More than one year ago, In The Pocket planted its flag in Bucharest, marking a significant milestone in our journey to become a leading European digital studio. Recently, we had a chat with the dynamic duo steering our Romanian digital hub: Maria Nanescu, the Talent Acquisition and Culture Lead, and Adrian-Mihai Petrescu, the Bucharest Studio Lead and Engineering Lead. What began as a small, startup-like office has grown into a dynamic team of skilled professionals, showcasing Romania's rich tech talent pool. Our conversation with Maria and Adrian spanned a wide range of topics, from their impressive growth journey, team values and unique perspective to personal development and work-life balance. 

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Let's start by introducing yourselves. Can you tell us about your roles at In The Pocket and your journey to these positions?

Maria: I'm Maria Nanescu, the Talent Acquisition and Culture Lead for In The Pocket in Romania. My role here is multifaceted—I'm helping to grow our team in Romania, but it's more than just recruitment. I'm handling everything related to setting up our studio here, from offers to office management to nurturing our company culture.

Adrian: My name is Adrian-Mihai Petrescu, and I’m the Bucharest Studio Lead and Engineering Lead. I joined In The Pocket in July last year, and my primary responsibility is to ensure my team of developers has everything they need to be happy and perform at their best. But as Maria said, our roles often extend beyond our titles. I also help with internal activities, finding the best talent, and even setting up our office space. 

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How long has the Bucharest studio been open, and how has it grown since its inception?

Adrian: The Bucharest studio has been open for about a year now. We're still in our early stages, but we've seen significant growth in this short time.

Maria: That's right. We started small, and now we're a team of nine, with our tenth member joining in just a couple of weeks. It's been exciting to see the studio grow and evolve.

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That's impressive growth for just a year. What unique aspects do you feel the Bucharest studio brings to the entire In The Pocket organisation?

Adrian: I think one of the key things we bring is scale. Romania, and Bucharest in particular, has a large and well-trained talent pool in the tech industry. We have access to professionals working for big companies, as well as fresh graduates from top universities. This allows us to grow the team quickly with hungry-to-learn talent. Another crucial aspect is our experience with remote work and distributed teams. Most tech professionals in Romania already have experience working in remote environments and distributed teams. 

Maria: I completely agree with Adi, and I'd add that we bring a fresh perspective to the organisation. Our studio brings a new culture and a different way of thinking, helping the company to adapt to a multicultural mindset. This push for adaptability and flexibility is crucial for growth.

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How would you describe the work environment in the Bucharest studio?

Maria: We’re still a small team so when we get together, it's really nice and easygoing. There's definitely a startup vibe, even though In The Pocket as a whole has 15 years of experience.

Adrian: While we face challenges working in such a large organisation and collaborating across different studios and countries, we've put a lot of effort into creating an efficient and streamlined work environment. We use a variety of tools to facilitate communication and collaboration – Slack for quick discussions, Zoom for meetings, FigJam for brainstorming, Jira and Confluence for project management and documentation. We've also established some ground rules for collaboration. For example, we record meetings for those who can't attend, we avoid co-locating for calls if the balance between in-office and remote participants isn't right, and we've defined schedules for collaboration hours and focus time. It's an evolving process, but we definitely built a strong foundation.

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What do you find most rewarding about working for In The Pocket?

Maria: For me, it's definitely the growth opportunities. As the studio grows, my role evolves as well. But it's not just personal growth – I love seeing how everyone in the team has the opportunity to develop and evolve. Another big factor is the sense of friendship and collaboration within the team. The talent and the management teams are amazing. Everyone is willing to help, innovate, and try new things. It's not a one-sided relationship where you're just told what to do—it's very much a collaborative effort.

‍Adrian: I completely agree with Maria about the people and the growth potential. For me, one of the most rewarding aspects is being part of building the foundations for In The Pocket in Romania. The support we receive from leadership is incredibly reassuring. It gives me confidence that we'll achieve our goals, not just for the Bucharest studio, but for the larger vision of becoming the new European Digital Studio.

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You already mentioned a few times how you feel supported. How does In The Pocket support personal growth and skill development for its employees?

Maria: We have several initiatives. First, there's our Career Development Framework, or CDF. Instead of traditional junior/senior labels, we have levels 1, 2, 3, then senior and principal. Each level is defined by four quadrants: technical, people, community, and client. We provide each employee with a learning and development budget to use for conferences, books, courses—whatever they feel will help them develop. We also have internal workshops, sharing events, and a “buddy system” for new team members. And let's not forget about paid certifications – those are available, too.

Adrian: We also encourage growth through practical experience with proof-of-concept projects, hackathons, and an open mindset towards adopting new technologies and ways of working.

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It's clear that personal development is a priority at In The Pocket. Another important aspect is the work-life balance. How would you describe the work-life balance at In The Pocket?

Maria: I know it might sound a bit cheesy, but I'd describe it as nearly perfect. We have a flexible work schedule, and when extra work is needed, it's well-planned and compensated. We also organise well for vacations, ensuring work is covered when someone is away. ITP is truly a psychologically safe workplace, which I think is crucial for maintaining a good work-life balance.

Adrian: Flexibility is key. We trust our team members to manage their time effectively, giving them the freedom to structure their day in a way that works best for them. This approach leads to happier, more productive employees.

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Finally, what would you say to someone who's considering applying for a job at In The Pocket?

Maria: In The Pocket is an amazing environment to work, learn, and grow. You'll develop good work ethics while having fun. We've also started inviting final-stage candidates for a 'demo day' to experience our environment and culture firsthand.

Adrian: Anyone curious about In The Pocket is welcome to visit our studios, even if they're not ready to apply. They can join us for a coffee, chat with our engineers, and see for themselves that we're the real deal. As an engineering leader, I believe in the importance of that personal connection. So my advice would be: come see us, talk to us, and experience our culture firsthand.

As we wrapped up our interview, one thing was clear: the Bucharest Studio is more than just thriving—it's evolving rapidly and bringing fresh perspectives that enrich the entire In The Pocket organisation. As we continue our mission to foster opportunities across Europe, the success of our Bucharest team stands as a testament to the power of diverse, cross-cultural collaboration in driving innovation and growth. 

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