Jonah Mitchell
Joined in 2025 after studying computer science at the University of Manchester.
I first came to Baillie Gifford as a summer intern in 2024. Before that, I knew little about the company. Having had that experience, the graduate scheme application process stood out straight away.
It was refreshing to go through a process that felt personal and human, rather than feeling you were being filtered out through AI screening. By the end of the interview day, after meeting people from across the firm and getting a sense of the friendly atmosphere here, I knew this was somewhere I genuinely wanted to work.
Being pushed in the right places
I am currently on rotation in the DevOps Team, which sits between development and operations. A lot of the role is about helping development teams build and improve the systems, pipelines and ways of working they need to deliver software more smoothly.
What I enjoy most is the variety. My work changes depending on the team I am speaking to and the problem they are trying to solve, so there is always something new to learn. It also means I get to work with lots of new people all the time, which has been one of the nicest parts of the role.
That could be daunting, but it is also what makes the role rewarding. Baillie Gifford has felt like a place where you can grow quickly without being overwhelmed. The training at the start was thoughtful and practical, and when I moved into DevOps, it gave me a solid foundation to explore the role and reach out to other teams.
Responsibility early on
A recent highlight has been taking on more responsibility in a migration project. It began with two of us working on it, and as the project evolved, I took on increased responsibility and ownership, leading key aspects of the work. That has meant getting much more familiar with our standards, reaching out to people across development and helping drive the work forward. It has been stretching, but in a good way.
That is probably how I would describe the programme overall. People are friendly, encouraging and keen to help, but you are also trusted to take ownership and keep developing. It can be stressful in a good way: you are pushed to learn, but without feeling like work takes over everything else. For me, that balance has made it a really great place to start my career.
Please note that any references to current teams in bios are as of the time of writing and may not reflect the current situation due to the nature of the programmes.
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