What it’s like being an Operations Intern at Whizz Mobility
If you’re from NTU, I’m sure you’ve seen this guy.
One of our Cates robots making a delivery.
Well I have. Who would have thought one day I’d be the one operating it! Now I’m an Operations Intern at Whizz, and I’d like to think my days here are quite interesting.
I remember immediately signing up when I read that the job had a flexible work schedule – an ideal for any university student. Within just the span of 2 months, I transitioned from being a part-timer, to becoming an Operations Manager and Trainer! I didn’t expect to be entrusted with so much responsibility right off the bat, but the excitement of being given that opportunity really drove me to work hard. I guess it's these kind of experiences that you can only get at a start-up.
Now, what does our company do?
To put it simply, we’re here to provide a cost-efficient, safe, reliable, and sustainable approach to food delivery. We operate the robot throughout the day to collect and deliver food to hungry students and staff within the NTU campus.
Being a part of this company, we all get a chance to operate it, learn about the mechanics behind it and of course get to experience AI first-hand! As for me, I focus more on the operations side of things.
With that being said, what do I actually do as an Operations Manager and Trainer?
Carrying Bob around for training.
I train my fellow colleagues to safely supervise our robots as they do deliveries around campus. To do this, everyone needs a clear, practical understanding of our comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). That's why I've carefully crafted various stages of rigorous training.
I believe that learning should be fun! I use Kahoot! as a fun and engaging way to make sure my trainees know the SOPs by heart. One of them commented,
“it feels more like a game than an exam that way… except for the fact that the passing rate is 90%!”
Everyone needs to pass two tests to be certified to supervise on their own. One of these tests is conducted by Bob, our fellow inanimate colleague/human-shaped obstacle. Don’t worry, we’re giving her a full makeover soon! I train my fellow colleagues to operate our robot safely so that they can move on to become supervisors. Essentially, supervising the robot as it conducts deliveries.
Checking in on my fellow colleague!
So, what else do I do?
While I spend the bulk of my time on training, I also regularly supervise robots. It can get pretty hectic when we have many ongoing orders, especially with the recent partnership with foodpanda (which you can read more about in our previous article!). It’s truly a team effort, so I’m really grateful to be working with such a competent team.
What do I find unique about Whizz?
Whizz is a team of 17 students who come from all sorts of backgrounds. It’s really entertaining to be constantly surrounded by the antics of my colleagues – work is pretty fun that way. Although COVID has us missing out on our previous tradition of Friday company lunches, I still look forward to our socially-distanced ones at the end of every week!
Interested to join us?
We’re looking for passionate individuals keen to learn about the micro-mobility or delivery scene. I’d be happy to share about my experience here so far, just contact us below. If you’d like to apply for a role, be it under Operations, Engineering or Business, you can apply via the forms on the ‘Careers’ page of our website at www.whizz.sg/careers, or email us directly at Hello@whizz.sg.
Get in touch.
Hello@whizz.sg