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 Utility Safety inside our Infrastructure Workforce.
What do you do at Roblox?
I joined Roblox a couple of yr in the past to steer our Product and Utility Safety crew inside Info Safety (InfoSec). Meaning I help something from our Infrastructure Layer to our Utility and guarantee they’re sufficiently hardened. My group is accountable for proactive safety in addition to discovering and remediating vulnerabilities and dangers.
Describe your profession journey. How did you land the place you’re right this moment?
Whilst a small baby, I’d all the time liked computer systems and expertise. I used to be drawn to laptop lessons and took my first programming course in highschool. As quickly as I began faculty, I set my main as Laptop Science and finally graduated with that diploma. After commencement, I began my profession in full-stack software program engineering targeted on constructing merchandise. I used to be working at a Silicon Valley tech firm once they had a significant information breach, and located myself fascinated by all of the work that went into the incident response. That’s how I fell into the safety area, 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 satisfy Roblox’s quickly rising platform and enterprise, and among the kinds of motivated risk actors and cyber assaults which might be widespread within the business. As quickly as I acquired dwelling, I began researching extra concerning the firm. The extra I realized concerning 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 huge 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 totally different method. I’m not overly fixated on climbing ladders, however it’s necessary to me to not stagnate. This is without doubt one of the issues I like about safety. There are such a lot of totally different subdomains, so I’ve been in a position to deal with various kinds of safety issues and challenges by means of the years.
What are some management qualities which have labored for you?
I purpose to prepared the ground I prefer to be led. I admire being empowered and given area 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 vital 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 huge 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 succeed in 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 will completely personal their work.
How do you contribute to Roblox’s tradition?
As a girl chief in tech, I’m captivated with exploring issues exterior of my safety purview. If I discover a system, cultural facet, or lodging that may enhance the office for ladies 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 incredible group 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 function at Roblox, these communities have led me to construct sturdy bonds with colleagues throughout the group that I won’t in any other case work with.
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 quick time period. We’ve additionally constructed out our Utility Safety (AppSec) crew, and that group has already made a ton of affect. In true Roblox style, the crew began by constructing a robust system and course of for the way we have interaction cross-functionally to determine and resolve software stage vulnerabilities and dangers. We’re certainly not completed with the journey, however the progress we’ve made to date actually stands out to me.
As a pacesetter of a brand new crew, it’s necessary to me to not get in the way in which of the vitality 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 shortly.
If you happen to had to decide on a worth that the majority resonates with you as a pacesetter, which one wouldn’t it be?
Roblox’s “Take the Lengthy View” worth is vital to us as a brand new crew. Regardless that we have now speedy must sort out, 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 targets. When formulating plans and paths ahead, we ask ourselves the place we wish to be in ten years, and work our method again from there as an alternative of specializing in tactical “what’s subsequent” approaches.
What’s one thing you want concerning the platform?
Roblox is particular as a result of it’s so open and various – the kinds of experiences that you may 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 an incredible time to work on the firm, and I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen to date.
In closing, is there a bit of management recommendation you may 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 belongings you admire most out of your leaders, and ask for suggestions alongside the journey. Probably the most efficient methods I’ve discovered to make sure I’m hitting the mark is to easily ask – then to pay attention, 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 website to discover open roles.