Resume

SARA GARDINIER

EXPERIENCE

PRODUCT MANAGER
W.W. Norton, November 2022 - June 2024

  • Drove the vision and strategy for proprietary eCommerce tools; oversaw the completion of a years long effort to reduce manual metadata entry and solidify a “single source of truth” strategy

  • Oversaw the research and development of two new API-based services used to power eCommerce functionality

  • Used customer surveys, Jobs to be Done interviews, and Google Analytics data to discover a new strategy and develop a tool for publishing Instructor Resources products

  • Led a cross-functional team through the development life-cycle for both eCommerce and Instructor Resources products

  • Worked closely with the UX Director and Customer Experience Leaders to identify customer concerns, pain points, and areas of opportunity via data analysis, feedback sessions, and service records

  • Worked with partners in DevOps to guide my team through a transition from a manual deployment process to CI/CD processes

  • Developed 6-month, 12-month, and 5 year roadmaps for each of my products, updating them quarterly based on new learnings and business developments

  • Attended daily standups, facilitated cross-functional team meetings, and led projects tied to my product areas

PRODUCT MANAGER
Research Square Company, December 2021- November 2022

  • Drove the vision and strategy for aje.com, which is responsible for 90% of all company revenue; Lead discovery and implementation for a large-scale redesign to increase customer conversion

  • Created and managed the vision and strategy for a new unified rewards program; bringing the referral and loyalty programs under one system, making them easier to use, creating affordability opportunities for low-funding researchers, and driving increased customer lifetime value

  • Used Agile methodologies to oversee process improvement work for the Peer Review Service; reducing manual task costs by almost 50%

  • Managed multiple professional and digital products & programs through the development lifecycle

  • Collaborated cross-functionally to discover opportunities, validate assumptions, and test solutions with customers

  • Worked closely with the Head of VoC and UX team to identify user concerns, pain points, and areas of opportunity

  • Developed 6 and 12-month roadmaps for each of my products, updating them quarterly based on new learnings and business developments

  • Attended daily standups, facilitated cross-functional team meetings, and led projects tied to my product areas

CUSTOMER SUPPORT TEAM MANAGER, II
Research Square Company, April 2019- December 2021

  • Led a team of multi-lingual agents providing first-in-class technical support to academic researchers around the globe 

  • Coached and motivated our team to exceed our KPIs (98% CSAT, 99% FRT) through varied strategies, including: process efficiencies, improved tooling, and additional training

  • Led a year-long project to research, develop, and launch a Customer Success business function 

  • Coordinated across the company on new professional product roll-outs such as our Standard Translation and Grant Services products

  • Hired, onboarded, and trained new customer support agents; provided weekly 1:1 coaching sessions for each employee so they could further their development

  • Served in a leadership role on our DEI committee

CUSTOMER SERVICE LEAD
Cotton Bureau, Sept 2013-Jan 2019

  • Oversaw all aspects of the customer experience, including advocating for customers with regard to user experience and accessibility of our website and physical products

  • Developed business policies related to customer issues and wrote and maintained our help documents

  • Responded to all customer requests via email, social media, or phone within one business day (averaging one customer request per every five orders)

  • Assisted with the research, development, and launch of a brand new apparel line, Blank

  • Hired, onboarded, and trained new customer service agents while providing weekly coaching sessions

EDUCATION

OHIO UNIVERSITY
Bachelor of Science, Retail Merchandising

CERTIFICATIONS

Lean Six Sigma Green Belt - 2022
Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) - 2023

Read Me

Preferred learning styles

I enjoy reading documentation, watching videos, and having a buddy while I learn something brand new to me.

Communication style

I am a direct communicator who provides both positive and constructive feedback in a way that allows folks to continue to grow and excel. I provide as much context and “why” as possible when communicating changes and updates. (I prefer the same style to receive feedback/information.)

Preferred way to collaborate

I love shared google docs, clear expectations and deadlines, and collaborative feedback. Video calls are also my jam for brainstorming sessions or technical know-how to be disseminated.

