Since joining Blink’s London office just a few months ago, Noah Brooks has jumped headfirst into the engineering world — taking on everything from accessibility features to auto-translation tools. As a graduate software engineer, Noah loves the fast-paced startup culture and the chance to see his work go live within days. Beyond coding, he’s inspired by how Blink’s mission supports frontline workers, and he appreciates the open, collaborative environment that encourages him to learn from different departments.
Which Blink office do you work out of?
I work at the London office.
What is your position at Blink?
I’m a graduate software engineer, working in the engineering team across various technical areas. I’m currently on the web team.
How long have you been at Blink?
I started in mid-September, so about four and a half months.
What initially attracted you to join Blink?
Initially, I hadn’t heard of Blink when I came across the job posting. But what attracted me was the flexibility of the position. As a graduate software engineer at a startup, I'd have the opportunity to work across different areas of technology. The frontline focus also stood out — everyone I spoke with, whether in interviews or during my office visit, was passionate not just about their own work, but about the company’s mission as well.
All the tech folks I met were genuinely excited about technology, and they were curious about my interests in computer science. That made me feel like Blink would be a great place to learn and start my career.
What's a project you are proud of from your time at Blink?
I’ve worked on a lot of smaller projects, and I’m proud of many of them. One highlight was handling accessibility features for the platform — something I’d never done at university, but found really interesting. I also tackled custom fields, which let admins add new fields to user profiles and manage their visibility and editability. That was probably my biggest piece of work last year.
Right now, I’m focused on auto-translations for users and the ability for admins and moderators to add translations. It’s fascinating and I think it’ll have a big impact. As someone who speaks multiple languages, I love it from both a technical standpoint and a user standpoint.
How would you describe the company culture at Blink in 3 words?
I’m going to choose dynamic, collaborative, and driven.
I picked “collaborative” because, ever since I joined, communication has been easy. The company is relatively small, so you really get to know everyone, and whenever we start a new project, we discuss our approach, who handles each part, and how others can pitch in. We’re focused on preventing problems that might occur if just one person is handling everything, and I’ve always felt comfortable asking questions.
“Dynamic” fits because we’re constantly adapting — whether to meet the needs of the work, the customer, or the project. There’s absolutely no fear of evolving our methods as the company grows.
Lastly, “driven” because everyone is so passionate about their work. People are both highly knowledgeable and eager to share that knowledge. They’re committed to delivering the best possible solutions for both the customer and the product.
What's one thing you're excited about the future of Blink?
There are many exciting new customers joining Blink, which means — from an engineering standpoint — they’ll request a lot of specific features. That’s always interesting, because, for example, the auto-translation feature we’re implementing came from a specific customer need, and I’m excited to see how it turns out. The company is growing quickly, so it’s a really thrilling time to be part of it.
I’m also looking forward to seeing who else joins the team, especially in engineering. Personally, I’m curious about how our engineering processes will continue to evolve and what I’ll learn in the process.
Can you tell us about a recent initiative or program launched at Blink that you found particularly exciting?
I don’t want to repeat Nikita’s answer about the Frontline Heroes campaign, but I really did enjoy it. As someone new to the company who hasn’t attended a launch or spoken with many users yet, it was great to see those user perspectives. Learning how Blink impacted different people was super interesting from an engineering standpoint.
Why do you work for Blink?
I think it’s a combination of factors I’ve mentioned before, especially the startup culture. I’ve never worked at a startup, but I really wanted to see the direct impact of my work. I once did an internship at a larger company and felt my work wasn’t all that useful. Here at Blink, I can develop a feature and see it live just a few days later.
Another big draw is the culture itself — I can get to know everyone in the company. Even though I love engineering, I also enjoy hearing about what product, marketing, and sales are working on. At a bigger company, it’s unlikely I’d get that same exposure.
Plus, we’re building something meaningful for frontline workers. Everyone here is passionate about our purpose. I’ve worked in the service industry and often felt underappreciated, so it’s great to be part of a team dedicated to changing that.
