Engineering Managers Expose, Part III. Jorge Jara a.k.a “our MacGyver”
Have you heard the classic saying 'People don’t leave jobs, they leave bad managers? We want to make the case that we have awe-inspiring managers and we’re not afraid to say it out loud. In this Engineering Managers Expose interview series, in three parts, you are getting to know our managers so that you can decide for yourself. Who knows, perhaps we will spark your interest in HaleyTek as a future employer, if that classic saying is true for you.
To conclude our third and final part of this interview series we shine the spotlight on Jorge Jara, our very own MacGyver, a man focused on unleashing our inner drive, inspiring his teams to go beyond the expected and break the barriers of what is possible.
We’ve already introduced you to Dave, our coach, who always helps us bring our A-game and overcome any obstacles. You also got to know more about Nico and the boundless support and attention he brings to his team members. Three engineering managers, three very different personalities, joined by a common eagerness to be of service to their colleagues and of course their dedication to making HaleyTek top notch.
The leadership style
We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, a good way to get to know a potential manager is to ask them to describe themselves as a leader, an even better way is to ask the employees to describe the manager. In the spirit of that sentiment, we knew we wanted to talk to Fisnik Hajredini a.k.a Fis. After all, we’ve been there to see Fis and Jorge rap live together (picture below) and were naturally curious to see what Fis had to say.
“Jorges open approach to both the product and the people brings in motivation to push you further than you believe is possible. In my honest opinion, that is a leader trait, and today the word manager translates to “boss”, but in Jorge I see true leadership and he inspires me and the teams around, always approachable, always full of positive energy, and always with fresh ideas. He is very relatable. ”
- I got to know Jorge when I started at HaleyTek, but I already feel as if I've known him for years, Fis says.
Besides rapping, Fisnik and Jorge have other common interests, such as martial arts, meditation & self-development techniques. “I have so much to learn from him, I'm lucky and proud he is my manager, his approach brings the best out of me, professionally and personally,” Fisnik concludes.
A man with multiple talents
One widely recognized fact among HaleyTekers when we think of Jorge Jara is his exceptional tastebuds when it comes to coffee quality.
When asked what he knows about coffee, he replied
“How much time do you have?”
We are all grateful for Jorge’s contribution in converting us into sophisticated coffee drinkers. We didn’t know what we were drinking BJJ (Before Jorge Jara), but now we know what coffee is supposed to taste like and we can truly appreciate the finer beans in life.
Jorge at work
When it came down to the decision to join HaleyTek Jorge says that the whole setup couldn’t have been better, “You get the mental safety of a big company but the speed, and closeness to people of a startup.”
We asked Jorge to describe a perfect day at work.
In general, it is very satisfactory to work here, at least for me because things happen, and if they get stuck it’s almost never for too long. Of course, there are some extra great days where the team finalizes that great feature that they were working so hard on, and that makes me feel extra happy.
“The manager´s function is to help unleash the people´s and teams potential and for that people just need to have the right conditions and feel safe. I don´t believe in close follow-ups and micro-management, that is like trying to grow a huge tree in a pot.”
The future awaits
With a background more around mechatronics than pure software development, Jorge says his ambitions are now aimed “to nerd into software development” to be able to help his teams even further. Having worked in several areas within the automotive industry throughout his career, Jorge is able to contribute with a broad expertise for all his colleagues here at HaleyTek in their mission to develop top of the line infotainment platforms to Ecarx (Geely) and Volvo.