Working at CRFS: A Newbie’s Perspective
Hello!
I’m Danielle. I recently joined CRFS as a Marketing Executive based in the Cambridge office.
I’ll be doing a lot of the CRFS marketing updates, so I thought I’d introduce myself and talk about my experiences at CRFS so far. So, who am I?
- U.S. Army veteran – I served for 7 years as an Arabic linguist in both strategic and tactical roles.
- Tech Com grad – I have a B.A. in English from the University of Colorado – Colorado Springs (UCCS), with an emphasis on technical communications (Tech Com) and user experience (UX).
- Archaeology spouse – My husband is also prior military, so my hobbies include traveling, attending archaeology and anthropology lectures, and learning new languages. I also enjoy reading, making artsy things, and playing the piano.
- Coffee addict – I love a good cuppa joe, whether with a good book, around a campfire, or on a quiet backcountry hike.
Why do I enjoy working at CRFS?
I have worked in prior marketing roles, but this one fits like a glove. The products fit with my own background, and I’m continually impressed by the products and by the people making and selling them. Also, the work environment is fantastic! Check out the details below.
Autonomy
The office is fairly quiet, but relaxed. We all kind of do our own thing and then come together for meetings and emails. I dove into website updates on day one. Since then, I’ve analysed our LinkedIn and Twitter feeds, analysed our keywords and analytics, written a blog post (this one!), reviewed our product line, helped identify job candidates for our U.S. roles, and started preparing for our EW Live event in Estonia and our SOFIC display in Tampa Bay, Florida. For example, I’ve reached out to our U.S. team and ordered a few promotional samples, which is where the next portion also comes in.
Team effort
First of all, I’m still a bit awestruck by the fact that the founder of the company personally made me coffee on my first day…twice.
I came from a military work environment where the attitude was “one team, one fight,” and I’m glad to have found the same here. It’s nice to work on my own and get things done, but it’s also been nice to come together and share ideas. Since I’m fairly new to marketing, it’s also good to get input to know I’m on the right track.
Using Trello throughout the week helps us track where we’re at with each project and task, but I also enjoy our team meetings. Every Monday morning, I meet with VP of Marketing James Shepperd and Product Manager Mark Champion (whose name was totally meant for marketing!). We go over the previous week’s progress and discuss our plans and any roadblocks for the new week. We also work together at our desks so often that I’m surprised the carpet doesn’t have grooves from our rolling chairs.
My team doesn’t just operate in a marketing bubble. We get included in product development and user interface (UI) conversations and give input on software updates. I sat in on a launch meeting for our upcoming Mission Manager software to see how it actually works. Everyone is pitching in for EW Live as well. Our hardware and software development, sales and marketing teams have all given input on how we can provide a great training experience.
Career potential
CRFS took a chance on me. I have some signals intelligence (SIGINT) experience but only a short marketing background. I appreciate that I can work with fellow veterans, both from the U.S. and UK sides of the pond; there’s a bit of shared experience and some friendly razzing that have helped me settle in quickly. I also get strong mentorship, and CRFS has offered to pay for professional development courses with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM). Finally, they offered me a competitive salary with stock options >(because, let’s be honest – this matters, too).
Equally important, the company itself is growing. Quickly. I’m glad to join a company that’s already doing exceptionally well; it makes my job easier and more fun. Because our customer base and reputation are increasingly gaining traction, the leadership has high but realistic growth goals. I like a good challenge, and so do my teammates. The whole team is serious about continually improving our products.
A gorgeous site
CRFS is located in the Cambridge Research Park, just north of Waterbeach. We have on-site parking and public bus access. We’ve just shifted offices, so everything is new: conference rooms, workstations, computers, and smartboards. Soon, we’ll be joined by our manufacturing team as well to unite all the local teams under one roof.
Two important things to note:
- There’s a nature reserve right outside of our full-pane windows, so the views (like the one above) are stunning. Team members can go for a relaxing run or stroll through lunch; I’m looking forward to picnics in the spring.
- The food, tea, and coffee are on point! We have a fancy new espresso maker for all kinds of posh coffees. (I’m still trying to figure out how to use it. When in doubt, watch the engineers.) We also get healthy, free meals and snacks – I probably eat better here than at home!
Delicious and free! The apricots are my favorite.
Come join us!
We’re currently hiring in the Washington, DC and Cambridge, England areas.
For details, check out our Careers page.
CVs or resumes can be sent to careers@crfs.com. Please note that some of our U.S.-based positions require U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a government security clearance.
