• Kun Chen is a partner level engineer at Microsoft.
• Chen breaks down how to prove your L5 skills by solving ambiguous problems.
• The skills a senior engineer needs are ideation, prioritization and delegation.
• This is a syndicated post from his blog, Tech Career.

Ever wondered what it takes to become a senior software engineer? My name is Kun. I'm a partner level engineer at Microsoft, and in this post I'll share with you what I wish I knew when I was getting started. There is also a video version that you can find at the bottom of this article.

What is a senior engineer

Senior software engineers is a title that typically maps to L5 in the standard leveling system. Reaching this level is a big milestone in a software engineer's career. It signals that you are now carrying significant responsibility for your team's success, and being looked up to as a role model for junior engineers.

A common misconception that I keep hearing is that to become a senior engineer, you need to be really good at coding, and learn a lot of different design patterns, programming languages or technology stacks.

That is… wrong. Throughout my career, I've known over a hundred senior engineers, and not a single one of them got there by simply learning how to write more beautiful code or how to use more languages.

To understand how to get to this stage, you first need to know the key differences between L4 and L5. I covered this in my previous post.

Long story short, L4s are typically given a clear direction to build a well defined feature or solution to a problem. They do need to handle some complexity, but generally speaking they are told what needs to be built.

L5s however are expected to solve ambiguous problems that don't always have clear solutions. For example, how to reduce the latency of an API, or how to Improve user engagement of a product feature.

It's their responsibility to help the team figure out what the right solutions are, and potentially work with other people on the team to get the solutions built. Promotion typically happens when you have proven your L5 skills by solving a few of such problems for the team.

So now the question becomes — what does it take to solve an ambiguous and complex problem?

Solving ambiguous problems

First, let's talk about getting into the right mindset.

As L4s, you are expected to build well defined solutions. As long as you have built your features according to the spec, you are meeting expectations. This typically results in L4 engineers having a mindset of focusing on activities, which means being productive, writing a lot of documentation and test cases, and communicating a lot.

However, because L5s need to solve problems, they can't just focus on activities alone. They need to focus on the outcome, or impact of their activities. It doesn't matter how much code they write, or how beautiful the code looks, if it didn't actually solve the problem, they failed.

The mindset of focusing on impact is the first leap you should take to accelerate your transition into a senior engineer.

Once you have internalized that, you then need a proper skillset to help you solve the problems. Let's walk through the problem solving process to show you what it looks like.

When you get assigned an ambiguous problem, the first thing you should realize is that there can be a lot of different potential solutions to it. We call that a solution space.

Ideation

The first skill you will need is Ideation, which is the process of mapping out this solution space and enumerating all the potential solutions.

This can be done in multiple ways, but generally speaking I recommend that you don't do this alone. The more problems you solve, the more you realize how limited a single person's perspective usually is. So instead, you want to exchange thoughts with other people. And this is called brainstorming.

Now the thing with brainstorming is that the brains are not going to storm themselves. Someone needs to identify the need for a brainstorm and get it initiated. And if you are a senior person on the team, you should assume that's on you to make it happen.

Of course, you can also flag this to your PM or designers and see if they want to facilitate the process as well, in which case you can delegate the work to them, and be a contributor who provides inputs in the process, and makes sure it does produce useful outputs that help you enumerate potential solutions to the problem.

I will have a future article that specifically talks about how to host effective brainstorming sessions. Please remember to follow if you don't want to miss it.

Prioritization

Once you map out the solution space, what you will soon realize is that it's going to take too much time to build all the potential solutions. This is where you need the second skill — prioritization, which is how you assess the return of investment for each candidate solution, and can then create a ranked list of ideas so you can work on the ones that deliver you the highest chance of success.

Prioritization is such an important skill. If you look at some of the highest performing engineers who achieve a lot more impact than their peers, you'll notice that they have the same 24 hours in a day as everyone else. But, oftentimes 80% of the impact is achieved through 20% of the work. And what these high performing engineers do really well is that they are very smart about prioritization and always focus their time on those 20% high impact work.

There are many different frameworks to help you with prioritization. I will cover them in a future post as well.

Delegation

Sometimes after you prioritized the list of ideas, you will realize there's a lot of work to be done, and if you do it all by yourself, it's not going to meet your team's timeline. This is where you'll need the 3rd skill — delegation.

L5 engineers don't always do this, because it depends on the situation. But it's safe to assume that all L5 engineers need to prove they are capable of delegating effectively, so that they can do it when needed.

