Main at Roblox with Nicole Grinstead

Main at Roblox is a collection that explores the profession journeys of Roblox’s leaders and discusses their roles, philosophies, and administration kinds. On this profile, we get to know Nicole Grinstead, Director of Product and Utility Safety inside our Infrastructure Crew.

What do you do at Roblox? 

I joined Roblox a few yr in the past to guide our Product and Utility Safety group inside Info Safety (InfoSec). Which means I help something from our Infrastructure Layer to our Utility 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 right this moment?

Whilst a small little one, I’d at all times 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 school, I set my main as Pc Science and finally 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 once 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 area, and I’ve been right here ever since! Defending customers and firms from malicious dangerous actors has grow 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 group to satisfy Roblox’s quickly rising platform and enterprise, and among the kinds of motivated menace actors and cyber assaults which can be widespread within the trade. As quickly as I obtained dwelling, I began researching extra concerning the firm. The extra I discovered concerning the platform, imaginative and prescient, and management, the extra I knew I needed to be a part of the group.

What motivates you?

I’m aggressive – principally with myself – and have at all times 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 means. I’m not overly fixated on climbing ladders, but it surely’s vital to me to not stagnate. This is without doubt one of the issues I really like about safety. There are such a lot of totally different subdomains, so I’ve been capable of concentrate on several types of safety issues and challenges by 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 intention to paved the way I wish to be led. I admire being empowered and given area to tackle troublesome challenges, and I’ve discovered that Roblox’s government management group fosters this tradition and helps me in emulating it for my very own group. Belief is vital to execution and fixing troublesome issues, so I lead with belief and transparency to drive our group ahead. 

In my day-to-day work as a frontrunner, I carry this to life by each huge and small actions that empower my group and foster autonomy. As a substitute of giving my opinion or recommendation instantly, I wish to ask questions that assist immediate people to achieve an answer on their very own. I’m at all times attempting to create space for my group to really feel like they’ll completely personal their work. 

How do you contribute to Roblox’s tradition?

As a lady chief in tech, I’m captivated 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 trade at giant, I’m eager on championing it. Right here at Roblox, we have now an incredible group of ladies engineering leaders that meets month-to-month. I’m additionally concerned with our Ladies@ Affinity Group. Over the past ten months since I began my function 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 group has achieved that you just’re pleased with?

The InfoSec group is quickly rising, and far of the group is new to Roblox. I’m so pleased with the progress we’ve been capable of make as a brand new group in a really quick time frame. We’ve additionally constructed out our Utility Safety (AppSec) group, and that group has already made a ton of impression. In true Roblox trend, the group began by constructing a powerful system and course of for the way we have interaction cross-functionally to establish and resolve software stage vulnerabilities and dangers. We’re in no way completed with the journey, however the progress we’ve made thus far actually stands out to me.

As a frontrunner of a brand new group, it’s vital to me to not get in the best way of the vitality that new people carry to the group. Embracing new concepts and ideas has helped our group succeed and allowed new group members to ramp up and contribute rapidly. 

In case you had to decide on a price that almost all resonates with you as a frontrunner, which one would it not be?

Roblox’s “Take the Lengthy View” worth is vital to us as a brand new group. Despite the fact that we have now instant must sort out, and we’re supportive of latest people leaping proper in, we’re at all times extremely strategic about how we’re going to attain our objectives. When formulating plans and paths ahead, we ask ourselves the place we wish to be in ten years, and work our means again from there as a substitute 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 diversified – the kinds of experiences you could have or construct on Roblox are infinite, and there’s something for everybody. Any creator can carry their creativeness and concepts to life on the platform, and customers of all walks of life can take pleasure in them. We’re simply scratching the floor of what’s actually doable. It’s a tremendous time to work on the firm, and I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen thus far. 

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 fashion 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. One 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 primarily based 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 group are hiring. Go to our careers website to discover open roles.