Ready for work

last updated May 9, 2022

@hershelthewonderdog dressed up in work attire

Update - This post was a reflection of where I was on my career journey in early 2022. I’m no longer on the hunt, excited to join the team at Gusto!

When people approach me with questions about how to “win” at job interviews, I often give this advice: Treat it like dating. You are interviewing them as much as they are interviewing you, and a rejection doesn’t necessarily mean that you aren’t good enough, it just might not be the right time or the right fit. In fact, I didn’t get an offer the first time I interviewed at Mozilla, but I kept in touch with the hiring manager, and a few years later, it was the right time and the right fit.

I was so inspired by Kim Moir’s post (who is an amazing Engineering Manager by the way, people should be begging to hire her), that I decided to write up a little brief on what I’m looking for in my next role as well. Consider it my “work dating” profile.

A little bit about me and what I am looking for (subject to evolve over time): 

I have been working with data at scale since 2006, when I began full-time research on the ATLAS Experiment located at CERN. I grew up in academia where I had a full-fledged career as a particle physicist, working as both a scientist and data engineer on petabyte-scale data, until 2015 when I made the leap over to industry. Since then, I have focused on data team leadership, and have extensive experience building cross-functional data teams, developing career ladders and performance review rubrics, hiring and coaching Data Scientists, Analytics Engineers and Analysts. I have also worn the hat of Data Product Manager, and have brought Product Management practices into the teams I have led. I love creating teams that pull together different experiences, including user research, design and engineering to create amazing things for our stakeholders.

I sit squarely in the Decision Science space, and enjoy leading analytics teams that leverage data in creative ways to drive impact in business decisions and product development. I build strong bonds with my stakeholders, and focus on creating a partnership that ultimately leads to growth for the business. I like bridging the gap between Data Science and Data Engineering, and am only interested in companies where Data Engineering is thought of as an equal partner in the Data team’s strategy. I would be especially interested in roles where I would have the opportunity to lead a cross-functional team with a mix of scientists and engineers.

In terms of scope, I am looking for Director-level roles or equivalent. I think strategically and work best when I can empower data practitioners on my team to be leaders themselves and do their best work. I’ve had quite a bit of experience working at places that are learning to become more data-driven/informed, and so for this next move, I’d prefer to be in an environment where it is a given that data is core to business strategy. I expect that I will be learning from my team and peers as much as they will rely on my expertise. 

From a cultural point of view, I am only interested in a company with open-minded leaders who believe that feedback flows both ways. Actions speak louder than words for me, and I believe that making hard but wise decisions to move the company forward is a more important responsibility for leadership than trying (and ultimately failing) to keep everyone happy.

I come with strong intentions and have demonstrated actions towards diverse hiring and inclusive team management practices, and believe it is a central part of my job to listen to the underrepresented community in our industry and to grow my understanding of DEI issues facing our world today. I am not interested in a company that does not align with my values in this area.

Finally, I love creation through collaboration. I am most energized when I have the agency and autonomy to solve messy, ambiguous problems that have no straight-forward answer, and I perform my best when I have smart, supportive peers to bounce ideas off of and to work on projects with. I’ve been doing some writing about data and leadership during my break, and discussing these topics with the data community at large has been a true joy. I intend to continue expressing my thoughts and ideas through written form both within my next company and externally through DLSG, and I can’t wait to start creating with colleagues again.

So with that, I’m officially open for hire! UPDATE - This post was a reflection of where I was on my career journey in early 2022. I’m no longer on the hunt, excited to join the team at Gusto!

Here is my LinkedIn profile if you would like to contact me or learn more.

Location: California (remote). I am interested in either fully remote or hybrid remote/office located in either Bay Area or Los Angeles.