Murmuration: What brought you to working in engineering?

Soraya Belhadj Aissa: I’ve always been passionate about data and technology and started software engineering early in my life. My early interest in technology led me to pursue degrees in data science and software engineering. From there, I’ve worked in various industries, with advertising and financial technology being especially important. Those roles required a great deal of technical challenges related to the amount of data, and consumer knowledge, which translates well to my role here at Murmuration. I was drawn to working at Murmuration specifically because of its commitment to civic engagement. I’ve always been very civically engaged from a young age. In Tunisia, where I grew up, we have elected youth mayors and a youth senate, part of a youth training initiative on participatory democracy. I served as a youth mayor from ages 12 to 16 and advocated for many youth concerns on behalf of my peers. My biggest accomplishment as youth mayor was increasing pedestrian safety through safety signage and new speed restrictions. I also advocated for budget increases for the theater clubs for young children and municipal libraries.

Murmuration: What were you doing before working at Murmuration?

SBA: Immediately before joining the team here I became a mom! My daughter was three months old when I came on board. Right before that, I was working on a technology start-up I founded with two colleagues. It was an app that help data scientists monetize their models by allowing them to publish a prediction endpoint using their AI models, and prior to that, I was working as an engineering manager at a financial technology start-up where I led the data and infra team to build a scalable solution to underwrite SMBs with innovative and non-traditional methods.

Murmuration: What drew you to working at Murmuration?

SBA: I was drawn to Murmuration because of its mission. Growing up in Tunisia and living for many years in France and now in the US, I’ve experienced many regime changes and political systems and know firsthand the value of democracy and voting, so civic engagement is deeply important to me. I also love using my technical skills to solve challenges and complex problems and having that translate into new tools or apps that help amplify civic engagement. The chance to contribute to meaningful projects and be part of a team that values both cutting-edge tech and social impact was a major draw for me.

Murmuration: How would you describe your role at Murmuration?

SBA: I lead the five-person research engineering team, which primarily supports the development of new data and research products. We've recently been really focused on building tools that empower our data science team to scale and automate the models that power Atlas by Murmuration. Our team often acts as an incubator for new projects and tools, so we're also the team that is developing Explorer by Murmuration our ambitious project to revolutionize data accessibility with a self-service platform for insights. We have a broad mandate, and the work we do is really cross-functional, so my role encompasses everything from team and technical leadership to hands-on technical contributions.

Murmuration: Walk us through a day in your life at Murmuration.

SBA: My day typically begins with team meetings, which could be a quick standup or a longer discussion depending on our needs. This ensures that I’m aligned with my team’s progress and priorities right from the start, despite the time zone difference.The middle of my day is dedicated to strategic project meetings with key stakeholders from data science, and Atlas teams and within the team we work in a highly collaborative manner, and I’m often doing code reviews, mentoring team members, or facilitating brainstorming sessions. Towards the very end of the day, things usually quiet down and I use that time for more focused work like individual technical tasks or re-prioritizing work for the entire team.

Growing up in Tunisia and living for many years in France and now in the US, I’ve experienced many regime changes and political systems and know firsthand the value of democracy and voting, so civic engagement is deeply important to me.

Murmuration: Murmuration offers a wide array of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging initiatives for employees. How do you participate in DEIB at the organization?

SBA: I like to participate in Murmuration’s organization-wide Heritage Month activities. During Pride Month in June, we virtually explored art exhibitions that highlighted queer artists. My smaller team also has its own monthly DEIB initiatives. For example, one time we shared our own personal voter file information with each other which sparked interesting discussions around ethnicity, engagement, and voter turnout.

Murmuration: What’s your favorite part about your role at Murmuration?

SBA: I have three favorite aspects. The first is that it gives me a sense of purpose. I’m happy that my KPIs and OKRs are something I’m passionate about and that have a social impact. Second, I’m excited about leading my team through various initiatives, including one of our current projects, Explorer. In this project, we’re prioritizing agility and rapid assessment to understand how our product can benefit our partners. This project is just one example of the many opportunities we have to tackle technical challenges and drive innovation with our partners and within the organization. Finally, I love the people. The talented and humble team members create a collaborative environment where everyone is dedicated to tackling challenges and advancing the organization’s goals.

Murmuration: What is your advice to others who want to work in a similar field or industry?

SBA: No matter what industry you work in, building a strong technical foundation is crucial, even if you’re going to be a people manager. Also, there will be times when you need to completely reinvent a project you’ve been working on, so learn how to be adaptable (I learned this quickly by working in startups). Finally, have a collaborative mindset. Learning how to work in a team setting goes far – you could have all the technical knowledge in the world, but you have to be able to work well with others to succeed.