We sat down for a Q&A with Rachel Theran-Teixeira, a Squad Leader in Consumer Knowledge and Strategic Insights at Fidelity Investments. Read about how Rachel has adapted to our “new normal” in today’s environment, balances being a working mom, and what makes her day-to-day at Fidelity so exciting.
FidelityJobs: Tell us about your background and career path – and how did that lead you to Fidelity Investments?
Rachel: After business school, I spent over 7 years at a company in New York. I loved working there and still look back fondly at the experience I gained. I’m from Boston, so when I moved back to be closer to my family, Fidelity was on my radar. I tried out some new experiences, worked at smaller companies, but never really felt settled. In 2014, I saw a job posting that looked like it was almost written for me. I had a quick round of interviews and started as soon as I could. When the head of my Domain asked “Why Fidelity, why now?” I answered that I hadn’t been ready for the company I planned to be at forever. It sounds cliché, but it’s true.
FidelityJobs: Can you provide us an overview of CKSI, and how your role makes an impact on it?
Rachel: CKSI stands for Consumer Knowledge and Strategic Insights, and I tend to think of it as the analytical arm of Fidelity. It felt like a natural home for me due to my background in science and business. When I joined Fidelity, I was focusing on Digital Analytics, Paid Media, Site Performance—all focused on Personal Investing. In 2018, I became one of the product owners for personalization. This was a great progression because it leverages my background in analytics, customer experience, and marketing. What I love about being in CKSI is the amazing co-workers and the variety of work that we do. It’s a great cross-section of analytics, qualitative insights, data science, and data management. When I need to get something done, I know that I can tap into the expertise of my domain.
FidelityJobs: Tell about your day to day in your role at Fidelity.
Rachel: I’m a Squad Leader, which is basically a Product Owner. My team is split between Bangalore, India and Raleigh, North Carolina—so even before the pandemic, I was working from home a couple of days a week. I often wake up about 5:30-6:30am, check email and get ready for the day. I wake up my 2-year-old son at 7:00am, have breakfast with him before he goes to school, and get the day started. I have one on ones with the associates, we hold team meetings, and groom stories. Most of the days is spent meeting about product and roadmap planning, meeting with stakeholders around story requirements, scrum of scrums, etc. Right now, I end my day a bit early so I can pick my son up from school, as daycare has shortened the hours due to pandemic scheduling.
FidelityJobs: What would you say is one of the more unique things about your role & team at Fidelity? Why?
Rachel: What I love most about my job is the balance of creativity, analytical, and technical thinking. The product owner role is unique in that we get to wear a lot of hats every day. It keeps things fresh and exciting, and I’m never bored with my work. My team is so unique because we have all managed to become so close and many of us have never even met each other in person. I had the opportunity to visit the team in Bangalore last October, and it was so amazing to meet everyone face to face. It was just a fascinating and fantastic experience. Since then, we’ve had a lot of people join the team, even in North Carolina. Now that we all are on video so often, it’s more important than ever to find ways to connect.
FidelityJobs: The pandemic has hit different people in different ways. How have you managed these challenges over the past several months? How has Fidelity helped you?
Rachel: Until recently, my husband and I were both working from home full-time with our son at home full-time (he’s now back at school). That was very challenging. When we felt comfortable, we tried to find a sitter, but unfortunately that didn’t work out. We’ve had to be very flexible about our schedules. For most of the time, my son was home I took Friday off and my husband took Thursday off. Fidelity gave us 5 “COVID days” which I was able to use to spend quality time with my son and make sure his emotional needs were taken care of. We’ve also had to relax our standards on screen time and be more forgiving of ourselves; that is really hard but important.
FidelityJobs: What are some of your favorite parts of your job?
Rachel: My squad and myself tend to get a little involved in a lot of things, so I sometimes get sneak peaks about new products being launched, marketing campaigns, and other news; that part is really fun. In that same spirit, I get to meet a lot of diverse stakeholders from around the firm, and it’s nice to get to meet and work with such a wide range of people. I love the wide exposure and variety of projects I get to work on.
FidelityJobs: Tell us what you do for fun in your leisure time.
Rachel: These days, I spend all my free time with my family. I love to just hang out; we have a great backyard and we will play on the swings or have our “band practice”. My 2-year-old is the lead guitar, my husband plays baby banjo, and I’m on the tambourine. We are also exploring building train sets and teaching our son to play catch. I also love to bake. I’ve been exploring healthy cookie recipes and easy breakfasts.
