Reaching the Skies as a Cloud Expert at EPAM Colombia

The Keys to Growth

Santiago Castellanos, Cloud Engineering Manager at EPAM Colombia, has been at EPAM for three years. Since he joined, he’s experienced incredible growth and is the definition of “how to create a successful Cloud career at EPAM.”

While he currently holds a management role at EPAM, you might be surprised to hear that he’s only been part of the tech ecosystem since 2019, when he earned his engineering degree. Yet, his talent and dedication to the Cloud and the people around him have led him to become a top Cloud expert.

When he joined EPAM, he discovered how the Company significantly impacts its people and clients. One of his first impressions was amazement at our tandem growth: when our clients grow, so do our employees. His next pleasant surprise was when he discovered the wide range of proprietary tools that EPAM offers to create true Engineering Excellence and empower employees to reach their professional goals and elevate their skills.

Internal mobility and culture have been a key part of Santiago’s success. After a year of hard work and innovation led to one project’s completion, another exciting challenge was waiting for him. Often one that allowed him to take yet another step toward his success.

“One of the important things to highlight is that despite EPAM having people all over the planet, I’ve always had the support of everyone, including people from completely different cultures than mine. Everything we do is global. We have a global approach toward delivery and a united front towards success. Plus, I’ve always felt like people listen to me; every time I’ve raised my hand, there’s always been someone there to help,” he states.

Making an Impact

Santiago is currently working with one of the titans of the gaming industry, and the massive scale of this project has made him arrive at a very interesting realization. Engineers who join the company significantly impact everything they do and make a difference across multiple dimensions of the tech landscape.

Individual contributors bring their knowledge and expertise to create a top-tier, meaningful solution leading to true Engineering Excellence.

You also have the chance to join our management and leadership team. While those roles can positively impact the technical side and delivery of a project, they also contribute to creating a culture and a community that elevates IT and the people who make it happen.

The CloudCrafters Community has become a key part and a source of pride for Santiago

The Importance of Community

Growth and innovation do not grow in a vacuum, and Santiago is very aware of that.

When he joined the company, Santiago wanted to raise the profile of the EPAM brand in Colombia and create meaningful bonds with people both in and outside the company who wanted to grow.

That’s how he became one of the heads of our CloudCrafters community. This space is dedicated to sharing knowledge, helping professionals connect, and working in unison to drive innovation and open new tech horizons.

“I didn’t want people to think we were just focused on business. We are focused on people and have a client-centric approach, and I wanted people around us to know that.” Selflessness is one of the key values of this space. After all, if we all learn from each other (including people outside of the company), we help EPAM and the global IT landscape advance. Plus, we showcase our region as a tech leader in the same process.

The journey as head of CloudCrafters started when Santiago wanted to change roles and move into management at EPAM. He was a member of plenty of local communities and was tasked with creating one to bring a new level of connection to LATAM IT professionals. Santiago found this challenge exciting and decided to embrace the role.

“One of the things that are very important to us and have led us to be one of the biggest companies in LATAM is leading by example,” he shares. “If you are the example or role model that drives a community and speaks at events to inspire the people around you, others will follow your lead and the community will grow.”

For Santiago, being a leader is about creating more leaders, elevating people and allowing them to grow, level up their skills and take on new responsibilities. “By empowering people and delegating tasks to them, you are not just allowing them to grow, you are also facilitating the growth of the whole community,” he declares.

What can people do to join EPAM’s Cloud team? “Not be afraid of change,” he says without missing a beat. 

Santiago’s forward-thinking mindset brought him to EPAM. He overcame a fear of change, by which he jumped into his new role and practiced adapting to the only constant: change.

Santiago is not just one of Colombia’s most talented tech professionals; he’s also a massive soccer fan, a dedicated gamer, an anime enthusiast and a musician. This shows one of the best parts of being part of the EPAM team: not only will you lead a new wave of digital transformation, but you’ll also find balance to create a meaningful life, achieve balance and have time for the things that truly matter to you.

Want to join Santiago in Colombia or see our other opportunities worldwide? Visit us at www.epam.com/careers and discover our wide range of professional opportunities.