Interview with Catalin Cefalan, Senior Delivery Manager at EPAM Systems, Inc.

1. Can you tell us, in brief, who is EPAM Systems globally and what is the role of EPAM Romania?

EPAM Systems is a leading digital transformation services and product engineering company founded 29 years ago in the United States, specializing in software development, digital platform engineering, consulting and digital product design. The company has been at the forefront of some of the most exciting technology-led transformations in the industry, and the story continues today with agile delivery, big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

EPAM's global multi-disciplinary teams serve customers across six continents in more than 50 countries. As a recognized leader, EPAM is listed among the top 15 companies in Information Technology Services on the Fortune 1000 and ranked four times as the top IT services company on Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list.

EPAM opened its Romanian branch in 2020 and is now considered a growth pillar in the Central Eastern Europe region. Due to the vast number of qualified talents, the Romanian IT market has the ability to build strong engineering teams.

2. I know that you are working with some of the latest technologies. Can you give us some information about the type of projects you develop in Romania and the technology stack you use?

The sky is the limit. At EPAM, we have multiple projects covering multiple business areas and technology stacks. Of course, considering the number of open positions, some technologies are in more demand than others, such as Java, .NET, and different flavors of JavaScript. On the other hand, cloud, data and DevOps-related technologies are increasing in demand together with niche technologies like GoLang, Python or Scala.

Of course, we should not forget other key skills we are looking into, like Business Analysis, Quality Assurance (both automation and functional), performance and security, agile, project management, and delivery management.

From a business perspective, EPAM covers most industries, ranging from Financial Services, Life Sciences & Healthcare, Travel & Hospitality to Media, Retail & Distribution and many more. This diverse IT ecosystem makes EPAM a unique choice for engineers among many tech companies in the Romanian market.

3. EPAM Romania attracted tech professionals from multiple cities across Romania, and you are now a team of more than 500 colleagues. What is the secret? What attracts them to EPAM Romania?

There are multiple ways to see this, as everyone has different aspirations and expectations from the ideal company they’d like to work for. Besides the compensation, benefits and work-life balance, many EPAMers enjoy working with cool, cutting-edge technologies in a friendly work environment with solid processes. The stability and constant growth of the company over the past decade is a significant deciding factor for our colleagues.

As employees, we are all different, and our needs vary depending on where we are in our personal circumstances and professional journeys. As a company, we try to provide a diverse set of benefits to help our EPAMers both in their professional growth and personal lives. One of the main advantages of working in a versatile digital engineering and consultancy company like EPAM is that each of our colleagues can find the best setup for themselves.

At EPAM, we try to be mindful of everyone’s background and adapt to ever-changing personal and professional situations. In my opinion, flexibility, together with the possibility to work from home or anywhere in Romania and relocation opportunities to any location where EPAM has offices (50+ countries), creates the perfect mix for almost everyone. This flexibility makes it increasingly attractive for great professionals who want to grow together with EPAM.

4. How would you define the culture of EPAM?

At EPAM, we have a culture of transparency, openness, clear processes and constant support. From my experience, most of our colleagues have always valued the multicultural teams we have created and the culture within. EPAM is one of the few companies I have interacted with that has a set of values which are respected and promoted right from the top to each EPAMer. EPAM values the individual—we are one team regardless of skillsets, projects and location; we continuously strive for excellence and act with integrity. This mindset fosters a professional work environment that allows our colleagues to grow and succeed.

Our engineering DNA is at the core of our values. Engineers are working with engineers; we speak a common language no matter our role in the company.

5. Culture is driven in part by a strong leadership team. Tell us more about the team at the helm of EPAM Romania. What is the management style they prefer and how does this translate to the well-being of your colleagues?

From the very beginning, we had the opportunity to bring together people with the same mindset and approach toward management and leadership, and this was a strong base we built from. We have always carefully reviewed our candidates' profiles from a technical and non-technical perspective. The non-technical perspective is more important for the roles that involve leadership responsibilities, and we pay particular attention to selecting our EPAMers who join our management and leadership team. Last but not least, the critical skill we’re seeking in our leadership candidates is the openness to learn and grow.

The most effective approach in leadership is building a trustful relationship with colleagues. We’re committed to finding the best ways to help every colleague find their place in the teams and projects we have available. Although this is not always easy, this is essential for our colleagues’ well-being and long-term collaboration.

6. Diversity & Inclusion is a hot topic in the tech world but not only. What is your approach?

Recent Glassdoor figures confirm that DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) is a decisive factor for job seekers and employees. This is as crucial for employee satisfaction as compensation and benefits. At EPAM, we act as one team, value collaboration and appreciate our differences. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive and diverse workplace that delivers creative and innovative ideas and solutions. For example, EPAM ranks fourth in the top 25 companies in Germany for diversity and inclusion and the second IT consultancy company in the list as surveyed by Glassdoor, and this is valid in all the countries the company is present.

Inclusion is essential because it fosters innovative, different and exciting views. And this is what our colleagues and partners want to see in us. At EPAM, we use our creative minds and skills to invent, develop and deliver technologically advanced, intelligent solutions. How we get there is just as important as what we achieve.

7. For those interested to find out more and stay in touch - what are the social channels/web pages they should follow?

We are present on several social channels, so if anyone would like to connect and find out more about EPAM, they can reach us on our website www.epam.com or can follow us on social media at:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/epam-systems
https://www.facebook.com/EPAM.Romania
EPAM Romania (@epam_romania) • Instagram photos and videos
https://twitter.com/EPAMSYSTEMS