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A Day in the Life: Brian Waterson

By 09.08.17 Brian Waterson
Reading time: 4 minutes

Job Title: Software Strategy & Systems Manager

Start Date: Feb 2017

Fun Fact: I have visited over 50 countries on six continents

What is your position at Silverline and what do you do?

I am the Software Strategy and Systems Manager, responsible for managing our internal systems. This means I get to manage a Salesforce org for a bunch of Salesforce consultants!

What does your average day look like?

The great thing about my position is there is no average day! My role is a blend of day-to-day systems support and implementing bigger systems initiatives. This means I spend my day meeting with internal stakeholders and documenting requirements, answering internal cases, and working with resources across departments on configuring and developing solutions. In one morning I may have a conference call with developers in India and the Ukraine on internal functionality we’re building, meet with our EVP of Professional Services on dashboard requirements, and then work with a member of the sales team to troubleshoot why an opportunity cannot progress to the next stage. Along the way, I get to continue to expand my Salesforce knowledge and learn about new functionality that will help support the business.  

How did you find out about Silverline and your current position?

I have gotten to know the members of the Silverline team over the last couple of years. It all started with a conversation with a member of the talent acquisition team back in 2014. I got to know the organization and was really impressed with both the caliber of the team and the culture of the organization. When the systems manager position came up at the end of 2016, this felt like the right role for me. During the interview process I came to the office in NYC to meet with more members of the team, and at that point, I was sold!

What motivates you at work?

I am motivated by both a variety in the day-to-day as well as my work being visible across the organization. In my current capacity, I get to work with the executive team, sales, professional services, product development, and marketing as well as my colleagues on the operations team on new initiatives. I particularly enjoy rolling out a new piece of functionality that will help make a group’s work more efficient!

What are some challenges you face?

Some of what motivates me is also one of the challenges. Each department is growing and has their wish list of what needs to be done in our systems to improve efficiency and to help measure success. In my role, I am constantly reviewing the priorities and making the decision to bump things up or down. Of course all of that planning may then go right out the window for the day if some bigger emergency arises, but fortunately, that does not happen too often.

What new things have you learned since you began working at Silverline?

Since joining Silverline I have had a chance to roll up my sleeves and start playing with Wave Analytics. While this is something I could speak to in principle prior to joining Silverline, I never had the opportunity to build data sets and Wave dashboards. We are doing more and more internal reporting this way, and it is fun to see what the tool can do and consult with colleagues about the possibilities.

What do you think makes Silverline a successful company?

I feel Silverline is successful because Gireesh and Rich invest in the team and take the opportunity to connect with everyone. This is shown in everything from bi-weekly executive office hours to bringing everyone together once a quarter for the all-hands meeting to chats in passing in the kitchen. I think having this level of connection helps ensure everyone is ultimately rowing in the same direction.

What is your favorite perk?

For me, my favorite perk is getting to work remotely! After several years of commuting in my car around the greater Boston area (and before that on the Tube in London!), it is great to be able to walk down the hall and start my day. It helps that I always have my two Labradors around to ensure I’m not lonely and that I get up to stretch my legs from time to time!

The great thing though is while I am remote, I feel like I am still just as much a part of the team as someone who works in the NYC office. Between quarterly all-hands meetings in NYC to video conferencing to our satellite-employee Slack channel, there are plenty of ways to engage with the rest of the team.

What is your favorite memory?

I have not been around the organization that long yet, but one of my favorite memories so far is the Silverline Cares activity we did back in March. As part of our all-hands meeting, we took time out to build race cars for children at one of the local hospitals. It was great to do an activity as an entire organization and to take time out of a busy meeting schedule to help give back to others in the community.

What do you hope for your future at Silverline?

For my future at Silverline, I hope to have opportunities to continue to grow with the technology. The Salesforce ecosystem is constantly evolving as we all know, and at Silverline, we are always ready to jump in and try the newest technology, such as Einstein. At the same time I work with some of the most talented Salesforce consultants I know, and together we are always challenging each other to find new ways to customize the system for our needs. All of this means I need to keep my skills up-to-date and to learn about what’s new.

If you had a friend who was thinking about working for Silverline, what advice would you give them?

I would tell them to do their research about the current opportunities and at least have an initial conversation to learn about the organization. Even if the right role is not available today, new opportunities are always presenting themselves. Beyond just the role, understanding the culture is important too. Silverline is a work hard, play hard organization, and it is key that new hires are looking for this type of environment.

Interested in working with an amazing team? We’re hiring! Check out our Careers page to learn more and for current openings. Be sure to check us out on Glassdoor and LinkedIn too.

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