Meet Rachel Albers: Software Engineer, Creative Writer, and Cosplay Enthusiast

Meet Rachel Albers: Software Engineer, Creative Writer, and Cosplay Enthusiast

Welcome to Jumpmind Reveal, a blog series showcasing some of the talented folks we have here at Jumpmind. In today’s installment, we meet Rachel Albers, a software engineer based in Columbus, Ohio, who joined Jumpmind in February 2024.

Rachel, tell us about your background and how you came to Jumpmind.

Before joining Jumpmind, I was working at a large financial institution. I was looking for a change — specifically a smaller company with a nimbler culture. I heard about the role through a friend from college, and I’m so glad I decided to explore the opportunity.

What does your role involve?

I’m a software engineer and I’ve done UI development, back-end development, and most recently, have been heavily involved in building out Engage, a new AI feature of our Jumpmind Commerce offering.

Engage provides an AI-aided summary of a customer’s loyalty status, rewards, consultations, appointments, purchase history — basically everything pertaining to their shopping preferences. You just click on a tab, and you can see everything pertaining to that customer. It’s all about combining data into one place and enabling a more unified experience.

Being entrusted with this UI project has been a huge career moment for me. It’s been a massive undertaking and something the company has put a lot of emphasis on, so the fact that they put that confidence in me means a lot.

How has the culture at Jumpmind evolved since you joined?

I think it’s evolved in a really positive way. As we’ve brought on more people, everyone has become more open. There’s a lot more discussion and collaboration with each other. We’re getting more work events and opportunities to get to know one another, which has been a really great change. I feel like I actually know my coworkers here, versus just being another face in the sea of people; that’s something I really value.

What excites you about working in retail technology?

It’s constantly evolving. We’re always thinking of new ways to improve the product, new ways to update designs, and I think that’s really exciting. Coming from banking, which tends to be a more stagnant industry, retail is a refreshing change. Everything is constantly looking to the future, looking for improvements, and looking for ways to make the product more appealing for retailers and shoppers who interact with it.

Where can we find you outside of work?

I have quite a few hobbies! I’m a big gamer; I play just about anything, but I tend to gravitate toward role-playing games (RPGs) and action-based games. I also enjoy exercising, whether it’s going for runs or doing different workouts. Sometimes I play piano, and I’m also a writer. I do creative writing, mostly short stories, and every now and then I’ll try to work on a novel. I haven’t finished one yet, but when the urge strikes, I get back to it. Anyone who’s tried to write a novel knows the feeling — you get the idea, you get going, and then at a certain point you’re like, “Wait… what now?”

We hear you also cosplay — tell us about that!

I do! I dress up as different characters and go to conventions. I go to a lot of Columbus-based conventions, and my favorite is MatsuriCon, which is an anime and video game convention that happens every year around August or September. I usually cosplay with a friend of mine, and we dress up as characters from Final Fantasy. It’s a lot of fun and a great creative outlet.