The youngest branch of Sii Poland is one year old. Over 50 experts in Bialystok support the company’s largest clients

In autumn 2019, Sii Poland decided to open a branch in Białystok. Currently, the team consists of over 50 people and supports the company’s 10 largest clients. The youngest Sii location supports projects for other sites of the company. The fast growth is possible thanks to the satisfaction of employees.

Sii Poland decided to open its 14th office in Białystok as a branch supporting projects implemented for clients from other locations. However, even before the branch was established, the company has already employed specialists in Białystok. Out of 8 people working remotely for other departments, Piotr Bach, Software Engineer, has been working in the company for the longest time – 8 years.

–  My adventure with Sii began in 2012, when I received a very attractive job offer in the Warsaw branch, where I lived at the time. I decided to try my luck at a new project as a .NET Developer – Piotr recalls. – I joined a very experienced team whose task was to create a gamification engine for one of the leading banks. It was an innovative system for those times and an invaluable experience. I suspect that many readers had the opportunity to use this solution on a daily basis. Currently, I support the Danish team in creating modern educational platforms, and in my daily work I mainly use .NET, Azure and Umbraco CMS technologies. In addition to programming, I am happy to support the new Białystok branch in the recruitment of .NET Developers or edit texts for our blog in the Software Development section. The opening of the branch in Białystok was good news for me. Even though I had already decided to return to my hometown and work remotely, the office in the city center made it easier for me to deal with administrative matters – he adds.

The adventure of Barbara Piekarska, Regional Manager for Białystok branch also started in another city and made it possible for her to return to her hometown.

– That was my plan from the beginning of my work at Sii (laughs). I kept telling everyone that if a branch in Białystok opened, I would be the first person in this branch. Why? Because I come from this area, I grew up here – says Barbara. – I moved to Warsaw and then to Gdańsk, because then there was no prospect for development, but I always wanted to come back here. Interestingly, it was my colleagues from work who informed me that a branch is opening in Białystok. I wrote to the Regional Director straight away, thinking about taking care of the recruitment itself, I hadn’t even thought about becoming a Regional Manager. I went through three stages of the process, finally Greg, the founder and CEO of Sii Poland, accepted my candidacy and thanks to that I am where I am – she admits.

In addition to fulfilling local needs, specialists also support project teams for clients in other Sii Poland branches. The first specialist employed at Sii in the Białystok branch, Andrzej Mironowicz, Software Engineer, initially worked on a project for a British bookmaker, a client of the Kraków branch. 

– At the beginning of my cooperation with Sii, I worked remotely. I knew beforehand that an office in Białystok is planned to open, but I did not know the details. One day Basia, the manager of the Białystok branch, called me and asked if I would like to work in the office. Without thinking I said yes – says Andrzej. – The beginning of work in the department was a fascinating experience, because only three of us came to the office for a good few weeks. We joked that each of us could have the entire office to ourselves. Since the office was just opened, we integrated in an original way – by assembling the furniture. It seems to me that from the very first moment we found a common language and I felt as if we had known each other for a long time – he adds.

From the first candidate in the branch, in a year Sii Białystok built the position of a recommended workplace on the local market. Anna Chwatko-Zajkowska, Technical Writer and the newest specialist admits: 

– Looking for a job I entered Sii Poland’s website and from the very beginning I had very positive impression – says Anna. – This, combined with the proposal to start working in a great position, meant that I did not hesitate and immediately accepted the offer. It was one of the better events of 2020! I felt at home here, it sounds funny, but I really did! Before starting the cooperation, I came to the branch several times to take care of the formalities and it was always very nice. Now I work remotely, but when it gets warm, I plan to be in the office regularly, there are really great people working there – she adds.

What do employees say about the changes?

– Over the past eight years, I have noticed big changes in terms of standardization and automation of internal processes, which undoubtedly facilitate everyday work. Integrated Microsoft 365 tools support communication and remote work, conducting annual assessments or reporting working time and absences. The company also introduces solutions that make life easier for freelancers, such as Fakturomat. An inseparable part of Sii are internal communities, webinars run by our fellow experts, integration events or modern, spacious offices – lists Piotr Bach.

Currently, the branch has been operating for over a year and has over 50 people. Working with Digital, Testing, Embedded, Dynamics CRM and ITO Competency Centers, Białystok supports Sii Poland‘s 10 largest clients – from the healthcare market leader, through a semiconductor manufacturing giant, one of the largest financial holding companies in the world, a manufacturer of automotive solutions or retail sector leaders such as Reckitt Benckiser or Puma. At Sii Białystok, we develop teams with Java, AEM, .NET, front-end, Android and iOS programmers as well as specialists in the field of low-level testing and programming (embedded).

– We plan to employ Java, .NET and C ++ Developers for several projects. In addition, we will look for manual and automatic testers and develop the embedded area. By the end of October this year, we plan to expand the Sii Białystok team to 70 people – says Barbara Piekarska. 

Sii Białystok is a great place for career development. Check out our job offers and join us!