Empathetic Thinker. Impact Driven.
Partnering with Engineers in Kenya to bring the Starcity Mobile App to life
What I’ve been up to…
Building the LinkedIn Services Marketplace
Currently working with a talented engineer, product, and design team to bring to life a two-sided marketplace to help LinkedIn’s 700M members discover and hire freelancers and service providers. As a Senior PM I own Demand products such as search and SEO. I also own the Supply side, developing the core features for Service Providers to establish their freelance reputation and launching a new store front for their business needs.
Working at a Start Up
I had the privilege of being the first Product Manager at a Y Combinator backed Start Up and building a Product Org from the ground up. Starcity owns and operates buildings designed for co-living, with proprietary software designed to improve growth, property management operations, and experience for existing residents.
Establishing my foundation at Apple
I spent over a decade at Apple learning the best in bringing delight to customers through software and in-person experiences. I worked on solutions for Apple’s Online Store, Retail Stores, Manufacturing, and more. As a capstone experience, I spent three years in Shanghai establishing a team focused on the said product experiences. Over that time we helped Apple open 40 stores in the region, improve manufacturing quality, and made some tough decisions (driven by data and research) to improve the customer experience for Apple customers.
From my former colleagues…
“His situational acumen is impressive. He’ll know when to dive into the details, when to look at the big picture, when to have a tough conversation and when to push back.”
– Juan Corzo, SWE Manager at Apple.“He is very perceptive of the needs of each teammate and provides customized and effective guidance… A leader by example, Brandon has demonstrated to me his mastery of diplomatic approaches at project making and business relationship management.”
– Bo Zhang, Machine Learning Engineer at Apple.“He was an invaluable partner to me in our time at Starcity -- making the effort to hear and understand my concerns while setting a clear and unequivocal vision for our product… Brandon worked closely with the executive leadership team to get buy-in for his vision for our engineering product throughout his tenure. When it was time to expand his team, he showed himself to be an excellent mentor. “
– Allen Price, SWE Manager at Starcity (currently DocuSign).If you’re still reading, here’s some personal info…
E is For Engineer - A Personal Project
When I joined LinkedIn I had not previously worked much with freelancers or gig workers. To immerse myself with he problem and understand the user needs better, I kicked off a personal project to write a children's book dedicated to my daughter. I leveraged UpWork and Fiverr (LinkedIn’s top competitors in this space) to hire an illustrator, copywriter, and kindle direct publisher. A fun and meaningful experience. E is For Engineer is available on Amazon.
Giving Back to the Product Community
I love product management and building quality products, teams, and experiences. I try to give back to the same community through mentorship, guest speaking (Black Girls Code & Product School), and leading the San Francisco-Bay Area Chapter of Black Product Managers Network.