Main at Roblox is a sequence that explores the profession journeys of Roblox’s leaders and discusses their roles, philosophies, and administration types. On this profile, we get to know Nicole Grinstead, Director of Product and Software Safety inside our Infrastructure Group.
What do you do at Roblox?
I joined Roblox a few yr in the past to guide our Product and Software Safety crew inside Data Safety (InfoSec). Which means I assist something from our Infrastructure Layer to our Software and guarantee they’re sufficiently hardened. My group is chargeable for proactive safety in addition to discovering and remediating vulnerabilities and dangers.
Describe your profession journey. How did you land the place you’re immediately?
Whilst a small youngster, I’d all the time liked computer systems and know-how. I used to be drawn to pc courses and took my first programming course in highschool. As quickly as I began school, I set my main as Pc Science and in the end graduated with that diploma. After commencement, I began my profession in full-stack software program engineering centered on constructing merchandise. I used to be working at a Silicon Valley tech firm after they had a serious knowledge breach, and located myself fascinated by all of the work that went into the incident response. That’s how I fell into the safety house, and I’ve been right here ever since! Defending customers and corporations from malicious dangerous actors has turn out to be a real ardour of mine.
My path to Roblox started with an informational dialog with Roblox’s VP of Safety Engineering. He was sharing among the challenges with scaling the crew to fulfill Roblox’s quickly rising platform and enterprise, and among the forms of motivated menace actors and cyber assaults which might be frequent within the business. As quickly as I received residence, I began researching extra in regards to the firm. The extra I discovered in regards to the platform, imaginative and prescient, and management, the extra I knew I wished to be a part of the crew.
What motivates you?
I’m aggressive – largely with myself – and have all the time been very motivated to tackle massive challenges and be taught new issues. As soon as I’ve solved an issue, I’m keen to maneuver onto the subsequent one and problem myself in a brand new or completely different approach. I’m not overly fixated on climbing ladders, but it surely’s essential to me to not stagnate. This is likely one of the issues I like about safety. There are such a lot of completely different subdomains, so I’ve been in a position to give attention to several types of safety issues and challenges by means of the years.
Nicole’s aggressive spirit and love of huge challenges involves life each inside and outdoors of labor
What are some management qualities which have labored for you?
I purpose to paved the way I prefer to be led. I admire being empowered and given house to tackle tough challenges, and I’ve discovered that Roblox’s government management crew fosters this tradition and helps me in emulating it for my very own crew. Belief is essential to execution and fixing tough issues, so I lead with belief and transparency to drive our crew ahead.
In my day-to-day work as a pacesetter, I convey this to life by means of each massive and small actions that empower my crew and foster autonomy. As a substitute of giving my opinion or recommendation instantly, I prefer to ask questions that assist immediate of us to achieve an answer on their very own. I’m all the time making an attempt to create space for my crew to really feel like they’ll completely personal their work.
How do you contribute to Roblox’s tradition?
As a girl chief in tech, I’m obsessed with exploring issues exterior of my safety purview. If I discover a system, cultural side, or lodging that may enhance the office for girls and underrepresented teams inside our group or within the business at massive, I’m eager on championing it. Right here at Roblox, we have now an important neighborhood of girls engineering leaders that meets month-to-month. I’m additionally concerned with our Girls@ Affinity Group. During the last ten months since I began my position at Roblox, these communities have led me to construct robust bonds with colleagues throughout the group that I may not in any other case work with.
Nicole on Roblox’s campus in San Mateo, CA
What’s one thing your crew has completed that you simply’re happy with?
The InfoSec crew is quickly rising, and far of the crew is new to Roblox. I’m so happy with the progress we’ve been in a position to make as a brand new crew in a really brief time period. We’ve additionally constructed out our Software Safety (AppSec) crew, and that group has already made a ton of impression. In true Roblox style, the crew began by constructing a robust system and course of for the way we interact cross-functionally to determine and resolve utility stage vulnerabilities and dangers. We’re on no account completed with the journey, however the progress we’ve made to this point actually stands out to me.
As a pacesetter of a brand new crew, it’s essential to me to not get in the way in which of the power that new of us convey to the group. Embracing new concepts and ideas has helped our crew succeed and allowed new crew members to ramp up and contribute rapidly.
Should you had to decide on a price that the majority resonates with you as a pacesetter, which one would it not be?
Roblox’s “Take the Lengthy View” worth is essential to us as a brand new crew. Despite the fact that we have now quick must deal with, and we’re supportive of recent of us leaping proper in, we’re all the time extremely strategic about how we’re going to attain our objectives. When formulating plans and paths ahead, we ask ourselves the place we need to be in ten years, and work our approach again from there as an alternative of specializing in tactical “what’s subsequent” approaches.
What’s one thing you want in regards to the platform?
Roblox is particular as a result of it’s so open and diverse – the forms of experiences you could have or construct on Roblox are infinite, and there’s something for everybody. Any creator can convey their creativeness and concepts to life on the platform, and customers of all walks of life can get pleasure from them. We’re simply scratching the floor of what’s really attainable. It’s a tremendous time to work on the firm, and I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen to this point.
In closing, is there a bit of management recommendation you’ll be able to share?
Ask for suggestions, and be true to you! There’s nobody model of management that works for everybody, so do what feels genuine, emulate the stuff you admire most out of your leaders, and ask for suggestions alongside the journey. Some of the efficient methods I’ve discovered to make sure I’m hitting the mark is to easily ask – then to hear, be taught, and evolve based mostly on what I hear. Similar to the Roblox platform, there’s something distinctive for everybody in management. Authenticity and suppleness have been key for me.
Impressed by Nicole’s story? She and her crew are hiring. Go to our careers web site to discover open roles.
