31 March 2023

Kathryn, you've been a WITB member since the very start, but for those who haven't had the privilege of meeting you yet, can you tell us a little bit about your career?

Yes of course! I’m a Delivery Manager at Citizen's Advice within the learning team.

A typical working day for me involves checking in on my team to make sure projects are okay or if they need any support, dealing with new project requests and facilitating agile meetings. Sometimes I’ll also be supporting other teams with agile ways of working or meeting with outside organisations to compare ways of working.

What would you say your favourite part of your role is?

My favourite thing about being a delivery manager is helping a team come together to solve a problem. I really like to support people collaborating and working towards the same goal.

Can you give us some insight into your career path? How did you get started? Did you complete any qualifications for the role?

I got started via a Scrum Master qualification, and then I worked as a Scrum Master for a couple of years before becoming a Delivery Manager.

I don’t think a qualification is strictly necessary, as long as you can demonstrate your knowledge of Agile.

The main experience I brought to the role when I first started was people management, project management, and Agile ways of working.

Is there anything you wish you’d known before starting out in your career?

Before starting out in my career, I wish I’d known that interviewing was a two way street. You’re interviewing a company as much as they’re interviewing you, and it’s okay to ask questions, especially about things that are important to you.

Nowadays I always ask whether a company is committed to diversity and inclusion, and how that’s expressed in the organisation, as well as asking about the gender ratio on teams. It’s a good indicator of how much a company has not only thought about diversity but also followed through.

That's a great piece of advice! Do you have any other nuggets of wisdom for others who might be experiencing challenges in their career, for example, the dreaded imposter syndrome?

I have definitely had my fair share of imposter syndrome - as a woman in tech who’s in a non-technical role, it can be difficult to not feel like maybe I shouldn’t be there.

But the ways I’ve overcome my imposter syndrome are to:

• Embrace not knowing - by admitting when I don’t know something, asking questions, and doing my own research, I’ve dealt with everything new that’s been thrown at me. People are often really willing to help, and Google is a close friend.

• Reflect on my wins - My management team starts our update meetings with a win from last week from everyone, and retros offer a good time to reflect on what’s been going well. If the imposter syndrome ever hits hard, I think about all the things I’ve already done successfully.

• Mentor support - I’ve been lucky enough to have a great mentor who has not only been supportive while I work out how to do new things, but also reminds me that no-one can know everything all the time. It’s okay to ask for help, to admit you need a longer on a task, or to google the smallest questions

• Advice columns - I’m a dedicated reader of Ask A Manager, and while I’ve never been in a lot of the situations on that website, the advice gives me ideas on how to deal with the situations I am in. The advice on the interpersonal and soft skills side of work is invaluable, both as someone who has a manager and manages others.

Thank you! And our final question, as a long time WITB member, why you would recommend others join our community?

When I joined Women in Tech Birmingham, I was the only woman in my team and was in my first role in tech.

WITB gave me a lot of support and also confidence to not only tackle the world of tech, but to know I wasn’t the only one experiencing it through a female lens.

I recommend people join if they’re feeling the same way I was, or if they’re just looking for a supportive tech related Meetup. Everyone’s lovely, and I’ve learnt about roles and ideas from different sides of the tech world that I wouldn't have otherwise.

You can find Kathryn on LinkedIn and Twitter for all things Scrum & Agile!