Meet Manny, a Software Tester turned Product Owner at Semble

Get to know Manny and his story working at Semble

Manny joined Semble as a Software Tester (QA Engineer) in 2019 when the team was more than 5x smaller than it is today. His role was to find and fix bugs in new features before they were added to our product. Fast forward 3 years, and he is now a Product Owner who delivers new features to our users and works closely with a multidisciplinary team. We’ve asked him to tell us all about his journey with Semble.

Manny, you joined Semble 3 years ago, what was your first role here?

I was Semble’s very first software tester. I really enjoyed developing testing processes from a greenfield project to a partially automated environment. However, I never really wanted to be a Software Tester. 

Indeed! You have changed role completely since. How did this happen?

Mikael, our Co-Founder and CTO told me that my development was important to the company and that he was keen on helping me, but I needed to give him some idea of the direction I wanted my career to go in. I initially didn't have a concrete answer. I was a little unsure of what I wanted to do next. A part of me considered becoming a Software Development Engineer in Test, but I never really got the same warm feeling inside that my more technically-inclined colleagues got from staring at lines of code.

How did you decide what function you wanted to specialise in?

Initially, when I first embarked on a tech career, I wanted to be a Business Analyst (BA), but nobody wanted to hire me as one. Nonetheless, I took a role at Semble as a Software Tester while studying for a BA certification. I was learning about BA skills in my spare time and picking up any BA-related tasks at work whenever they became available. My eagerness to develop these skills was noticed by Sara, our VP of Product, and I was given BA responsibilities. The more I took on, the more I started to learn that Business Analysis is only one part of the overall product management lifecycle, which ultimately is taking a solution from an idea to an actual product.

…and this was the beginning of your Product Management journey?

Yes. I eventually told Mikael that I wanted to move into Product Management and from there I was put on a development path to become a full-stack Product Manager. I am now the Product Owner for the SCRUM team in charge of clinical admin, scheduling, and practice settings at Semble. I look after all aspects of product management from discovery to user research, requirements gathering, refining, and prioritisation.

 
Any advice you’d give someone wanting to transition into Product Management?

Look for any Product Management tasks available at your workplace and volunteer to do them on behalf of your teammates. It’s a great way to build your skills and confidence. Reading books, articles and joining a Product Management community have also been a big help for me. And don’t be afraid to tap into your network for advice or mentorship.

Thank you Manny, we are all looking forward to seeing where you will take your career and how many more exciting roles you’ll have with us at Semble!

Explore Semble's Career Page here.