Delegation is a leadership skill and is very beneficial to master even beyond L5. It also deserves its own future post as well, but for now I'll share two recommendations.

One, take an intern if you have the opportunity. Working with an intern gives you a direct environment to practice leadership skills that you may not get otherwise. You will be able to learn what it takes to coach someone else, to influence their decisions, and enable them to succeed.

Secondly, take a training called situational leadership. There are many YouTube videos available as well. This gives you the key concepts you need to understand before you can effectively delegate.

Measurement

Once you got the solutions built, you would need the next skill — measurement. This is where you use a data-driven approach to validate whether the solution has indeed solved the problem or not.

Ideally, the success criteria or measurement plan is defined upfront before you even start implementing the solutions, so that the measurement itself can be baked into your execution plan and timeline. For example, you might need to do some logging to make the results measurable.

Having proper measurement helps you track progress, validate success and communicate impact. Doing this is an essential part of how senior engineers operate.

Alright, I hope this gave you a good overview of what the leap looks like from junior to senior engineer. If you found this helpful, please click the clap button so that more people can benefit from it. I will continue to make more content to help software engineers like you succeed. See you next time!

Our client has a position available for 12 months in a remote working environment. The candidate can thus work from anywhere. The candidate must have experience in the Financial Services Sector
PLEASE NOTE; ONLY THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED. ONLY APPLY IF YOU QUALIFY IN FULL

Diploma in Business Analysis and
Bachelor of Science / BCom (Computer Engineering/Information Technology)

• Experience in financial services sector
• Experience in fund administration would be beneficial
• Must be a self-starter, able to work independently.
• Reporting to Project Manager
• Exceptional analytical and conceptual thinking skills.
• The ability to influence stakeholders and work closely with them to determine acceptable solutions.
• Advanced technical skills.
• Excellent documentation skills.
• Fundamental analytical and conceptual thinking skills.
• Experience creating detailed reports and giving presentations.
• Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• A track record of following through on commitments.
• Excellent planning, organizational, and time management skills.
• Experience leading and developing top-performing teams.
• A history of leading and supporting successful projects.

The business analyst will join the project team and will work alongside other business analysts and report directly to the project manager.
Main tasks will include performing detailed requirements analysis, documenting processes, and performing some user acceptance testing.
To succeed in this role, you should have a natural analytical way of thinking and be able to explain difficult concepts to non-technical users.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluating business processes, anticipating requirements, uncovering areas for improvement, and developing and implementing solutions.
• Leading ongoing reviews of business processes and developing optimization strategies.
• Staying up-to-date on the latest process and IT advancements to automate and modernize systems.
• Conducting meetings and presentations to share ideas and findings.
• Performing requirements analysis.
• Documenting and communicating the results of your efforts.
• Effectively communicating your insights and plans to cross-functional team members and management.
• Gathering critical information from meetings with various stakeholders and producing useful reports.
• Working closely with clients, technicians, and managerial staff.
• Ensuring solutions meet business needs and requirements.
• Performing user acceptance testing.
• Managing projects, developing project plans, and monitoring performance.
• Updating, implementing, and maintaining procedures.
• Prioritizing initiatives based on business needs and requirements.
• Serving as a liaison between stakeholders and users.
• Monitoring deliverables and ensuring timely completion of projects.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in financial services sector
• Experience in fund administration
• Self Starter

Learn more/Apply for this position

Mills along the lower Columbia River. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair.

You’ve heard about corporations being treated like people. It’s one of the outrages of the Citizens United decision some years back by the Supreme Court, that corporations have a right to free speech just like individuals and therefore can contribute unlimited money to candidates running for office. Bye-bye, democracy.

Now there’s a movement afoot to go the other way and turn people into corporations.

Yes, I know, some people like Elon Musk and Donald Trump already act pretty much like corporations. When the famous turn themselves into brands—pop stars, mega-athletes—they basically transform themselves into businesses.

But I mean a real corporation, one that issues stocks.

That’s the idea of Daniil and David Liberman, two entrepreneurs originally from Russia who are trying to popularize their idea of personal corporations among Silicon Valley investors. As profiled in The New Yorker, the brothers came up with the idea as a way to stop the large-scale transfer of wealth from young to old.

The old are indeed picking the pockets of the young, thanks to such factors as rising school loans at one end and pension fund payouts at the other. Those who are 24 and younger hold an average of nearly $11,000 of debt, which rises to over $27,000 for folks between 24 and 40 (not counting mortgages). The opposite is true on the other end of the age spectrum, where America’s oldest are now America’s wealthiest. As Forbes explains:

The relative affluence of today’s elderly is historically unprecedented. Never before have the 75+ had the highest median household net worth of any age bracket. Today, the typical 80-year-old household has twice the net worth of the typical 50-year-old household. As recently as 1995, they were about equal.