How I approach problems

I will do a lot of digging, research, asking questions, and generally being nosey. I want as much information as possible before making a decision about a solution, however, once I am ready to make a decision, I make it quickly and move on to the next issue at hand.

Preferred way to be recognized/appreciated

Celebrate me any way you want. I’m good with public displays (I might cry!) or private praise, however, I do need both positive and constructive feedback to really excel.

Thoughts/feelings/preferences when it comes to asking for help

I love to ask for help! I know when I don’t know something and am unafraid to search out the answer and barring a result, ask for help/pointers in the right direction.

What I find enjoyable at work

Coworkers who are friendly, helpful, and kind.

What kind of work do I find easiest to do when

I find it easiest to do heads-down work in the afternoon. Mornings for me are best for brainstorming, meetings, catching up on slack, emails, and small tasks.

How do I feel about getting messages after/outside of hours that are meant for me to see and respond to during active hours

Totally fine by me. I am very good at setting boundaries and will not respond if it is not convenient for me/a detriment to my mental health.

How folks can best show up for me when I seem off

Give me space to breathe and a shoulder to cry on if I seem upset, please.

Things I am aware of that trigger anxious feelings/feelings of less than at work

I mostly feel anxious when I am new in a group of people who all know each other well. I also feel anxious when I am not given clear direction on a task or process that is new to me.

Technical areas of knowledge

I am not a developer, but I am a quick learner and can get up to speed easily on nearly any technical concept or software product with good documentation and a buddy. In my career I’ve worked with engineers to develop proprietary publishing tools, develop and launch new API-based services, and implement headless CMS products.

Technical areas of interest to learn

Everything! (Can I say everything?)

Current personal project

Knitting sweaters even though it is quickly becoming too hot to wear them.

Something I fear

Heights. Please don’t ask me to get on a ladder and hang that thing with you. I’d rather stay on the ground.

A quote I like

I’m not really a big fan of quotes or platitudes. However, a friend sent me a postcard that says “What can’t you let go?” and it sits front and center in my desk set up as a daily reminder.

How I eat fries

Ideally with every meal. ;) I love fries with ketchup, mayo, ranch, and on salad and sandwiches, the sky is the limit!

My sun, moon, and rising signs

Pisces sun, Taurus moon, Libra rising: I am able to see the link between heterogeneous and diverse elements which do not appear to be related in the least. I can bring about surprising reconciliation, create unexpected bonds, and combine beliefs that seem mutually incompatible which all serve me very well in Product Management!

Certifications, training, and conferences.

Certs:

  • Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) - March 2023.

  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt - January 2022.

  • Difficult Conversations about Politics at Work - October 2021.

  • Customer Success Level 2 certification - September 2021.

  • Inclusive Mindset - June 2021.

  • Customer Success Level 1 certification - May 2021.

  • Cultivating Cultural Competence and Inclusion - May 2021.

  • Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging - May 2021.

  • Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences - April 2021.

  • Inclusion During Difficult Times - April 2021.

  • Supporting the Whole Self at Work, a Diversity and Inclusion Imperative - April 2021.

  • Communicating Across Cultures - March 2021.

  • Driving Change and Anti-Racism - March 2021.

  • Inclusive Mindset for Committed Allies - March 2021.

  • Unconscious Bias - March 2021.

Trainings:

  • The Truth About Resistance: Unraveling the Human Side of Organizational Change - July 2024

  • Identifying Hidden Assumptions (Teresa Torres) - May 2022.

  • Using Journey Mapping to Improve User Flows - May 2022.

  • Prioritizing to Build What Customers Need - May 2022.

  • Lightning Insights: A Masterclass on Research Methods for Product Managers - April 2022.

  • Influencing Without Authority - April 2022.

  • How to Make Better Product Decisions - April 2022.

  • Race and Actionable Allyship - November 2021.

  • Leading Inclusively - November 2021.

  • Inclusive Recruitment - November 2021.

  • Minus the Bias - October 2021.

  • LifeLabs Culture Club: Resiliency Skills - October 2021.

  • The Product League: Fundamentals for Aspiring Product Managers - October 2021.

