Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Smart, non-techie people sought for new project


You read it right! I'm looking into a new and exciting project in financial services, and it requires 1-2 people that are not engineers but can handle technology, operationally minded but not necessarily with years of experience. Here's something I wrote a few years ago that captures the kind of people I enjoy working with (this is not for PayPal!, see after the quote):
What I’m looking for is results driven, quick thinking do-it-alls who want to be involved with new products, markets and risk challenges within Paypal. You should have the passion for consuming a lot of data and information, be able to learn quickly and identify and define trends in concise terms. You should be analytical and with a quantitative approach but not a data cruncher without any understanding of the big picture – we are playing at all fronts. Know or be able to learn how to drive processes through other people and organizations; working in ambiguous situations and coping with change is a must, as well as an ever changing operating rhythm. This is not your classic 9 to 5 and I’m not your classic 9 to 5 manager.

Experience is not a must (=graduates are also encouraged to apply), definitely not previous experience in risk management. However, please be an avid internet user, preferably a gamer in your past or present. Some security experience or tech savvy is a big plus – don’t get intimidated by developers, architects and tech talk. Impress me by having interesting hobbies out of work that you maintain although you are an aggressive achiever, and by having vast general knowledge (as in: you shout answers at “who wants to be a millionaire” while watching it on TV).
This is an excellent opportunity to be part of a founding team of a new startup that I think is very interesting, and to get a glimpse into the method and ideas that made FraudSciences, Analyzd, Signifyd (and hopefully this one as well) such a lucrative deal for investors, customers and acquiring corporations. This is also an opportunity for extremely smart people who aren't engineers and are looking for a way into startups and don't know how. Refer your best friends ;)
Please help me spread the word! Contact me directly for details.

NOTE: local SF Bay area folks highly preferred.