Overcoming some of edtech’s biggest challenges – SalamanderSoft’s development team 

We caught up with two members of our development team to find out how they work their magic for our 4000+ customers.  

Our talented development team is responsible for our technology, which drives the bespoke integration services that help schools and MATs provision and manage users in Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Apple School Manager and more.  

We caught up with Head of Development Josh Twigg and Principle Software Engineer Jamie Luby to find out what a typical day looks like for the team and how they work their magic for our 4000+ customers.   

Josh first joined SalamanderSoft in April 2018 as a Senior Developer and now heads the development team, responsible for the day-to-day running of things, as well as long-term planning and liaising with the rest of the business.  

Meanwhile, Jamie started his role as Principle Software Engineer in summer 2022. He focuses on supporting the development team from a process standpoint, removing any obstacles and empowering them to be the best team they can be, using all the best practices and processes.  

So, what is life really like in SalamanderSoft’s development team? 

“Every day is a little bit different. We’re always working to improve and add more functionality to the Salamander Integration Suite, but we also collaborate with the support consultants to deliver different feature requests for schools, as well as help make sure any customer issues are resolved as promptly as possible,” explains Josh.  

Jamie agrees:  

“Schools are always giving us a challenge, which we love! For example, we integrated a public-facing child-friendly password generator for one of our customers. Because of this, their young students could create a safe yet fun and memorable password to log in and access their online learning.” 

What is the best thing about working in education technology? 

It’s clear from speaking to both Josh and Jamie that the joy of problem-solving for schools is what unites the whole team:  

“Because every school is different, they have so many different requirements. It’s always interesting when we get asked to solve a problem we’ve never thought about before,” says Jamie.  

“The sheer number of systems out there means that every school’s set-up is different. It’s like you’ve got a jigsaw, but you use different pieces every time you make it.”   

How does the development team overcome the biggest edtech challenges? 

One asset of the development team that helps them ease the challenges for our education customers is the diverse experience each member brings.  

Both Jamie and Josh have previously worked on mission-critical systems for the emergency services and in an education setting at the University of Hull. Meanwhile, other members of the development team have experience in the space industry, one with a background in maths and some that have worked in schools.   

“Collectively, we have a lot of diverse experience. And because SalamanderSoft as a company has built a solid framework since its inception in 2007, those who have joined the company more recently have a steady foundation to build upon and adapt,” enthuses Jamie.  

“I think because we’ve got such a great development team, with a bunch of different things they’re good at, we can kind of tackle anything,” adds Josh. 

Jamie adds:  

“I hope – in some small way – the work I do as part of this team makes at least someone’s life a little bit easier.” 

You can find out more about our team on our About page. 

Talk to a member of our team today to find out how we can support your school or trust with our Salamander Integration Suite that provides a quick and easy way for teachers and students to instantly access the tools they need to teach and learn.