The Libermans’ solution to this problem is for young people to gain access today to their earning potential of tomorrow. To understand how this might work, let’s see how a would-be comic book artist named Brittany might benefit from becoming a joint-stock company.

Brittany, 18 years old, draws in the basement of her parents’ house. She has amassed a certain following on TikTok and Instagram, but no publishing companies have come calling. Her parents want her to go to college. She doesn’t see the point. Once her comic strip about a rabbit with superpowers goes viral, she’ll be set for life. Why go into student debt when success beckons just around the corner?

But Brittany needs money. Her parents aren’t rich. She’s been relying on a clunky old computer to produce her images. She needs some real equipment. Her part-time job at Dunkin’ Donuts doesn’t bring in anywhere near what she needs. Nor does she know anyone with the money or the connections to help her realize her dream.

Enter the Libermans, who suggest that Brittany incorporate herself and issue shares, at a reasonable price. She convinces everyone she knows to buy them. Suddenly, in a stroke of luck, a hedge fund manager discovers her new corporation and buys a huge number of shares in the expectation that Brittany will indeed hit it big and her shares will rise in value.

Investing in Brittany, in other words, quickly becomes the equivalent of buying shares in Amazon or Starbucks or Microsoft before they became famous. Brittany, meanwhile, can use all the money she’s raised through her initial stock offering to buy new equipment, hire a publicity agent, and—ka-ching!—get her strip in front of Netflix execs eager to greenlight a new animated series.

Cue up Brittany’s TedTalk….

But really, how would this scheme actually shift wealth away from the old and into the pockets of the young? Issuing shares in one’s self has the same hit-it-big randomness of a lottery. A few people, particularly early adopters, would be able to take advantage of this innovative way of raising capital. A lot more would try it out and fail either because they had a flawed business plan or couldn’t market themselves. Millions and millions of GoFundMe pages—which this scheme essentially boils down to—eventually produce diminishing returns.

And what about the mass of ordinary young people who just want stable jobs? What sugar daddy is going to buy up their shares?

The Libermans are channeling the spirit of the age. Their idea of personal corporations is not just an expression of uber-entrepreneurialism. It reflects a faith that the market, if shaped a certain way, can solve all of the world’s problems.

And that is a dangerous delusion.

Gaming the Market

The farmers market around the corner from me is fabulous. Growers from around the area bring their produce directly to the consumer. The prices, which are as good as or better than the supermarket, are established through competition among the local producers. The best produce sells out, and unsuccessful growers turn to other products or professions.

Markets can be a wonderfully efficient method of regulating supply and demand.

The problem arises when the Market becomes a deity invested with omnipotence, a god that is invoked at every opportunity to solve every problem.

That’s the major flaw in the Libermans’ plan. It’s not just the scheme’s internal challenges (what about taxes? corporate governance? insider trading? a futures market that hedges bets on the individual’s success?). It’s that the Market is not in fact the most efficient method of addressing the underlying problem of the generational shift in wealth. The obvious solution would be to deliver debt relief to students and/or make college more affordable, while paying for those reforms by raising taxes on the wealthy. But those would be government actions, and who in Silicon Valley wants to invest in the state?

A similar mismatch between problem and solution can be found with climate change. The simplest approach to reducing carbon emissions is for states to use carrots and sticks to push through enormous changes rapidly. The carrots would include incentives for businesses and individuals to shift to renewable energy plus job-retraining programs, investments into public transportation, and the like. The sticks would include major penalties for continuing to rely on dirty energy sources. Some states—Uruguay, Denmark—have indeed followed this path.

But another line of thinking involves carbon markets with credits, generated by a reduction in carbon emissions, that companies and countries trade both nationally and globally. Such a scheme would, like tax incentives from the state, seem to nudge economic actors to make environmentally responsible decisions that help countries meet their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) under the Paris agreement. As one of the boosters of carbon markets, the World Bank, explains:

Carbon markets help mobilize resources and reduce costs to deliver countries and companies the space to smooth the low-carbon transition. It is estimated that trading in carbon credits could reduce the cost of implementing NDCs by more than half – by as much as $250 billion by 2030. Over time, carbon markets are expected to become redundant as every country gets to net zero emissions and the need to trade emissions diminishes.

