When Sonrisa, a Hungarian software development and IT company and end-to-end software business partner, decided to open a fifth office, it settled on the city of Oradea due to the city’s size, quality healthcare services, IT market and the University’s specializations. As the company’s second Romanian office, it includes a proud tradition founded in Budapest and spreading throughout Eastern Europe, with the new office founded in November 2020.

“In 2006 Sonrisa was a small office with a few Hungarian IT professionals excited to change the digital world with their new approach. As we realized that clients were really open to this, we started to attract like-minded colleagues,” marketing manager Claudia Căvășdan mentions during our interview. Learn about Sonrisa’s plans for its Oradea office and employees in the upcoming years.

Sonrisa’s New Tech Destination: Introducing Oradea, Hiring NOW!

Projects the company undertakes include wellness, healthcare, e-commerce, aviation, travel reservation systems, streaming video, risk management, image recognition and AI, among others. The Oradea office is downtown on Vasile Alecsandri street, providing easy access for employees. The original team of eight is looking forward to expanding to include passionate, talented IT professionals.

Focused on delivering state-of-the-art solutions, the company is focused on remaining up-to-date with the latest technologies. Though the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted society, it has also reinforced the importance of IT, making the company’s dedication to colleague safety and health vital to continued growth and operations.

The company regularly works on team building, daily group breakfasts and company events, including Sonrisa days. They also have theme parties, kids’ activities, poker nights and internal competitions. Remote working has been an option for colleagues from the beginning, including appropriate devices to establish an ergonomic home office. They focus on personal and professional development, including rotation within projects, mentoring, coding training and more!

The company is seeking colleagues with an eagerness to learn and open-minded attitudes. Read more about it in our interview with Claudia Căvășdan, Marketing Manager at Sonrisa Oradea. 

What are the reasons why you chose to open the office in Oradea? What drew you here?

We wanted to open another office in Romania, for a while. We already had the Tg. Mures office for over a year, and when the opportunity came along, we figured Oradea would be a perfect fit. Whenever we plan to open a new office, we consider a few things such as the size of the city, the quality of medical services in the area (because we want our employees to benefit from the best medical services), as well as the IT market and the University and its specializations. As you probably already know, Oradea checks them all. So, we decided to put Oradea on the Sonrisa map.

Where is your office in Oradea? How come you chose that location?

Our office is located right in the downtown area of Oradea, on Vasile Alecsandri street. It was very important to us that our colleagues would have easy access to the office, as well as lots of options for their lunch break. The location of our office came along with a marvellous view over the city centre, so that was a big plus as well.

How big is your team in Oradea at the moment?

At the moment, our Oradea team has 8 people. But we are looking forward to expanding it. We are constantly searching for new talented and passionate tech-lovers to join our team.

What do you think of the local tech ecosystem?

Oradea has changed a lot during the past years and it is embracing more and more the tech industry. We are looking forward to contributing to the local tech ecosystem and innovating together.

What kind of projects do you have at Sonrisa?

Being an end-to-end software business partner, we work on a variety of different projects at the same time. From e-commerce, wellness & healthcare to aviation, travel reservation systems, streaming video, risk management, and even image recognition and AI, you name it.

What are some of the main technologies that do you use?

We like to deliver state-of-art solutions, so we always stay up to date and use the latest technologies out there. Our main technologies are Java, .Net, React, Angular but also Android and iOS. Our technology choices depend on whether or not we are developing the software solution from scratch, or we are further developing a solution that our client already has.

What challenges, if any, is the company facing?

This pandemic has proved even more so, how important and indispensable the IT industry is. And we are proud to be able to make a difference, especially in situations like the one we are all facing right now. Our only concern is to have & keep all of our colleagues safe and healthy & offer them all the support they need.

What plans do you have for the future? What major upcoming projects is the company engaged in?

Our plans for the future involve lots of new colleagues. We plan to expand and grow our current sites, as well as to open new ones, soon.

Are there any company-sponsored activities to facilitate friendships at work?

Of course! Usually, we do regular site team buildings as well as company events, one of the most important ones being Sonrisa Days. We also have poker nights together, theme parties, Sonrisa kids activities, and many more. We also serve breakfast together every day, of course, courtesy of Sonrisa. Now, it is a bit more difficult given the situation, but we do our best to hold on to our traditions virtually. We also take part in plenty of fun and interesting internal challenges every month.

Are your employees working from home or the office?

We always believed that there has to be a balance between work & personal/family life. This is one of the most important #sonrisavalues. Our colleagues were always offered the possibility to work from their own home. But right now, since most of us are living the home office life, we offer extra support, by giving our colleagues plenty of devices and assets to set up their ergonomic home office. 

How do you help your employees learn new things?

Personal and professional development is a priority to us. That’s how we built such a strong professional community. Rotation within projects is a common practice of ours. This helps our colleagues broaden their professional horizon & skills. Besides, we often hold mentoring programs, coding dojos, trainings, and our favourite, the growth framework program.

What is your favourite workplace tradition?

Having breakfast together every day is definitely at the top of the list, as well as the Sonrisa Days. Building a strong relationship with your colleagues is the core of our #happyengineering.

Which is the ideal employee profile for you?

There’s no such thing as an ideal employee profile because there’s no such thing as an ideal human being. However, having the right attitude, being eager to learn, and open-minded would definitely put you at the top of our list.

Do you have any open positions?

We do! We have a few open positions at the moment that are available for any of our sites. At Sonrisa, you can also start to work fully remotely even from the beginning. So feel free to drop us a line, if you think you are a fit. 

What benefits do you offer to your employees?

We offer plenty of benefits, but just to name a few we work with a flexible work schedule approach & home office, in-house services, lots of fun events, as well as health and life insurance, and a cafeteria package based on your needs.

Which is the main reason why someone should choose to work for you? What is unique about your company?

We work together as a team and as a professional community, at the same time. We are talented and passionate tech-lovers, who know they can count on each other in hard work and fun times, as well. We love to approach every situation with a smile :), but we bet you already saw that in our logo.

With open positions available at all sites and the option of remote work, colleagues enjoy a flexible schedule, in-house services, fun events, health and life insurance, and a cafeteria package based on that individual’s needs. Apply today!