Question

What does Brett Helsel do in a typical work day?

A portrait of Senior Vice President of Engineering Brett Helsel.
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Name: Brett Helsel

Company: Isilon Systems

Job Title: Senior Vice President of Engineering

What are some of the biggest challenges of your job?

Politics even in a small company. If you were the CEO, you would always run things slightly differently.



What project(s) are you most proud of?

Organizing the engineering team to be excited when they come to work and for them to establish a connection with the customer. Having everyone feel like a part of something makes them truly part of something.

What kind of educational background or training did you need to get started in your field?

At the time I joined my field there was an extreme need for software engineers. Fortunately I had taken enough Computer Science classes to excel in my field once I got my first real job in my field.

In your field, what qualities are most important for someone to have?

Problem solving and debugging skills. Vision for a customer need and how to resolve that need for the customer.

What advice do you have for someone interested in a career in marketing or business?

Make sure you’re passionate about what you’re doing and not just paying the bills. If you’re not passionate about your job, you will never be happy. If you’re on your way to work and you get stopped by a red light and you don’t really care, you’re in the wrong job.

What specific role do you play at your company?

Responsible for providing world class products with the enterprise level quality to customers in a variety of markets.

What are some things you do in a typical work day?

Define product, plan releases, recruit world class talent, coordinate activities with peer groups, ensure customer satisfaction, meet with customers in various parts of the world and in various disciplines.

What resources do you use in your work (software, equipment, reference materials, Web sites, etc.)?

Oodles. I use a Mac® laptop for a desktop and travel, Microsoft® Office®, and a variety of search engines, etc.

What made you decide to do the work you're doing?

I wanted to be an ocean oil exploration engineer, but the price of oil was too low at graduation. I had taken quite a bit of Computer Science classes for my field of interest and decided to capitalize on that knowledge to pay the bills. It became a passion over time.

What were you most surprised about when you started working in your field?

It was a stark reality in July of 1983 that there would be no more summers off.

What are some of your favorite parts about your job?

Working with customers to solve problems and beating the big incumbent vendors.

Answer 1

Short answer: he spends the day setting product direction and making sure engineering delivers enterprise‑quality products—through planning, coordination, recruiting and customer interaction.

Typical work‑day activities (from his profile)
- Define product strategy and requirements.
- Plan releases and roadmap milestones.
- Recruit and hire world‑class engineering talent.
- Coordinate activities with peer groups (other executives, product, sales, etc.).
- Ensure customer satisfaction and product quality.
- Meet with customers worldwide across different disciplines.
- Oversee engineering execution, problem solving and debugging priorities.

Tools he commonly uses include a Mac laptop for work/travel, Microsoft Office and various online search/resources.