Growing up in a small village in Portugal, Joana Graça never imagined she would have the opportunity to travel, meet a wide array of diverse people or work in the global environment that she has found at Roofr.
“My journey has been about breaking barriers and embracing opportunities, and I’m deeply grateful for the growth I’ve experienced — both personally and professionally,” she said.
What Roofr Does
Roofr describes itself as an “all-in-one solution for roofers to run, manage and grow their roofing businesses.” The company has developed a series of tools that every roofing business needs, built directly into one platform. Roofers can get aerial measurement reports, create digital proposals, order materials, send invoices and collect payments in the same platform they use to manage customers and track job progress. The consolidated platform makes it easier for businesses to save time and money, and focus on the work that matters.
Graça’s journey began with working in a factory, retail and the service industry to support herself through college, on a path to becoming a teacher. But, after earning her bachelor’s degree, new opportunities began to open for Graça.
“I quickly realized that the academic world moved at a pace too slow for my ambitions,” she said. “That’s when I set my sights on the dynamic, fast-moving world of startups, where I discovered my passion for making an impact — not just by helping people and driving revenue, but by optimizing processes to make them more efficient and effective.”
Since joining Roofr in 2021, Fabricio Brito has advanced from working as an individual contributor on Roofr’s engineering team to leading three engineering teams as an engineering manager.
“I joined Roofr when the company had only a handful of engineers,” he said. “Working as a full-stack engineer, I had the opportunity to contribute to various areas of our solution. Since it was my first time working for a startup, I learned to create some solutions from the ground up while helping define the tools we, as a team, would use to plan, deploy and monitor our solution.”
Roofr has also offered Brito an environment that fosters work-life balance through perks like unlimited PTO and “laundry days.”
The Purpose of "Laundry Day"
The leaders at Roofr were noticing that too many employees were going 6-9 months without taking a proper vacation, which could lead to burnout. While brainstorming ideas for a new companywide day off, ideas such as ‘Wellness Day’ and ‘Mental Health Day’ were discussed, but when one leader chimed in with, ‘I just need time to do my laundry,’ the winning idea was born. ‘Laundry Day’ is meant to give employees consistent time off — one day each month — creating a long weekend to relax, recharge and take care of themselves.
“I started to love Mondays after joining this company,” Brito said. “This supportive culture allows me to focus on doing work I love without worrying about unresolved issues keeping me up at night. On a personal level, the flexibility and balance Roofr provides have enabled me to spend meaningful quality time with my wife and son while pursuing a career that fulfills me. It’s a rare and valuable combination, and it’s had a profoundly positive impact on both my professional growth and my family life.”
“I started to love Mondays after joining this company.”
When Rachel Gould realized that her greatest professional satisfaction stemmed from building new things and seeing her ideas come to life, she decided to shift her career from marketing to software development, and later found her niche in growth.
As Roofr’s first dedicated growth engineering hire, Gould quickly grew to become the team’s engineering lead, working closely with design, product and marketing colleagues to develop and design new features.
“The growth team also oversees our analytics infrastructure so that we can measure user actions — always with the goal of increasing delight and reducing frustrating experiences,” Gould explained. “It's been incredibly exciting to hire talented people to grow out the team, scale up our experiments and think of out-of-the-box ideas to drive value for our Roofr users.”
Roofr’s culture of ownership has helped Gould grow while also providing the tools she needs to support her own team.
“Roofr ultimately trusts and values the ideas of all employees, which enables faster career development than would otherwise happen at companies with more hierarchy and red tape,” she explained. “For example, we had a new engineer join my team who had an incredible idea for a tool we could use to improve the responsiveness of our app. I challenged him to create a Request for Comments so that engineering leaders across all teams could give input on his idea. Just a few months after he'd joined the company, implementing his idea is now a major priority on the engineering roadmap.”
Built In heard more from Graça, Brito and Gould about what makes Roofr an ideal place to grow.
