Meet Marenna Montague - Optoro's Sales Operations Coordinator, Direct Sales
Below is an article originally written by PowerToFly Partner Optoro, and published on January 25, 2018. Go to Optoro's page on PowerToFly to see their open positions and learn more.
Optoro is made up of a diverse collection of individuals who have come together to achieve a single mission–to transform the reverse logistics industry by finding homes for used and excess goods. We like to highlight that diversity with our Employee Spotlight blog series, during which we sit down with an employee every month to hear a little bit about the people who make the Optoro culture so distinctive. This month, we spoke with Marenna Montague, the Sales Operations Coordinator on our Direct Sales team.
How would you describe yourself in 10 keywords or fewer?
Creative, Aesthete, Positive, Strategic, Realist, Dreamer, Driven, Adaptable
What is your role at Optoro, and what do you do?
I am the Sales Operations Coordinator for Direct Sales at Optoro. I am responsible for seeing our Direct Sales orders from Pre-Sale through Post-Sale. This includes everything from sending out inventory bids to our buyers, to building orders, to coordinating shipments, to handling post-sale issues that may pop up after delivery.
What did you do before Optoro, and why did you choose to work at Optoro?
Before Optoro, I worked in Association Management. Minimalism and appreciation for the Earth were principles that my mother and father instilled in my brothers and I growing up. So I was drawn to Optoro because our mission revolves around sustainability.
What is the most important thing you have learned since starting at Optoro?
Flexibility is key. Our priorities shift all the time. You have to be able to go with the flow and adapt to the ever changing needs and goals of the company, your team and the reverse logistics industry.
What is the best part of working at Optoro?
I love working on a small team. We only have four people. While it can have its challenges at times, it's been fun being able to create our own culture and team dynamic. We each bring our own unique experiences and skills to the table. We get to interact with each other one on one; something you don't always get on larger teams or teams that have been established for a while. I've also been able to take on more responsibility and grow my skill set. Eventually our team will get bigger as we scale, so I am enjoying this time while it lasts.
What would you most likely be doing on a normal Saturday afternoon in your free time?
On Saturdays, I usually wake up early, grab a tea and make some jewelry. I love checking out new restaurants with friends, going to pop-up events, taking mini road trips, reading about the latest skincare + curly hair care tips, and catching up on new movies and/or documentaries on Netflix.
The Best High-Paying Remote Jobs
We—we being the internet in general, as well as PowerToFly specifically—often talk about remote work as this glorious thing: you can find professional fulfillment, friendly co-workers, and career growth potential from the comfort of your own home. All while collecting a check!
But where should you look if you want that check to be as big as possible?
Start with this guide to the best high-paying remote jobs. These career choices (and the example companies hiring for them) don't skimp out on paying remote workers well, and you'll still get all the work-from-home flexibility you're looking for. I've linked to specific job posts for each category below, but also look through the 300+ remote jobs on PowerToFly's always-updated remote job board for more.
As you apply and interview, keep these work-from-home interview questions in mind. If you find yourself with a salary offer that's good, but not quite as good as it could be, reference these salary negotiation tips for remote workers to advocate for what you deserve. And when you get the job with a great salary, make sure your home office is set up for success. And then send me a note to tell me how you're doing!
1. Senior Software Engineer
Business woman using laptop
Who It's Good For: Anyone who's a pro in programming languages (Java, Javascript, C++, Python, and SQL, to start, among others) and knows how to drive the development of products. If you like complex engineering challenges, have experience working with different systems and products, and have the discipline to program without a PM physically hovering over you (Slack hovering's allowed, though), this is for you.
Sound Like You? Check Out: Sr. Principal Software Engineer at Dell, Senior Front End Software Engineer at Plectica, Senior Software Engineer at CloudBees
Why You Can Do It Remotely: Like most heads-down-and-create work, developing software and programming are best done with minimal distractions. You'll collaborate with your team for check-ins and bug fixes, but you'll be able to focus on your project work from a home office.
Average Annual Salary: $131,875
2. User Experience Researcher Manager
Young adult woman working with laptop at mobile app
Who It's Good For: Proven researchers who know how to understand the behaviors and motivations of customers through feedback and observation, who have experience synthesizing insights into a brand story, and who have managed teams.
Sound Like You? Check Out: Senior Research Operations Program Manager at Zapier.
Why You Can Do It Remotely: As UX researcher Lindsey Redinger explains in her helpful Medium post, remote research allows companies to reach users all over the world, not just within driving distance to their headquarters, and can be cheaper for companies and easier for participants.
Average Annual Salary: $105,810
3. Senior Product Designer
Female graphic designer smiling at desk in office
Who It's Good For: Creatives with technical chops who like the challenges of evolving and improving the production of current products, leading designers, and collaborating with other parts of the business.
Sound Like You? Check Out: Senior Product Designer at SeatGeek.
Why You Can Do It Remotely: While design teams definitely need to share lots of feedback, there's technology out there to make that easy. The Help Scout design team has shared their favorite tools and tricks to collaborate remotely, which includes recording daily videos of new designs to explain features and ideas in a way a photo file just can't express. (They're also hiring! Check out open Help Scout jobs here).
Average Annual Salary: $107,555
4. Senior Security Analyst
Developing Concentrated programmer reading computer codes Development Website design and coding technologies.
Who It's Good For: Thoughtful, vigilant thinkers who enjoy identifying and fixing gaps in a company's security posture, including through ethnical hacking (hacking a company's system before outsiders can, and addressing the weak points found) and incident response (containing the negative effects of a system breach or attack).
Sound Like You? Check Out: Data Protection Security Analyst at Deloitte.
Why You Can Do It Remotely: Not all security analyst positions are remote-friendly; sometimes they require working with very sensitive data that can be compromised if taken off-site or accessed from a VPN. But with the right data processing policies—like using a privacy filter over your laptop, only using secured wifi, and encrypting your data, all suggested by WebARX security's all-remote team—remote work as a security analyst is definitely possible.
Average Annual Salary: $108,463
5. Technical Project Manager
A strong wifi connection makes for a strong relationship
Who It's Good For: Tech-friendly jack-of-all-trades with a sweet spot for spreadsheets and other organization tools.
Sound Like You? Check Out: Technical Project Manager at Avaaz.
Why You Can Do It Remotely: Project management can sometimes be like herding cats, but you don't need to be in the same room as your feline team members in order to direct them around. With collaborative software (and a highly organized home office, like PM pro Patrice Embry recommends), you can PM the most complicated of projects from wherever you're located.
Average Annual Salary: $95,129
Other Industries
Other high-paying remote-friendly jobs include certain roles in healthcare (like nurse practitioners and psychologists, who can check in with patients via video conferencing and phone calls), app developers for both iOS and Android products, actuaries and tax accountants, and data scientists.
And remember that even jobs that don't seem remote-friendly at first, could possibly be done from home or on the road. If you find a well-paying, exciting job that doesn't offer remote work immediately, it might be worth negotiating a more flexible schedule with a 1-2 day work-from-home option. Both you and the company can see what remote work actually looks like in action, and if it goes well, you can make a pitch to transition to remote work full time.
Other resources you may want to check out in your quest for meaningful, well-paid remote work:
6 Programs You Should Download Right Now if You Work Remotely
Productivity Tips for Remote Workers
Home Office Design Tips for Remote Workers
