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Leigh Ledford
  • 11 years of experience
Skill Scoreⓘ
Rookie (2/6)
117
Industries
Education Tech
Product Management, SaaS Development

With nearly 15 years of experience in the software industry, I am a passionate product leader. I have a proven track record of delivering successful products that meet the needs and expectations of customers across various industries and markets.

My core competencies include market research, data analysis, user feedback, cross-functional collaboration, and product strategy. I rely on these skills to identify and solve customer problems, create and validate product hypotheses, and drive product development and growth. I am an adaptive negotiator and pride myself on a constant dialogue with stakeholders to ensure the  product organization delivers the best outcomes to achieve business goals.

I am also a generalist who thrives in startup environments, where I can leverage my diverse background and expertise in DAM, SaaS development, and customer relationship management. My mission is to build products that matter and make a positive impact on the world.

Skills
Evaluated for Director of Product and Enterprise PM role archetypeⓘ
Performance by Category
Top Skills
Metrics definition Product requirements User journey and personas Writing and presentation Feature prioritization Market analysis User feedback review Stakeholder alignment Relationship building Product roadmap
Skill Progression
Experience

Co-founder and Chief Product Officer

  • Blackray Product Labs, Inc.
  • Full-Time
  • San Francisco, CA, USA
  • Jul 2022 - Oct 2023

• Co-conceived and laid the foundation for the Blackray, securing $630,000 in initial funding.
• Crafted and executed a comprehensive product roadmap aligned with market dynamics and user needs, resulting in a gain of 200+ product managers as users upon launch of the beta product.
• Created pricing models and go-to-market strategies.
• Spearheaded continuous market research and competitive analysis, pinpointing emerging trends and potential disruptions, ensuring Blackray’s products were differentiated and attractive to investors for the upcoming seed round.

VP of Product

  • Imgix
  • Full-Time
  • San Francisco, CA, USA
  • Nov 2021 - Dec 2022

Responsible for the development of the product strategy along with supporting documentation including personas, competitive analysis, and user flows.
• Led the product and design teams to build out products and features that support the company’s vision.
• Presented ideas and thought process effectively to stakeholders to address competing objectives gain buy in.
• Led customer research initiatives for long-term product initiatives.
• Worked closely with the executive team to ensure business challenges are identified and addressed optimally.

Product Director

  • imgix
  • Full-Time
  • San Francisco, CA
  • Oct 2020 - Nov 2021

• Responsible for gathering customer feedback, competitive analysis, and roadmap delivery.
• Oversaw the end-to-end product development lifecycle, from ideation to launch, for imgix’s API offerings and image management platform.
•  Collaborated with design and developers on product requirements to ensure successful business outcomes.
• Conducted thorough market research and customer analysis to identify opportunities and prioritize feature enhancements.
• Implemented data-driven approaches to track product performance, utilizing key metrics to inform strategic decisions and prioritize feature development.

Product Director

  • ThriveHive
  • Full-Time
  • Denver, CO, USA
  • Aug 2019 - Mar 2020

Responsible for product ideation, customer research, and roadmap planning for ThriveHive’s core product Perch, which is used by 10,000+ small businesses, to support their marketing efforts.
• Partnered with engineering and design teams to build features that facilitate digital marketing for small businesses.
• Gathered requirements, prepared user stories, and ran planning sessions with engineering and design teams, with releases every two weeks.
• Conducted competitive research and stayed abreast of technology changes which may be leveraged to push the Perch product forward.

Director of Product Management

  • Peterson's
  • Full-Time
  • Highlands Ranch, CO
  • Feb 2019 - Aug 2019

Led product ideation, customer research, roadmap planning and requirement/sprint planning for all products in the Peterson’s education portal. Responsible for over $5 million in revenue.
• Managed a team of two product managers. Responsible for goal setting, mentoring, and overseeing day-to-day activities for the team to ensure the business’s strategic goals were met.
• Primary initiatives included revamping Peterson’s direct-to-consumer test prep products. This revamp saw successes of over 100% growth YoY on revenue.
• Led the charge for a series of releases in 2019 that increased engagement on Petersons.com by nearly 10% within a few months.

Product Manager

  • Peterson's
  • Full-Time
  • Highlands Ranch, CO
  • Feb 2018 - Feb 2019

• Oversaw a complete overhaul of Peterson’s flagship product including ideation, UX/UI design, requirements, and project management. This project was executed in under five months.
• Identified growth opportunities and managed relaunch of our eCommerce platform resulting in a revenue increase of 25% YoY.

Product Manager

  • Webdam, a Shutterstock Company
  • Full-Time
  • San Mateo, CA
  • Sep 2015 - May 2017

• Delivered an integrated solution for Webdam with Adobe Creative Cloud. This solution resulted in a 400% return on investment within its first year of selling: https://tinyurl.com/ycqyq5mj.
• Spearheaded the development and launch of Webdam’s first feature using machine learning technology:
https://tinyurl.com/yc4t9dnl.
• Leveraged Agile/Scrum methodologies to execute sprint planning, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups for two teams.

Product Evangelist

  • Webdam, a Shutterstock Company
  • Full-Time
  • San Mateo, CA
  • Jun 2014 - Sep 2015

• Consulted enterprise customers on metadata, user-organization, and software launch strategies, tailoring documentation and training to their specific business needs. Key customers consulted include: Abbott Labs, Alaska Air, Micron, and National Oilwell Varco.
• Facilitated communications for new product releases internally and externally, including the development of concise technical documentation, release notes, blog posts, and videos.

Sr. Customer Success Manager

  • Webdam, a Shutterstock Company
  • Full-Time
  • San Mateo, CA
  • Feb 2011 - May 2014

• Identified opportunities for professional service engagements, including consulting services and paid product development.
• Mentored other customer success managers on account management and upsell techniques.
• Managed content preparation and conducted new release webinars for our customers.
• Managed customer onboarding, user adoption, retention, and overall success. Owned account renewals and meeting up-selling goals.

Degree Programs

Bachelor of Science

  • University of Phoenix
  • BS in Business Management,
  • - Aug 2010

Licenses and Certifications

No Licenses or Certifications Found.