Meet Alice Barker, Director Of Engineering at Thesis:
Alice Barker, our guest on the Default Global podcast, boasts a diverse career spanning banking, the adult industry, creative agency leadership, and startup involvement. Her altruistic stint in the nonprofit sector exemplifies her adaptability. Currently, Alice is the Director of Engineering at Thesis, an innovative accelerator.
Her extensive global collaboration experience underscores her networking prowess. She’s a remote work expert since day one, making her a credible source on the subject.
In our podcast, Alice will discuss global hiring, employment compliance, contracting, tech leadership, and more. Expect insights from a seasoned professional on the evolving world of work.
Listen Up: Alice Barker, Director Of Engineering at Thesis — Full Podcast Episode on Spotify
Watch Now: Vit’s In-Depth Talk with Alice Barker
Quick Read: Alice Barker, Director Of Engineering at Thesis, Interview Highlights
Journey in Tech Industry
In my recent podcast, I discussed with Alice Barker, Director Of Engineering at Thesis, about her journey in the tech industry. Alice shared how her experience spans diverse industries including banking, adult industry, creative agencies, startups, and nonprofits. Now at Thesis, she’s had the opportunity to work with talented individuals around the world, with a primary focus on remote work.
Thesis: A Crypto Venture Studio
Delving into Thesis, Alice explained that the company is a crypto venture studio that also works on non-crypto projects like a privacy-first period tracking app. They aim to build creative and financial products geared towards public good. Thesis has a diverse team spread across the US, Europe, and South America, with a significant portion in Poland. They focus heavily on an asynchronous culture to ensure seamless communication across different time zones.
Building a Global First Culture
Alice shared how Thesis has nurtured a global first culture, emphasizing on equitable hiring practices devoid of regional preference and ensuring fair pay irrespective of economic location. She also discussed the importance of effective asynchronous communication, highlighting key points and adding context to avoid overwhelming team members.
Challenges in a Multi-Cultural Setting
Discussing the challenges of working with a team primarily based in Poland, Alice highlighted the need to check one’s perspective and adapt to different cultures and practices. She emphasized the importance of recognizing different career aspirations among individuals and offering avenues for everyone, from those content with their current positions to those aspiring for higher roles.
Effective Tactics and Principles in Building Global Teams
Alice believes in leading with empathy and hiring good communicators. She focuses on building a non-brittle framework for engineering that adapts to each team’s unique way of working. She also emphasizes the importance of accommodating team members to communicate in a way that’s comfortable for them, especially when English isn’t their first language.
Approach to International Hiring
Thesis uses various strategies for international hiring, including working with recruiters and tapping into contributors from their open source projects. Alice believes that open source contributors already demonstrate passion and competence, making them an excellent pool for potential hires.
Smooth International Hiring Process
Alice shared her approach to ensuring a smooth international hiring process, focusing on respecting people’s time and quality information about how potential hires communicate. She uses an initial screen for a vibe check, a coding challenge that replicates real work as closely as possible, and a feedback absorption stage to see how candidates react to feedback.
Advice for Tech Talent
For tech talents looking to break into the market, Alice advises finding personal connections and telling a personal story linked to their career trajectory. She believes that showing genuine passion and putting a face to the name can significantly enhance one’s chances of getting hired.
