Q&A with Ricky - Full-Stack Engineer, Platform Team at Encord

In this edition of our Meet Our Engineers series, we sit down with Ricky, a Full-Stack Engineer on our Platform team. From writing his first lines of code at 11 years old to shipping core platform features used by teams building physical AI systems today, Ricky shares what it’s really like to grow as an engineer at Encord — the challenges, the learning curve, and the moments that make it all worth it.

1. Tell us a bit about your background — what were you doing before you joined Encord and what drew you here?

I actually started coding when I was around 11 or 12 while living in Japan. It was the era when iPhones and iPod Touches were getting popular, so my brother and I wanted to make something that could go on our iPod Touch. I followed online tutorials… without speaking English. I still remember asking my parents what “if” meant in code because I had literally copied a logic branch from the internet and had no idea what it was doing.

I didn’t get far at that age, but it planted the seed. Fast forward a few years: my family moved from Japan to Scotland, where I finished school and then studied general engineering at university. I eventually specialised in aerospace and information engineering — everything from fluid mechanics to basic machine learning and compression algorithms. I did a bit of coding in my own time as my course didn’t involve a lot of coding, and always knew I wanted to go into software rather than aviation.

I interned at a software consultancy, loved it, and joined full-time after graduating. I worked on projects like mobile apps and websites for a train company.

What drew me to Encord was actually my ex-colleague Clinton. He joined Encord six months before me and told me he genuinely woke up excited about his work — which is a bold statement. He referred me in, I interviewed, and the rest is history.

2. What does your day-to-day look like as a Full-Stack Engineer on the Platform team?

It varies a lot. We have large, long-running projects that take a lot of focus, but we also get interesting bugs that need urgent fixes — sometimes we ship a patch to production the same day.

We’re also spending more time discussing bigger technical directions for the team, which I really enjoy. Those conversations shape our long-term architecture, and everyone on the team contributes.

3. What’s the coolest thing you’ve built (or broken and then fixed) recently?

Probably the editable workflows feature.

Previously, once customers created a workflow for their annotation process, they couldn’t modify it. If they wanted to change anything — even something small — they had to copy the entire project and rebuild the workflow from scratch. It was painful and obviously not scalable.

The challenge for us was that workflows are complex: tasks can’t get lost, and all in-progress work has to remain safe and traceable. I worked on making workflows editable at any time during a project. Now customers can rewire and evolve their workflows as they go. It was a big project, technically challenging, and hugely impactful — definitely something I’m proud of.

4. As a full-stack engineer, you touch a broad range of systems — what part of the stack do you enjoy most and why?

When I joined Encord, I was very front-end-leaning because that’s what I did most in consultancy. I’d touched the backend but hadn’t really worked deeply with databases.

That changed quickly. In my first few months on the Platform team, I learned a lot about backend engineering and databases — thanks to incredibly helpful teammates like Rad and Sergei. They exposed me to everything I needed to know.

Now, I actually learn more towards backend work. I love how predictable and testable backend systems are. Frontend is fun, but user interactions can be inconsistent and harder to control. That said, Platform means doing a bit of everything, and I enjoy that variety.

5. What do you enjoy outside of engineering? (Hobbies, side projects, etc.)

My biggest hobby is flying airplanes. I started flight training around the time I began my first job — I finally had just enough money to try a few lessons, and I’d always wanted to do it as a kid. I got hooked immediately.

I’ve now been flying for about three years and have my private pilot licence. I can fly solo and take friends and family (though not all of them trust me yet… including my partner, who let other people fly with me first!). I’m now working on additional licences so I can fly in more challenging conditions and keep improving my skills.

Aside from flying, I’m a massive coffee person. My favourite café right now is “Omotesando Koffee” — the milk is super creamy and they serve it at a temperature you can drink straight away, which I love… although not everyone agrees with me on that.

6. If you had to describe life at Encord in one emoji — what would it be and why?

🔥

We are constantly on fire — in a good way. We’re always shipping features, moving quickly, and pushing ourselves. It’s energetic, fast-paced, and exciting. So yes… fire emoji.

Thinking about joining Encord?

Whether you’re a graduate engineer or earlier in your career, Encord offers a place where you can learn fast, take ownership, and work on technically challenging problems at the frontier of AI.

👉 Check out our open engineering roles here