Profile
Steve Winwood
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About Me:
I live with my wife (Amy), 6 year old son (Max) and our cat (Bella) in Sheffield. I enjoy playing sports such as football and cricket with my son, going to parks and museums, and watching football, cricket and motorsport. I have a big interest in cars.
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My pronouns are:
he/him
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My Work:
I work as an IT Solution Architect designing new computer systems and improving existing systems for the UK government. For example, these systems can be websites where people can claim benefits or get information, or they can be systems that use and process data to make decisions, provide information or do things like paying people money.
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Read more
How do you design and build a computer system you might ask?
Good question!
The first stage is usually to understand what the computer system needs to do. We do this by talking to the people who might use the system or we speak with the people, team or organisation who has requested the system.
Once we understand what the system needs to do (the requirements), we break these requirements down to understand the technical building blocks (computer code, servers, storage, networks etc) required to deliver the requirements. We create diagrams and documents on computers to show what the technical building blocks look like and how they work together. The result of this process is hopefully a design of the computer system to be built.
We then have to do the actual building of the system. I don’t do this myself, instead I work with computer engineers/developers to write the code that forms the building blocks of the computer system. There are also people who test the code once it’s been written to spot any mistakes we make so we can fix them. We build the system out block by block, until at the end we hopefully have a working computer system.
But the work doesn’t end there. Computer systems usually need regular maintenance and updates (a bit like your phone or laptop at home getting software updates). The other part of my job is to design the updates to these existing systems and work with the computer engineers to implement them.
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My Typical Day:
I wake up, get breakfast for myself and my son. I usually drop him off at school, then I either go to the office or sometimes I work from home.
At work I’ll usually have meetings with different people, sometimes we’ll have workshops where we get a group of people together to work on a specific task, such as designing part of a computer system.
In between meetings I’ll get on with my tasks, such as writing design documents or creating diagrams. Sometimes I have to give presentations so I have to prepare slide decks for this.
I often have to research information to answer questions or solve problems, so for this I browse the internet, read technical documents, or ask colleagues.
I’m always hungry so lunchtime usually can’t come soon enough! I also like to go for a walk at lunchtime to get some fresh air, then after lunch it’s usually a mixture of more meetings, speaking to people, and getting on with design work.
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Education:
The Dronfield School – secondary plus A levels
University of Leicester
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Qualifications:
GCSEs – Maths C, Science A*A*, English Language B, English Literature B, IT B, Design Technology A (+ more)
A-Levels – Maths C, Physics C, Chemistry C
Degree – 2:1 (hons) Electrical and Electronic Engineering
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Work History:
2013 – 2016: Learndirect – Lead IT Infrastructure Architect
2012 – 2013: Tarmac – Senior Systems Analyst
2008 – 2012: Balfour Beatty – Infrastructure Engineer, Technical Architect
2007 – 2008: Robinson Healthcare – Systems Support Analyst
2005 – 2007: South Yorkshire Probation Service – IT Helpdesk Officer
2003 – 2005: Westfield Health – Office administration
Whilst doing my A levels I worked in a kitchen as a pot washer, then in a warehouse dispatching orders for photographic materials. Whilst at university I did various temporary jobs during the holidays.
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Current Job:
Since 2016 I’ve worked for the Department for Work and Pensions. Initially I joined as a Technical (IT) Architect, then in 2021 I was promoted to a Lead Architect.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
Hungry to learn
What did you want to be after you left school?
F1 mechanic
Were you ever in trouble at school?
Sometimes in junior school
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
Car mechanic
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Oasis
What's your favourite food?
Curry
If you had 3 wishes for yourself what would they be? - be honest!
Health, happiness, success
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a computer mouse that swears a lot? A cursor!
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