Since we created the Global Delivery Services Center (GDSC), I keep getting the same question: “Mariano, why is your hair so awesome?”
Just kidding! Because I work in our Buenos Aires office, which primarily houses engineers responsible for building the core components of Anypoint Platform, I get a lot of questions about what being on a “Services team” really means.
At MuleSoft, we have a “Professional Services team,” which is known for having the technical experts of our platform and responsible for working directly with our customers to help them become experts as well. We already have a team dedicated to services, so why did we build a Services team in an office that is engineering-focused?
To answer this question, I asked my team about what it takes to work in our Services Center and why, as very technical people, they love working in this field.
Here is what they had to say!
How would you describe your role at MuleSoft?
“I usually say that I provide services to implement MuleSoft technologies for our clients, and help them use our products. You can think of me like a MuleSoft expert.” – David Cisneros, Solutions Architect
“I am a MuleSoft platform developer. As the platform has many roots in Java, I’m also a Java Engineer by extension. As for my particular day-to-day job, I make sure that I can provide the best possible solution to whatever problem our customers have.
Sometimes, we need to build the solution from scratch. Other times we work to extend another teams’ work, whether that team is a partner or the client itself. As I gain more experience, I can bring more feedback back to the Engineering team.“ – Carlos Martínez Ledo, Services Engineer
“We help our customers solve their business needs and, in the process, we are always thinking about the long-term. We create reusable software components in order to build an Application Network, while keeping industry needs in mind and applying the best principles from our Software Engineering team.” – Andrés Alleva, Services Engineer
What does working on the Services Team at MuleSoft mean to you?
“Working in services means helping our customers – in every industry you can imagine – get the best out of our products. It involves understanding our customers’ challenges, goals, and strategies.
It also means learning the latest technologies and products and always being on the bleeding edge, especially because our engagements are very different one from the other.” – Gonzalo Ozdy, Services Engineer
“I think the way this group is set up gives me the chance to have a global vision of what we do at MuleSoft. We participate and collaborate with almost all of the different business units of the company. We learn about what we do, we get the chance to use that knowledge, and then we also get to collaborate on building the actual products. As a capable, technical team, we have the tools to help our customers implement solutions.
For example, we use existing best practices, gather real-world experiences from customers, and then bring our knowledge back to the Engineering team, which is responsible for developing the product. We also collaborate through the organization by creating these best practices.” – Juan Martín Porcel, Solutions Architect
What is something new you learned while working on the team?
“Here, in the GDSC team, we have the privilege of working close to the Engineering, Pre-Sales, and Support team, while, at the same time, interacting and working with customers from all over the world. This puts us right in the middle of the business cycle for MuleSoft. You’re expected to be the expert on the products, you have to always be aware of new features or products that the Engineering team releases. This means you’re always learning something new and you are never stuck with the same technology stack.
At the same time, our customers are across the world are in completely different lines of business. This enables us to learn about different industries––you can work with a bank one week and a fast-food chain another. This means that the technological challenge and the learning experience is ever-changing.
In my last job, I was always used to only working in one line of business (e.g. banking or finance) and using the same technologies all the time (e.g. Java or Spring). In another job, I was part of the typical “Software Factory,” think of it like a consultant agency where you’re stuck with one technology. In these cases, when you are constantly working in only one technology stack and in the same business line, the challenge goes away.
The culture here makes you feel comfortable taking on challenges; this enables us to always strive to give our best.” – David Cisneros, Solutions Architect
“I never had the opportunity of rotating through other teams in the same company. At MuleSoft, I have had the opportunity to rotate through the Support and Training teams. Next, I will have the opportunity to work with the Engineering team. I think it’s amazing because you end up having a 360-degree view of the company and its products.” – Andrés Alleva, Services Engineer
“My work in the GDSC team at Mulesoft exposed me to a lot of new technologies (e.g. apacheMQ, Docker, Kubernetes, Kafka, etc.), useful patterns, and best practices. The environment and the type of work we do help us continually grow our areas of expertise.” – Gonzalo Ozdy, Services Engineer
What is your favorite thing about working on the GDSC?
“I like the balanced approach that lets you work with customers, and then rotate through the Engineering team. I believe it helps make the teams stronger and also enhances the communication we have across different departments.
We also get an opportunity to earn a bonus when we achieve technical objectives. This is a great incentive, because it not only helps us get better at what we do, but we are also rewarded for our efforts as well.” – Juan Martín Porcel, Solutions Architect
“What I like the most is that there is no limit to the opportunity you have. Each new project and each new customer is from a potentially different industry, which opens you up to the possibility of new technical challenges and the ability to learn new technologies” – Andrés Alleva, Services Engineer
Love what you heard from the team? If you’re looking for a place where you can work on big technical challenges, achieve direct influence over our product, gain a new perspective via a rotational program, and interact with some of the biggest brands in the world, then we have something in common.
And guess what? My team is growing! Check out open positions on my team or all our open positions. Also, drop me a note if you want to know more!