Why Roofr Stands Out
Graça: “I thrive in environments where I can challenge myself, and Roofr provides the space to do so. The company encourages experimentation and supports my curiosity, allowing me to explore different aspects of the business. I work alongside a diverse and talented group of people, which not only broadens my perspectives but also pushes me to improve and grow. This dynamic environment aligns perfectly with my career goals of continuous development and the desire to make a meaningful impact.”
Brito: “Roofr combines powerful tools with an intuitive platform in a niche market with high-volume and high-value projects. This culture has been instrumental in my own growth, as we have applied tools to understand and explore our diverse perspectives, coached developers and leaders to communicate openly, used situational leadership to develop high-performing teams and found effective ways to prioritize and delegate to execute our strategy. The focus on evolving both its product and people makes Roofr an exceptional environment for growth.”
“The focus on evolving both its product and people makes Roofr an exceptional environment for growth.”
Gould: “Another thing that sets Roofr apart is the incredible experience we get at the two offsite retreats per year. This is such a wonderful opportunity to cross-pollinate ideas across all departments. I’ve been able to build trust and relationships in a way that I’ve never experienced before at any workplace, remote or in person. It's so rewarding to be able to have a conversation with someone from customer support at a retreat, hear about a negative experience affecting our users and then be able to develop a new feature to address it.”
Growth at Roofr
Graça: “Working in the North American market has enhanced my communication skills in English, helping me adapt to cultural nuances and connect effectively with a broader audience. Roofr’s dynamic and supportive environment has pushed me to embrace challenges, learn continuously and thrive as a leader. This culture of collaboration and support has not only helped me grow as a leader but has also created an environment where I feel empowered to take on challenges and contribute meaningfully. Roofr’s blend of resources, mentorship and peer support makes it truly exceptional for professional development.”
Brito: “I value the freedom to experiment and refine processes that address the team’s needs and help me improve my problem-solving skills. Roofr is committed to hiring exceptional talent, creating an environment where I can learn from my colleagues every day. The collaboration culture with a strong team like this builds a strong track record while contributing to the company’s success, so it mutually benefits my personal and professional growth.”
Gould: “I thrive in an environment where I can take ownership of projects and goals, and Roofr is a great place for this. Everyone working here believes wholeheartedly in our product and mission, and ideas from team members across every level and department are valued equally. There’s a strong culture of open feedback and recognition, which keeps me feeling like my work is valued. At a fast-growing startup like this, it’s also fun to wear many hats and see a team evolve over time.”
“At a fast-growing startup like this, it’s fun to wear many hats and see a team evolve over time.”
Leading by Example
Graça: “We view growth as a partnership, where accountability is key, but support and guidance are equally important. Personally, I was transparent about my aspiration to grow into a leadership position, and my managers were incredibly supportive. They provided me with opportunities to develop leadership skills well before I was officially promoted, allowing me to build confidence and capability. What’s more, Roofr fosters a culture of growth at all levels. I’ve seen multiple colleagues achieve promotions or pivot into new roles internally, which speaks to the company’s commitment to internal mobility and professional development. It’s an environment where growth is celebrated, and everyone is encouraged to thrive.”
“Growth is celebrated, and everyone is encouraged to thrive.”
Brito: “Roofr grows at a responsible rate, following revenue and investments, which gives us confidence that we are offering a sustainable opportunity for people to join us and grow with the company and not just short-term experience, but a meaningful and long-term career opportunity. I had great discussions over the years about opportunities to promote people internally and open positions to backfill their previous roles instead of going to market as the first option. This practice gives us confidence that our work is valued and recognized, rewarding talent within the team. Having a strong team also helps us build a solid portfolio of successful projects allowing us to lead and participate in technical solutions. These achievements reflect the strength of Roofr's culture and its focus on empowering people to contribute meaningfully to our collective success.”
Gould: “I feel incredibly supported by our leadership. There’s clear and transparent communication about department priorities and initiatives, and leaders make themselves available if someone has pressing feedback. As a new manager myself, my engineering manager has made me feel very supported any time I had a question or needed a sounding board to validate my approach. Additionally, our people team has facilitated a system for thorough feedback so that employees get regular input from their peers and leaders.”
