Jessica Rodriguez joined Duetto four years ago as Director of Revenue. Her role involves establishing revenue recognition accounting policies and procedures and ensuring compliance with US GAAP requirements.
In her ‘pre-Duetto’ days, Jessica worked for a “Big 4” accounting firm focusing on clients in the technology sector and as an auditor, she was exposed to a variety of different tech companies at various stages of development. After leaving the firm she worked for a publicly-traded medical device company, but ultimately realized that her skill set would be best utilized in a tech startup environment where there is never a shortage of new and interesting problems to solve. And that’s where Duetto came in!
As part of our ‘Women in Tech’ series, marking Women’s History Month, we caught up with Jessica to find out a little more about her day-to-day work, the challenges facing women in tech these days, and her goals for the future.
What makes a good day at work for you?
A good day at work is a day where I can start something and finish it on the same day. At times work and life can pull you in so many different directions simultaneously; it can feel challenging to stay on top of everything or feel like you are doing any one thing particularly well. I try to make it a point to celebrate the small wins during my day. I have a lot of confidence in my team and try to be flexible and adapt to challenges as they arise. Learning to triage tasks and goals by importance has helped prevent mental clutter and maintain a positive outlook.
What attracted you to Duetto and have we lived up to your expectations?
Innovative technology, market potential, belief in our product, people who are passionate about what they do, and supporting one another. What keeps me at Duetto? All of the above!
As a woman in tech, what do you feel are the biggest challenges facing women who want to pursue a career in this industry?
When I think of the challenges that women in this industry face, I view it through the lens of not just a woman, but a Black Latina woman. As a woman, there is a noticeable disparity in women in leadership roles in tech. As a woman of color, that problem is compounded by the underrepresentation of ethnic minority women across our industry. I have been very lucky at Duetto to work on a team full of strong, smart, driven women who encourage and support one another in all areas - both professionally and personally. We make it a point to highlight and recognize one another’s contributions to our collective success. Admittedly, there is still much work to be done to improve diversity in our industry, particularly in leadership roles, but I am proud to work for a company where women make up nearly half of our entire workforce. We are headed in the right direction!
What’s been your biggest achievement, professionally, so far?
Being a part of building a team from the ground up and watching that team grow, flourish, and tackle complex problems with grit and grace. The sum of our collective achievements as a team far exceeds any single accomplishment of my own.
What goals are you still working towards smashing?
I would not be where I am in my career today without the role of mentors who took a personal interest in me and helped guide and encourage me to reach my potential. A major goal for me is to step into that mentorship role. A single event changed the entire trajectory of my career and opened up doors that were previously closed to me. I would like to do more to create educational opportunities and encourage underrepresented minorities to pursue careers in accounting, finance, and technology.
Want to join a team that sees talent not gender, and believes in rewarding on merit alone? Check out our Careers Page for our current openings.