about yourself.
I have loved cars since I was very small – my brother and I used to play ever increasingly complex games of identifying cars while on family journeys. My aim is to get my hands on an extremely rare, 2 seater Citroen DS convertible -innovative for its time, classically designed and remains a thing of beauty 20+ years later! I just need to win the lotto first.
Hobbies, well I am a thrill seeker, Great White Cage Diving, bungy, helicopter flying amongst a few things, but parenthood has put the brakes on that for the time being. I also am a massive DIY enthusiast, doing wood work courses and metal work courses so I could make things I wanted for my home! My husband is a patient man.
Travel, I have travelled extensively I would say, backpacking, no 5-star luxury for me! India, Thailand, Cambodia, UAE, Hong Kong, Maldives, New Zealand, Peru, Mozambique, South Africa, Dutch Antilles, the US, to name a few and of course all through Europe. This is a passion! The more obscure the location the better. I backpacked as I found you really get to know a country when you are closest to the people, hostel life often will tell you more than any 5* will.
Q: What hints and tips can you share with the potential candidates who are going through the application / interview process?
First tip is to APPLY! You do not even need to come from an Automotive industry to be able to make an impact in our Organisation! Find me on Linked In or check out our Careers Page!
Secondly, and importantly; believe in yourself and your technology skills. Outline your interest in JLR Vehicles and how you can contribute to the Automotive industry. We are always looking for people who demonstrate drive, commitment to excellence and passion for what they do! The rest you can learn here with us.
Apply now and be part of our dynamic team in Shannon: Shannon | Main Portal (pocketrecruiter.com)
