What do the career path and the day-in-the-life look like for a Product Manager at Nayya?
We connected with Brendan Sheehan to find out!
Interested in learning more about Nayya and their job openings? Make sure to check out their company page on VentureFizz!
Where did you grow up? What did your parents do for work?
Holbrook, Massachusetts, about 40 minutes south of Boston. My mom was a teacher and my dad was a small business owner in the neighboring town. Since they had me when they were only 18, they taught me early and often how to overcome the surprises life can throw at you.
Where did you go to college? What did you study and what were some of your initial jobs out of school?
I went to Quinnipiac University, majoring in Economics and minoring in Sports Studies. I wanted to work in the front office of a sports team, but ended up finding myself at a health insurance company doing financial data analysis on health insurance contracts with hospital systems. From there I went on to an insurance brokerage, helping employer clients build and maintain employee benefit plans.
What has attributed to your success thus far and has helped propel you to the position you have now?
Having deep industry knowledge in the market Nayya plays in has been crucial. While I never saw myself being a subject matter expert in insurance, my previous roles made that a requirement, and at a fast growing tech company that plays in the employee benefits world, that became a key skill to help in Nayya’s growth.
Also, being curious and never afraid to ask a question or have a suggestion. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by a team that encourages creativity and feedback, and being vocal when I have had ideas has helped me grow.
Can you share the high-level responsibilities of your current position as a Product Manager at Nayya?
Defining the product roadmap and vision for my squad is first and foremost. My squad focuses on the recommendation engine, more specifically how and why we make benefits recommendations to our users. Making sure the product we are building aligns with our company values, which centers around the end user, is vital to the decision making process. There is also a good deal of time spent doing market research, understanding our competitors, what they do differently or the same as us, and understanding how we can learn and improve.
Any tips for someone considering a career in your field?
Be curious! Especially in today’s age, there is endless amounts of information to consume to help you learn more about just about anything. I actually didn’t consider a role in product until I learned more about the role while working at Nayya, so my curiosity helped move me in the right direction.
I also love providing feedback and receiving feedback - and most PM’s I know do (or should!). If you are considering a role in product and have access to a PM in your current role, providing product suggestions is a good way to better understand what goes into the decision making process and what will or will not be put on a roadmap.
If you are entering the field or the job market for the first time, try to know all aspects of the product /company you are interested in working for. Figure out what problems they are solving, the value they are providing, and how you would add value. Every product has room to improve, so coming to the table with suggestions and showing you understand how and why your idea will make an impact is key.
Day in the Life
Coffee, tea, or nothing?
Coffee on days I need it, water when I don’t!
What time do you start working?
8am, I try not to schedule any meetings before 9am.
What are three things that motivate you in your role?
Being able to improve our users' understanding of benefits which can have positive health and financial implications, seeing the team's ideas and hard work make it into production, and seeing our user count grow!
Every day is different, but can you outline what a typical day looks like for you?
I wake up around 7am and catch up on any emails, scan the news and get ready for the day. Around 8:30 I’ll start responding to Slacks, and then have anywhere between 4-8 meetings until roughly 5pm. I actually prefer to work later in the day rather than earlier, so oftentimes I will do some brainstorming / roadmap planning work later in the day when meetings aren’t popping up.
What time do you typically wrap up the work day?
I’ll leave the office around 6pm when I am in.
Do you log back in at night or do you shut it down completely?
I log back in, but try to be completely shut down around 9pm.
Any productivity hacks?
Scheduling heads down time (and being firm with it)!
What are the 3 apps that you can’t live without?
Slack, Jira, ChatGPT (use it the right way!)
What professional accomplishment are you proudest of?
Seeing the team’s first story get shipped into production
Who do you admire or call upon for professional advice?
Behavioral economists Daniel Kahneman & Amos Tversky
Nayya’s COO Sara Wajnberg
Biggest guilty pleasure song and/or artist?
Ironic by Alanis Morissette
Most used Emoji
😂
