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Raja Mohammed on Turning Dreams Into Reality

February 2, 2023

Eloise Brink

Raja Mohammed started as a first-tier supporter, but then he saw an opportunity and seized it! We asked Raja to tell us what it took to move into a project manager role at OTGS.

Tell us about yourself and your family.

I’m a Tamilar-speaking Indian Muslim. I’m the happy father of two lovely kids (Muhammad Sahl and Umar Abdhullah) and married to Sulaiha Shifa. 

I live in a suburban area several kilometers away from the city of Chennai. I live near my parents, which is great because I enjoy spending a lot of time with my family. 

When I am not working, I play with my kids, watch some random stuff on the internet with my wife, or spend time with my parents. I live close to a mosque, which lets me fulfill my religious duties on a daily basis.

Playtime with the kids

When did you start at OTGS, and what was your position?

I joined OTGS on November 5, 2018, as a first-tier supporter for the WPML (WordPress Multilingual) plugin. At first, I helped clients solve their issues with WPML. Later on, I was given the additional task of being a supporter for the Advanced Translation Editor project, where I helped with escalated automatic translation issues.

What do you do now?

I am a project manager, which means I’m the main point of contact for WPML and the Advanced Translation Editor projects. 

My role is to keep the project moving without any interruptions – to collect, communicate and coordinate the project requirements. I’m responsible for prioritizing tasks based on the goals and roadmap. I work closely with the stakeholders and keep them informed about the development of the project.

How did you go about pursuing this role?

I started my career as a freelancer, but I have wanted to become a project manager since I started working 10 years ago. I believe that eventually, every freelancer develops project management skills. When I saw that there was a project management role open, I immediately applied for it.

Taking a leap and paragliding during our company team meeting in Nepal

How did you grow into this role? 

The first few weeks as a project manager were tough for me. The company already follows best practices, so it took me some time to understand how things are done. 

I didn’t want to rush into things unprepared, so I asked a lot of questions. I reached out to a few people (Eduard from the Advanced Translation Editor team and Cristian from the WPML team) and learned how they were managing their projects. I did a lot of research to improve and implement the best practices. 

After getting to know the project and the people involved, I established a communication channel that helps the project move forward. Our stakeholders now rely on me to communicate with them about the project.

 Teaching my oldest son, Muhammad Sahl, to read

Are you happy in your current role?

I would say I am more responsible, accountable, and making conscious decisions which will enhance the experience of the millions of sites that use WPML 🙂

What advice would you give someone who wants to grow within the company?

Try to stand out and make yourself appealing. There will always be new roles up for grabs.

My wife captured a snap of my father and me on a beach trip 

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