On today’s product teams, soft skills may be the new must-have tools in a team toolbox.
Major changes to the tech industry — the now-commonplace presence of generative AI in products and workplaces for example — have marked an era of rapid changes for businesses as they move quickly to readjust their strategies and products. The product teams moving to make these updates require a strong set of soft skills like communication, agility and adaptability. The latter of these, adaptability, was named the “top skill of the moment” in LinkedIn’s list of the most in-demand skills for 2024, and McKinsey predicts that adaptability is one of the top skills that future workers will need to master.
On the Hypori product management team, finding a balance between strategy, workflows, problem-solving and user feedback is both a challenge and a motivator. Building new products for a growing customer base is not easy, but for Kaleb Parker, a senior product manager at Hypori, each new obstacle is an opportunity for the team to stretch and learn something new along the way.
Built In Austin spoke with Parker to get a closer look at Hypori’s product ops team and the culture of adaptability that keeps them moving forward.
Hypori is a cybersecurity company that provides mobile device security and encryption services for businesses.
Tell us what your day-to-day work looks like on the Hypori product ops team. What types of tools and processes do you employ?
As a product manager for our new management console, my day-to-day involves a mix of hands-on design work, collaboration with teams and direct customer interaction. The console itself is a major upgrade, combining workflows from older systems into a single, more intuitive platform that benefits all users.
I spend a good amount of time in Figma, designing and wireframing new pages and features. Once I have a concept, I work closely with our engineering team, turning those ideas into detailed stories in Jira that guide development. On top of that, I’m regularly in touch with our customers, training them on the new console, collecting feedback and using that input to help shape the roadmap for future features.
When it’s time to deliver, I test the new features alongside our QA team to make sure everything works as outlined. Every day is a balance of strategic thinking, user advocacy and hands-on problem-solving, which keeps things exciting and dynamic.
“Every day is a balance of strategic thinking, user advocacy and hands-on problem-solving, which keeps things exciting and dynamic.”
Is there a project you’re excited to be working on right now?
The largest and most exciting project I’m working on right now is our new management console for Hypori Halo. As the product manager for this platform, I’ve been heavily involved in combining actions and workflows from our older systems into a much more modern and intuitive interface.
This project is especially impactful because it’s not just a nice-to-have — it’s essential. The management console is where our customers manage everything, from provisioning devices to securing their environments. Making this process seamless directly improves their experience and helps them feel confident in the security of their information. By making the platform easier to use, we’re ultimately helping customers have a better quality of life on our system, which is what really drives me in this role.
What makes the culture of your product ops team special?
Our product ops team has a really unique culture, shaped by two key factors: a laser focus on security and the fast-paced nature of our growth. Security is the number one priority for Hypori, so every decision we make is influenced by that. We regularly collaborate with our security operations team to ensure that everything we’re building meets the highest standards and best practices. It’s a constant effort to balance innovation with the responsibility of keeping our customers’ data safe.
At the same time, we’re growing quickly, which brings its own set of challenges. With a rapidly expanding customer base, we’re always looking for the best ways to scale, while still delivering high-quality code as efficiently as possible. This mix of focusing on security and navigating fast growth creates a dynamic environment where we’re always learning, adapting and pushing ourselves to do better.
