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Allie, Product Manager at Fortune 100 Healthcare Company: Advize Career Interview
A University of Arizona business management graduate's journey from leading large-scale sorority recruitment to a Fortune 100 healthcare company's Product Marketing Manager role offers invaluable insights.
The interview reveals a dynamic career path built on cross-functional leadership, navigating a matrixed organization, and the rewarding impact of improving patient lives through orthopedic medical devices.
A fast-paced, agile, and hands-on approach is emphasized, alongside the importance of building strong relationships with colleagues and surgeons.
The discussion highlights the unexpected technical aspects of the role, including valuable lessons in team leadership, collaboration, and the significance of mentorship within a male-dominated industry.
Potential entry points into the field, including sales training programs and assistant marketing roles, are also discussed, along with the importance of undergraduate extracurricular activities fostering teamwork.
This career trajectory showcases the combination of leadership skills, clinical knowledge, and business acumen required for success in the medical device industry, leaving aspiring professionals eager to learn more.
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Allie Dutson
Product Manager
Fortune 100 Healthcare Company
University of Arizona. 2015
N/A
Business Management & Admin
Healthcare
Product / Service / Software Development and Management
Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
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Career Path of a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company
Allie's career journey began with a business management degree from the University of Arizona, where leadership experience gained through "plan[ning] and lead[ing] sorority recruitment for over 2000 people" proved valuable. After six years in a corporate customer experience strategy role at Macy's, a transition into the healthcare industry led to a product management position at a medical device company, setting the stage for Allie's current role at a Fortune 100 healthcare company.
Main Responsibilities Of A Product Marketing Manager At A Major Healthcare Company
Allie, a Product Marketing Manager for an orthopedic medical device at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company, is responsible for the device's "commercialization and success" post-launch, acting as the "quarterback" to facilitate cross-functional teams and ensure a successful product launch. This highlights Allie's leadership role and influence across various departments within a large organization.
A Day in the Life of a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company
A day for Allie, a product manager at a Fortune 100 healthcare company, involves "working with customers—surgeons," ensuring "they have all the clinical evidence" and "education" needed for successful product use, and supporting the sales team as "the product expert." Allie's work also includes "traditional marketing stuff," albeit with a clinical focus, targeting surgeons with evidence-based messaging about specific product features.
Most Important Skills for a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company
Allie, a product manager at a Fortune 100 healthcare company, emphasizes "cross-functional leadership," acting as a "quarterback" to facilitate expertise within a matrixed organization, alongside agility to adapt to a fast-moving market and strong relationship-building skills with both colleagues and surgeons (their customers).
Favorite Parts of Being a Product Manager at Fortune 100 Healthcare Company
Allie enjoys the diverse team at her Fortune 100 healthcare company, highlighting the opportunity to learn from "surgeons...with medical backgrounds," "people focused on clinical evidence...with super scientific backgrounds," and those in marketing and sales. This collaborative environment and the resulting professional development are key aspects of what Allie finds most rewarding in her product management role.
Biggest Challenges Faced By A Product Manager At A Healthcare Company
Allie's biggest challenge as a Product Manager in a Fortune 100 healthcare company is navigating a "very matrixed organization," where various teams, despite sharing a high-level goal of "helping the patient," possess differing short-term objectives and metrics, hindering efficient collaboration and requiring constant alignment to maintain momentum. This necessitates skillful leadership to ensure everyone sees "the bigger picture" and works together effectively.
Favorite Parts Of Working In The Healthcare Industry As A Product Manager
Allie, a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 healthcare company, finds the most rewarding aspect of her career "the impact that we can have on the patient," particularly witnessing the improved quality of life for individuals who have received their company's products, such as hip or knee replacements. This tangible positive impact on patients' lives is what Allie values most about working in the healthcare industry.
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Healthcare Industry According To A Product Manager At A Fortune 100 Company
Allie, a product manager at a Fortune 100 healthcare company, identifies "fast-paced and agile" individuals as thriving in the industry, emphasizing a willingness to be "pretty gritty" and not afraid to "get your hands dirty." This suggests a need for adaptability and hands-on involvement in a demanding environment.
What A Product Manager At A Fortune 100 Healthcare Company Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Healthcare Industry
Allie, a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company, emphasizes the unexpected technical depth of the role, stating that "getting your hands dirty" is often required, including "holding retractors for a cadaver." This firsthand experience, exceeding typical marketing manager expectations, highlights the necessity of deep product expertise for success.
Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Product Managers at Fortune 100 Healthcare
For entry-level product management or marketing, Allie highlights roles like "assistant marketing manager" and "associate marketing manager," where individuals might "support somebody else" before managing full products. A unique entry point Allie mentions is the "Sales Training Representative Program," which offers a pathway into medical device sales after a year of training, providing a less competitive entry point into a challenging field.
Significant Career Lesson From a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company
Allie, a product manager, learned that "facilitating expertise" is more valuable than individual contributions; instead of "doing all the work," a leader should draw upon team members' diverse skills to optimize overall performance. This shift from individual achievement to team leadership significantly impacted Allie's career trajectory.
College Experiences That Helped a Product Manager Succeed in Healthcare
Allie, a Product Manager at a Fortune 100 Healthcare Company, emphasizes the importance of undergraduate extracurricular activities that fostered "teamwork and collaboration," skills crucial for success in their collaborative professional environment. This involvement, whether through sports or clubs, provided invaluable experience in team leadership and contribution, directly impacting Allie's career trajectory.
How Identity Shapes A Product Manager's Career At A Fortune 100 Company
Working in the male-dominated field of orthopedics, the professional found it crucial to build a supportive network of women for mentorship and shared experiences, emphasizing the importance of "looking out for each other." This involved both seeking guidance and "paying it forward" by mentoring others.
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