Meet Paul Moran, Customer Success at Goalbook
Based in San Mateo, California
What was your experience prior to Goalbook?
Before joining Goalbook, I worked as a professional youth soccer coach, coached soccer for a high school in the Bay Area, and volunteered for a non-profit organization to help high school student-athletes with the college recruitment process. Before that, I played professional soccer in Minnesota and Montreal, Canada for a few years. And before signing a professional contract to play soccer, I worked in Tech Support for a tech startup called IMVU.
What gravitated you towards Goalbook’s mission?
I think the most important thing that stood out to me about Goalbook’s mission, was how invested everyone I met with seemed in this mission. Personally, I have always held teachers in high regard, for how difficult their jobs are and, more importantly, how important they are. Helping provide teachers with something of great value, while working with people who genuinely care about the impact they have on students’ outcomes, made me want to invest in this mission as well.
Helping provide teachers with something of great value, while working with people who genuinely care about the impact they have on students’ outcomes, made me want to invest in this mission as well.
What is your role, and what are your favorite parts of it?
My role has evolved in the 2 years I have been working here, but mainly my role is to help expand relationships with existing school/district partners of ours, and get their teams engaged in using Goalbook. My favorite part of my role here is both the flexibility allowed to contribute as an individual in different ways than were perhaps done before, and the constant push to be better as a team. This balance between individuality and collective drive is what keeps me excited about being here. I also love working directly with Educational Leaders, and learning about successes that we have with them directly with how they work with students through the understanding of our product.
Outside of the role, what are one or two things you love here?
Although there are divisions/teams that everyone works within, I love how it feels like we are one BIG team, with one collective goal. As someone who’s played or coached team sports my whole life, the idea of teamwork is important to me. I also love how social everyone is here, and how much fun we have together when we do company events outside of the office.
How do you work and communicate with your manager?
I work directly with my manager on certain projects, communicating daily on some things, while also meeting regularly in a 1:1 setting each week to go over individual and team goals.
What have you learned in your role so far?
I have learned a lot about the EdTech industry of course, as well as learning new programs or software tools to use. The biggest thing I have learned, however, is that there are always ways to improve and grow. Basically, there is always more to learn!
What are some areas you’d like to continue growing professionally?
I would like to continue developing management skills, which I think are extremely important in a company, and industry, that is constantly growing. Project management, creativity in finding solutions, and growth in partnerships are areas specifically that I can continue working towards in the future.
What personal goals have you set outside of work?
Finding new hobbies to enjoy have become personal goals outside of work. This past year, I’ve gotten into bouldering and have tried to play more tennis — both of which, I’ve been able to set aside time to enjoy on a more regular basis.
What are some of your favorite spots in San Mateo?
In San Mateo, there’s a ton of very good places to eat and hang out. My go-to food has to be Ramen Dojo, which fortunately is right across the street from our office. There is also a delicious Japanese market, Takahashi Market, that is also a favorite!
Which team activity has been your favorite?
My favorite activity has to be when we went on a team outing to do the ‘Real Escape Room’ in San Francisco. Everyone was so engaged in this activity where you are deciphering puzzles and looking for clues, trying to figure out how to escape from the room — definitely the most fun activity, and something I would do again in the future!
- Check out other team member stories and learn more about our company culture.
- Read about what it is like to work at Goalbook: Erin, Susan, and Erika
- Follow Goalbook on LinkedIn for the latest job opportunities and team updates.
