Break into Tech with Sainsbury's Jumpstart Programme

Featuring Peter Maltby

Wondering how you could join and learn from some of the nation’s top experts in the Tech, Data and Design space? Look no further than Sainsbury’s Engineering Jumpstart Programme.

If you’re imagining what it’ll be like, we’ve got you covered in our Jumpstarting my Career in Tech with Sainsbury’s series where we go behind the scenes and speak with real-live Sainsbury’s Tech Academy candidates and find out how they help create better retail experiences for Sainsbury’s customers using tech. Let’s meet Peter Maltby!

What made you apply for the Engineering Jumpstart programme with Sainsbury’s Tech Academy?

To put it simply: it offered a competitive salary in an industry sector I have prior experience in, for a well-known and reputable national company.

What were your expectations before joining and has the experience lived up to this?

I wasn’t sure what to expect or what the day-to-day role would look like so I was happy to find that the work is challenging and different every day, with a real focus on independent problem-solving. I work with great teams who can nudge me in the right direction when I need support. They give excellent feedback and allow me to feel like I can carry out my duties in a safe and secure manner. I have greatly developed my personal skills and feel like I really deliver value to Sainsbury’s.

What is the biggest learning you’ve taken away from the experience?

When, where, who and how to ask questions. Asking technical questions can be difficult, the most significant learning curve has been trying to find information. Everyone is friendly and happy to help, but being able to really hone my question-asking abilities allows me to get information more clearly and with quicker responses. Learning how to sort emails has also helped quite a lot!

What was your favourite rotation and why?

I have worked with the Azure Platform team (APT), and Team Tech Triage (TTT). Both offer unique and fun challenges and touch on very different areas of the business and technology.

APT was great for being able to work with and develop with some of the newest cloud-based tools, to automate complex tasks for our in-house teams.  TTT is my current team and focuses on solving complex issues within the Argos space. The breadth and variety of tech that keeps Argos running is outstanding and fascinating. The problems and challenges are equally varied and interesting, there is always something new to learn and clever solutions to find.

Which part of the tech stack you use(d) was easiest to pick up, and which was a bit more challenging?

All tech stacks offer unique challenges and can be easier or harder based on what you want to do. Personally, I'm happy to pick up any toolset and use it. The humble bash scripting has been one of the most intuitive, flexible and powerful tools I have worked with, providing rapid ideation to conception times.

I personally find any front-end development can be challenging, but there are tools, frameworks and methodologies to make this easier.

If you could give any advice to someone looking to join the programme, what would it be?

Be open and honest about your knowledge level and be willing to tackle challenges, knowing there is a team here that is happy and willing to help.

Applications are now closed.