Main at Roblox with Nicole Grinstead

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 Staff.

What do you do at Roblox? 

I joined Roblox a couple of 12 months in the past to guide our Product and Software Safety workforce inside Info Safety (InfoSec). Meaning I help 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 at present?

Whilst a small youngster, I’d at all times liked computer systems and expertise. I used to be drawn to pc lessons and took my first programming course in highschool. As quickly as I began school, I set my main as Laptop 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 once they had a significant 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 corporations from malicious unhealthy actors has turn into a real ardour of mine. 

My path to Roblox started with an informational dialog with Roblox’s VP of Safety Engineering. He was sharing a number of the challenges with scaling the workforce to fulfill Roblox’s quickly rising platform and enterprise, and a number of the varieties of motivated menace actors and cyber assaults which are frequent within the business. As quickly as I acquired 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 workforce.

What motivates you?

I’m aggressive – principally with myself – and have at all times 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 totally different approach. I’m not overly fixated on climbing ladders, but it surely’s essential 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 capable of give attention to various kinds of safety issues and challenges via 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 cleared the path I wish to be led. I admire being empowered and given area to tackle tough challenges, and I’ve discovered that Roblox’s govt management workforce fosters this tradition and helps me in emulating it for my very own workforce. Belief is important to execution and fixing tough issues, so I lead with belief and transparency to drive our workforce ahead. 

In my day-to-day work as a frontrunner, I convey this to life via each massive and small actions that empower my workforce and foster autonomy. As an alternative of giving my opinion or recommendation instantly, I wish to ask questions that assist immediate of us to succeed in an answer on their very own. I’m at all times attempting to create space for my workforce 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 enthusiastic about 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 giant, I’m eager on championing it. Right here at Roblox, we’ve an awesome 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 function at Roblox, these communities have led me to construct robust bonds with colleagues throughout the group that I won’t in any other case work with.

Nicole on Roblox’s campus in San Mateo, CA

What’s one thing your workforce has completed that you simply’re happy with?

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

As a frontrunner of a brand new workforce, it’s essential 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 workforce succeed and allowed new workforce members to ramp up and contribute shortly. 

If you happen to had to decide on a price that the majority resonates with you as a frontrunner, which one would it not be?

Roblox’s “Take the Lengthy View” worth is important to us as a brand new workforce. Though we’ve fast must sort out, and we’re supportive of recent of us 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 need to be in ten years, and work our approach again from there as a substitute 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 varieties 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 take pleasure in them. We’re simply scratching the floor of what’s really potential. It’s a tremendous time to work on the firm, and I’ve been so impressed by what I’ve seen up to now. 

In closing, is there a chunk of management recommendation you may 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 stuff you admire most out of your leaders, and ask for suggestions alongside the journey. One of the crucial 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 workforce are hiring. Go to our careers web site to discover open roles.