At Mark43, we don’t just build technology for first responders — we invest in the people who make that technology possible. Behind every line of code is a team of passionate engineers turning complex challenges into life-saving solutions. One of those engineers is Chantal Montgomery, who joined Mark43 as an intern in 2019. Now, as a Senior Software Engineer, she leads impactful initiatives that benefit first responders across the globe.
We asked Chantal to reflect on her journey — from intern to senior engineer.
From Day One: Delivering Real-World Impact
I started my journey at Mark43 on the Records Management System (RMS) team. From the very beginning, I wasn’t just observing — I was trusted with real development work. I began by fixing bugs and handling maintenance tickets, and when I started full time, I helped build the Tasks module. This was my first major project, and it continues to support the creation of thousands of tasks in our system each day, bringing a lot of value to the platform. It was really meaningful to be able to contribute to it early on!
What stood out to me immediately was the sense of purpose and the culture of collaboration. We’re actually building an impactful product for people who rely on it every day. Getting direct feedback from users and hearing how our tools save them time and help them work more safely is what makes this work so rewarding.
That sense of purpose really clicked for me during my internship, when I saw my project go live at the end of the summer. I had built a new homepage module and realizing that first responders were using something I built felt incredibly meaningful. That experience didn’t just teach me technical skills, it gave me the confidence to know that my work could directly support first responders and make a real difference in their day-to-day lives.
Powering Public Safety at Scale
Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to several high-impact projects. On the RMS team, I worked on key features like Subscriptions, Photo Lineups and the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS), which supports federal compliance for incident-based reporting.
While working on Subscriptions early in my full-time role, I had the chance to use an Elasticsearch feature called Percolation, which sparked my interest in search technology. With Mark43’s support, I attended Elasticsearch training soon after and began taking on more search-related bugs. During a company hackathon, I built several enhancements to improve the user experience. I implemented wildcard searching for license plates, allowing users to search using partial inputs — for example, just the first few characters of a plate number when they don’t have the full value. I also added soundex searching to surface similar-sounding names with different spellings, and synonym matching to include common nicknames. I later shared this work in an engineering-wide presentation that is now part of onboarding for new hires. That experience helped me grow both technically and professionally, and made me feel like I was truly contributing to the evolution of the product.
Today, I’m part of the Data Platform team, where I focus on one of the more complex challenges we face, legacy data migration. As public safety agencies transition to Mark43, they bring millions of records from older RMS systems. My focus is on improving how we migrate legacy data, making the process faster, more reliable, and easier for our customers.
That work recently led to the launch of a new application that streamlines how we store and access legacy records. It’s a major step forward in improving speed, reliability, and scalability for the public safety agencies we serve across the U.S. and the U.K.
A Culture That Grows with You
While my technical skills have grown over the years, the most important growth has been in my mindset.
When I started at Mark43, I was afraid of being wrong. I used to feel like I had to get everything perfect before I could show anyone. But I quickly learned that in the real world, getting feedback early is not only okay — it’s essential. It’s how you grow, iterate, and improve.
That shift wouldn’t have happened without the culture here. I learned that if something goes wrong, it usually points to an opportunity to improve a process—it’s not just one person’s fault. That perspective helped me overcome imposter syndrome and become more confident as an engineer.
Mentorship has also played a huge part in my growth. From my first day as an intern, I was surrounded by people who wanted to help me succeed. Having a dedicated mentor during my internship made a big difference, and it meant a lot to know that the same level of support continues when you join full time. I learned so much just by watching how other engineers on my team work and solve problems.
With that mentorship, encouragement, and a team I could always count on, I didn’t just grow as an engineer, I gained the confidence to lead.
Coding the Path Forward—Together
Government software isn’t usually known for being cutting-edge, but that’s exactly where Mark43 is different. We’re disrupting a space where a lot of the existing technology is decades old. People don’t always expect how fast we move or how much we push to innovate.
As engineers, we’re encouraged to responsibly explore emerging technologies, including AI, to improve both our internal workflows and the tools we build for public safety agencies. That mindset creates an environment where new ideas are welcomed, and you can see the impact of your work right away.
If you want to make a difference from day one and grow quickly in a supportive, mission-driven environment, this is the place to do it.
Want to learn more? We’re growing fast and hiring across Engineering and R&D. Explore open roles on our Careers Page.