Sounds good. Cue the TedTalks about how great carbon markets are…

Carbon trading schemes have been around for a while. Quite a number have been tested out, such as the cap-and-trade system in California and the European Union’s emissions trading system. The last COP, in Glasgow, effectively endorsed this approach by developing rules for a global system.

These carbon trading systems, at least as they are currently constituted, have some major flaws. For one thing, they mostly just move the problem around. “Carbon offsetting is (at best) a zero-sum game and does not lead to global emission cuts since greenhouse gas reductions in one place are cancelled out by continued pollution elsewhere,” observes Khaled Diab of Carbon Market Watch.

In California, the cap-and-trade system may have played a part in the impressive reduction in the state’s carbon emissions, but it hasn’t addressed the equity problem: low-income communities still suffer disproportionately from the health impacts of carbon emissions. Back in 2019, before the pandemic upended the statistics on carbon emissions, ProPublica looked at the data and discovered that “carbon emissions from California’s oil and gas industry actually rose 3.5% since cap and trade began. Refineries, including one owned by Marathon Petroleum and two owned by Chevron, are consistently the largest polluters in the state. Emissions from vehicles, which burn the fuels processed in refineries, are also rising.”

The European Union launched its emissions trading system in 2005, and it has grown to include over 30 countries and 10,000 power plants and industrial sites. By one benchmark, the system has helped reduce carbon emissions in specific sectors (such as steel production, aviation, and the chemical industry) by over 40 percent since the launch of the scheme.

One of its problems, however, has been that it doesn’t cover all the sectors that emit carbon, which has prompted the EU to push to expand the system to include construction, road transport, and the maritime sector. Those reforms face considerable political hurdles, not to mention the challenge of reduced energy imports from Russia because of the war in Ukraine.

One of the virtues of the EU system, however, is that the European authorities are working to remedy its flaws, such as the gaps in coverage. Or consider the problem of the “free allowances” given to energy-intensive industries, which actually cover 94 percentof emissions from that sector. Such allowances end up acting like subsidies for polluters. The European Parliament is currently debating a phase-out of these allowances.

But even if we grant that carbon markets could play a role in reducing overall carbon emissions, is the Market still the best tool for handling a problem like climate change?

State v. Market

Free-market enthusiasts used to pooh-pooh the necessity of government action in the face of climate change. The market, they claimed, would eventually respond to the laws of supply and demand to address the problem. Oil companies would eventually become obsolete or transform entirely into solar panel companies. The invisible hand would steer the energy transition.

But the market didn’t act this way—because that’s not how markets operate. Markets don’t respond to planetary needs, only to human desires. Also, powerful economic actors manipulate markets for their own ends. Oil companies spent decades and millions of dollars disseminating false information about climate change. They have collectively supported the maintenance of huge fossil fuel subsidies—which amounted to nearly $6 trillion in 2020. These malevolent actions behind the scenes constitute the real invisible hand.

So, why will carbon markets act any differently?

You could argue, certainly in the case of the European Union, that governments are shaping carbon markets so that they operate more transparently, have fewer loopholes, and meet clearly established benchmarks (like the goals established by the Paris agreement). You could also argue that most governments are not prepared to follow the examples of Uruguay or Denmark to enact state-led policies to bring us out of this climate crisis. The private sector is a powerful player; why not leverage that power?

Those are important arguments. But let’s return to the notion of individuals as corporations. The Libermans’ scheme—an example of the audacious, outside-the-box thinking that so captivates entrepreneurs, hackers, and venture capitalists—would end up advantaging the few and leaving the rest where they started. Wealth would remain in the hands of the wealthy, regardless of their age.

I fear that the same holds true for carbon markets. Some schemes are simply shell games that move the carbon around. Others, like the EU arrangement, have more potential, but will also end up rewarding the powerful players who have figured out ways to game the system.

Put another way, climate change is too serious and too urgent a threat to leave to the Market. How do we push states and international institutions to step into the breach and take this threat more seriously? That’s the ultimate twenty-first-century challenge for We, the People—and not we, the corporations.

The Public Service Commission (PSC), through the Women Enterprise Fund, has announced vacancies for jobs with up to Ksh153,000 salaries.

In a notice dated Tuesday, July 26, the Fund had various openings in different job groups including Deputy Manager, assistant manager legal affairs, credit officers, audit and risk officers, senior administration officers, and clerical officers among others. 

The applicants ought to provide various documents including a detailed CV, copies of academic certificates, professional qualifications, testimonials, day-time telephone numbers, names and addresses of three professional referees.

