Meet the ai Team: Dan Robertson
We shine the spotlight on members of Team ai to learn more about their roles, what it’s like being part of the team, and what training and development opportunities ai offers.
This month, we sat down to chat with Dan Robertson, Gateway Development Team Leader, to find out why he enjoys working at ai.
What made you choose to be a Developer at ai?
I’ve always been fascinated by the payment industry and the work that is being done to tackle fraud. ai has a reputation for developing world-leading fraud solutions and providing opportunities for people to grow within the business.
Since joining ai, I’ve had the opportunity to work in the aiRiskNet Development Team and support our customers to tackle fraud with our solutions. I’ve moved into our aiGateway function and work closely with Card Schemes and Acquirers to reduce friction in payments and ultimately make the process more secure.
What does a typical day look like for you?
We start every day with a stand-up meeting that allows us to communicate what we’re working on for a given day and make sure we can get help with any issues that we might be facing. Then it’s a mixture of coding, peer reviews and internal/external meetings. As a Development Team Leader, I’m able to spend a lot of time looking at the future of our solutions and working to create an exciting pipeline for the next few months and years. Since the start of the various lockdowns, we’ve ended most days with a stand-up type meeting as well – this has allowed us to stay connected easily while working from home.
What is your team like?
My team is relatively small, with five of us working between Developers and QA Analysts. This allows us to work closely together and share issues. The team has a wide range of experience in working our solutions, ranging from nearly eighteen years to about nine months.
How do you ensure you keep your training and knowledge up to date?
Every day is an opportunity to learn new things. The payment industry is constantly evolving, and it’s essential that we take the time to look into new payment methods or standards that will impact our work area.
As Developers, we have access to Pluralsight. We recently introduced custom Role IQs and Channels to help us identify our weaknesses and to supply the resources to make sure we get the chance to learn and close those gaps. We dedicate several hours per sprint to professional development and training, either working on our RoleIQ based learning or looking into new technologies or practices.
What’s the best part about your job?
I originally went into Software Engineering for the problem-solving aspect of the job – as my experience and remit has grown, this aspect has become more and more critical. While I now spend a bit less time tacking a specific code challenge, I spend longer figuring out how various solutions fit into the big picture and working on this middle to long term strategic view.
What’s your proudest moment at ai so far?
I joined as a .Net Developer, and now I run a development team – so it’s not just one moment; it’s been the process of learning and developing while working here.
How would you describe ai in 3 words?
Interesting, Challenging and educational.
Fun fact about Dan?
Cooking! All types, really, but particularly outdoors. Over the past year, it has been rare that a week has passed without lighting up the charcoal once or twice – I’ve even cooked a few Christmas Turkeys on the BBQ! I also compete in endurance sim races and leagues, as well as being an avid motorsport fan and occasional photographer.
