Job Title: Sr. Manager, IT Operations
Start Date (Month & Year): April 2017 (contractor), August 2020 (full-time)
Tell us about your heritage: I am of Dominican descent. “Pride” is the most used term when describing one’s thoughts on being Dominican. I know it is something that I always feel when I see our beautiful flag and every time I think about our beautiful country. Growing up as a first generation Dominican-American in Washington Heights, NYC, and later in Louisiana, came with the benefits of being an American citizen, but I was fortunate to have a strong connection to my Dominican heritage. My parents came to the United States with the goal of giving their children the opportunity to succeed beyond their wildest dreams, while also ensuring their children would never lose pride in their heritage. This is a common story within the Dominican-American community.
I would spend most summers in the Dominican Republic, specifically Santo Domingo, allowing me to absorb what it meant to be a Dominican. It meant living life to the fullest and enjoying life with those you care about the most. Witnessing my family, who didn’t have much financially, finding joy in each other’s presence showed me that nothing could bring happiness more than family. Being Dominican is about being happy with those you love & doing the things you love..
Tell us a fun fact or something interesting about your home country/culture? The capital city, Santo Domingo, has a rich history. Founded in 1496, it’s the oldest European settlement in the Americas.
Catedral de Santa Maria La Menor celebrates its 507th anniversary this year. In 1514, Christopher Columbus’s son laid the first stone for this cathedral. Since then, it has survived everything from pirate attacks to earthquakes.
Baseball is a national pastime and a great source of pride. Boys often dedicate their childhoods to this sport, hoping to play in the big leagues in the US. Almost 40% of players in U.S. leagues come from the Dominican Republic, including Pedro Martinez, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and Sammy Sosa.
What is your position at Silverline? Sr. Manager of IT Operations
What does your average day look like? The great thing about my position is there is no typical day! My role is a blend of day-to-day IT/systems support and implementing bigger IT and security initiatives. This means I spend my day working on various tasks: meeting with internal clients and documenting needs, responding to operations requests, and working with resources across the organization to come up with creative solutions.
In the morning, I may have a conference call with my team to recap recent activities and discuss upcoming initiatives, work on a security questionnaire, and then work with a member of the delivery team to troubleshoot why a Jira Story is not updating in Gateway (it won’t, it works from Gateway to Jira). Along the way, I get to continue to expand my Salesforce, Atlassian, & Cybersecurity knowledge and learn about new features and tools that will help support the business.
How did you find out about Silverline and your current position? I learned of Silverline through an old colleague; his sister was an employee at Silverline at the time. He informed me that there was a need for an IT Engineer. I had phone interviews and then had a final interview with the Director of Operations in the NY HQ. Side note: My background is in High-End Fashion, so seeing how “easy” working at Silverline looked, I was hooked.
What motivates you at work? Problem-solving and the people! I am very internal-client focused and love working with people and providing solutions to add value to their workday and/or workflow.
What are some interesting challenges you face? A challenge that I face, aside from not being able to find enough hours in the day, is prioritizing. I start my day with a prioritized list of tasks for the day and by noon that list can be found in the firepit.
What new things have you learned since you began working at Silverline? Wow, so many things! I have learned about Salesforce’s seemingly infinite possibilities, Jira workflows, and the power of a good dashboard.
What do you think makes Silverline and it’s diversity programs successful? Again, The people! We are a wonderful mix of backgrounds, cultures, and ethnicities working together with a common goal. We have teams all over the world. It’s so beautiful to see the camaraderie amongst our global teams.
What is your favorite perk? The flexibility to work remotely. This is the first time in my 26 years of working that I am able to work from the comfort of my home. During the pandemic, I bought a large desk so that my son and I can work together. I transport my son to & from school, have dinner with my family every night, and hardly miss any special events.
What is your favorite memory from working at Silverline? That time Gireesh and Rich bought out the Alamo Drafthouse in Brooklyn for us all to see the new Star Wars movie, the night before its actual release.
What do you hope for your future and the future of the Latin community at Silverline? I have grown so much since I joined Silverline. My hope is to continue to grow with Silverline and increase my knowledge of the ecosystem along the way. I also hope to be able to help attract more Latinx team members.
What advice would you give someone considering a job at Silverline (Latin or otherwise)? Don’t try to fit into a mold. Work hard and be true to yourself. Bring your personality, culture, and know-how to the table.
