Meet Chris Russell, the Engineer Who Fills the Gaps Others Miss

Meet Chris Russell, our Senior TechOps Engineer who’s been with NetBox Labs for nearly two years, and whose career path touches every layer of the technology stack.

Chris started as a web developer during a university placement, then moved through systems administration, network engineering, consulting, datacenter management, and automation. “I tend to run towards coverage gaps and try to fill them,” he says. That instinct carried him into his current role, where Tech Ops spans the entire business, from deep-diving customer issues to community support, plugins, training, and researching new features.

“We have such a diverse set of customers and use cases. Every day is learning something new or working through ways to help people move forward,” Chris shares. “And we’re encouraged to spend time in the community.”

One standout moment for him came from being part of the team that delivered training at a recent NAF Autocon event. “I got to work closely with senior members of our product team and was trusted to conceive, write, and deliver my own section of the training to the participants.”

His biggest personal challenge? Leaving a company he’d worked at for 20 years to join a startup with a completely different pace and expectations. “It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done.”

Despite being fully remote, Chris describes the culture as close-knit. “Everyone has a voice, is willing to listen, and is empowered to share. We also run virtual donut and coffee sessions and internal clubs to help people get to know each other.”

His advice for anyone starting out: “Embrace community. Look out for local and regional tech meetups and go along to listen, and eventually take part. It’s often outside of many comfort zones, but you’ll learn so much and build a network you can talk ideas through with.”

And something his teammates might not know? “On a night out, I once slipped on a banana skin and tumbled head over heels in true silent movie fashion. Only me!”

Outside work, Chris is an advocate for neurodivergent communities, as a parent of non-neurotypical children and being on the spectrum himself. He’s also a lover of board games and “playing” musical instruments, usually badly. That’s the spirit of experimentation and exploration that has taken him so far.

Find Chris on his LinkedIn here to connect.

If you’re interested in working at NetBox Labs, please reach out. It’s a great place to work where people can show up as their authentic selves and lean into their super powers. Check out our open roles here: netboxlabs.com/careers