Aleksandar Dalemski: Why I chose to join Zühlke in Bulgaria as a software engineer

Aleksandar Dalemski was working as a senior software engineer for a bank in the Scandinavian region, when he decided to move back to Bulgaria with his family and chose Zühlke in Bulgaria as his new employer. “I am with my team almost constantly via virtual meetings so I feel like I’m really part of the team, which was very important for me and one of the big factors that influenced my decision of where to work when I came back to Bulgaria,” explains Aleksandar. “The team environment and how we collaborate are a great representation of what Zühlke is like as a whole.”

In brief:

• Aleksandar’s approach to software engineering
• How Zühlke in Bulgaria supports personal growth, technical mastery, and long-term client relationships
• What it’s like to work at Zühlke in Bulgaria as a senior software engineer

Over his career, Aleksandar has had the chance to work with colleagues with many different backgrounds and skillsets. “Some people think that developing software is just about trying to fit the specification that you receive and delivering that,” says Aleksandar. “Others want to collaborate with all of the stakeholders on the project, co-creating the solution together to achieve a better outcome in the process.”

Aleksandar is undoubtedly the second group: “I continuously strive to understand the domain that we’re working in better and learn from everyone that I interact with so that I can help them devise something better than either of us would be able to do by ourselves.” 

Working closely with end users has defined Aleksandar’s approach throughout his career. 

“Being able to sit with the consumers of your products so closely is really eye-opening because you get a very different understanding of what their needs are if you experience them doing their role day-to-day. You get to see what challenges they are facing and come up with better solutions to their problems, some of which might have remained in the users’ blind spots, as they have grown accustomed to their routine. It’s also a real privilege to get their feedback quickly and see how happy they are to receive something that makes their life easier.”

He adds: “It makes sense to immerse yourself in the environment that you're working in and get to know who is impacted by your decisions and how you could actually collaborate with them to make a better product or tool for everyone.”

Aleksandar explains that since joining Zühlke in Bulgaria he’s enjoyed working on interesting problems and collaborating with a lot of skilled and highly professional colleagues. He’s had access to many learning resources, which he’s made good use of. But that’s not the only resource that he’s had access to.

“There are a lot of experienced people here that have taught me a lot about interacting with other stakeholders in client projects and shown me how to improve my technical skills. We’re encouraged to stay up to date with the latest trends and be curious about what we could learn and use to make our products better. There’s been ample support in all ways, and the culture is very safe in the sense that there’s no hierarchy and you can raise any issues you can think of.” 

He goes on to explain: “The software development space has always been rapidly changing and with the recent improvements in AI it's only sped up – it feels like every week there are new “toys” to play with and learn about, so if someone likes to learn new skills and discover new technologies, there’s many opportunities here.”

Aleksandar is clear that collaboration is the key to helping the business grow and become more modern. After all, it’s not about being the lowest-cost service provider, as expertise and high-quality deliveries open the door to long-term collaborations, ensuring that we’re able to deliver value over long periods for our customers.

“I worked for my previous employer for nearly a decade. I developed a lot of relationships there as well as a deep understanding of the organisation and their needs,” he says. “So that's why when I joined Zühlke, this company reached out and wanted to continue that collaboration, wrapping up the existing projects, helping with upskilling of new colleagues to strengthen their teams, and providing expert knowledge in the context of a new project. Again, building trust and relationships with the clients does really impact your future prospects.”

Reflecting on the past 20 months that he’s been at Zühlke in Bulgaria, Aleksandar explains why he would recommend working here to fellow software engineers. “We get to work on many different projects, across various industries and domains, so whatever you’re interested in, you could expect to get a chance to work on it because it’s so varied. Plus, we have colleagues with all sorts of backgrounds and areas of expertise, so it’s a good opportunity to join a like-minded, experienced group of engineers solving interesting problems and improving together.”