Meet Jenny Shen, a Manager and data analytics expert with a knack for coding

A data analytics expert with a knack for coding, Jenny Shen is a Manager in the Melbourne office. She joined Nous in 2018 after gaining a Master of Finance at the University of Melbourne and working for two years in the consulting division of an accounting firm.

Jenny’s projects at Nous have ranged from coding-only tasks to strategic reviews, working with clients ranging from education providers to government departments.

We know that no two days are ever the same, but what might you do on a typical day at Nous?

Activities during a day could include:

• Preparing and conducting stakeholder interviews, for example in a project in which we consulted with construction contractors across earthworks and project management to gain industry input.
• Coding intensely in R, such as when I wrote code to identify anomalies in service providers’ reported data during COVID-19.
• Planning and managing a project to ensure everyone’s time and diverse strengths are utilised most effectively.
• Writing reports, using intuitive graphs and diagrams to summarise our data, draw out insights and recommend next steps.

What three words best describe working at Nous?

Meaningful. Fun. Intellectually stimulating (should this count as two words?!).

What sets the Nous culture apart from the culture of other organisations?

People ultimately make the culture. Nous has a great culture because we deliver meaningful outcomes in an intellectually rigorous way, our leaders keep themselves accountable in making and improving their decisions, and we have some fun along the way!

Tell us about the moment you knew you’d made the right decision to join Nous.

I knew I made the right decision when I started befriending colleagues across all offices, leading to long and meaningful chats with colleagues from Sydney and Brisbane. There are also plenty of interesting corridor discussions on topics that range from upcoming AFL games to celebrity cameos in the Simpsons (and the correlation to the show’s quality) or plans for music festivals (Dark Mofo, Meredith and Falls are faves in the office).

What part of working at Nous has most surprised you?

I’m constantly surprised by how fast Nous evolves. When I joined three years ago, we only had a budding advanced analytics practice (we rarely had any coding-related projects). Within two years, we’ve implemented Git across all of our coding-related projects (which are quickly growing in volume and scope), recruited a Chief Data Scientist, established our own data asset warehouse and developed an in-house advanced analytics bootcamp. Who knows what Nous will do in the next three years!?

How does Nous support your career progression?

Through Nous, I have worked on many interesting and meaningful projects across different sectors, enabling me to grow the depth and breadth of my skills and knowledge. I also have the privilege of working alongside and learning from some brilliant and humble people (who are not afraid to have some fun or crack a few jokes).

How does your work at Nous deliver positive influence?

There are too many examples to list! I know my work has delivered positive influence because that’s core to what we do. We often work for organisations that deliver important services to vulnerable people, whether it is ensuring remote communities receive and act on extreme weather warnings, improving work experience for young apprentices, or minimising COVID-19 disruptions for international students.

What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you as a consultant at Nous?

Trying to hold a conversation with a cardboard robot head – it was more challenging than it looks!

Keen to build your career in data and analytics? To find out more about opportunities at Nous visit our careers page.