Day in the Life: Jean, Product Manager at Flow Traders

‍Name: Jean
Job: Product Manager

What does a Product Manager do at Flow Traders?

I’m the product manager for our Data Platform, which at Flow Traders means I’m building plans over different time horizons to execute the enterprise data vision, and projects supporting more immediate technology and trading targets. In the background, I’m also building capabilities and user experience roadmaps to ensure our platform is current and relevant. Data is pervasive, so we want to eventually be an enabler for all areas of the organization. I’m also setting OKRs/ KPIs and visualizing these for the team and leadership, so we can all stay up to date on progress, and more importantly, quickly intervene if something is not going according to plan. And currently, my big focus is to build a culture that understands and values the benefits of effective data management.

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Here’s what a day in Jean's life looks like!

7-8AM:
Move my body! I’ve learned by now this is the best way for me to stay sharp and energetic and generally in a good mood. Depending on the day, this is crossfit, cycling, or my own thing at the very convenient gym we have at the office.

9-10AM:
Grab a coffee from our barista downstairs, maybe a quick breakfast from the pantry, review where I left off the previous working day, check emails, due diligence checks on cost patterns in our platform usage and known problem areas, status meetings with teams and product owners to review progress and raise blockers and new developments.

10-11AM:
Focus on the predictable, structural elements of my role. Document updates regarding progress or delays on our projects and targets. Take any actions or strengthen alignments to manage risks, and have conversations/negotiations outside the team to minimize delays and remove blockers outside of our direct control. I’m hoping that by tackling these earlier in the day, I have a better shot at getting responses and solutions to enable forward movement before the next status meeting.

11AM-12PM:
Focus on my independent work. Integrate any new ideas and insights I have for increased team efficiency, product branding and promotion, user experience, and of course all our project, platform, and capabilities roadmaps. Many of these ideas/insights are influenced by the morning updates and events/conversations of recent days.

Sometimes I’ll make an assessment that a major change in priorities needs to be considered, or an open decision may pivot the trajectory of current work or roadmaps - in these cases I’ll involve senior leadership to ensure awareness and re-confirm alignment on the bigger strategy and vision we want to achieve.

12-1PM:
Lunch with the team downstairs! Since the kitchen was renovated, the menu has diversified, so we’re always excited to see what the facilities team has come up with!

1-2PM:
Team meetings - can be planning, retrospective, brainstorm, or knowledge sharing session, or 1:1s.

2-3PM:
Meetings with third party vendors, external consultants, or collaboration with other teams. Making sure preparation for upcoming work will be ready (chasing).

3-4PM:
Focus on the areas I myself have product ownership over. (Re)develop and maintain the dashboard that tracks trends in our progress towards our KPIs. Develop models and components of the metadata we are collecting, to integrate them into our data management tool, and to promote education and participation in data governance activities across different business areas.

4-5PM:
Meet with leadership and other stakeholders for major updates to ongoing projects, roadmaps, and to discuss ownership of actions for both anticipated challenges and future enablement. We have some colleagues in New York, so with the time difference, this is usually the best time to get everyone in the room together.

5-6PM:
Last minute check on emails, anything I’ve promised by the end of the day, small tasks I can knock out right away instead of coming back to a larger to-do list tomorrow. Most importantly, take notes for where I’m leaving off and any open thoughts, and leave myself a list of reminders to focus on the next morning so I can jump right back in.

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How do you unwind at the end of the day?

I’m always ready for drinks / dinner with good friends. And if I’m feeling like I need a slower vibe, then I love my corner on the couch - usually with a good book, or a personal crafty project (I’m obsessed with all things stationery).

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What do you love about your job and your employer? ‍

From day one I’ve had the flexibility to shape my role and define what I want my impact to be. The last few years, this has meant transitioning a small data “project” into a full-fledged data platform, which now today is at the core of 2024 and now 2025 initiatives and targets being set at the top leadership level. The value of the teams’ outputs supporting all things data is becoming more widely appreciated, and it’s so rewarding to have been a driver of branding the team and the product and seeing this growth, reception, and recognition. But by far, my favorite part is enabling my team of engineers and developers to promote and execute their own technical ideas and visions for the platform, and watching them help each other. They are just so intelligent and motivated, and they keep our shared work relevant and so full of innovative potential. We have a great team dynamic that I’ve been told other teams envy ;) I admire each of them so much.

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Curious about the career opportunities at Flow Traders? Follow  Flow Traders to get notified about the next HerFuture x  Flow Traders event, or check out open jobs here!

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