At Viasat Ireland, the company is looking for new hires that are transparent, committed, problem solvers, collaborative and generally curious.
As an Agile coach at Viasat Ireland, Des O’Sullivan is responsible for guiding new Agile project teams at the company. He works with a range of people across the company’s Dublin base through mentoring and consulting, and so can offer some insights into the kinds of people who flourish in Viasat.
When we visited its offices at Charlemont Place, O’Sullivan told us about the five main things the team looks out for in new hires – people who are transparent, committed, problem solvers, collaborative and generally curious.
Employees having that mix of attributes, he added, is what makes Viasat a special place to work. “I think we have great people who support each other. You get to work with very talented people, and so we build great products,” he said.
We also spoke to technical sales engineer Megan Jermain, who works with Viasat’s Aerodocs product. In a word, she sees her company as a “community”.
‘It’s kind of like Cheers, where they say everybody knows your name’
– MEGAN JERMAIN
“It’s a very open and inclusive environment – it’s kind of like Cheers, where they say everybody knows your name,” Jermain said. “Literally everyone in the building after a week knows your name and you feel like you’ve been here for months.”
But what Jermain likes most, she added, is that her “inputs are valued”.
“If I have an idea, I can see it become a reality here,” she said. “And also, there’s a lot of room for growth – you’re not confined to just your role, you can expand and it’s encouraged to reach into the different areas.”
That expansion is what helps people like Jermain who haven’t come from an aviation background to catch up on this specialised area.
“The product I work on is aimed at airlines, so there is a bit of a learning curve,” she explained. “But you’re given all the support you need to get there.”
