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How Marco Turns Small Victories Into Major Wins

Marco Valero is undaunted by network engineering challenges – in fact, he loves facing them head-on. Here’s how he finds fulfilment as a tech leader at Cox.

Marco Valero loves the satisfaction of achievement: the feeling of facing a challenge and finding a solution.

As Manager of Software Engineering at Cox Communications, Marco has plenty of opportunities to do so. His team is responsible for all software development activities for Cox Backbone, Metro – IP, and Optical networks, as well as integrations with vendor tools and platforms.

“We work on multiple projects with multiple stakeholders and many partners in the organization,” Marco said. “I like to spend a lot of time planning, designing, and discussing solutions to the problems we are trying to solve, and reviewing the solutions we implement.”

Marco, who has a PhD in Computer Science, calls his expertise “software development for the network.”

“I fell in love with computer networks in the early 2000s when I started learning about OSI model,” he said. “I tried to focus my education and career toward IP networks, but then I realized I also loved writing software and complex systems to solve real life problems.”

So what brought Marco to Cox?

“I moved to Atlanta in 2005 and I always heard Cox was one of the best companies to work for in the city,” he said. “Before joining Cox, I was managing an engineering team at a technology company, building software to control their network. In 2017, Jackie, a technology recruiter at Cox, reached out to me via LinkedIn, and after reviewing the job description I felt it was the perfect role for me.”

Ever since, Marco has thrived at Cox – taking advantage of professional development opportunities, volunteering in the community, and leading a team of top-notch software development experts.

He’s an achiever outside of work, too. An avid jogger and walker, Marco has been hitting at least 200,000 steps a month for the past three years. He has also been a runner in the annual Spartan Race since 2014, including a virtual version this year. He winds down by spending time with his wife and two daughters, traveling, and firing up the grill.

Marco recommends trying to complete a task every day, no matter how big or small.

“I discovered this while at graduate school,” he explained. “I learned that if I achieved something every day, I stayed motivated and continued moving forward. In the long run, those small victories become major wins.”

Marco’s work isn’t all about checking challenges off his to-do list. He’s cognizant of the importance of slowing down to strategize and think through complex software issues.

“I try to have recurring meetings on Monday and avoid meetings on Wednesday to work with my team,” Marco said. “We call it Wednesday Focus Day.”

No matter the day of the week, Marco said that Cox’s culture of appreciation has shown that they care about him as an employee.

“Leaders care about their employees’ career paths and help them grow into better professionals and members of the community,” he said. “[Cox provides] Lots of training, many challenging problems to solve, and opportunities to learn new technology and skills. We also have full support from our senior leaders to take calculated risks that will produce greater benefits.”

Want to read more stories like this or discover a day in the life at Cox? Check out our employee blog or search for open roles to learn more.