Candace Shamieh
Datadog’s Sales Engineering team plays a critical role in helping customers understand the platform and solve technical challenges in real time. Customer success sales engineers (CSSEs) operate at the intersection of engineering and customer success, making the role a compelling destination for people with strong technical curiosity, cross-functional collaboration skills, and a passion for helping others.
Bella Barbera and Emilio Rodriguez are two CSSEs at Datadog who each took a nontraditional path into the role. Today, they’re helping shape the future of the Sales Engineering organization through their leadership, mentorship, and commitment to growth.
In this post, we’ll explore how Bella and Emilio navigated career transitions into Sales Engineering, the ways they’ve continued to learn and lead, and what makes Datadog’s culture a meaningful place for both of them to grow their careers.
Applying analytical curiosity to solve customer problems
Before joining Datadog, Bella Barbera worked as a mechanical engineer in 3D printing and biotechnology. As she progressed in her role, she realized she was most energized by the parts of the job that involved data analysis and investigation. Driven by a desire to make that kind of problem solving the focus of her career, she started exploring a transition into the software space.
Initially, she looked into data science roles. But after coming across an open role on Datadog’s Sales Engineering team, Bella discovered that sales engineering aligned more closely with her strengths than the highly specialized, behind-the-scenes work associated with data science roles. She liked the idea of staying close to the technology while also collaborating directly with customers and helping solve problems in real time.
She decided to explore the opportunity and reached out to Shawn Szturma, Datadog Sales Engineering Director, on LinkedIn. He agreed to an informal interview, during which he conveyed that she had strong potential but would need to broaden her technical skills to be competitive. Encouraged, Bella built a spreadsheet that mapped out the technical concepts she would need to learn. She took free online coding and terminal courses, explored Datadog’s Learning Center and labs, and worked through deep-dive YouTube series on cloud concepts and environments. After two months of focused study, she applied for the role, interviewed, and got the job.
The same spreadsheet that helped Bella get up to speed has since become a resource for other aspiring CSSEs—both internally at Datadog and among external candidates preparing for technical interviews. Her hands-on, collaborative approach to learning has become a defining part of her leadership style. “I’ve always been passionate about understanding how things work," Bella says. "That didn’t go away when I left mechanical engineering—it just evolved.”
Since joining the team, Bella has continued to grow her technical expertise. She earned an AWS Cloud Practitioner certification and continues to deepen her understanding of data science and observability. Bella is keen on understanding how data moves through modern systems. “I love working in a quickly evolving industry where I get to be right at the intersection of the action. There’s always something new to learn, and I have the space and support I need to keep growing," she adds. "It keeps me motivated and makes the work exciting.”
What Bella enjoys most about her role is the opportunity to solve meaningful problems for customers. “I look at every issue with fresh eyes. There’s something really satisfying about rolling up your sleeves, getting into the weeds, and helping a customer accomplish what they need. It’s the perfect balance of human interaction and technical challenge.”
Expanding impact through technical depth and service leadership
Emilio Rodriguez joined Datadog as a customer success associate (CSA), where he quickly became known for his curiosity about the technical intricacies of the platform. While he loved helping customers solve problems, he found himself limited by the scope of his role and often leaned on CSSEs to navigate deeper technical discussions. “I felt like a guide who only knew the trail up to a point. I wanted to become the guide who could take the customer all the way,” Emilio recalls.
With encouragement from mentors, like Datadog Sales Engineering Director, Shawn Szturma, and peers, including fellow Sales Engineer Omkar Waghe, Emilio began working toward a transition into Sales Engineering. He identified a need for foundational knowledge in three key areas: software development, DevOps, and cloud architecture. After dividing the subjects into specific categories, such as programming, containerization, and CI/CD, he developed a self-directed curriculum. He paired each category with a relevant resource to help him master the concepts, such as Launch School for programming and Udemy for DevOps and cloud computing. He tracked his study sessions in a spreadsheet and set a consistent schedule to ensure steady progress.
By the time a Sales Engineering opportunity opened up to support Datadog’s Spanish-speaking customers in Latin America, Emilio had the technical fluency and confidence he needed to step into the role. Even before the transition became official, he was already applying his new knowledge to his role as a CSA—asking more technical questions, delivering product demos, and building trust with both customers and internal stakeholders.
Today, Emilio continues to bring a dual perspective to his role as a CSSE—combining technical expertise with the cross-functional awareness he developed as a CSA. “I’m not afraid to put my CSA hat on. I’ll help drive timelines, attend negotiation meetings, and partner with CSAs to figure out how else we can help our customers.”
Based in Denver, CO, Emilio is continuing to broaden his impact by learning Brazilian Portuguese. With a growing Datadog customer base in Brazil, Emilio saw an opportunity to contribute more fully to the Sales Engineering team’s coverage in Latin America. “Working in LATAM has been one of the most fulfilling parts of the role. There’s a real sense of pride in elevating the region, and it’s a strategic move that supports both my career and our customers,” Emilio adds.
Emilio is also recognized as a leader within the Sales Engineering organization because of his dedication to the work and the way he supports his teammates. “I want to be someone my teammates can trust," he shares. "When you remember that you depend on each other, it naturally leads to better outcomes.” As one of his teammates, Julieta Moreno Alba, put it: “His background as a CSA helps in every meeting. He adapts easily to our workflow and helps lay out the next steps. Having Emilio on our team has improved the customer experience, which accelerates deals and helps grow accounts.”
Different paths, shared purpose
Bella and Emilio each forged a unique path into Sales Engineering at Datadog. Despite their different backgrounds, both share a deep sense of curiosity, commitment to continuous learning, and desire to help others succeed. Their stories exemplify the culture Datadog strives to build across all teams: one where initiative is recognized, learning is supported, and unconventional paths are welcomed.
Whether through mentoring others, creating shared learning resources, or acquiring new skills to support customers, both Bella and Emilio are helping shape the future of the Sales Engineering team and demonstrating what’s possible when you lead with curiosity and intentionality.
If you're excited by the idea of solving complex problems, growing your technical skills, and collaborating with driven, dedicated teammates, consider joining us. Datadog is growing, and we're looking for people to join our teams around the world. Learn more about open roles—and #DatadogLife—on our Careers page.
