NOTE: This blog has been moved to http://www.looksgoodworkswell.com

Monday, November 15, 2010

New - Social Systems Engineering Team at Netflix

Michael Hart is now leading a new Social Systems Engineering Team here at Netflix. He has a couple of immediate openings. Here is a partial from the job description:
Netflix is the leading online movie and TV service, reaching almost 17 million households in the US and Canada and growing over 50% in the last year. Many of the other fastest growing companies today have achieved that growth in part by leveraging Facebook's social graph. As a founding member of the new Social Systems engineering team at Netflix, you'll be challenged with helping us leverage the social graph to propel Netflix's growth even higher.
I am really excited to see what Michael and his team will accomplish with this new dimension of the Netflix experience. Wouldn't it be a blast to be a part of this team? If you are interested apply for the job here.

Tuesday, November 02, 2010

Back at Netflix and Hiring

I am back at Netflix!

I am hiring (naturally). I am specifically looking for some talented user interface engineers to join my team. My team builds the experience for acquiring new members. We are at a critical phase as we expand internationally while supporting a wide range of devices. You can check out the job posting here.

I can't think of a better recommendation for Netflix than the fact that I have returned :-D

Why would I return? First a little about why I left.

In my previous position at Netflix the team had gotten large (15+) and was on a growth path to be 25 or 30. I no longer could be involved in the details as my group spanned every part of the Netflix business. It was a fantastic position -- really a dream job. But at the end of the day I needed to be more a part of the solution.

So I left Netflix and became the VP of Engineering & UX at Meebo. Meebo is really a stellar place. But after just a couple of months I realized I had moved in the wrong direction. And it became clear to me that all of the positions opening to me where at a level that mostly dealt with the organizational challenges with some limited high level strategy. So while Meebo was really a great place to work I knew that I had to figure out what level I wanted to work at.

After that I started consulting. During that phase I learned a lot about myself and how I want to spend my time. Consulting was especially rewarding as I had some amazing clients (PayPal, Adobe, Rypple and BagCheck to name a few). I got to do product strategy consulting, UX design (lots of wireframing) and JavaScript development. The most rewarding part was being hands on solving problems. And of course working with Theresa Neil (my co-author) was a blast.

During that time I was presented with a lot of really great opportunities by companies I respect deeply. After I started considering full time employment again I realized that I was happiest at Netflix. And coincidentally I had been giving recommendations to Netflix on people that I could recommend for a new role there. Then it dawned on me, why not offer myself for that role? And that is what I did.

My new role is much more focused than my previous role. I am the Director of ECommerce UI Engineering. Instead of leading all of the user interface engineers at Netflix, I am leading a smaller (but growing team) that is focused on solving specific problems on the marketing/customer acquisition/account side of the house. The cool thing is the solutions our team fields directly impact the growth of Netflix & the dollars that come in the door. Plus I am able to get much more involved in the day to day work of the product.

The bottom line: My recommendation couldn't be stronger for coming to Netflix. I believed in it so much that I decided to return. It's an amazing brand and we are poised for more amazing growth.

So want to join me? Check out the job description. Is that you or anyone you know? If so don't hesitate to apply or ping me at bscott _at_ netflix _dot_ com.