Before you close the final chapter of 2021, take a moment to reflect. What’s on the horizon of your career? Where do you want to go or grow in the new year? How will you get there? With just under a month left, this is the perfect time to look into new potential employers or explore the world of tech in a more hands-on way.
But first, consider the characteristics of your best-case-scenario employer. Perhaps you want to seek out a company whose mission you click with. If you value connection, then the company culture and the people you could potentially be working alongside might be the deciding factor. Or maybe you care about how employees are supported through thoughtful benefits and opportunities for professional growth.
No matter your priority, the following companies are on a hiring spree and they’ve got your wishlist covered. You could be exactly who they’re hoping to start a strong Q1 with.
H-E-B
What they do: H-E-B is an expansive family of grocery retailers that has an Austin-based digital arm, H-E-B Digital, tasked with providing solutions at scale for every part of the business.
Impressive tech stacks: Engineering teams at the grocery chain reside in multi-cloud environments with a variety of technologies and tools at their disposal. Data engineers use services on AWS and Azure where their data lake resides, as well as Python, Spark, Databricks, Datadog, Kafka, GitLab and CI/CD tools.
Engineering greatness: “I designed and implemented a data engineering service that integrates Google Analytics clickstream data across H-E-B’s e-commerce apps and sites,” Senior Software Engineer Amogh Antarkar previously told Built In. “A project like this was possible because of the flat organizational team structure at H-E-B and the people-centric culture. It gave me an opportunity to drive a key initiative and build a reusable and reliable engineering pattern from the ground up.”
Unity
What they do: Unity is a platform for creating real-time 2D, 3D and virtual reality content. The development platform is used by creators across industries including gaming, film and architecture. The company has 4,000 employees around the world.
Impressive tech stacks: Engineers utilize MongoDB and Teradata databases. Frameworks include ASP.NET, Ruby on Rails and TensorFlow. The company uses languages such as Golang, Python and more.
Emphasizing work-life balance: “Being flexible with work hours and encouraging employees to take time off to take care of themselves is key to helping employees find balance between work and home life,” Senior Global Benefits Manager Shoua Draeger previously told Built In. “We ask managers to check in with their teams on a regular basis and work with their human resource business partners when they see an employee’s performance start to slip. Making sure employees are aware of all the benefits and resources available to them is extremely important to us.”
Whole Foods Market
What they do: Whole Foods Market is an Austin-based grocery chain with a focus on selling natural and organic products. After opening in 1980, the company has since expanded with more than 500 locations in North America and the U.K.
Extensive perks and benefits: Whole Foods doesn’t just focus on wellness through the products they sell. Employees also receive a variety of benefits like mental health assistance, full medical coverage and generous parental leave for new parents. For anyone looking to continue their education opportunities, the company also offers online course subscriptions.
Opportunities abound: The grocery retailer chain currently has over 100 open jobs in Austin alone. The roles range from data engineer and UX/UI designer to senior positions like regional HR director and director of category marketing.
Procore Technologies
What they do: Procore Technologies develops cloud-based technologies for the construction industry. Their clients, which include firms responsible for building skyscrapers, hospitals and retail centers around the globe, come to the company for tools to help manage the building process online.
Employee buzz: “I’m continually impressed with Procore’s emphasis on autonomy,” Principal Product Manager Sarah Shiroma previously told Built In. “It’s refreshing to work at a company where I’m able to take full ownership of my work and drive decisions. It’s an environment where I, as an employee, understand my company’s overall objectives and vision, but I’m able to ultimately determine how best to get there.”
Calling all engineers: Out of the company’s 120 currently available roles, nearly a quarter of them happen to be for various levels of engineers. Other open positions include senior revenue systems analyst, director of enterprise campaigns, IT communications specialist and more.
Discovery Direct-to-Consumer
What they do: An internal startup within Discovery, Discovery Direct-to-Consumer creates immersive experiences for brands across Discovery’s portfolio that blend technology and entertainment. Its TV Everywhere products include the GO apps HGTV, Food Network and Discovery Kids Play. Discovery also offers direct-to-consumer streaming services as well as social content.
Accomplishments through camaraderie: “The ability to successfully deliver innovative and new features to consumers more quickly and at scale requires a complex and multi-pronged solution — and a talented team of engineers,” iOS Manager Lauren Jarrard previously told Built In. “This type of challenge gives us the opportunity to do what every developer wants to focus on: building great software. I want every single team member to feel empowered to make confident decisions and lean on each other for support.”
New year, new roles: Discovery currently has a handful of open roles for anyone looking to head into 2022 with a career change on the horizon. Positions include principal software engineer, vice president of live streaming, senior product manager and more.
