12y
We're a team going through step change which brings growing pains. We are committed to becoming a place where people are energised by the challenge of working in high performing teams. There is a natural cycle by which teams need to be regularly rebuilt. It is therefore true that through the current changes there are some developers evaluating where they are in their careers and have decided to move on. As a rapidly growing team, we have to hire externally. However, all new roles have been opened for internal consideration (although we will improve the communications around that) and in the last quarter, half have been filled internally. Yes, we therefore have disappointed internal candidates.
In actual fact, JustGiving pays at least market rate. The current average salary across ALL JustGiving .NET developers is equal to the average salary for Senior .NET developers in London. However, we hope this is not the only reason people choose to join JustGiving.
With respect to transparency, perceived secrecy, conflicting messages, alleged dishonesty etc... it would be folly to claim we have perfect communications and we acknowledge the points raised. However, through our open culture we encourage, and have, conversations in any and all forums- whether that be one-to-one, all-hands or smaller huddles. Where huddles have been convened by JustGiving rather than large groups, it has been to encourage debate around strategy and change, but every developer has been invited to at least one of the huddles on any given topic. There have been one-to-one follow up sessions for those who could not, for whatever reason, join those sessions and have requested a catch up. Naturally, there always has to be room for team members to raise subjects with JustGiving confidentially. None of this should be confused with secrecy.
The development team is one of several technology teams represented at the Board by what the reviewer describes as technology leadership. Therefore, we're responsible for a team of wide ranging and deep expertise. Whilst we were specialists once, we don't pretend, for example, to be rock star developers. We continue to work hard to empower teams such that leadership happens at all levels. For example, we don't hold the model presented by the reviewer of there being a distinct class of tech decision makers. Irrespective of that, the tech leadership between them has the most eCommerce experience available in the UK today, not least of which is creating and growing JustGiving itself. It is perhaps ironic that in avoiding direct intervention because we trust the developers (as a matter of course, we tend not to participate in iteration planning, retrospectives, stand-ups, scrum-of-scrums, developer meetings etc.) and encourage enquiry, that we are perceived as detached. We will work at that.
We welcome conversations with any and all team members on any point, including robust feedback, because we're passionate about building a great place to work.