Careers in Technology
This is where we store all sorts of information on all of the different jobs we do in technology here at Ocado Group, Ocado Technology and Code for Life. You can find poster versions of these here.
I live in North London with my family and a labradoodle named Zuko. My first summer job was selling ice cream on a beach in Norfolk. I did it for six years in a row and loved it, despite working long hours as a 13-year-old. One summer, I worked on a local fairground which was seriously tough but a good reference point for hard days in the office.
"Early Ocado was like a rollercoaster whose bolts hadn’t been tightened. If you get the chance to work in a start-up you should do it. The task seemed enormous, but so was the drive and determination."
I studied Physics at UCL before joining the IT department at John Lewis Partnership. They trained me in software development, let me build a procurement team and improve their network infrastructure. I also created their first e-commerce website.
I then moved on to work for Ocado, where I ran the Technology team for ten years. Early Ocado was like a rollercoaster whose bolts hadn’t been tightened. If you get the chance to work in a start-up you should do it. The task seemed enormous, but so was the drive and determination. I have been responsible for Logistics, building new CFCs, creating our own ASRS, and installing it around the world.
Now we are all on another adventure with OIA. I have always been better at starting than finishing, and it is my very good fortune to have spent most of my career in an organisation that starts so much!
Have you ever clicked on a button expecting it to do one thing but it does another? My role in UX (User Experience) is to capture instances like this, and feed them back to my team so they can make better choices in the design of websites. I do this by running interviews, sending out surveys, and testing prototypes directly with the people who will use the website. My job means I get to learn from new perspectives and ask lots of questions. I find it really exciting knowing that data I collect impacts product decisions and improves what we offer to customers.
"Understanding your user is especially important in a technology company. It takes a lot of time and effort for software engineers to write code for a new feature, programme, or product. So, it's critical to make sure that what is developed is needed and understood by users."
I had a tough time choosing what I wanted to do at university; for my A levels I did Chemistry and Maths, Theatre Studies and English Literature! I then came across Anthropology - a social science where you can study people and their cultures. Anthropology combined my passion for learning about people and reading with my skills for research and analysis. When it came to my career I did not think I would be able to use my degree every day, but now I'm a User Experience Researcher!
"My four years here have been a whirlwind - like all tech organisations, no day is ever the same. My role is responsible for Ocado’s employees- basically ensuring this is an amazing place to work regardless of your background.
The best thing about my job is when I see people grow and develop - here you can do this through your role, through professional courses and by volunteering internally. One great example of this is through Code for Life which benefits the skills and wellbeing of our volunteers, and inspires people to a future career in tech. This combination of learning, wellbeing, diversity and inspiring young people is one of the best ways Ocado builds a stronger organisation for the future."
"The best thing about my job is when I see people grow and develop... One great example of this is through Code for Life which benefits the skills and wellbeing of our volunteers, and inspires people to a future career in tech."
"Prior to Ocado I held senior HR roles with Expedia (online travel) and Premier Farnell (B2B distributor) and before that I worked at a start-up - all were great places where I learned loads. I was lucky enough to live in Chicago for five years which was a fantastic work and life experience. Chicago definitely gave me the travel bug and I love to take trips for holidays or work."
I am a Business Support Specialist in North America for Ocado. I work as a key player to support the operation of the site. As a woman without a technical background, I’ve had to learn and understand a basic level of technical operations by submerging myself in technology. I work on projects called BOT School, Peripheral school, and Safety Training. These activities are aimed at providing the necessary assistance to ensure smooth site operations and support for my team.
"I hope to continue to inspire and encourage women and allies to get involved in the technology industry."
Gaining a foundational understanding of equipment, diverse software systems and achieving expertise in Google Suite has empowered me to constantly advocate for my team members. Furthermore, I can foster a sense of inclusion among my team onsite, which is essential for creating an environment conducive to attracting and retaining top talents.
What I enjoy most about my role is that it has pushed me to become innovative and think outside of the box to become a stronger professional, but the best part of my role is the ability to form a professional relationship with each of my team members onsite and getting to know them individually. I hope to continue to inspire and encourage women and allies to get involved in the technology industry.
I’m a Software Engineer at Ocado, and I work on the systems that run our customer fulfilment centres.
Building software requires planning, organisation, and communication. Just like air traffic controllers managing multiple aircraft, software engineers juggle many complex tasks at once as we design, build, and debug systems.
At Ocado we face the very busy traffic management, based on air traffic control and path planning in real-time. Our robots travel at 15kph along tracks over 7 metres from the ground, and pass one another just 5 millimetres apart. Safety is our number one priority, and we work carefully to keep our complex network of moving machines running smoothly.