LivePerson
What they do: LivePerson is a software company that uses artificial intelligence and natural language processing to create an automated conversation platform for businesses.
Driven by innovation: “I’m excited about the research our team is doing on natural language processing, specifically around evaluating conversational AI systems to better understand how they align with consumer expectations,” VP of Machine Learning Matthew Dunn previously told Built In. “We think this will be a critical aspect that allows us to make progress on more challenging conversation problems using machine learning.”
Parental perks: If your family grew over the pandemic, LivePerson not only offers generous parental leave and family medical leave, but also child care benefits and a return-to-work program. Looking to grow your family now? The company also offers adoption assistance.
ServiceNow
What they do: ServiceNow is a cloud computing platform transforming manual ways of working into modern digital workflows. Their mission? To help employees and customers work effectively through the enterprise.
Employee culture buzz: “We were founded with the belief that ordinary people could have great experiences at work and it’s a vision that everyone at ServiceNow holds close today,” Director of Employer Brand and Talent Marketing Liz Du previously told Built In. “One of our company’s core values is ‘deliver customer success.’ Our goal is to be a strategic partner to our customers across their entire journey with us. We truly want to make work, work better for them.”
A focus on inclusivity: In early 2020, ServiceNow formed their DIBs (Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging) Community — with an intentional focus on intersectionality — and a goal to unify collective voices to drive culture change at ServiceNow. Within the DIBs Community are eight Belonging Groups, which are safe spaces for every unique employee identity at ServiceNow designed to foster connection and collaboration.
Intercept Games
What they do: Intercept Games is the Seattle-based development studio currently focused on the creation of Kerbal Space Program 2. The company is united by a deep passion for space, simulation, strategy and all things video games.
Impressive perks: For anyone looking to tackle some personal growth within their career, Intercept Games offers professional development opportunities like a continuing education stipend and access to online course subscriptions. The company also promotes from within, offers a generous PTO plan along with 401(k) matching, and has extensive health insurance options.
Now hiring, in droves: The gaming company has big plans as they head into the new year, and their hiring plans show it. Open roles include lead designer, senior data engineer, technical recruiter, lead software engineer, and leadership positions like global director of environmental, social and governance.
Take-Two Interactive
What they do: If you have played a video game in the last decade or so, there’s a good chance it was a Take-Two Interactive title. The company’s portfolio includes the Rockstar Games and 2K labels, the publishers behind the iconic gaming franchises “Grand Theft Auto,” “Red Dead” and “NBA 2K” series, to name just a few.
A year of acquisitions: Take-Two has made four acquisitions in 2021. In March, the company acquired the video game division of HookBang, an Austin-based creative technology studio. Then in June, Take-Two purchased Serbian mobile gaming company Nordeus, makers of the soccer manager simulation game “Top Eleven,” in a deal worth up to $378 million.
That was followed a month later by the acquisition of Dynamixyz, which provides video-based facial animation services. Earlier this month, the company’s 2K label brought elite3d, a Spanish creative studio specializing in 2D and 3D video game artwork, into the fold.
Health bonus: In addition to offering employees a fitness allowance and sponsoring an in-house wellness program, Take-Two also gives team members the ability to earn up to $500 per year for living healthy. Other standout benefits include a 401k match, access to a charitable giving platform with a company match and invites to game release events.
Veeva
What they do: Veeva develops cloud-based software for the life sciences industry, and its New York office is home to the Crossix team. Crossix is a data analytics platform that leverages anonymous health and non-health data to enable marketers to create more targeted and personalized campaigns for both patients and medical professionals.
Get out and do good: Veeva makes it easier for employees to give back by organizing volunteer activities. The company has bi-weekly lunches at the AHRC, an organization that works with intellectual and developmentally disabled adults. Employees can also volunteer to deliver meals with Meals on Wheels or work at the Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.
Complete projects, not tasks: In a May interview with Built In, Flavio Fenley, a senior software engineer, spoke about how Veeva devs are given a unique amount of ownership in their work, a big part of which is because projects, not tasks, are assigned to individuals.
“We work on the design, planning and implementation of each feature,” Fenley said. “We are given a certain degree of freedom to decide the best way to develop a given feature, test it out and then develop. We effectively own the work, no matter how large or small.”
Dots
What they do: Dots is a mobile game studio that is bringing minimalist art to the gaming world. The company’s three titles Dots, Two Dots and Dots & Co. have been downloaded over 100 million times.
