Ville Lehtonen

Ville’s career path from Accountant to Consultant

Who: Ville Lehtonen, Consultant

In 2011, I was on parental leave from my job as a Chief Financial Officer when I decided to look for a new job. I sent my application to Staria and got the job. That moment was almost eight years ago. I work at Staria’s Tampere office as a Consultant. As for my education, I am a marketing graduate and have got a Vocational Qualification in Business Information Technology (Datanomi) in data systems development. In addition, I’ve got a vocational qualification in systems support. At the moment, my job description includes the development and maintenance of the Jeeves ERP system currently in use by our customer, and on top of that I maintain the Kasper fixed asset program and the Opus Capita transaction software. Back when I arrived at Staria, I first spent a few years in accounting. I ended up moving to the consultant team because I was interested in the systems side of things and had a lot of improvements in mind for it. At the time, we had just started using Jeeves with our customer, and automating the processes still had a lot of work to be done. I got to be involved in a process where manual tasks were automated and accounting work was optimised to meet the needs of the team and the customer.

My work week usually begins with a weekly Monday meeting. After the meeting, my week can go in a variety of ways depending mostly on what’s currently being worked on. I help the accounting team with system-related things when needed, and otherwise my time is spent developing the system. On Tuesdays we all get to catch up as we eat breakfast provided by the employer. I work with two teams, so my colleagues are split between the Tampere accounting team and Helsinki where the rest of the members of our consultant team work for the most part. At the end of the work week, it’s always nice to start the weekend and get to do things with my family.

Interested in Robotic Process Automation

In my years working at Staria, I’ve developed into a SQL programming professional through my own learning. Self-learning and support from Staria have improved my skills in accounting. In my job, it’s been important to stay up to date in accounting expertise so that I’ve been able to help the accounting team with system issues and understand the needs behind system changes. On top of my current expertise, I’m particularly interested in the growing field of Robotic Process Automation, and in the future, I would like to learn more about it. It would also be interesting to learn the other systems already in used at Staria, so hopefully I’ll also get to know them in the future.

"My work usually lets me help the customer indirectly. By assisting the accounting team, I’m part of a process to help boost the customer’s business."

I also get development ideas directly from the customers, and as I implement those I’m able to directly help their business by reducing the time spent and optimising the processes.

A workplace where it's easy to be yourself

In my work, I especially appreciate the variety and freedom. I can often choose the order I do things in, and I also learn new things all the time. It’s great to be able to do what you’re actually interested in. Staria also offers flexible remote work opportunities, I usually do the kind of work that requires sharp concentration at home. Flexible working hours allow for breaks and shorter work days if needed. On the other hand, when I’ve got something in progress and I can’t drag myself away from the work, even a longer work day can go in a flash.

As an employer, Staria has given me the opportunity to improve myself, and the freedom to do my job according to my own schedule. In the future at Staria, I’d like to continue systems development and coding, learn more in my area of expertise, and become an even more knowledgeable consultant.

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