How to Apply

Candidates who fit the bill are advised to deliver their applications at the Fund's offices located at Britam Tower, 11th Floor in Nairobi before August 8, 2022, by 5:00 pm.

Deputy Manager, Information Communication Technology 

Basic Pay- Ksh116,094 to Ksh153,101

The role will involve reporting to the Chief Executive Officer and is tasked with the overall process of formulating, implementing and monitoring ICT policies, strategies, standards and programmes for the Fund.

Duties and responsibilities

1. Formulation, implementation and coordination of ICT policies, strategies and programmes. 

2. Keeping up to date with emerging information communication technological trends communication, innovative and technological trends.

3. Ensuring timely implementation of ICT standards in line with the needs of the Fund and effective maintenance of ICT systems. 

4. Preparation of ICT status reports and ensuring professional standards and guidelines are adhered to;

5. Management and coordination of the department and supervision of ICT staff;

6.  Safeguard the integrity of the organization’s data;

7.  Manage usage of ICT resources to ensure effectiveness and efficiency.

Specifications

A degree in Computer Science, or any other ICT-related discipline from a recognized University/institution;

 A Master’s Degree in Computer Science, Strategic Management, or any other ICT-related discipline from a recognized Institution is a Mandatory requirement.

They ought to have served in the ICT sector with at least nine years of relevant experience, with at least three years in a managerial position.

The candidate ought to possess qualifications in database management such as SQL Server, MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer), web design and management. 

They must demonstrate a high level of professional competence and outstanding management qualities in computerised information systems.

They must have a membership in a relevant professional body and be in good standing.

Deputy Manager, HR Management and Training

Basic Pay- Ksh116,094 to Ksh153,101

Duties and Responsibilities

• They will be required to initiate, develop, interpret, implement and review the Human Resource and Training policies.

• Overseeing staff inductions and complementing HR efforts at succession plan.

• Carrying out evaluation and monitoring of training.

• Updating skills inventory for all Fund’s employees.

• Develops, reviews and monitors the Human Resources and Training Budget.

• Leads in the Development of staff benefits and rewards framework for the Fund to attract and retain talent.

Specifications

• A Bachelor’s Degree in a Business related field with a specialization in Human Resource Management.

• MBA/ MSC in Human Resource Management /Business Administration /Commerce /Public Administration from a recognized university is a mandatory requirement.

• At least nine years previous relevant work experience with a least three years in a managerial position in a reputable organization.

• Professional Qualifications / Membership to a relevant professional body and be in good standing.

Assistant Manager, Legal Affairs 

Basic Pay - Ksh85,021 to Ksh128,609

Duties and Responsibilities

• Implement Fund policies and strategies as regards the legal function and advise the Management on any legal implications likely to arise as a result of their decisions and actions.

• Drawing and interpreting contracts and agreements with service providers and other stakeholders.

• Execute legal-based audits as per the annual work plan and deliver reports.

• Managing court cases including attending hearings and providing recommendations or remedial alternatives for resolution of disputes involving or affecting the Fund.

• Advising on legal, regulatory and governance matters.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Law.

• Post Graduate Diploma in Law.

• Master’s Degree in Law is an added advantage.

• Served in a comparable position with at least 7 years relevant work experience in a reputable organization.

• Professional Qualifications / Membership to professional bodies.

• Must be an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.

• Possession of CPS (K) and membership in the ICPSK is an added advantage.

• Be in possession of a Current Law Practicing Certificate.

Assistant Manager, Partnerships and Resource Mobilisation

Basic Pay - Ksh85,021 to Ksh128,609

Duties and Responsibilities

• Translate the Fund’s resource mobilization strategy and plans into action.

• Establish systems for identification and response to calls with templates to identify opportunities for resource mobilization and manage the activities of resource mobilization. 

• Coordinate the development and writing of highly competitive resource mobilization proposals and contribute to proposals.

• Develop and maintain databases and records for project activities and partnership implementation status.

Specifications

• Bachelor’s degree in any Social Sciences.

• Master’s degree in International Development/Communications/Marketing/ Economics/International Relations or its equivalent is an added advantage.

• Served in a comparable position with at least 7 years relevant work experience in a reputable organization.

• Shown merit and ability as reflected in work performance and results.

• Membership in a relevant professional body and be in good standing.

Assistant Manager, Finance and Administration

Basic Pay - Ksh85,021 to Ksh128,609

Duties and Responsibilities

• Contribute to formulation and implementation of financial, administrative and accounting policies and procedures.

• Supervise staff under the officer within Finance & Administration Department, preparing work schedules and assigning specific duties to them.

