This week, Lily Jennings, Data Analyst, told me about her journey at FXC Intelligence so far and the challenges she works with on a daily basis.

Tell us about your journey at FXC so far? 

I have been at FXC for just over a year now and feel like I have grown a huge amount. In what might be considered a short amount of time, the company has grown a lot, including a move to a lovely new office to fit our growing team. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind since I started but I really enjoy the fast-paced environment, it makes FXC a very motivating place to work. 

Describe your typical workday? 

A large part of my day is spent investigating and resolving data issues across our ingest systems. This process usually involves writing SQL and Python scripts to identify the root cause and scope of the issue, before creating a clear roadmap to fix it, both historically and going forward. We collect millions of records a day so there is a huge amount of data to work with, which is great. 

When I am not fixing issues, I am looking at ways in which we can improve our ingest processes. Sometimes this involves building dashboards to improve our visibility across our data, or more exploratory work to identify patterns and quirks that will allow us to optimise overall data quality.

Which of your responsibilities has the biggest impact on FXC as a company? 

Resolving data issues quickly and reliably has probably had the biggest impact. One of FXC’s core products is FX pricing, which is the main dataset I work on, so there is a significant responsibility to maintain a very high standard of data quality. It can be intense at times and often means working quickly to resolve issues quickly, but I find that kind of pressure is when I work best. 

What’s the most rewarding part of your job? 

It’s really rewarding to see clear improvements as a direct result of my work, whether that’s fewer recurring issues, better visibility across our data or simply freeing up some of my team's time. Knowing that these improvements make day to day work smoother for others, and help teams trust and rely on our data, makes the work feel worthwhile. 

What’s the biggest challenge you face in your role? 

One of the biggest challenges I face as a data analyst is dealing with complex data issues that don’t always have an obvious cause. These often require careful investigation across multiple processes and a good understanding of historical context, which develops over time. They can also involve collaborating with other teams to share their own insights and help pinpoint the issue. 

There is also a balance between reacting to issues as quickly as possible and stepping back to identify broader, more systematic problems. While finding time for this can be challenging, it’s also one of the most interesting parts of the job. There is always something new to learn. 

What’s been your favourite social at FXC so far? 

I’m a competitive person, so I’ve really enjoyed the socials that involve some kind of game. We’ve been to a darts bar and a Formula 1 simulation bar recently, both of which were really fun, although I wasn’t quite good enough at either to justify the competitiveness!