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Zlatko joined Runa in March this year as an Engineering Manager and as the first person in our Sofia team. We caught up with him to ask a few questions about his experience so far.
Hey Zlatko 👋 What excited you about joining Runa?
Firstly, it was Runa’s mission to build a first-of-its-kind digital currency network. The growth from a digital gift card business to a fully fledged ecosystem for exchanging and spending digital assets was really fascinating and felt like an opportunity to make a real impact.
Throughout the interview process, it was great to meet people from within the Engineering team and the wider business. Their friendliness, deep expertise, passion for their work, and collaborative nature really left an impression on me. After each interview round I received feedback on what went well and what could be improved. I wanted to learn from these talented individuals, as well as contribute my own skills and knowledge to the team's growth.
You joined Runa as the first person in the Sofia team. Can you tell us a bit more about what motivated that decision?
The idea of being the first person on the ground in Sofia was super exciting. I saw it as a chance to shape Runa's presence in a new location, using my local knowledge to facilitate the London team in making connections with talent and companies here. Also I was driven by the opportunity to be involved in the hiring process. Building a new team in a new location filled me with a sense of excitement and purpose. And now writing this, with our first team nearly formed in Sofia, I can say it's been rewarding to witness and contribute towards the growth of our engineering department. The dynamic exchange of ideas and diverse skill sets within our team is fostering an environment of innovation and learning.
With the Software Engineering team being based in London and Sofia, how do you work effectively across two locations?
Through effective async communication, regular video calls, and shared project management tools, we ensure that everyone stays aligned and works towards our common goals. This experience has deepened my understanding of remote teamwork and its potential.
We’re in the process of setting up our entity in Bulgaria, and once it’s finalised, I’m excited to see the impact it will have on the team meeting in person. I saw first hand in London how an office fosters an even stronger sense of collaboration and community. We've had our first social in Sofia which was super fun!
What are the future plans for hiring in Sofia?
Looking ahead, my aspirations for the future at Runa and the growth of the Software Engineering team is hugely exciting. We envision our Sofia office to expand with one more development team, containing more exceptional individuals who share our passion for solving complex problems, such as building our digital wallet, merchant experience in the system and scaling partner onboarding.
We're continuing to grow our team across the UK, US and Bulgaria. If you're interested in joining us on our mission to unlock digital value for everyone, check out our open roles on the careers page.
