Meet the Sofia team

Marina Ilieva
Software Engineer

What do you do at Uber?

I am a part of the team responsible for supporting invoice generation for drivers and delivery people, restaurants using the Uber platform.

How long have you been with the company?

Almost two years now.

How did you get into engineering?

Ever since I got my first computer as a small child, I’ve been curious about technology. Later, when I was finishing high school and needed to decide what I wanted to study at university, I knew software engineering was the field I wanted to pursue. However, at the time, I wasn’t considering becoming a developer for my professional career–I wanted to explore other options. During my second year at university, I realised that there is nothing I’d rather be doing than software-related work.

Why did you join Uber?

I was looking for a company with a strong engineering culture where people were highly motivated. Since it was my first full-time job as a software developer, I also wanted to join a larger tech company with far reaching impact. With millions of users daily on the Uber platform, my technical work is very meaningful and truly has global scope. I am not just coding something that will end up buried and forgotten in a repository.

How would you describe the Uber team in Sofia? 

Highly intelligent people that genuinely care about the quality of their work and the wellbeing of their colleagues. The teams at Uber Sofia are cohesive because each one of them designs, develops, tests, and supports critical products for Uber across our global markets.

Stefan Stoilov
Technical Program Manager

What do you do at Uber?

At Uber, I make sure upstream and downstream (dependent) engineering teams across the company are empowered and supported to work with our Tax & Compliance engineering systems.

How long have you been with the company?

Almost a year.

How did you get into engineering?

At university, I received dual degrees in Computer Science and Economics. I received my Master’s Degree in Digital Technologies at a university in the UK, where I studied the algorithms used to select prospective grassroot campaign volunteers during recent U.S. elections. I dropped out of my second master’s program (this time in AI) to work for a Canadian startup as a junior developer. At this startup, we would use AI to glean object data from video files for the creation of subtitles. While at this startup, I realized that I preferred real-world problem solving to theoretical applications of data science, so I decided to pursue a career in the tech industry.

Why did you join Uber?

I found out about the opportunity while working at a Berlin-based company that makes electrical motorcycles as a technical product manager (TPM). Although I found my job interesting, it couldn’t compete with the large-scale impact you have working for a global company like Uber.

How would you describe the Uber team in Sofia?

My team at the Uber Sofia office is the smartest, most hardworking crew I ever sailed within technical waters.

Alex Marinov
Product Manager

What do you do at Uber?

As a product manager on Uber’s Tax & Compliance team, I work with designers and engineers to design and develop internet applications for use by Uber customers (drivers, restaurants, riders and bikers), and internal groups within the Money and Payments organizations, including payments, tax, compliance, legal, operations, growth, sales, and business development.

How long have you been with the company?

I’ve been with Uber for over a year now.

Why did you join Uber?

I wanted to be part of a strong and impactful brand that I’ve counted on so many times in the U.S. and around the world to help transport me safely and easily to where I need to go. To me, Uber is a company that brings magic to everyday life. I’ve used the platform since it was SMS-based in San Francisco, with Uber Black. I’ve also used Uber in different countries from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Helsinki, Finland where I didn’t know where anything was, and without needing cash in the local currency and having to know the local language or bus system. To me, this functionality is an amazing service.

How would you describe the Uber team in Sofia?

The Uber Sofia team is fun, talented, motivated, and extremely capable. At work, we’re focused and disciplined, balancing priorities on our roadmaps from both our internal and external clients. Outside of work, we often go on group hikes, offsite trips, sports events in Bulgaria, and sailing regattas in Greece. I’ve learned a ton from my new colleagues in Sofia and Amsterdam, and find the multi-cultural environment in Europe tremendously exciting and stimulating.

Dilyan Dokov
Engineering Manager

What do you do at Uber?

As an Engineering Manager on the Tax & Compliance team in Sofia I’m responsible for building high-performance teams that can handle some of the toughest scalability challenges in the world.

How did you get into engineering?

I wanted to write software ever since I was 10 years old. I had the luck to stumble upon teachers who cared and followed my passion ever since.

Why did you join Uber?

I didn’t know how important Uber is and how it’s truly changing people’s lives until interviewing with the company. Luckily, the people then managed to convey to me how awesome Uber is and I didn’t hesitate to join.

The importance of our work to so many people around the world and the freedom to do it without bureaucracy is what keeps me in the company.

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