• Preparation and implementation of the Fund’s annual budget and work plans and reporting on the Fund’s performance/status on a quarterly basis.

• Budgetary controls and management of accounting methods and financial returns; and prioritization of projects and activities for the purpose of financial allocation and reporting.

• Assist in budget preparation and administration.

• Assist in the preparation of management reports and financial statements.

Specification

• Bachelor’s Degree in a business-related field (Accounting or Finance Option) from a recognized university.

• Master’s Degree in Business Administration (MBA), Economics, Finance, Commerce or in a financial related discipline is an added advantage.

• Served in a comparable position with at least 7 years relevant work experience in a reputable organization.

Senior Administrative Officer 

Basic Pay - Ksh60,460 to Ksh80,025

Duties and Responsibilities

• Administration and management of transport in the Fund.

• Overseeing office accommodation, equipment, furniture, office supplies and employment cards.

• Provision and administration of clerical, auxiliary and telephone services staff.

• Settling of bills and facilitating necessary documentation for those traveling.

Specifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration/Management, Human Resource; Management/Development, Public Administration or equivalent qualifications in a relevant field from a recognized Institution.

• Served satisfactorily for at least five (5) years in a comparable position.

• Proficiency in computer applications.

• Demonstrated professional competence and administrative ability in administrative work.

• Ability to prioritize work and thrive under pressure.

Credit Officer

Basic Pay - Ksh49,539 to Ksh65,561

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assisting in coordinating all aspects of the lending cycle under the existing lending channels for the respective constituencies.

• Compiling of monthly and quarterly credit reports such as loan uptake and repayment status and ensuring timely reconciliations.

• Monitoring and following up on loan repayments and enlisting of key stakeholders’ support to ensure timely recovery of loans.

Specifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in a business-related course from a recognized university.

• Served satisfactorily in a comparable position in a recognized institution for at least three years.

• Demonstrated competence in credit control work.

• Proficiency in computer applications.

Audit and Risk Officer

Basic Pay - Ksh49,539 to Ksh65,561

Duties and Responsibilities

• Implementing internal audit policies, strategies and plans.

• Analysing data for preparing an annual internal audit plan.

• Performing information systems Audits.

• Conducting internal Audits and preparing audit reports and following up on audit findings.

• Reviewing internal controls in the Fund. 

Specifications

• A Bachelor of Commerce Degree (Accounting/Finance option) or Bachelor’s in Information Technology from a recognized university/institution and passed CPA II or CISA certification.

• Served in a reputable organization for at least three years in a similar position.

• Proficiency in computer applications.

• Possession of a certification or diploma in Information Technology will be an added advantage.

Clerical Officer

Basic Pay - Ksh34,034 to Ksh45,098

Duties and Responsibilities

• Compiling statistical records based on routine or special sources of information.

• Carry out transactions related to accounts or personnel information, handle receipts and loan records and file them appropriately.

• Perform other similar clerical duties that may be assigned by senior officers.

• Any other duties that may be assigned from time to time.

Specifications

For appointment to this grade, a candidate must be in possession of a Diploma in a business-related course and Proficiency in computer applications; or a Diploma in Information Communication Technology.

Our client has a position available for 12 months in a remote working environment. The candidate can thus work from anywhere. The candidate must have experience in the Financial Services Sector
PLEASE NOTE; ONLY THE SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED. ONLY APPLY IF YOU QUALIFY IN FULL

Diploma in Business Analysis and
Bachelor of Science / BCom (Computer Engineering/Information Technology)

• Experience in financial services sector
• Experience in fund administration would be beneficial
• Must be a self-starter, able to work independently.
• Reporting to Project Manager
• Exceptional analytical and conceptual thinking skills.
• The ability to influence stakeholders and work closely with them to determine acceptable solutions.
• Advanced technical skills.
• Excellent documentation skills.
• Fundamental analytical and conceptual thinking skills.
• Experience creating detailed reports and giving presentations.
• Competency in Microsoft applications including Word, Excel, and Outlook.
• A track record of following through on commitments.
• Excellent planning, organizational, and time management skills.
• Experience leading and developing top-performing teams.
• A history of leading and supporting successful projects.

The business analyst will join the project team and will work alongside other business analysts and report directly to the project manager.
Main tasks will include performing detailed requirements analysis, documenting processes, and performing some user acceptance testing.
To succeed in this role, you should have a natural analytical way of thinking and be able to explain difficult concepts to non-technical users.

