Voices from JUMP: a decade of inspiration and empowerment

In today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, programs like JUMP are making a significant impact by demonstrating that innovation and technological proficiency are accessible to everyone – regardless of background. We spoke with several participants from our Group Operations and Technology Office (GOTO) about their learning journeys to understand how the program has influenced their careers and personal growth.

How are programs like JUMP helping in the world of technology?

Daric, Product Manager, APAC Settlement and Confirmation Crew: I believe all these programs are shaking up the tech world by showing that anyone can be innovative and tech-savvy. It’s not only specific to certain roles or people with an engineering background. JUMP proves that everyone has a role to play in the tech world – like me, from the perspective of a product manager. With support from mentors and peers, these programs turn potential into real-world impact, inspiring more and more people to drive innovation and make a difference.

Rohan, Head End User Infra Operations Efficiency & Compliance & EUS Infra Ops & SRE Lead India: The technology landscape is fast-paced and all about change, so we need to continuously learn how to quickly adapt, overcome challenges, improve communication with relevant teams, and make quick, conclusive decisions. For me, there’s no better technique than learning from each other.

Paula, Chief of Staff, End User Services, Business Administration: In the world of tech, collaboration is key, so the opportunity to work with amazing talent within the bank leaves you with a sense of awe. It makes you think about use cases you hadn’t even considered and new ways of approaching solutions.

Petr, Service Manager and Product Owner for Directory Provisioning: From my perspective, these programs help us grow and build our network, as well as show various career development options we have within UBS. By pushing people outside of their comfort zones, they enable growth – like participating in job rotations, which was a really nice experience as we could choose the place we wanted. All the other exercises, like the Shark Tank challenge, brought a group of strangers together, and in the end, we built many relationships and friendships that helped us grow and do our jobs better.

How did the JUMP program help you enhance your soft and technical skills?

Rohan: It made me look at technology from a different perspective, understand and learn new skillsets through job rotation, strategize and apply design thinking and approach problems with varied solutions.

Manju, Senior Collaboration Engineer, TSG & End User Services: The program has significantly boosted my confidence and enhanced my leadership and communication skills.

Daniel, Data Management Analyst, GOTO COO Data Management Office: It allowed me to identify my strengths and weaknesses and encouraged me to be more curious and not be afraid to ask more questions.

Petr: In my case, it helped me enhance my soft skills and build strong networks with colleagues beyond my immediate area of work. The sessions helped me expand my approach and focus on priorities more effectively.

Marcin, Service Delivery Manager in TSG & Distributed Hosting: Thanks to JUMP, I was able to extend my UBS contact network, which was very useful later on. Some of the contacts are still active even after a few years since the program ended.

Daric: The program significantly enhanced my technical skills by providing structured learning (from discovery workshops to development methodologies like storytelling). From practical problem-solving experiences via Shark Tank pitching, mentorship sharing from various industry practitioners (as well as GOTO senior management), job rotation opportunities, and improved communication – I was able to effectively tackle various challenges and grow both professionally and personally.

Did the program allow you to ‘jump out of your comfort zone’? If yes, how?

Paula: Definitely. JUMP was truly a fork-road experience for me – it marked a pivotal moment where I had to choose between staying in my comfort zone or embracing a new challenge. The decision to go all in on JUMP not only expanded my perspective but also paved the way for me to land my current role. It gave me the clarity, confidence, and connections I needed to take the next big step in my career.

Kimberly, Product Manager GLU Structured Lending, GWM: I had the opportunity to lead a project team on a topic that was completely new to me. It pushed me well outside my comfort zone, requiring me to quickly get up to speed, ask the right questions, and rely on the expertise of others. It was both challenging and incredibly rewarding, and it helped me grow significantly in terms of adaptability and confidence.

Marcin: We had multiple sessions where we were required to speak in public – on stage in front of a big crowd. I had the chance to travel to Switzerland, meet many people, share ideas and views, and integrate with them. chance to travel to Switzerland, meet many people, share ideas and views, and integrate with them.

Daric: Yes, absolutely. The JUMP program pushed me out of my comfort zone in many ways. One memorable instance was when I choose to sing in front of a public audience – which is something I had never done before! In other words, JUMP encouraged me to tackle small challenges that gradually built my confidence and resilience. These experiences trained my mentality to embrace change, reinforcing the idea that the only constant is change itself.