I’m Joel Barbara, a Quality and Compliance Manager based in Vilnius, with a career that’s taken a fairly winding, but connected, path through IT, technical writing, and compliance over the past 20 years.

I started out in IT support and systems administration, which gave me a solid technical foundation before I moved into project management, delivering software implementations across the UAE and Africa. From there I found my way into technical writing, spending years translating complex products into documentation people could actually use — first in fintech and i-gaming, later in cybersecurity, where I helped grow organic reach through SEO-driven content and documentation.

These days I work in defence, where I recently built a NATO AQAP-compliant quality management system from the ground up, alongside authoring MIL-STD documentation and running CAPA and supplier quality programmes. I’m a certified ISO 9001 Lead Auditor, and what I enjoy most is the overlap between the two halves of my background: taking something technically dense and regulatory, and making it clear, structured, and auditable.

Outside of work, I read a lot, mostly literature and geopolitics and I try to stay active, whether that’s training or just getting outside. I’m also a firm believer that a good meal and the right bottle of wine can fix most bad days.