Meet Matt Roe, a senior product manager at HubSpot. Based in England, Matt has worked at HubSpot for over two years in the Growth space. When Matt isn’t busy managing product, he’s hitting the local ice rink to play hockey. Read on to learn more about Matt, the difference between a Product Manager and a Product Owner, and much more.
Tell us about your role. What do you do for HubSpot?
I identify potential opportunities for new user acquisition growth at HubSpot and work with my product teams to build them.
What does collaboration look like on your team?
Collaboration looks a lot like partnering with researchers to identify new potential growth opportunities; collaborating with Design to work out how these opportunities will look and feel; and working with engineers to scope about building them.
Working closely with designers and engineers is a crucial part of my day-to-day. I also work closely with other Product Managers to share learnings, and best practices and continually develop, like PEER Week. (Product Engage, Excited, and Reunite Week).
As we’re remote, most of this collaboration is virtual, however, we have a few opportunities every year to collaborate in person.
What are a few ways you balance work and life? How does HubSpot’s flexibility/hybrid work style help with this?
I’m a recreational ice hockey player, so I spend my free time training or playing games. Sport is a great way to fully switch off from work as it occupies your mind and body, so 3-4 times a week I will go down to my local rink after work.
Being a remote employee means the time I’d usually spend commuting is spent preparing for, and traveling to, hockey practice. It’s a huge benefit that means I have more time to myself and more time to rest.
How are you able to bring your true self to work every day?
HubSpot is a place where diversity, inclusion, and belonging are taken seriously. I don’t really have much ‘formal’ experience working in the corporate world, nor do I have an MBA from an Ivy League school. However, my manager and team see past my less traditional route to becoming a Product Manager and embrace the unique experiences I’ve had in my life and career. This attitude means I don’t have to ‘pretend’ when at work – I can just be my authentic self and do my best work.
What is a misconception people have about your role?
The biggest misconception of my role is that the role of a Product Manager is the same as a Product Owner or Project Manager. Product Managers are part Project Manager, part Product Owner, and part strategist. Our job is to ensure products are built on time, to scope, and meet both customer and business requirements.
I work in Growth, and the Growth function adds another layer to the role. Being a Growth Product Manager means I must be a steward of good experimentation practice and culture, ensuring that everything we do results in reliable and scalable learnings.
What surprised you most about working at HubSpot?
When I was interviewing at HubSpot I didn’t think everyone could be so bought into the company culture and the Culture Code. It’s obvious you’d heard about it during interviews but the realities of a job are often different. How wrong I was. The Culture Code is spoken about (and followed) by everyone in the business, and senior leaders place a lot of weight on it. Leadership embraces our HEART values (Humble, Empathetic, Adaptable, Remarkable, Transparent) as much as everyone else, and almost everyone in the business is genuinely bought into it.
Choose 3-4 words that describe your role at HubSpot.
Rewarding. Challenging. Engaging.
Learn more about opportunities on HubSpot’s Product team here, and learn more about all things HubSpot Life over on Instagram.