  • Difficult Conversations: Talking about Race at Work - October 2021.

  • Difficult Conversations about Politics at Work - October 2021.

  • Catapult, DEI Webinar Series (Microagressions and Unconscious Bias, Diversity Recruiting and Retention) - September-November 2021.

  • Paradigm, Allyship & Accountability - September 2021.

  • Salesforce Essential Training - August 2021.

  • Inclusive Mindset - June 2021.

  • Bystander Training: From Bystander to Upstander - May 2021.

  • Cultivating Cultural Competence and Inclusion - May 2021.

  • Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging - May 2021.

  • The urgency of intersectionality - April 2021.

  • Confronting Bias: Thriving Across Our Differences - April 2021.

  • Inclusion During Difficult Times - April 2021.

  • Supporting the Whole Self at Work, a Diversity and Inclusion Imperative - April 2021.

  • Communicating Across Cultures - March 2021.

  • Driving Change and Anti-Racism - March 2021.

  • Inclusive Mindset for Committed Allies - March 2021.

  • Unconscious Bias - March 2021.

  • 3 ways to be a better ally in the workplace - March 2021.

  • How to overcome our biases? Walk boldly toward them - March 2021.

  • How to deconstruct racism, one headline at a time - March 2021.

  • What it takes to be racially literate - March 2021.

  • How to recognize your white privilege — and use it to fight inequality - March 2021.

  • Say This, Not That: A guide for inclusive language — The Diversity Movement - March 2021.

  • 6 secrets to navigating cross-cultural differences - March 2021.

  • What did you say? 4 Tips for understanding accents at work - March 2021.

  • Inclusion for a Virtual Working Environment - February 2021.

  • Zendesk — Zendesk Overview: Support - October 2020.

  • General Assembly — Intro to Data Analytics - September 2020.

  • Improvising Radical Candor — The Feedback Loop - September 2020.

  • Situational Leadership — The Four Moments of Truth - August 2020.

  • General Assembly — Public Speaking: Finding Your Authentic Voice - June 2020.

  • Zendesk — Zendesk Explore II - March 2020.

  • Zendesk — Zendesk Explore I - February 2020.

  • CAI — Leveraging Your Emotional Intelligence - December 2019.

  • Plucky — Career Path - April 2019.

  • Plucky — So Now You’re A Manager - August 2018.

Conferences:

  • Config - June 2024.

  • Unconference: Embracing the Power of the MVP - June 2024.

  • Config - May 2022.

  • Axe-con - March 2022.

  • ProductCon - February 2022.

Reads

A running list of the business/career development books I’ve read:

  • Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice - Clayton Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan (2024)

  • Books That Live: Norton’s First One Hundred Years - W. Drake McFeely (2023)

  • Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away - Annie Duke (2023)

  • Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days - Jake Knapp (2022)

  • Out of Office: The Big Problem and Bigger Promise of Working from Home - Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel (2022)

  • Continuous Discover Habits: Discover Products that Create Customer Value and Business Value - Teresa Torres (2022)

  • Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love - Marty Cagan (2021)

  • The Customer Success Professional’s Handbook - Ashvin Vaidyanathan and Ruben Rabago (2021)

  • The Customer Success Economy - Nick Mehta and Allison Pickens (2021)

  • Customer Success - Nick Mehta, Dan Steinman, and Lincoln Murphy (2021)

  • The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You - Julie Zhuo (2020)

  • Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - Daniel H. Pink (2020)

  • Get A Grip: An Entrepreneurial Fable . . . Your Journey to Get Real, Get Simple, and Get Results - Gino Wickman (2020)

  • The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable - Patrick Lencioni (2020)

  • Remote: Office Not Required - David Heinemeier Hansson & Jason Fried (2020)

  • Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries - Terri Morrison (2019)

  • Resilient Management - Lara Hogan (2019)

  • Message Me: The Future of Customer Service in the Era of Social Messaging and Artificial Intelligence - Joshua March (2017)

  • Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future - Peter Thiel (2014)

  • Fierce Conversations - Susan Scott (2010)

    You can also see what I’m reading for pleasure on StoryGraph.