From Service Desk to Cloud Project Engineer: Steven's story at OryxAlign

When Steven joined OryxAlign, he was looking to return to the fast-paced world of managed services after spending several years in a specialist backup and recovery role.

Today, he's a Cloud Project Engineer, designing and delivering technology solutions that help customers solve business challenges. During his time at OryxAlign, Steven has progressed through multiple roles, developed his technical expertise and built the confidence to tackle increasingly complex projects.

Here, he reflects on his career so far, the support he's received along the way and why the opportunity to keep learning has kept him motivated.

What type of roles did you do before OryxAlign?

I started on the Service Desk as an apprentice at a much smaller IT company, where I stayed for around five years before moving into a specialist role focused on backups and restores for virtual machines, SQL databases and other infrastructure.

Just before COVID, I was made redundant. Although I'd learned a lot, I realised I'd missed the variety that comes with managed services. I wanted to get back to working across different technologies rather than focusing on one area every day, so I joined OryxAlign as a Second Line Engineer in 2020.

What's your role at OryxAlign, and how would you describe what you do in one sentence? 

I'm a Cloud Project Engineer, designing and delivering technology solutions that solve our customers' challenges.

How long have you been with the company, and what initially attracted you to join? 

It'll be six years in October, which has absolutely flown by!

One of the biggest things that attracted me was the opportunity to work for a London-based managed service provider. I'd always wanted that because of the clients, the people and the culture that often comes with it. I also noticed straight away that OryxAlign placed a much bigger focus on employee wellbeing and benefits than anywhere I'd worked before, which really stood out to me.

What's one thing that surprised you, in a good way, once you started working here?

Without a doubt, it was the support from the team.

I joined during COVID, so it was a slightly unusual situation. The engineer I was replacing had already left, so I couldn't get a proper handover and had to pick things up very quickly.

There were some moments where I felt overwhelmed, but I always knew there were experienced engineers I could turn to if I got stuck. Nothing was ever a silly question, and everyone was willing to help.

Looking back, I honestly don't think I would've settled into the role as quickly without that support. It gave me the confidence to keep learning and work through challenges instead of feeling like I had to figure everything out on my own.

What kind of progress or growth have you experienced during your time here, professionally or personally?

Professionally, there's been a huge amount of growth.

I spent four years as an on-site engineer, getting to know one customer inside out and building strong relationships with both the users and the wider team. That experience helped me develop both technically and professionally, and it gave me the confidence to move into internal IT before progressing into projects.

Along the way, I've been lucky enough to work with technologies that I probably wouldn't have been exposed to elsewhere, and that's really broadened my technical knowledge.

Personally, the biggest change has been confidence.

When I first joined, I'd often ask someone more experienced to sense-check my thinking and make sure I was approaching a problem in the right way. Now, I trust my own judgement. I know I'm a good engineer, I know I can solve problems and I know I've built a broad range of technical knowledge through experience. A lot of that confidence has come from the support of the people around me.

What do you enjoy the most about working here?

It’s definitely the variety. Even when I was supporting one customer full-time, no two days were the same, and since moving into internal IT and now projects, that's only increased.

Every project is different, every customer has different requirements, and every solution brings something new to learn. I've never felt like I'm doing the same thing every day, and that's what keeps the role interesting.

What's one way you feel supported?

One of the biggest things for me has been the trust OryxAlign has placed in me throughout my career.

Over the past six years, I've progressed through three different roles, and I've always felt recognised for the work I put in. Whether that's through new opportunities or being trusted to deliver important projects for customers, it's rewarding to know the business believes in you.

The support from my colleagues has also been just as important. From the engineers who helped me when I first joined to the projects team I'm part of today, I've always felt surrounded by people who want each other to succeed.

How would you describe the company culture to someone considering joining?

The culture is fantastic! Starting in managed services can feel overwhelming because there's so much to learn, but once you realise how much support is around you, everything changes.

I've always known I could rely on my manager and the wider team if I needed help. From technical support to asking someone to step in during a critical situation, there's always somebody willing to help. Once you experience that, you realise you're never expected to do it all on your own.

What's one benefit or part of the employee experience that really makes a difference to you?

The hybrid working policy has made the biggest difference for me.

Having that flexibility is something I really value, and it's built on trust. You're trusted to manage your time, deliver your work and do what's right for your customers, and I think that's something OryxAlign does really well.

I also really enjoy the company socials and annual events. They're a great opportunity to spend time together outside of work, and I really appreciate how open the business is about where we're heading. Being able to hear directly from the leadership team about the company's plans makes you feel part of something bigger.

One thing that's always stood out to me is how approachable everyone is. Even as an engineer, I found myself regularly speaking with senior leaders and having genuine conversations with them. It never felt overly corporate – it just felt like everyone was working towards the same goal.

Over the past six years, Steven has progressed through a number of different roles, expanding his technical knowledge and experience along the way. From joining as a Second Line Engineer to becoming a Cloud Project Engineer, his journey reflects the opportunities to learn, develop and shape a career at OryxAlign.

If you're thinking about your next step in tech, take a look at our current opportunities: https://www.oryxalign.com/careers