Main Responsibilities of a Producer at a Fortune 100 Tech Company
Sib's role as a Producer at a Fortune 100 tech company involves "pretty heavy project management," acting as "air traffic control" to ensure smooth cross-functional collaboration and timely project delivery, a skillset honed through previous event-based experience and a beneficial contract-to-full-time transition. The position requires a proactive approach to learning new skills and confidently asking questions, demonstrated by Sib's ability to navigate the complexities of global localization and new software systems while effectively managing deadlines and team resources.
Project Management, Cross-functional Teamwork, Communication and Collaboration, Strategic Thinking, Adaptability and Continuous Learning
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Sib Santos
Producer
Fortune 100 Tech Company
California State University, Chico
n/a
Business Management & Admin
Technology, Advertising, Communications & Marketing
Communication and Marketing
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Project Management is a core responsibility, involving managing the production of news stories from start to finish, including tasks such as scheduling, budgeting, and communication with cross-functional teams.
2. Strong soft skills, including organization, communication, and relationship building, are essential for success in this role. The ability to act as a central point of contact ('air traffic control') and manage expectations across multiple teams is highlighted.
3. Continuous learning and adaptability are crucial. The role requires learning new tools and processes (e.g., localization software) and asking questions to effectively manage projects and support team members.
Transcript
What are your main responsibilities within your current role?
My current role involves strategic thinking, which I enjoy from earlier in my career. It's also, best described as heavy project management. Each piece of news, each story we produce, is different, with varying levels of strategy and execution.
From my event-based background, I can see many transferable skills that I wouldn't have realized until I started this job. I began this current role on a contract basis, which I found to be very beneficial. It's a good tool for companies assessing fit and for you assessing the company.
You can determine if the role works for you, if it's challenging, and if you're growing. I appreciated the opportunity to do that, really liked the role, and applied for the full-time position.
A lot of my responsibilities might seem like basic soft skills. Don't overlook the importance of being organized. It sounds basic, but I can tell when people aren't checking their calendars for what's on the schedule or reading emails. We currently use Slack, but there are many tools out there.
My role is like air traffic control, seeing everything, who needs to connect, where, what's delayed, and how that changes things. It also involves building relationships and managing communication with our PR counterparts. This comes from my agency experience managing clients.
Now, I manage internally, communicating with the PR team about reasonable timelines and budgets. I also ensure we get what we need from them to hit deadlines and get projects to executives for approval. If we miss a window, executives won't have time to review something.
You need to reach a point where, even when pushing back, people understand it's for the greater good and everyone is working towards the same goal. It's important to have the confidence to say, "If we miss this deadline with the executive, your story won't go live on time." It's not a personal conflict; we're all working towards the same objective.
Asking questions is crucial. Don't feel like you should already know everything. Be curious. I'm grateful to be in a culture where that's valued and respected. Even if you think you should have known something, it's still welcoming.
It's reassuring to ask a question and find out others have the same one, or to learn something that helps with your next task.
So, my main responsibilities involve moving projects from start to finish, hitting deadlines, and ensuring we can publish on time. I work cross-functionally, across different skill sets. My role helps ensure copy editors can focus on their work without distraction, and designers can do their design work without worrying about everything else. Producer, project management, air traffic control – that covers much of my role.
Regarding asking questions, I want to emphasize that even more. I'm not a designer, so I don't know all the technical specifications. However, I've learned enough to manage communications effectively. If I'm unsure about asking something, I now know enough to request necessary specs and sizes. We can't accept submissions that don't meet minimum requirements, as it wastes our team's time.
The same applies to copy and broader strategic elements. We send our work out globally for localization and translation, which is a significant part of this role that I had no prior experience in. I had to learn about the translation process, how quickly things can be translated, and the security measures needed to protect news until it's announced.
There's also a software system we use that I knew nothing about when I started. So, a lot of my responsibilities involve learning new things. This covers my day-to-day responsibilities.