The geek in question: Sara Spalding

The job title: Sr. Director of Microsoft's campus in Cambridge, MA

What are you working on right now?
I'm working on making Cambridge a first class center of innovation for Microsoft.

That’s all? …Slacker. ;)
I think about how to help groups from Redmond build development teams here to take advantage of the local talent pool. I’m working to make sure that we have a great presence in the local community. I make sure all our teams here can be really successful, and I also oversee the renovation of our space and amenities for the campus.

Yeah, definitely a slacker. What were you doing before this?
I've been at Microsoft for 15 years, although I had a two year "vacation" that I came back from last November. I spent most of my career in Redmond, as an evangelist and then a Product Unit Manager. I had a blog and gave lots of presentations and did lots of work with our developer community.

Hmm, that sounds vaguely familiar…
Yes – I was Sara Williams! I got married and changed my name. New name, different coast, same person. In the spring of 2005, my husband and I decided we wanted to move East, and so I left Microsoft to move. I worked for Macromedia, Adobe, and O’Reilly Media, and took some time off. Last summer I was contacted about helping to make the Cambridge office a successful development center for Microsoft ... so I rejoined and here I am.

So you left the company to move to Boston, and then Microsoft followed you?
HA! It's ironic because I left the company because there wasn't a compelling job for me here in Boston, and now a big part of my job is creating a lot of compelling jobs for people in Boston. I love it here.

How do you think the greater Boston area will influence the culture at this office, as opposed to the campus in Redmond?
We're very intentional in building a culture here. I think of it as, like, the love child of Microsoft culture and Cambridge culture. We want to take all the drive and excitement and passion of Microsoft culture and put a local flavor on it.

The fact that we have Kendall Square right here (the core of technology in this area!) is going to be a big part of our culture. On the first floor, we're going to have a public meeting space so that we can invite the community in for lectures or user group meetings. We want to be able to host those things here, because we're in this very tight knit, small area that has such a strong focus on technology.

So, you’re super busy … but I understand that, like me, you have a unique work schedule.
I have a one year old daughter at home and I want to be able to spend time with her. So I work part time -- I'm in the office Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then I check email on Mondays and Fridays the way most people do on the weekend.

Yay for permanent/part time employees! How do you get everything done in such limited time?
I don’t. There are two basic processes I use to get close. First, I work with my manager (who is great, by the way) to make sure that we’re on the same page about the scope of my work and my priorities. This is important for everyone, but super important for anyone with flexible working arrangements. Second, I try really really hard to prioritize and make sure that I’m getting the most important stuff done first. It’s not a complete or perfect solution, but it’s mine.

Links!
• Boston Globe article about MSFT Cambridge • Search for part time jobs at Microsoft • Search for jobs at Microsoft in Massachusetts • Sara on Facebook