Starting a new job can be overwhelming for anyone.
New routines, new company culture, new faces and names to remember — every part feels unfamiliar and requires an adjustment. Yet one in three U.S. workers plan to search for a new role in 2023, according to iCIMS’ 2023 Workforce Report.
Sometimes a role change is for greater financial stability; other times it’s because an individual has outgrown a position and desires to sharpen new skill sets. Healthy and flexible company cultures have also become increasingly desirable, as terms like “work-life balance” and “workcations” decorate everyday conversations.
For Kris Jones, it was a combination of elements — like a larger startup environment with hands-on collaboration — that led him to Nisos.
“In my last couple roles, I had been used to being a very early-stage employee and working in startups with fewer than 30 people,” Jones said. “Moving to a more established and growing startup like Nisos, it was amazing to get face time with so many individuals in the company in such a short span of time.”
WHAT DOES NISOS DO?
Nisos provides managed, multi-source intelligence that enables security, intelligence, and trust and safety teams to protect their companies from threats. Thanks to Nisos’ Managed Intelligence services, its team members’ understanding of the adversarial mindset, and its robust intelligence database, Nisos is able to deliver smarter defense and more effective response against cyber attacks, disinformation and digital abuse.
After a thorough and inviting onboarding experience, Jones was confident he had found the right fit. Clear and frequent communication established a reassuring environment, and Jones began to see the company vision in every client interaction.
“The sheer amount of collaboration, celebration of wins and overall togetherness of the entire Nisos team was something I hadn’t experienced before on this scale,” Jones said. “Seeing the positive impact our analyst team had on real-life threats was eye-opening.”
“The onboarding process allowed me to go from zero to 100 very quickly while making a lot of great internal connections that set me up for success.”
Now, as director of engineering at Nisos, Jones is responsible for building a successful engineering team that delivers value on a regular cadence — an opportunity he relishes.
“I get to create and promote a culture of innovation, curiosity and collaboration within engineering,” Jones added. “Finding, building and empowering leaders is something I’ve done before and I’m excited to do this at Nisos.”
What was the onboarding process like for you?
Excellent. Even during the weeks prior to starting, there was clear communication about what to expect in my first week. Equipment was shipped to me in advance so I could get set up and hit the ground running.
“To see the amount of value that engineering and technology can provide to our analysts showed me that we can make a real and lasting difference for our clients.”
What pleasantly surprised you after you joined?
I was pleasantly surprised at the sheer volume of work for good that Nisos does. Prior to joining, I was aware of what Nisos did, but getting in the door and seeing firsthand the significant positive impact that we provide clients was incredible. To see the value that engineering and technology can provide our analysts showed me that we can make a real and lasting difference for Nisos and our clients.
When did you know you made the right choice in joining your company?
This was apparent very quickly. Within my first two weeks, the amount of people who had reached out, set up calls and shared as much information as possible with me was incredible. It was clear that we are one team here at Nisos, all striving toward the same goals. Having a clear vision of what we want to achieve, with open internal communication and a desire for everyone to succeed and collaborate made it very clear that the people are a key part of what makes Nisos amazing.
This, coupled with the insanely interesting work that we do within engineering, proved that Nisos was the right choice for me.
“Having a clear vision of what we want to achieve, with open internal communication and a desire for everyone to succeed and collaborate made it very clear that the people are a key part of what makes Nisos amazing.”
How have you hit the ground running since you joined and what are you most excited to accomplish over the next quarter or year?
Within my first five months at Nisos, we grew the engineering team from two to eight, released a brand new platform to our analysts and created a best practice-based engineering process to ensure quality, collaboration and frictionless development. None of this would have been possible to achieve without the support from a whole host of different departments.
I am excited to iterate and evolve the platform we have launched — we plan to make major jumps forward in the next couple of quarters. We also plan to at least double the size of engineering this year and I am excited to build these additional teams and see our current engineers grow, evolve and step up into leadership positions.
What aspect of your professional growth are you most excited to evolve?
I am most excited to evolve my skills in growing, supporting and maintaining multiple high-performing engineering teams that are both collaborative and autonomous — all while having the backing and support of our internal team.
