Meet Mel, the newest project manager to join our Spiral team. Mel has only been with us a few weeks but has settled into her role marvellously, bringing with her a background in project and account management as well as her recently acquired skills and knowledge in coding.

Originally from the Kāpiti Coast, Mel spent many years in Wellington before settling in Greytown three years ago. Mel and her family chose this part of the Wairarapa for its lifestyle and affordability of living, describing it as ‘ a great spot to live’.

A career as a digital project lead was certainly not something Mel had anticipated. She began her working life as an account manager in advertising before pivoting into what she calls a ‘crazy, intensive’ coding boot camp for six months. 

‘I knew how quickly the world was heading in a digital and technical direction, I wanted to future-proof my career.’ 

With her newly acquired skills, Mel started taking on contract roles in government and technical project management but after moving to the Wairarapa, she found these short-term contract roles difficult to manage when working from home. They lacked flexibility, something that was important to her as a mum of two kids. 

When she landed her role at Spiral, Mel knew she had found something unique. The structure of the role meant she could work from home with ease while being able to manage relevant projects that she finds are actually making a difference in the world. As human beings, Covid-19 has affected us all in one way or another and for Mel, being able to make a difference in this space has been a huge driver.

‘Knowing that you’re working on something that is affecting every human being in the world - it’s powerful to think about and amazing to be involved in’

As a newcomer to the medical space, Mel finds some aspects of the industry challenging, especially around the language used. But despite this, her colleagues and clients, who she describes as ‘so clever and passionate’ have been incredibly helpful and supportive. 

‘Everyone is so lovely, it makes me want to get everything done right for them’

Although still new to the team, Mel’s days are incredibly busy. At the moment her main focus is on the Panoramic trial, a UK-Wide clinical study sponsored by the University of Oxford that aims to find out in which people new antiviral treatments for Covid 19 in the community reduce the need for hospital admission and recover sooner. 

‘I find my day-to-day work with Spiral so  purposeful and interesting -  I feel really engaged with what we’re trying to achieve.

From managing sprints to building wireframes, working with developers, to liaising with the client, Mel is able to draw heavily upon her project management experience to get her projects out the door. She enjoys being immersed in the medical industry and the technical challenges that come with it but loves the creativity involved with building wireframes, something she considers a strength of hers. 

‘For me one of the biggest challenges is adjusting to a different mindset, shifting from website building to building software for medical purposes.’

Since having kids and moving to the regions, Mel has recognised the importance of finding a role that adds value to her life. With her priorities having shifted significantly in the last few years, she believes that life and work should be able to coexist very naturally without having to struggle in either. 

It’s taken Mel a few years to find this balance; juggling family commitments with a job is no easy feat. Finding a role that makes her happy to get out of bed every morning, one that adds value to her life, was a priority for Mel and with Spiral she believes she may have just found the perfect fit.

‘If you’re lucky enough to find something you can do every day that interests you and you find rewarding whilst still being able to do things outside of work that you enjoy - then hold onto that.’