Responsibilities:

• Evaluating business processes, anticipating requirements, uncovering areas for improvement, and developing and implementing solutions.
• Leading ongoing reviews of business processes and developing optimization strategies.
• Staying up-to-date on the latest process and IT advancements to automate and modernize systems.
• Conducting meetings and presentations to share ideas and findings.
• Performing requirements analysis.
• Documenting and communicating the results of your efforts.
• Effectively communicating your insights and plans to cross-functional team members and management.
• Gathering critical information from meetings with various stakeholders and producing useful reports.
• Working closely with clients, technicians, and managerial staff.
• Ensuring solutions meet business needs and requirements.
• Performing user acceptance testing.
• Managing projects, developing project plans, and monitoring performance.
• Updating, implementing, and maintaining procedures.
• Prioritizing initiatives based on business needs and requirements.
• Serving as a liaison between stakeholders and users.
• Monitoring deliverables and ensuring timely completion of projects.

Desired Skills:

• Experience in financial services sector
• Experience in fund administration
• Self Starter

Learn more/Apply for this position

The security, transparency and misinformation surrounding the state’s election system are all top of mind for candidates hoping to be Washington’s next secretary of state.

The race has drawn eight candidates hoping to fill the spot left by former secretary Kim Wyman last year. Wyman left to join the Biden administration, leaving Gov. Jay Inslee to appoint former state Sen. Steve Hobbs to fill her spot. The winner of this year’s election will serve the remainder of Wyman’s term, which ends in 2024.

Inslee’s appointment of Hobbs marked the first time since 1964 that a Republican is not holding that office.

This primary, Hobbs will face seven challengers.

The candidates include Pierce County Auditor Julie Anderson, who is running with no party preference; Republican state Sen. Keith Wagoner; former Republican and Democratic state legislator Mark Miloscia; Republican Bob Hagglund, a Republican who works as a data scientist with United Health; Democrat Marquez Tiggs; Tamborine Borrelli, who identifies with the “America First (R)” party; and Kurtis Engle, who lists his affiliation as the “Union” party.

The top two candidates will face each other in the November elections.

The candidates with the most donation money as of Friday are Hobbs, with more than $386,000, and Anderson, with almost $150,000. The third candidate by donations is Miloscia, who has almost $53,700.

Experience working in elections

The secretary of state’s role includes archiving government records and providing information and access to the business community about corporations and charities. One of its biggest roles, however, is serving as the state’s head of elections.

Hobbs received some criticism, especially from county auditors, for not having enough experience in election administration.

Hobbs said he thinks his background in cybersecurity and his current role as secretary of state make him the best candidate for the job. The role is different from the auditor in that he does more oversight, reviews and certifications, whereas auditors run elections, he said.

He said the secretary of state needs to have more knowledge on cyberthreats and combating misinformation now.

“I’m the only candidate that actually has the experience at this level because the secretary of state role has evolved,” he said.

Wagoner had a similar response, pointing to his leadership experience.

“It’s not a super auditor position,” he said. “It’s a leadership position that leads across a whole bunch of different departments.”

When asked what she could do better if elected, Anderson said “pretty much everything.” She pointed to her experience in preserving public records, registering licenses, managing archives and working closely with each county’s election officials.

“This isn’t something that I’m dabbling in,” Anderson said. “This is something that I do.”

Anderson is running as a nonpartisan candidate because she does not feel the job needs any “unnecessary conflict by belonging to a political party.” The work is challenging enough, she added.

Addressing election misinformation

Following the 2020 election, misinformation surrounding election systems and widespread fraud have drawn concerns for most of the candidates.

When asked about the baseless claims regarding widespread fraud in the 2020 election, most said they did not think that there was fraud that could have overturned the election in favor of former President Donald Trump or Republican gubernatorial candidate Loren Culp.

Hobbs, Tiggs, Engle and Anderson all said there was not widespread fraud.

Wagoner and Hagglund both said there is always some instances of fraud but not enough to overturn the results as some candidates’ supporters have said.

Miloscia said there is always fraud in the system, but did not say whether he thought there was enough to overturn an election. Instead, he said the secretary of state needs to do a better job at investigating “holes in the system” to prevent fraud in the first place.

Borrelli wrote in an email that there were a number of concerns during the 2020 election that could have led to widespread fraud, including “unexplainable vote flipping,” noncitizens who were registered to vote without their knowledge and security breaches of voter data.

Borrelli is the director of the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United, which has sued several counties alleging voter fraud in the 2020 election. The group has a number of lawsuits pending and a number that were dropped or dismissed.

The group and its attorney was recently ordered to pay more than $28,000 by the state Supreme Court for suing Inslee on meritless claims about widespread voter fraud, according to the Seattle Times.

