What do an LA retail giant, an aerospace company that’s developing hardware and software to enable precision airdrop deliveries, and a company that sells forest-friendly toilet paper have in common? They’re all growing and looking to fill open positions in product, marketing, engineering and design this fall.
To give you a head start on where to look, Built In LA spoke with employees at nine companies to learn more about why they chose to work there, why they’ve stayed and what excites them most.
What they do: Nordstrom has access to some of the greatest minds in retail and technology and is constantly creating innovative strategies to develop the ultimate apparel solutions.
As a tenured employee, what has been the biggest reason you’ve stayed at your company so long?
It can be difficult to find a company that fully aligns with your values and uses the latest technologies to keep your skills and experience current. Nordstrom offers the best of both worlds. Our digital platforms are built using the latest tools and frameworks and are deployed at a massive scale across our brands. Despite that scale, we’re committed to extending the Nordstrom way of doing business to our digital channels. That means being transparent with our customers and making sure that when customers complete a purchase in our app, they’re left with the same feeling they have when they leave our stores. I love working at a company where I don’t need to check my values at the door when I start each day. That is part of our commitment to being a company where you can bring your whole self to work.
I love working at a company where I don’t need to check my values at the door when I start each day.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
We are seeing the results of the work we’ve put into our technology platforms pay off and show up for our customers. From more personalized product recommendations and styling experiences, to the new platform that powers our Nordstrom.com and NordstromRack.com websites and mobile apps customer experiences. Our customers are going to see new and improved experiences every time they shop with Nordstrom, Nordstrom Rack and Trunk Club. Combining the digital scale of our brands, our commitment to inclusive style and our deep fashion expertise will allow us to be closer to the customer and make them look good and feel their best.
What they do: FIGS is dedicated to improving the lives of healthcare professionals by creating innovative, comfortable and functional medical apparel.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
Taking a job with FIGS was a no-brainer for me. I was inspired by the company’s mission — to celebrate, empower and serve those who serve others — and the opportunity to work directly with the very healthcare professionals (we call them “Awesome Humans”) who inspire the next generation in their fields. I was also drawn to building a world-class community of Awesome Humans and the communities they serve, and building relationships with them has truly been a privilege.
I can’t wait to see what we do, whether that’s next month, next year or the next decade with our Awesome Humans.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
One of my favorite things about FIGS as a brand is that we feature real healthcare professionals in our campaigns — actual veterinary doctors, ophthalmologists, nurse practitioners, you name it. It’s so powerful to see them on billboards across Los Angeles, in editorial spreads in major newspapers, and on the big screen in Times Square. In my role, I get to help bring these campaigns to life and work with our community through every step of the process. I’m also excited to take part in how our campaigns evolve and become more and more impactful as FIGS continues to grow. I can’t wait to see what we do, whether that’s next month, next year or the next decade with our Awesome Humans.
What they do: Altruist’s software makes advisors more efficient and gives them the freedom to charge less. This means clients pay less and make more.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
Today’s job market is intense, and some people are receiving multiple job offers while on the search, myself included. But, Altruist stood out for a few reasons that ultimately drove me to accept the company's offer.
The first is the mission, to make great financial advisors more efficient, affordable and accessible to more people, which aligns with my values. The second factor for me is the team. At Altruist, our teams share and hire for the company’s core values: kindness, brilliance and grit, which makes the culture here really collaborative. Last but not least, it was clear that there’s a growth opportunity at Altruist. We work with top industry veterans from leading financial and tech companies, including Acorns, Ticketmaster, JPMorgan Chase, Pimco, Morgan Stanley, Fidelity, TD Ameritrade and ServiceTitan. Bringing together people who have such deep knowledge and are collaborating toward a common goal means we’re always learning alongside one another.
I like to wake up every morning knowing I get the opportunity to make progress toward something that can impact people’s lives.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
I like to wake up every morning knowing I get the opportunity to make progress toward something that can impact people’s lives. At Altruist, we’re breaking down barriers to entry into wealth creation and management for financial advisors and their clients. Every day is beautiful when you get to do that.
My teams are responsible for trading, rebalancing, market data and the model marketplace. Creating solutions for those functions — some of which haven’t evolved for decades — is rewarding when it means we’re making the Altruist mission a reality.
What they do: Promenade is a platform that helps local businesses thrive in the world of e-commerce.
As a tenured employee, what has been the biggest reason you’ve stayed at your company so long?
Promenade has given me a unique opportunity for hyper-growth in my career. In just 18 months, I was promoted from SDR to junior account executive to account executive and finally to SDR manager. If you are hungry and driven to exceed goals, you will be rewarded. Promenade is a great place to set yourself up for success and surround yourself with incredibly hard-working and talented people. Additionally, our culture is one of friendly competition, collaboration and support.
