People Powered: Rees Klintworth, Senior Engineering Manager
An Engineering Team with Purpose
Hudl's engineering culture stands out to Klintworth due to its deeply collaborative approach. Engineers don't just receive pre-defined tasks; they participate in the entire product development process. This approach creates more investment and connection to the work, according to Klintworth.
"My role is making sure we understand how to get there, break apart the work, plan our roadmaps and help a team be able to build new things," says Klintworth. "I get to partner with our product team and figure out what the future of Hudl looks like."
Rather than just building solutions, engineering at Hudl is more about addressing problems.
"You get to be a little bit creative and have a real stake in the work that you're doing," he said.
"Our squads, which are the smallest units of our product team, all work together across roles. It's not like an engineer gets a ticket, gets a job to do that's already been well defined. They actually get to be part of defining how we're going to solve problems."
Small Steps Lead to Better Leadership
Klintworth discovered something unexpected throughout his time at Hudl: his passion for engineering extended beyond coding, to helping others grow. Hudl's culture of mentorship and growth opportunities provided the perfect environment for this revelation.
"I really appreciated some of the managers I'd gotten to work with and the role they played in my career, both recognizing opportunities for me and helping challenge me," Klintworth said.
After realizing he wanted to lead others in their own careers, he started working toward his goal in small ways, like reading management books and discussing leadership articles with his manager. Managing an intern gave him his first taste of people development before he entered a formal management role.
"I was able to work first with only a few people—two to three reports to start—but then got to grow my sphere of influence," Klintworth said.
This gradual expansion led to his current senior role, where he manages both people and product strategy.
Culture You Can Count On
Klintworth believes Hudl's strength lies in its culture of trust. "When I actually take vacation, I feel like I can disconnect and my team will respect that," he says. "I have trust in all of my coworkers that they won't even feel like, 'Oh shoot, I wish I could ask Rees something.’”
But what really makes Hudl different? The unique perks, like their impressive snack selection made by the in-house culinary team—particularly the churro donuts.
“Churro donuts are something I've never seen anywhere else. It's an idea that just makes sense," he said. "And they are absolutely delicious."
Advice for Future Leaders
For engineers considering management, Klintworth offers two key pieces of advice.
"Focus really deeply on your craft right now," he said. "The more exposure you get to different languages, different problems, different frameworks, the more you're broadening your skillset to apply those things to new problems in the future."
But management isn't only about the craft—it's also about being a coach and learning how to grow the people around you.
"A lot of the skills that are important to management are more on the soft side. It's being able to have a tough conversation sometimes, but also just to provide really great feedback consistently and work with your team,” Klintworth said.
If you're interested in the management path, you don't have to wait to get started. Take small steps today, the same way Klintworth did. Find opportunities to practice those skills, whether it's online courses or breaking down projects, to see if leadership excites you.