"At Ocado we face very busy traffic management, based on air traffic control and path planning in real-time."
What I enjoy most is working as part of a team; it allows me to design things that are much bigger than I could build on my own, and see them come to life - together we can turn big ideas into working systems. It’s an incredibly rewarding feeling.
Myrna Macgregor - Lead, Responsible AI & Robotics
Artificial intelligence, or AI, is becoming a key part of how Ocado works: from computer vision systems which allow robots to pick a wide variety of items, to recommendation engines which identify the most relevant products for each customer. It’s critical that we develop and deploy these technologies responsibly.
It’s really motivating to work on such a cutting edge issue. One of my key tasks has been to bring 40+ colleagues together to figure out what responsible AI means to our business - it’s been fascinating to hear their perspectives. And I’m really proud that we got sign-off to publish the commitments we came up with in Ocado’s 2022 Annual Report (see: Ethics of AI and Robotics).
"My role is thinking through how Ocado can use AI and robotic AI technologies in a safe and trustworthy way."
I’m not a technical specialist. My degree was in European Studies, French and German. Prior to joining Ocado, I worked for Foreign Office and the BBC. My career journey has been translating my experience in policy, strategy and human rights to a technology context. So I’m proof that all kinds of people can transition into a career in AI!
Anna Len - Automation Development Tester
"Nowadays digital shopping is very popular and in the near future it could possibly dominate the market. I am just happy that I can be part of it."
Anna, an Automation Development Tester, joined the Ocado Technology team from one of Ocado's Customer Fulfilment Centres. "I've received an incredible opportunity to move to the Technology department. This was a great occasion for me to develop my passion as I am fascinated by the large amount of automation within the warehouse. I really enjoy what I am doing as I work with the robots. I get to test them every day to make sure they work perfectly when they are being used. Which helps me be able to learn something new everyday, meet new people from other parts of the world, and be a part of the great team which makes a difference in the technology and future."
Richard Watkins - Data Scientist
Richard is a Data Scientist working in Supply Chain at Ocado Technology. His team design forecasting algorithms – helping retailers offer their customers good levels of product availability, while minimising waste. As customers can add items to their orders until just a few hours before delivery, and fresh items can have a very short shelf life, this is a huge challenge.
"It's nice to be able to see your algorithms reducing food waste."
Radhika Gudipati - Research Coordinator (Robotics & AI)
My role as a Research Coordinator is to interact with various technology teams within Ocado, understand their current challenges (e.g., what is the best route for an Ocado van to deliver the shopping to a customer) and collaborate with the research teams at Universities to develop a solution.
My biggest challenge is to find a solution and at the same time not give away the secret sauce to the competitors. I enjoy working with roboticists at different organisations. My PhD in robotics and my passion in taking the research to solve real world challenges brought me into this role.
"My first exposure to a computer was in my Yr 8 where a class of 50 students had to share 10 computers in a small room (air conditioned lab was the highlight for the hot tropical weather)."
COBOL was the language we were taught in the classroom and we were asked to handwrite the code in our homework books. As I typed the code in, executed it and saw the special characters printed in shapes appearing on the screen - it made my day! 🙂
Dioni Zhong - Senior software Engineer
Dioni is a Senior Software Engineer in our very own Code for Life team! She has been helping us improve our products and keep everything running smoothly. Read more about what she gets up to every day below.
"I love problem solving and building things. I’m passionate about education. I feel a great sense of pride and joy knowing that I play a part in building something that helps students and teachers worldwide."
I work in Code for Life team at Ocado to develop the website and the Rapid Router and Kurono games. In a small team, we have to do a variety of things. Apart from coding, I also work with data, charts, and documentation. I love problem-solving and building things. I’m passionate about education. I feel a great sense of pride and joy knowing that I play a part in building something that helps students and teachers worldwide.
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Anthony works as a roster analyst in the department responsible for Business Analysis. His role is extremely important in helping Ocado Group get groceries out to its customers. His job is to prepare the 13-week rosters in advance before they are sent out to drivers letting them know when they are working. Having been a driver last year, this year Anthony wanted to help by making such a busy period as easy as possible.
"I'm spending this Christmas trying to give the drivers the present of a roster that fits in with their lifestyle."
Just like our Rapid Router challenges, it is all about efficiency and saving energy wherever possible at Ocado Group, so making sure the drivers know their roster ahead of time means that the full service can be much smoother.
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