Want to create games? If so, then you’ll be happy to hear that Dots is currently hiring a creative director to develop new games. In addition to defining a long-term creative strategy for filling the Dots’ new games pipeline, this role will also be heavily involved in creating processes, both for developing new titles and for prototyping games. There is no set requirement regarding “x” years of experience in “y” roles, but candidates are expected to have extensive, hands-on experience designing games and a track record of success in mobile game development.
A modern benefits package: In addition to offering more traditional benefits like health coverage and a 401k, Dots also offers a paid parental leave program for primary caregivers, student loan assistance and Citi Bike discounts. Gamers will be pleased to note that employees are offered $20 monthly stipend for in-app purchases, too.
BCG Digital Ventures
What they do: BCG Digital Ventures, or BCGDV for short, is the corporate innovation arm of Boston Consulting Group. Since its founding in 2014, BCGDV has helped launch more than 100 digital businesses, has grown its team to over 1,000 people and established 13 innovation centers and labs globally.
What they’re working with: Vince Montalbano, engineering director and cohort lead, spoke with Built In this past March about the technology engineers at BCGDV are working with.
“A sample of the software engineering technologies our ventures have used in the past year include Java, Python, .NET, React, AWS and Azure, in addition to emerging technologies such as IoT sensors, computer vision and blockchain,” Montalbano said.
That said, Montalbano was careful to note that, while technical skills are important, his team is also looking for engineers who can communicate as well as they code.
“It’s just as important that our engineers have strong technical chops as it is that they communicate and collaborate well with our non-technical team,” he said.
An office worth commuting to: BCGDV’s office is located on the 45th floor of the 10 Hudson Yards building and offers 360-degree views of the New York skyline thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Unlike a traditional tech office, the space does not feature an open-floor plan, with teams instead free to work from any one of the numerous common areas or meeting rooms.
ThoughtWorks
What they do: ThoughtWorks is a global technology consultancy that works with clients across a wide variety of industries, from retail and consumer companies to automakers and telecoms. The company offers enterprises support with digital transformation, data strategies, customer experience, and more.
Why people stick around: Job-hopping is quite common in tech, and one of the reasons people bounce from company to company so often is that they aren’t given compelling reasons to stick around. Kathy Butler, lead, customer experience strategy for North America, has worked at ThoughtWorks for over seven years and explained why she decided to build her career there in an interview with Built In earlier this year.
“I have worked here longer than any other job I’ve had,” Butler said. “One of the key reasons is a very flat, but highly collaborative, organization. I do not have a ‘boss.’ Instead, I am accountable to my teams, my accounts, my org leadership, my service line and my colleagues. I am held to success metrics via ongoing feedback from all the people I work with, so I have goals for leadership, individual contribution, teamwork and selling.”
Rewarding longevity: If you thought sabbaticals were only for professors, think again. ThoughtWorks offers eligible employees who have spent 10 years at the company a full 12-week paid sabbatical.
MassMutual
What they do: MassMutual has been providing insurance and financial planning assistance since its founding in 1851. Some of its products and services include life and disability income insurance, mutual funds and IRAs, financial wellness tips and direct connection to financial advisors across the country.
Building up in Boston: This month, the company finished construction on a new office building in Boston Harbor. Not only will this building allow them to take their Boston office from 600 to 1000 employees, it was also built with sustainability in mind — it is designed to use 70 percent fewer natural resources than buildings of similar size. This eco-focused construction, combined with the announcement of a $1 million donation to the King foundation, are indicative of MassMutual’s dedication to a brighter future for both the environment and the community they serve.
Employment interest: MassMutual is currently hiring up a storm, with a substantial number of job postings in data and analytics, development and engineering, finance and operations. Anyone looking to work with a long-standing financial institution on the technology side and beyond should consider checking out their list of open roles.
Alteryx
What they do: Alteryx is focused on Analytic Process Automation (APA), described by the company on their website as “the technology that allows anyone in your organization to easily share data, automate tedious and complex processes, and turn data into results.” By using machine learning, Alteryx helps analysts automate their workflow intelligently and efficiently.
Machine learning masters: In a conversation with Built In in March, Senior Software Engineer Parthiv Naresh discussed what sets Alteryx apart in the field of machine learning: An “open-source mentality.”
“Machine learning is more than just picking a model and fine-tuning its hyperparameters,” said Naresh. “It involves understanding and manipulating data structures, feature engineering and building a modular approach so the entire process can become an integrated, reproducible part of your business.” Alteryx brings these machine learning tools to the greater data science business, fostering innovation and allowing the whole field to grow.
Human caring: In July, Built In spoke with Alteryx about its renewed focus on the mental health of its employees. The company, recognizing the mental and emotional challenges faced by everyone during the past two years, implemented several new policies, including adding four PTO mental health days to further encourage work-life balance and overall well-being.