In just 18 months, I was promoted from SDR to junior account executive to account executive and finally to SDR manager.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
Promenade is in a very interesting position of moving from a startup with a “get things done” mentality to a fully scaled company with structure. We are establishing various processes to support our rapid growth, which is very exciting. Personally, management is a new challenge that I am embracing. My goal is to help reps achieve their goals and jumpstart their careers like I was able to do at Promenade.
What they do: Smartly is building a platform that combines media buying, creative and data to automate every step of digital advertising.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
Product, people and opportunity. During each phase of the interview process, I learned a little more about each. From a product perspective, Smartly.io quickly hit the mark of being rated one of the leading social advertising platforms globally, with a very impressive client list. The candid conversations I had with leadership, and those who would be my peers over the course of the following weeks, gave me the insight to confidently move forward and join the team. It was a great decision.
Our product roadmap over the next 12 months is exciting, to say the least.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
Our product roadmap over the next 12 months is exciting, to say the least. I look forward to contributing to Smartly.io’s growth by helping more creative and media buying teams reach their goals utilizing our powerful automation and optimization tools.
What they do: Who Gives a Crap sells forest-friendly toilet paper, paper towels and tissues, and donates 50 percent of its profits to help build toilets for those in need.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
I was already interested in the company mission, but the deciding factor was the company’s refreshing view on work culture. The company fully supports its employee’s work-life balance and there are very frequent check-ins to ensure we’re not getting burnt out. You can immediately tell that the company believes that investing in its employees results in improved quality of work. The company’s remote-forward culture is accompanied by mental health workshops, a nice work from home policy, and most importantly, a general trust in employees to get their work done regardless of working hours.
The company fully supports its employee’s work-life balance and there are very frequent check-ins to ensure we’re not getting burnt out. ’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
The company’s main mission is admirable and ambitious and there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to get there. There’s a ton of new products on the horizon, and without giving too much away, there will be a lot of modernization, branding and design needed. Normally that might feel intimidating, but it feels much more exciting with support and trust from your leadership.
What they do: DASH Systems is developing hardware and software to enable precision airdrop deliveries.
What was the deciding factor for you when you accepted your job at your current company?
Three things made me eager to accept a position at DASH. One, the mission to make delivery in remote areas accessible for all. Two, the opportunity to join an early-stage startup and create a company culture from the ground up. Three, throughout the interview process I felt comfortable being open and myself.
I’m looking forward to watching the team grow from roughly one dozen people to 24-plus individuals.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
As we gear up for our Series A raise, I’m looking forward to watching the team grow from roughly one dozen people to 24-plus individuals. As head of people, I will have a heavy hand in making sure we continue to build a culture that promotes adventure, curiosity, teamwork and diversity of thought. We currently have several open roles and are looking to add several more as we enter into this next era for DASH and air logistics.
What they do: Collab’s software and services help independent video creators increase earnings, grow their audience, improve content and build personal brands.
As a tenured employee, what has been the biggest reason you’ve stayed at your company so long?
What gets me out of bed every morning is the opportunity to help build impactful software products which directly or indirectly helps creators all over the world earn a living. It’s a great feeling to help others make a living while following their passion and crush it while doing it. I have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by great mentors, thinkers and go-getters who have inspired me to grow in my career over the last four years. The easy-going culture, growth opportunities, support from the founders, mutual trust and respect, ownership and overall dedication to staying true to Collab’s goal of helping creators succeed in life have been the reasons I decided to stay here long term.
We are constantly on the lookout for brilliant engineers who believe in the mission and who would be excited to work at an impactful company.’’
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
The creator economy market size presently stands at over $100 billion. If you look at what kids these days are aspiring to be, a full-time creator and influencer will be among the top choices. As this economy grows, Collab has been spearheading the development of software and systems that nurture this economy for over a decade. We see tremendous opportunities in building exciting products and services while nurturing and growing our teams. We are constantly on the lookout for brilliant engineers who believe in the mission and who would be excited to work at an impactful company.
What they do: Outer is a direct-to-consumer outdoor furniture brand with a novel neighborhood showroom concept.
As a tenured employee, what has been the biggest reason you’ve stayed at your company so long?
I love that at Outer they foster a “no bad ideas” culture. Everyone wants to push the envelope and think outside the box. I’m impressed every day with the people here!
I love that at Outer, they foster a ‘no bad ideas’ culture.
Looking to the future, what excites you most about where your company is headed?
Outer is more than an outdoor furniture brand — they design innovative products that make it easier for people to enjoy their time outside. I love that I get to be part of the process and have a front-row seat to see how these innovations come to life and then market them!
