Katie

Why did you join Tibra?

In my last year of University, I did a 10-week internship with Tibra and after returning to Australia from time abroad, I was looking for a permanent opportunity. A big part in my decision to join Tibra was the learning and development opportunities made available through Tibra University, along with personalised development plans, internal and external training and the mentoring scheme. I’d also seen how much the firm had evolved and grown in the short time I had been abroad. I’ve always enjoyed the culture and agility of start-ups and found that Tibra has the best of both worlds: the character of a start up with the maturity of an established business.

What do you enjoy about working at Tibra?

I get to use my mathematical background and passion for research-based problem-solving and I enjoy autonomy in my work and the amount of responsibility I’ve been given. I get to see the results of the work that I am doing and the immediate impact and benefit I bring to my colleagues. It’s really motivating to see them get excited about the tools I build. It can sometimes be trying, when there are almost endless ideas to explore in limited time but I like how this challenges me. 

What makes Tibra different?

To me, it’s the graduate programme, our office location and the work-life balance.

The talent team at Tibra has a lot of experience in hiring grads, so it’s a well thought-through process, with an emphasis on learning from the ground up. There is structure and frameworks in place to make sure everyone gets the most out of the graduate programme. For example, within my first four weeks at Tibra, I completed two external training courses (6 days total) where I developed my coding skills as part of a cohort. We had different coding skill levels but were treated the same, learning together as a team.

Oh, and this conversation can’t go without mentioning the location. Our beachside office in Austinmer is a stunning place to work. It’s quite serene to have glistening water and tumbling waves as the backdrop, nestled in the scaling greenery of the Great Dividing Mountain Range.

Also, our perks at work promote a great lifestyle. It’s important to have a good work-life balance and Tibra takes it a step further by integrating work and life together. Take exercise for example, there’s organised group sessions with a personal trainer open to all staff members, and time off for this during the day is actively encouraged. 

How has your role evolved since you started?

I was onboarded as a trainee software developer. Three months into the role my team lead steered me toward a role on the risk team to capitalise on my mathematical skillset. In this role I take a bird’s eye view of business operations in the context of managing and mitigating risks for the company as a whole. My work is project based, and each project is unique to the needs of the team I am working with. I’ve really enjoyed seeing how the risk team has evolved along with the growing impact we make.

I’ll be real – I’ve faced some challenges here, and working for Tibra has been a steep learning curve, but I’ve learned a lot about myself and my own limits that I otherwise wouldn’t have. It was in embracing these challenges that I ultimately found to be character building, an opportunity so rarely afforded. I relish in my work; my skills and interests align with the projects I’m given which lends itself to a very gratifying work experience. 

What has been your proudest moment at Tibra?

A few months into my role, I replicated a prime brokers pricing model, which enables us to not only identify inconsistencies in our agreed upon calculation methodologies retrospectively, but to also make better informed trading decisions based on insight gained in predicting our margin.

News about the tool was shared on our global company communication app, highlighting our team’s evolution and my contribution to it and the senior leadership made the effort to email me personally. It was both humbling and rewarding to be recognised like that. In this respect I don’t think my experience is unique, rather that it’s telling of a culture fostered where efforts are truly seen and genuinely appreciated.