According to a press release from the group, they most recently have filed a petition in Franklin County under the Public Records Act seeking election records in the 2020 general election.

Most candidates acknowledged there should be better communication with the public about what happens with their ballot.

“We have taken elections for granted, but the public doesn’t really know what goes on behind the scenes,” Hobbs said.

Since becoming secretary of state, Hobbs said he has worked to get more money in the office’s budget to create a division dealing with information integrity. That division works to inform the public on what happens with their ballot.

He said his office must also continue to push back against misinformation that might occur surrounding elections.

Anderson said there is skepticism and a lack of trust in elections, but many people who have concerns are concerned with national news or what’s happening in other states.

“The closer you get to home, the more people say that our systems are OK,” she said.

Miloscia said the people’s trust and confidence in the country’s elections system is at “an all-time low.”

He said there needs to be a focus on continuous improvement and fixing issues within the election system that are not producing good results. He pointed to improving the audit system, the election observer system and cleaning up voter rolls.

“That’s how you lose the trust in voters,” Miloscia said. “When the voters feel like you’re not fixing things, or you’re not getting good results, trust goes down.”

Wagoner agreed, saying he wants the secretary of state to be focused on constant improvement, “sort of like updating your computer.” He pointed to updating voter rolls and routine audits as a way to do that.

“I think doing a better job is how you build back confidence in the system,” he said.

Increasing transparency, security of election systems

To address those concerns, most candidates said they wanted to increase transparency and awareness of how the state’s election system works.

Anderson said often when she explains to people with concerns that there are checks and balances and securities in place, it helps them understand. There are some technical things she would like to do, however, to increase transparency and security.

One idea is conducting a risk limiting audit for state measures or races. All counties currently conduct random post-election audits that compare paper ballots with machine results, but there are not any similar statewide audits right now.

That means that counties are often each auditing different races the day after the election.

“Who’s auditing in a comprehensive, statistically relevant way a statewide race, like a gubernatorial race?” she said.

Anderson’s idea would take statistically valid samples from each county for statewide races and include the public in the process.

Anderson also wants to create a nonpartisan election observer corps that would be staffed by nonpartisan volunteers that are trained by the secretary of state. They would then observe election operations and review voter registration records statewide.

If elected, Miloscia’s plans include establishing fraud and audit divisions in every county and the secretary of state office, doing mandatory random audits for counties and precincts; and redesigning and implementing new standards for the state’s election observer program.

Hagglund said the way to fight misinformation is to be open and transparent. He said his background in data science and consulting would help with this, if elected.

“That’s really what it comes down to,” he said. “We have to reveal everything.”

Borrelli said she wants to clean voter rolls and educate voters on the chain of custody of their ballot.

“I would fight misinformation with verifiable truth of every way our current system is not transparent, secure or publicly Verified and how we can change that,” she said.

The security of the state’s elections from bad actors is another issue concerning many of the candidates.

With his background in the National Guard, Hobbs made cybersecurity a priority when he was appointed by Inslee.

He said he has put more money to double the cybersecurity staff and Improve the existing relationships with cyberunits in the National Guard. Hobbs said he also has backed up VoteWA – the state’s voter database – in the cloud as opposed to just a hard drive to Improve security of the voting systems.

Wagoner said he would like to help county auditors update voter rolls that are outdated and do routine spot audits across the state.

Hagglund said in his current role for United Health, he deals with confidential data and knows how to keep it secure. He said if elected, he would work more on making sure parts of the state’s elections system, such as tabulation, are not connected to the internet so they remain secure.

Other issues, candidates

Tiggs said he is running to provide a diverse pool of candidates because representation matters and diversity in the candidates matters.

“People want to see that,” he said. “Voters don’t want to keep seeing the same people run for these types of positions.”

His top issues include expanding voter access and decreasing voter suppression of people of color.

Engle is running as a member of the Union party, which he said he did because he is “extremely dissatisfied” with what the Republicans are doing and he wanted to be in a party that is neither Democratic nor Republican.

He said he is running to keep Washington voters informed about the threat of China to Washington.

This is the first part of a research series on the most popular emerging technologies. The series follows up on a report Digiday produced five years ago to discover how technologies previously reported on have evolved and to explore new technologies that have since emerged, including blockchain and robotics. In this segment, we look at how publishers are using virtual reality and augmented reality. 

Publishers to date have been reluctant to invest in virtual reality and augmented reality. In fact, they have decreased their use of both since Digiday last surveyed them in 2017.