The DevLab Podcast

hackajob

The DevLab Podcast (by hackajob) is your backstage pass into the world of today’s leading tech professionals. We talk to developers, engineers, product managers, CTOs, and more from some of the most innovative companies in the UK and US. If you’re building a career in tech, this is where you’ll find the stories, skills, and strategies that matter. Each episode brings you real journeys, technical know-how, and actionable insights to help you grow your craft and your career.

  1. 5d ago

    BAE Systems: Building impactful tech with inclusive teams

    What does it actually take to build technology people can rely on? In this episode of DevLab, Phil sits down with three people from BAE Systems who all came into tech through very different routes and are now doing very different things. Johanna started out wanting to be a primatologist. Davinder got her first computer from her uncle at 14 and has been writing code ever since. Emma came from sports coaching, via a call centre, into a career spanning IT, service management and business relationship work. Together they talk about squiggly careers and the value of non-traditional routes into tech, what it means to stay hands-on as a senior engineer, building systems that sit quietly behind everyday life, AI adoption and where human judgement still matters, inclusion, neurodiversity and OutLink at BAE Systems, and what teams need to feel safe enough to actually do their best work. What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    1h 5m

  2. Apr 3

    The women who refused to stop learning: Afghanistan's quiet tech movement

    Fauzia didn't plan to go into tech. She wanted to be a doctor. When Afghanistan's university entrance exam placed her in computer science instead, she had no laptop, no coding experience, and no clear idea of what she'd signed up for. Then the pandemic hit. Then in 2021, everything changed again. Women were told they could no longer continue their studies. In this episode of the DevLab podcast, Phil, VP of Marketplace at hackajob,  sits down with Fauzia, Software Engineer and Executive Director at CodeWeekend, a community-led bootcamp helping Afghan developers build real technical skills.  They talk about her unexpected journey into tech, the reality of learning to code through internet shutdowns and electricity shortages, and the women's cohort CodeWeekend ran in 2025 for Afghan women banned from formal education. This is a conversation about resilience, community, and what it looks like when talent refuses to be stopped. Follow CodeWeekend on LinkedIn and get in touch for any collaborations: https://www.linkedin.com/school/codeweekend/ What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    28 min

  3. Mar 17

    How Tesco’s security teams work together to reduce risk at scale

    How do you secure an organisation the size of Tesco? In this DevLab episode, we’re joined by Harry McLaren, Head of Cyber Defence, and Jason Larkin, Head of Platform Security Architecture at Tesco, to unpack how modern security works at real scale. They talk through identity becoming the new perimeter, why attackers are increasingly “logging in, not breaking in”, and how architecture and cyber defence teams work together to reduce real-world risk. It’s a grounded conversation about fundamentals, complexity, cloud security, and what actually matters when theory meets reality. Read more about Tesco: https://hackajob.com/company/tesco?hsLang=en What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    56 min

  4. Mar 10

    Inside LexisNexis | Building AI you can actually trust

    AI is moving fast. In legal tech, getting it wrong isn’t an option. In this DevLab podcast episode, we’re joined by Min Chen, Senior Vice President & Chief AI Officer, and Serena Wellen, Vice President of Product Management at LexisNexis. They share how AI is built in a high-stakes domain where trust and accuracy matter every day. From early NLP systems to modern GenAI, the conversation covers how LexisNexis approaches AI quality, collaboration between product and data science, and building AI fluency across teams. If you’re building AI products in regulated or high-impact environments, this episode offers a grounded look at what responsible AI looks like in practice. Read more about LexiNexis: https://hackajob.com/company/lexisnexis?hsLang=en What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    47 min

  5. Mar 2

    How Zillow is building AI for life's biggest decisions

    Buying a home isn't a small decision. It's often the largest financial choice someone will make. So what does it take to build AI that people can actually trust in that moment? Kelsey Juraschka, Principal Machine Learning Engineer at Zillow, shares how her team is designing AI systems that support users from search to keys in hand. We get into: • What it really means to test non-deterministic systems • How Zillow approaches agentic AI at scale • Why evaluation and trust are product requirements, not add-ons • How AI tools are changing the way engineering teams work • What kind of mindset actually helps you succeed in AI today If you're an engineer, product leader, or just curious about how AI works behind the scenes at scale, this one's for you. Read more about Zillow: https://hackajob.com/company/zillow?hsLang=en What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    31 min

  6. Feb 4

    AI can’t replace knowing your users — here’s what product teams miss

    Elizabeth Ferrao splits her time between product research and launching new products at C Spire. She started in engineering, moved into product, and now spends her days turning real customer conversations into ideas that actually matter. In this episode, we get into: ✨ Why fast prototyping means nothing if you’re solving the wrong problem 🤖 The gap between what AI can automate and what only humans can understand 🔍 How continuous discovery actually works in practice 🎙️ Why hearing a customer’s voice beats any AI summary 🧩 What product teams get wrong about research, insight, and context 🤝 How engineering and product can work together without slowing each other down If you build products, lead teams, work in engineering, or just want to get better at understanding people, this one’s worth your time. 🎧 Listen, learn, and subscribe for more conversations with the people shaping how tech gets built. What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    44 min

  7. Jan 28

    Build a tech career at M&S | The team that keeps things running for millions

    What does it take to build a tech career at M&S? In this DevLab episode, Safira Adam, who leads Digital & Technology Service Management at M&S, shares what it’s really like to run technology at national scale. We talk about leadership under pressure, keeping things running for millions, and how culture and service management shape the work behind the scenes. We also dig into M&S’s growing tech hub in Manchester, the opportunities it creates for engineers in the North West, and what it means to build inclusive, high-performing teams at scale. Read more about M&S: https://hackajob.com/company/marks-and-spencer?hsLang=en What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    32 min

  8. 11/25/2025

    Building for Millions: How Engineers Grow and Thrive at Marks & Spencer

    Ever wondered what it’s like to go from founding startups to leading engineering at one of the UK’s biggest retailers?  In this new DevLab episode, Ben Phillips, Engineering Chapter Lead at M&S, joins Mark Chaffey, CEO at hackajob, to talk about building technology at a scale few engineers ever get to experience. It’s also a place where teams still find space to experiment, learn and grow.  They dive into culture, curiosity and what it really takes to build products that millions of people use every day. Read more about M&S: https://hackajob.com/company/marks-and-spencer?hsLang=en What would you like us to talk about next? 🔥Are you looking for a new role? Create your free hackajob profile and let Archer, your AI advocate in the job market, match you to roles that fit your career goals. Get started here and apply to roles knowing you are a good fit: https://hackajob.com/talent/sign-up  🔥Are you hiring? Discover how hackajob can connect you with top talent by booking a free, no-commitment trial: https://hackajob.com/employer/book-a-demo Stay up to date with DevLab and hackajob: X: @hackajobHQ LinkedIn: hackajob Facebook: hackajob Instagram: @hackajob TikTok: @hackajob

    40 min
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About

The DevLab Podcast (by hackajob) is your backstage pass into the world of today’s leading tech professionals. We talk to developers, engineers, product managers, CTOs, and more from some of the most innovative companies in the UK and US. If you’re building a career in tech, this is where you’ll find the stories, skills, and strategies that matter. Each episode brings you real journeys, technical know-how, and actionable insights to help you grow your craft and your career.

Information

  • Creator
    hackajob
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    111
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The DevLab Podcast
  • Show Website
    The DevLab Podcast