Mal Silva
People Process Product
01 Chapters of My Career
EBSCO Publishing
2 :Years
Kiva Systems
2.5 :Years
TraceLink
+9.5 :Years
Rapid7
Year one
Design leader and storyteller who turns complexity into clarity, guiding people, products, and processes toward success.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
My website and portfolio are currently undergoing a redesign and migration. I encourage you to explore the latest information and contact me for a walkthrough of my portfolio.
In the meantime, feel free to download my resume to review my experience and skillset.
02 The Story Unfolds
2024-Present
Rapid7
2015-2024
TraceLink
Senior Director, Platform Products
Single-threaded owner (STO) of UX Design and the Design Guild to elevate cross-functional design standards, enabling product teams to unify data and experiences onto the Opus Platform—powering a multi-enterprise digital supply network with no-code and integration extensibility. Drove the platform’s strategic story for the company and advanced AI-powered content practices to align marketing, thought leadership, and product documentation into a harmonized content experience, amplifying commercialization, adoption, and business impact.
Senior Director, Product Design
Oversee a global design and content organization, forging a data-platform model for product design that unifies experiences, accelerates product-led growth, and delivers AI-powered innovation across multimillion-dollar cybersecurity portfolios in exposure management and detection & response.
Senior Director, Product Experience
Led UX and Technical Communication teams managing design and content strategies across 52 B2B products and a $2.5M budget. Drove company-wide impact from discovery to delivery through strategic execution, clear stakeholder alignment, and scalable implementation. Advanced cross-functional collaboration by coordinating leadership training and fostering design maturity, ensuring measurable outcomes across platforms. Co-designed marketing website building blocks to create greater cohesion between TraceLink’s website and the product experience, strengthening the company’s overall brand and customer journey.
Manager, Technical Communications & User Experience
Built the documentation team from the ground up and scaled it into a high-performing organization, while inheriting and restructuring the UX team to drive greater impact. Drove content reuse and localization strategies to ensure alignment with design standards and consistency across product suite. Expanded content types, curated the initial design system, and co-owner of the company’s Agile strategy, leading the adoption of methodologies and tooling that optimized the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). Partnered with the VP of Product and Engineering to define cross-functional processes that improved efficiency, collaboration, and delivery quality.
Senior Technical Writer
Specialized in API documentation, building and refining asynchronous and SOAP API guides while establishing documentation standards that elevated quality and consistency. Designed and implemented the Document Development Life Cycle (DDLC) in alignment with the B2B Integration team and the SDLC, streamlining processes across teams. Architected content tooling and information design, curating the company’s initial customer-facing documentation to improve usability and developer adoption.
2012 - 2014
Kiva Systems (Amazon Robotics)
Technical Writer II
Authored and edited a broad range of technical documentation for internal and external audiences, ensuring clarity and consistency across products. Managed team project roadmaps and created company-wide knowledge bases that improved knowledge sharing and accessibility. Introduced process improvements that strengthened cross-functional communication and elevated documentation standards, driving greater efficiency and alignment across the organization.
Technical Writer
Developed comprehensive internal and customer-facing documentation for hardware and software warehouse solutions, enhancing product clarity and customer adoption. Streamlined technical review processes and partnered with subject matter experts to ensure accuracy and usability. Introduced tools and workflows that improved documentation efficiency and team communication, significantly increasing the velocity and volume of enablement content.
2010 - 2012
EBSCO Information Services
EBSCO Discovery Service Project Coordinator
Managed EBSCO Discovery Services (EDS) account setup and customer communications, ensuring timely implementation, coordinating training needs, and maintaining documentation, while also supporting Sales operations and providing training to colleagues. Branded trial accounts for personalization and added key UX features for sales enablement.
Technical Support Representative
Provided technical and service-related solutions through various communication channels, acted as a liaison between customers and internal teams, led internal training documentation projects, and advocated for client needs in a fast-paced environment.
03 Words I Live By
I’ve been fortunate to have incredible mentors and leaders throughout my journey, both in the martial arts and in my corporate career. I strive to carry forward the valuable lessons they’ve taught me and to pay it forward by providing the same opportunities and guidance to others.
"No matter how far you get in what you’re doing, remain teachable and humble."
Hanshi Leo Kozloski & Renshi Eric Cranston
United States Academy of the Martial Arts
Leadership is a continuous journey of growth. Remaining open to feedback, new ideas, and the expertise of others helps leaders stay adaptable and connected to their teams. Humility and a willingness to learn are essential qualities for sustained success.
"Mistakes happen, it is what you do with the mistakes that really matters."
Lucy Deus
TraceLink Co-Founder & SVP of Product Management
Mistakes are inevitable in any career, but true leadership is shown in how we respond. Leaders who view mistakes as learning opportunities encourage growth, resilience, and creativity, while also fostering a culture where teams feel safe to take calculated risks.
“Think beyond arbitrary lines and lanes, it gives space for innovation.”
Shabbir Dahod
TraceLink Founder, President & CEO
Shabbir, my CEO for nine years, shaped how I approach product design and innovation. Immersed in product design from concept through customer adoption, I learned from his openness to all ideas, often saying, “My CEO hat is off, and my product hat is on” and never let “can’t” into the conversation.
"Strive for perfection knowing it will never be achieved."
Master Edward Harding
United States Academy of the Martial Arts
Pursuing excellence is essential, even with the understanding that perfection is unattainable. This mindset pushes leaders and teams to continuously improve, innovate, and refine their work, without getting discouraged by the impossibility of flawless outcomes.
"Never assume
mal-intent"
Jerry Meyer
VP of Platform Products, TraceLink
Jerry was my peer in Product Management for nine years. As my career matured, he was unconditionally supportive and was a wonderful example of never taking things personally while giving people the benefit of the doubt.
It's about “we”, not “me.”
"Communication solves 99.9% of all problems."
Brandon Bell
Technical Publications Manager,
Kiva Systems
Open and honest communication is key to resolving conflicts, aligning on goals, and fostering collaboration. When information flows freely, challenges are addressed early, and solutions are found efficiently, helping teams stay productive and focused.
CONTACT ME
I’d love to hear from you! Whether you have questions, feedback, or just want to say hello, feel free to reach out. Fill out the form below, and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Looking forward to connecting!
Tel: 1-603+534-7836
Curious about the Fox?
The Epilogue
As a writer, I've always been an observer of the world around me, something that's been true since childhood. I once encountered three leaders, each steering their own business, each with a different approach. Two serve as cautionary tales. But one stood out, a figure of kindness and integrity, as well as a master of his craft. This man became my model leader and is represented by the "Silva Fox."