Skillsoft
What they do: Skillsoft provides educational training courses, books and videos on technology, business and leadership topics to some of the largest companies around — 70 percent of Fortune 1000 companies use their tools in some capacity. Some of their course subjects include DevOps, customer success, project management and cloud development — and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Writing the book on DEI: In September, Built In sat down with Skillsoft General Manager Rashim Mogha, a bestselling author from New Delhi with a passion for diversity, equity and inclusion. In the interview, she expressed pride that Skillsoft’s diversity initiatives include not only gender and race but a whole spectrum that many organizations don’t always consider.
“There’s so many companies out there who just think about diversity in terms of race and gender, but never to the level of neurodiversity, ageism and so on,” Mogha said. “So that was very exciting for me.”
Listen and Learn: For anyone unsure of where to start with Skillsoft’s myriad of learning tools, their conversational podcast “The Edge” might be the place. In it, CMO Michelle Boockoff-Bajdek talks to a different guest every episode about workplace education and growth. Recent episode topics include how to maintain tech talent, implement DEI initiatives and build a culture of learning at your job. The podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play and Spotify, as well as their website.
Zoom Video Communications
What they do: From healthcare and academia to boardrooms and living rooms, Zoom is keeping the world connected securely and seamlessly through innovative video communications. While their foundation was built in video, they’ve been developing products that can keep up with our growing need to connect both professionally and personally. Zoom Apps, Events and Community are just a few of their latest connectivity solutions.
Notable perks and benefits: Zoom takes pride in listening to its employees when it comes to benefits. As it stands, they have a number of volunteer-friendly policies in place, including: paid volunteer time off, opportunities to volunteer in the local community and partnerships with nonprofits. The focus on helping others even carries over into the company culture, where The Happy Crew — a group of global volunteers — lives the company mission of delivering happiness, internally.
View from the inside: Community is an important piece of the Zoom puzzle — especially for their developers. Software engineer BJ Zamites has an insightful take on what makes it so great. “If you have an opinion about anything — user experience, project direction, something technical — it’s well-received in our Zoom tech community. I haven’t heard any organizational excuses about why we can’t do something. Whether or not we implement or build something is solely based on substantive disagreement, backed by data and what is best for the end user.”
Invitae
What they do: By uniting genetics and technology, Invitae is making it their mission to bring comprehensive genetic information — an important facet of everyone’s medical past and future — to mainstream healthcare.
Notable perks and benefits: Mentorship, lunch and learns, and cross functional training are just a few of the many professional development benefits Invitae offers. Their pet friendly office — complete with a stocked kitchen and game room — is there waiting for its employees returning from PTO or sabbatical.
View from the inside: When handled thoughtfully and intentionally, conflict can be a healthy way to boost open communication. One of Invitae’s talent team members, Sylvia Arifin, notes that their value of “radically honest communication” leads to more productive conversations. “When we communicate in a clear and direct way while owning what we say, we get to the heart of the matter so much more quickly,” she recently told Built In “We have a sense of urgency in our mission, so this is important to us. Not only does practicing healthy conflict allow us to be high-performing as a team, it also makes it natural for us to be radically honest and transparent with the people we serve as clients.”
Home Chef
What they do: A favorite of busy millennials, pre-portioned Home Chef meal kits help keep customers well fed without the hassle of grocery shopping. Home Chef delivers all the makings of a home-cooked meal and uncomplicated recipes with a retail footprint of more than 2,500 Kroger stores across the U.S.
Bringing home the bacon: Recently surpassing a spicy $1 billion in annual sales according to Blue Book Services, Home Chef is setting the table with searing success.
Core values: Built In interviewed Home Chef’s CEO, Pat Vihtelic, on the company’s DEI initiatives. In 2021 the team welcomed a director of diversity, equity and inclusion to reinforce a welcoming, supportive and understanding company culture.
DFIN
What they do: DFIN provides its clients with global risk and compliance solutions, including domain expertise, software and data analytics for all stages of business and investment lifecycles.
Rallying together: Venue Account Executive Stephanie Kovacevich recently shared her experience at DFIN: “I have a team behind me that is rooting for me as much as I am rooting for myself.”
Positioned for growth: With 31 job openings, DFIN is looking for talent across sales, engineering, finance and more.
NielsenIQ
What they do: NielsenIQ is a trusted source for retail and consumer intelligence. Using comprehensive data sets and powerful insights, NielsenIQ enables businesses to make critical decisions confidently.
On the pulse: Located in the heart of the loop, NielsenIQ’s office is easily accessible to public transit and bustling businesses.
