Kelsey started at Funnel as a specialist and has grown into the manager of the Integration Engineering team. Along the way, she’s taken on new challenges, expanded her technical expertise, and developed her leadership skills. In this post, she shares insights into her six year journey, the projects her team is driving, and how collaboration fuels efficiency and technical excellence at Funnel.

Can you introduce yourself and your role at Funnel?

I’m Kelsey, and I have been at Funnel for almost six years now. It’s been amazing to see how much both the company and my role have evolved. I started as a Data Integration Specialist, and today, I’m the manager of the Integration Engineering team.

Over time, our team has transformed significantly, becoming highly technical and expanding our capabilities. Just this month alone, we have released 60 new Custom Connectors. It’s been rewarding to be part of that growth and evolution. What started as a small, scrappy team solving individual cases has now become a well-oiled machine that proactively builds scalable solutions for complex data integration challenges.

What does the Integration Engineering team do, and how does it impact customers?

In a nutshell, we are the glue that holds it all together. Our role is to ensure that data can always be effectively integrated, even if that means developing creative solutions when standard APIs are not enough. We provide flexibility and customization, bridging the gap between our core product capabilities and unique integration needs. Our team develops and maintains solutions for unique data integration needs. We work with a wide variety of data sources, ensuring that we can accommodate new and evolving requirements. We work closely with internal teams to understand specific data requirements. 

Since clients may not always be familiar with APIs, we often act as translators, helping them understand what’s possible and guiding them through the process. Beyond data ingestion, we also help clients get data out of Funnel and into their preferred systems, optimizing workflows and enabling better decision-making through automation.

You started as a Data Integration Specialist and are now a team manager. What was that journey like?

It was not something I initially planned, but it happened organically. When I started, the Boston office was small, and we did not have a local manager who really understood what we were doing. Once our team grew, we lobbied for leadership in the U.S., and eventually, Walter was hired as our manager. That structure gave me and my colleague, Zara, the opportunity to step into team lead roles.

At first, I was not sure whether I wanted to go into management or deepen my technical skills. But through our co-op program, I got to mentor interns, conduct hiring interviews, and help shape team processes, essentially doing the things a manager does. That experience helped me realize I wanted to take on a leadership role. Two years later, I officially stepped into a managerial role.

One of the biggest learning curves was shifting from an individual contributor role to a leadership role. It’s not just about solving problems anymore; it’s about enabling others to solve them. I had to develop new skills such as coaching, communication, and prioritization in order to help my team succeed. Over time, I found a balance between advocating for my team’s needs and aligning with broader company goals.

How does your team collaborate with others at Funnel?

We work with nearly every team at Funnel. Our closest collaboration is with the core development and product teams, especially when defining the line between standard connectors and custom integrations. For example, we recently worked with the dev team on the BigQuery connector, ensuring that our teams weren’t siloed but actually supporting each other.

We also partner with internal teams to manage expectations and bridge the gap between what’s needed and what’s technically possible. Additionally, we collaborate with data engineers and solution consultants to build scalable solutions and with account managers to support upsells, especially for measurement-related deals that require custom data integrations.

Aside from technical collaboration, we also work closely with operations and support teams. Because we have unique insights into integration challenges, we help ensure that internal teams are equipped with the right knowledge and tools to assist others effectively.

Can you share a time your team made a big impact for a customer?

One of our most impactful projects was building budget connectors for multiple ad platforms. This required assembling a team of engineers to rapidly develop solutions that streamlined data integration, significantly improving how we handle marketing budget data at scale.

Beyond product development, we’re also exploring new ways to support the business directly. One initiative we’re piloting involves joining pre-sale calls to provide technical insights. We’ve noticed that while salespeople do a great job explaining Funnel’s capabilities, prospects can be more receptive when a specialist confirms the details. By bridging this gap, we hope to build trust and improve deal conversion.

Interested in joining Funnel? Explore our current job openings!