Meet the Frankie: Pedro Torchio, Principal Frontend Engineer

March 27, 2023


Tell us about your career journey to date and what led you to FrankieOne.

I’m originally from Brazil and studied computer science there. I did a yearlong scientific mobility program in the US where I first started working with websites, custom plugins and theme development for Wordpress. Once back in Brazil, I continued working remotely for the same company on websites and ecommerce for a few years, until I eventually got into web app development. At uni, my focus was always on the quality of software and software design, which I think are the most interesting and valuable aspects of programming. Unfortunately, when working with websites and wordpress we don't have a lot of room to practice those skills, so I used to build my own applications for fun in my spare time. When I graduated in 2019, I traveled to Australia on a temporary visa hoping to find a job that aligned with my values and valued my skills. One thing led to another and eventually I ended up at FrankieOne building the customer-facing application from scratch. I’ve been at FrankieOne for 4 years now and currently a principal frontend engineer. I work on scoping and designing solutions as well as building out the early versions of new products and ideas.

What led you to a role in Frontend Engineering? What does being a Principal Frontend Engineer involve?

I’ve been working in frontend since I was at uni and at FrankieOne, I've been here from the start so I’m really involved in all aspects of frontend. It’s a big job and we are constantly looking for inspired people to join me and help me improve our product. I spend a lot of my time doing mentoring, research and working on our standards of quality. Most of my time is spent planning for future work, designing and architecting solutions, or in meetings with peers, doing pair programming and working with them on features for upcoming releases.

What do you love about working at FrankieOne?

We have a lot of fun while doing our work! We do great work and we’re serious about our work but we’re not serious all the time which makes it fun. Our workplace is flexible and we let people work where they feel most comfortable and productive - FrankieOne definitely cares about adapting to its employees’ needs. I also like that we don’t really have a dress code and that we’re focused on diversity.

What are some of your favourite things to do outside of work?

I love playing drums and working out - they’re great for a mental break.

What has been your proudest moment so far at FrankieOne?

I would say when we successfully designed and implemented OneSDK in a short timeframe. It’s been adopted by a major customer, it’s working really well and it’s highly flexible so will be able to accommodate future customers’ requirements too.

Do you have any advice for people looking to work at a startup?

If you’re thinking about joining a very early stage startup, I think you have to ask yourself if you really believe in it and if you’re willing to invest your time and effort into it. The work can be tough at times but it’s very rewarding seeing it grow and succeed.

What was your dream job when you were growing up?

I didn’t have a dream job but I have always wanted to be successful and get to a place where I’d be able to enjoy life at my own pace. I’m living it right now, which is pretty great!

What’s a fun fact that you think people should know?

I was once an ice skating instructor in one of the warmest cities in Brazil. I was also in an emo rock band at one stage called Alexis Has Taken Revenge.