Leading by example: VP of Technology Subramanyam Kumarapuram previously told Built In how he finds success leading a hybrid remote team: “Deal with empathy, communicate openly, promote the spirit of one team, facilitate healthy conversation and ensure every team member is taken care of.”
The Aerospace Corporation
What they do: With six decades of experience in national security, The Aerospace Corporation is a nonprofit leader in federally funded research and development.
Where they do it: The company’s offices are located in El Segundo, an established hub for major aerospace organizations like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Boeing.
Working together: Donald Yang, principal director of the company’s Electronics Engineering subdivision, previously shared what characteristics he looks for when growing his team: “A standout systems engineer has the ability to solve problems that satisfy all stakeholders, from the customer to the contractor to the user.”
Pluto TV
What they do: Step aside, cable. Pluto TV is a free online television service that offers more than 100 live channels of TV shows, movies and internet videos.
Expanding globally: Just in time for the holidays, Pluto TV recently added 10 new free channels streaming Christmas specials. The company has also extended its reach to Italy, launching 40 original channels across multiple genres.
Diverse benefits: Employee benefits include adoption assistance, tuition reimbursement, 401k matching and more. With 48 jobs opening across multiple departments, the team is looking to grow.
Neustar
What they do: Neustar offers users solutions in marketing, risk, communications, security and registry that connect data on people, devices and locations, continuously corroborated through billions of transactions.
An emphasis on diversity and inclusion: Employee resource groups at Neustar include NeuBUILD (Blacks United for Inclusion, Leadership and Development), NeuWiN (Women in Neustar) and NeuPrIDe (LGBTQ+ Allies). As Director of Diversity and Inclusion Denise Fields recently told Built In, these and those to come “will add incremental business value in the areas of professional development, recruitment, retention and more.”
Upcoming acquisition: TransUnion recently announced an agreement to purchase Neustar for $3.1 billion in cash, expected to close in Q4 2021.
Western Union
What they do: Fintech organization Western Union seeks to bridge the gap between digital and physical money by offering their omnichannel platform on a global scale. This makes transfers quick and reliable for individuals, businesses and organizations alike, and opens the door to easier cross-border, cross-currency transactions.
Family first: Employees with children can benefit from Western Union’s family-focused perks. The WU Scholarship Program grants employees $2,500 for their children’s college scholarships, while families hoping to grow through adoption can take advantage of the fact that the company offers up to $10,000 reimbursement for adoption-related expenses.
A worldwide workplace: Like their platform, Western Union’s team is global. Shauna Hayrynen, group leader of domestic and regional engineering, celebrates how this opens up insightful, collaborative opportunities: “Like WU customers, we are a diverse team spread across the globe... Being globally separate, we continue to work on unique local solutions while still collaborating. It is not often that one can work with people with such different backgrounds and perspectives!”
RingCentral
What they do: Leading the charge on cloud-based communications, Ringcentral’s platform offers AI-driven digital engagement solutions through phones, group chats, video calls, contact centers and more.
A diversity priority: In order for its benefits to better align with the company mission to foster, educate and build an inclusive workforce, Ringcentral runs unconscious bias training. Meanwhile, employee-led employee resource groups — including Black Lives Matter, Pride, Women Leaders, Hispanic Heritage, Mothers and more — allow team members to connect with the people who make Ringcentral’s team culture so notable.
The camaraderie is clear: Culture runs deep at Ringcentral, which was why account executive Jace Henderson took the job. He recalled what stood out to him while shadowing his team-to-be: “As soon as I walked in, I saw people laughing with each other, crossing the hallways to speak with employees on other teams, but still working hard. I could tell that the teams weren’t siloed and that people communicated across departments. It seemed like a place that drove great results and truly valued the importance of culture.”
FirstBank
What they do: Locally-owned FirstBank’s care for customers, communities and employees drives its “banking for good” mission. The company credits its growth — from 1963 to now — to doing right by its people.
Well, well, wellness: Well-rounded health insurance and benefits are part of the value proposition for FirstBank. Wellness doesn’t get left behind either — the company offers employees a $360 annual reimbursement toward related expenses and covers use of the building’s fitness center if you pop in at least four times a month. Workouts work out great if you’re interested in group fitness classes.
Like mission, like people: FirstBank’s people-first mentality is what continues to keep Will Jarvill, user identity management specialist, on the team: “One of the biggest reasons why FirstBank makes such a great long-term employer is that they are willing to help their employees grow and succeed. If you ever need anything from management, they will be there to support you along the way. They are always trying to promote from within, so they notice your time and effort.”
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