Talking Roadmaps How to hire a great product operations team? | Jessica Soroky
Sep 12, 2025
Jessica Soroky, S. Director of Product Ops and Chief of Staff, dives into the art of building great product operations teams. She discusses the vital role of adapting to change and fostering experimentation within teams. Soroky emphasizes effective hiring strategies that prioritize skill sets over experience, along with the importance of mentorship. The conversation also highlights the essential integration of product operations with program management and the critical need for data-driven approaches in decision-making. Tune in for valuable insights into enhancing product functions!
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
When To Invest In Product Ops
- Add product ops when you have ~12+ product managers to multiply output.
- Product ops makes PMs' systems and processes easier rather than doing PM work for them.
Product Ops Depends On Maturity
- Product ops varies with organisational maturity from teaching PM skills to deep analytics enablement.
- Two common focuses are PM skill-building or embedding data/analytics across the PDLC.
Hire Adaptable Cross-Functional Operators
- Look for people familiar with how digital products are built, resilient, and comfortable influencing executives.
- Prefer adaptable candidates who can manage many stakeholders and shifting priorities.