Sii Białystok has reached 100 people in just 2 years from opening! Meet the experts behind the exciting projects pursued in one of our youngest branches

The Białystok branch celebrates the achievement of an important milestone – exceeding the number of 100 workers. Sii Białystok means interesting international projects, various technologies, and most of all, the people behind them. Find out more about the Bialystok branch of Sii!

Sii Białystok, which was until recently the youngest branch of Sii, was established in 2019 as the 14th location of Sii in Poland and is constantly developing dynamically. Over the past year, the branch has doubled its workforce to a round number of 100 Power People. The Białystok team consists of developers (Java, .NET, Python, Embedded C, C ++, PHP, Front-end), testers (manual and automation), analysts, administrators, and DevOps specialists, and supports over a dozen international clients on a daily basis. They are companies such as Ingenico, PUMA, Assa Abloy, a British financial holding company, and the world’s largest manufacturer of integrated circuits. Sii Bialystok specialists cooperating with the Internal IT department and Embedded, Digital, and Testing Competency Centers, execute various projects within the scope of IT, R&D, and industrial engineering.

Solutions for the industries of the future

Sii Białystok experts work on projects for clients from many sectors. One of them is the consumer goods sector and the already mentioned PUMA brand.

– The project for PUMA, in which I am currently involved, is carried out by Digital Competency Center. The team I currently work with is scattered all over the country – we have specialists from Gdańsk, Lublin, Rzeszów, Kraków, Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, and Białystok. It is safe to say that the project has a global reach in terms of end users who use the application daily – says Sylwia Kulesza, Test & Analysis Engineer at Sii Poland.

– Without this application, no new PUMA product would be created, not to mention the competitive advantage our software gives the company – adds Mariusz Gotlib, Software Engineer at Sii Poland, working in the project as a Senior Java Developer. – Currently, it is a project with the most applied technology that I have seen in my entire career. In addition to typical software using Java or microservices, we also have a very extensive CI / CD (Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery) segment. It is really impressive – he concludes.

Another project implemented in the Białystok branch, this time for the pharmaceutical industry, is classified as a high-risk project. It consists of six integrated applications and covers the collection and processing of data on the side effects of drugs.

– We automate tests in Python – RobotFramework, in the future it will be Tosca. On a daily basis I work with people from all over the world – from Poland, Switzerland, Germany, Great Britain, the USA, Malaysia, or India – says Paweł Dziedziul, Test & Analysis Engineer at Sii Poland, is the QA Test Lead for the project.

In addition to testing software in the pharmaceutical industry, Sii’s team members from Białystok also deal with analytics in their projects.

– I combine the roles of a technical writer, and recently, an analyst in the project. I take care of the general order in the paperwork, my job is to make sure that everything important is documented and processed in a timely manner. Also, more recently, I’ve been participating in discussions directly with the clients – says Anna Chwatko-Zajkowska, Junior Analyst at Sii Poland.

Analytical, technical, and testing competencies are not everything. Some projects require very specific knowledge and experience, for example a project for an Israeli semiconductor manufacturer.

– Our team is responsible for verifying the RTL design through software, writing drivers and tests, and creating software models for simulation, etc. – reveals Maciej Sykała, Software Engineer at Sii Poland, who is a Senior Embedded Engineer in the project. – The project itself gives an interesting look at the process of creating a processor from scratch – something that is the crème de la crème for every embedded developer. In addition, having the opportunity to work with people who are no longer impressed by it, makes me think how little I know, despite my long work experience. When it comes to technologies, we mainly use Assembler, C, C ++, Python, Zephyr, and Linux. The project is very ambitious, with a high level of complexity, and a high entry threshold. There is much to learn – we have a lot of freedom to act, and our recommendations are an important voice during the creating of solutions – adds Maciej Sykała.

Our team currently consists of 8 people, but we are constantly trying to expand it. We are scattered all over Poland, we also provide full speed remote work. However, the successful integration in Gdańsk is behind us and we hope for more – he adds.

Common celebration and passions

– In Bialystok, our opportunities are almost endless. Working here, we have a lot of freedom and no boundaries. My team is constantly expanding and currently has 8 people. Thanks to the collaboration tools, I can realize projects with engineers from all branches in Poland. The successful integration in Gdańsk is behind us and we hope for more – speaks Maciej Sykała and adds – There is a lot going on in the company. Integration parties and additional activities are organized quite often. As part of the sponsorship of interest groups, I am the coordinator of a group of automotive enthusiasts. During the season, we go karting once a month. But, everyone chooses the degree of participation in the life of the company outside working hours, there is no pressure.

On the occasion of 100 people in the branch, a sleigh ride was organized in Bialystok, followed by an integration meeting. On a daily basis, there are several other interest groups: climbing, volleyball, basketball, and recently a board games group has also started. Additionally, there are monthly breakfasts and joint celebrations of small events. Employees are also willing to engage in charity campaigns, currently aid for Ukraine is very active. All these activities, combined with the atmosphere in the branch, make the level of satisfaction among the workers at Sii Białystok high – in the recent Great Place to Work survey as many as 91% of Power People replied that taking everything into account, Sii is a great place to work.

Development above all

Despite already achieving the important milestone, the Białystok branch is still developing, and so are its employees. The company successfully promotes the ability to change the project internally, using special the Job Changer and the Job Market applications.

– What I value most at Sii is the opportunity to develop in the chosen direction and thus the feeling of control over the career path. This and the people are great! – says Anna Chwatko-Zajkowska, who recently moved from the position of a technical writer to a junior analyst.

The company is constantly gaining new customers and developing new projects. In Białystok, we are currently looking for .NET, Java, Embedded, C ++, Python, PHP, Front-end developers, manual and automation testers, as well as analysts, administrators, and DevOps.

– Due to the development of the branch, we are regularly looking for people for back office departments – says Barbara Piekarska, Regional Director of the branch. – We are also still recruiting specialists for our Internal IT department, who will support our internal projects, implemented for the needs of the company. This year, we want to enlarge our office space in Białystok, we also plan to increase employment to about 160 people by the end of this year. My long-term goal is to be the largest IT company in the region – she adds.

If you want to develop with us, check who we are currently looking for and join us!