Inside Payhawk’s Engineering Team

This week we have a reason to celebrate: two of our software developers mark three years at Payhawk! As part of the company since day one, Viktor and Rosi have seen it all - the creative chaos, the rapid launch, the effort and passion put into building Payhawk. They walked us through their journey and we are thrilled to share it with you!

Meet Viktor Bukurov

Can you tell us more about your role and background?

My programming journey began at Telerik Academy. There, I successfully passed various practical courses and then immediately secured a job at Telerik. I had worked as a QA engineer for a few years before deciding that software engineering suits me better. I switched roles and never looked back. I had previously worked with Hristo and Boyko - our founders - at Telerik, so joining them to build Payhawk was an easy decision - and the right one.

My role is certainly very extensive - I act as a full-stack developer, a mobile developer, and even a DevOps engineer.

What do you like the most about working at Payhawk?

That everyone is passionate about and devoted to what they do. When you look around the office, you see that all of us are genuinely excited about what we’re working on.

What is your favorite part about your job? What excites you the most?

Being able to develop something from the ground up. That’s my absolute favorite - together with exploring new technologies. I’m thrilled when I get the chance to implement new or different technology in our product.

How would you describe the company culture?

Within the company, there’s a lot of openness and curiosity. We value fresh ideas and, of course, there’s a really high desire to help the customer. All of my colleagues are proactive, hardworking and that translates into Payhawk’s company culture.

If there’s one thing you could improve, what would it be?

As part of the Engineering team, my focus is strictly on the quality of the product. We’re constantly working on improving. Yet, introducing new features all the time also requires us to prioritize maintenance. Personally, I would prefer the quality of our product to be such, that customers never have to contact our CX team due to an issue.

What is your biggest hope for the next 3 years at Payhawk? In what ways do you expect to grow?

Company-wise, I strongly believe that Payhawk can become a unicorn. I know that the whole team shares the same vision - to become one of the biggest IT companies in Eastern Europe by providing an exceptional product.

As for me, I will continue to learn and improve to be efficient in tackling the never-ending challenges. I get to work with and befriend amazing people - that’s how I grow as an individual, too.

What would you advise people who want to join us on our journey at Payhawk?

Don’t hesitate to apply and get to know us. If you approach your work with enthusiasm and are self-driven, Payhawk is definitely the place for you.

Meet Rositsa Topchiyska

Can you tell us more about your role and background?

It’s rather interesting as I didn’t initially study software engineering. My university experience started with a Physics major. With time, I became more and more interested in programming and changed my field of study completely. After reinforcing my skills at Telerik Academy, I joined Progress for my first-ever engineering job. Back then the company was called Telerik - I met a lot of talented people there. This was where the heart of the Payhawk team was created, too. Working with Boyko and Hristo had been so effortless and natural, that when they launched a new venture, I was all in.

What do you like the most about working at Payhawk?

Picking a single thing is hard for me, as I’ve been part of Payhawk since the very beginning. Instead, I’ll share what really motivates me: when new people join our team and I get to see their enthusiasm and genuine happiness to work here with us, I know for a fact that we’ve created something truly special.

What is your favorite part about your job? What excites you the most?

Solving various problems has always been exciting for me. It is my comfort zone, in a sense. Starting a new task that needs to be done in a limited time frame pushes me to be more creative, to think more unconventionally. That excites me - the way I’m being challenged. Sharing my knowledge and experience with others also makes me feel good, helpful.

What do you see as the biggest accomplishments since you started in 2018?

The payments processing that we’ve built is probably the one thing that I am *extremely *proud of. Being responsible for real money definitely motivates you to up your performance - and keeps you on your toes! To achieve our goal, we built something robust and made sure that it works correctly. This involved a lot of testing, validation, and cross-validation. Now, I can proudly say that it works smoothly and I’m sound asleep at night.????

What's one thing you wish you knew before you started working here?

When I joined, I had to do a lot of things that weren’t in my immediate know-how or skill set. Establishing new processes, determining the culture, hiring new people - all of this was new for me. I had the opportunity to learn from good friends with creative thinking and broad expertise. So, in the end, it turned out to be an invaluable experience for me.

How would you describe the company culture?

The first thing that comes to mind is a “getting things done” attitude. Knowing that you’re surrounded by people whom you can rely on is reassuring. Encouraging everyone to speak up their minds and provide feedback has become an integral part of Payhawk’s culture.

Now that we’re constantly growing, it is necessary to rethink and improve our processes - everybody understands this and all teams are aligned with the company goals.

What has been your biggest “lesson learned“ in these 3 years?

Communication is vital when working with others. Task estimations, progress reports, things you doubt about - all of this should be out in the open. If you fail to deliver something on time, your team must know what the issue is.

What is your biggest hope for the next 3 years at Payhawk? In what ways do you expect to grow?

Sustainably growing the company is my biggest hope. Also, I’d love it if we could attract more great people to work with us. People are the most valuable asset of each company, so onboarding more colleagues is the right path to success.

What would you advise people who want to join us on our journey at Payhawk?

They have to be prepared for a chaotic adventure - “dynamic environment” as most call it ????. Everyone who joins would take part in building an environment they enjoy. We’re open-minded and always welcoming of new ideas and people!

If you’re interested in joining us, explore our open roles