Making remote retros not suck
By Fell Sunderland
IN THIS ARTICLE:
Tell Us About Your Role
I’m a Product Analyst, currently in our creatively named ‘Chat 2’ squad. Our squad’s focus is building Cleo’s chat function and user experience. We want Cleo to be the AI financial assistant that people use daily.
How Did You First Get Into Product Analytics?
I’ve always worked with data and in analytics since studying maths and stats at University.
Before Cleo, I worked in a real range of industries–from sports betting, to media and big tech. Initially I was working in marketing analytics functions, before transitioning into product analytics, where I am now.
I guess I like being in analytics as I genuinely enjoy learning, and the role allows me to dig into different areas of the business. The speed of working and quick prioritization at Cleo suits me better than previous roles I’ve worked in at bigger companies too.
What does a Product Analyst do at Cleo?
You have to be an all-rounder to be a product analyst at Cleo. We tend to be based within a squad, working closely with other squad members–engineers, designers, researchers and content designers, and of course our product manager. Essentially, as the squad’s product analyst, we’re responsible for everything data-related within our squad.
We tend to have three main areas of focus:
- Discovery work. We don’t ultimately decide on our squad OKRs–that’s a team effort, but we help product planning by delving into user pain points based on the data we have available. We can tell the stories behind the numbers, informing the team of areas we could look into. We then try to find ways to measure the potential impact of product changes.
- Designing A/B tests. We love an A/B test here at Cleo. As analysts, we make sure our squads tests are set up correctly in a way that we’ll be able to make sense of the results.
- BAU work. This involves monitoring product performance so we can understand what’s working (or isn’t) for our users.
Data Chapter
Product Analysts are part of Cleo’s data chapter, which includes data scientists and analytics engineers. A whole bunch of people who love numbers.
We meet every two weeks to share what we’re working on. I find these sessions incredibly useful, as I can learn best practices from other data disciplines. For example, analytics engineers have shared how they approach data modelling.
These sessions also help with cross-squad collaboration and product alignment, as every analyst has some context around what other squads are working on. This means if you move squads, you’re already partly in the loop.
What Else Have You Worked On?
My Cleo journey has been an interesting one–I’ve been here two and a half years now, so I’ve actually worked on most of our products. When I first joined, I was looking at machine learning and algorithms to understand our users’ transaction data, to enhance our budgeting feature. I’ve also worked on our Credit Builder Card team.
I spent some time with our Data Enablement team too. In that team we were looking to source data tools that would enable our team of analysts to do their jobs better. This role was very different to a typical product analyst squad role, but it was something that I’d identified as a great learning opportunity and enjoyed a lot.
My time in Data Enablement widened my horizons, as I had a cross-functional view of everything happening with data at Cleo. I learned so much about Cleo as a business in a relatively short space of time. Since re-joining a squad, I find myself utilising the knowledge and skills I picked up in that team.
Can You Give Us a Favorite?
I really enjoyed working with the leadership team in the lead up to our Series C funding round.
At the time, I was working in Data Enablement, and our team’s role in the lead up to the round was helping to get data ready for investors. This was super fun as it involved finding interesting stories through data that we thought our investors would find interesting.
It was great to feel like I played a key part in preparing for a funding round, as that’s something you’d never get experience with in a bigger corporate environment.
Has Much Changed Over Time at Cleo?
It’s an obvious one, but there’s lots more people now compared to when I joined!
We’ve definitely ‘grown up’ a bit more too. In the sense that we’re actually a functioning company now, with a little more process. People’s roles are also more defined than they once were, meaning you have clarity on what’s expected from you.
Oh, and we also have a really nice office now 💅
What Do You Like Most about Working Here?
100% the people I work with. That will always be my answer.
I love the culture at Cleo. There’s less politics than anywhere else I’ve worked, and people are ready to roll up sleeves to approach a problem.
You’ll often hear “what needs to be done?” or “what’s next?” when approaching problems here, rather than arguing over whether there is a problem or not.
Where Can We Find You When You're Not at Work?
You’d often find me with my family at the park– myself, my partner, daughter and dog are regulars there. We also like to go to museums too.
Oh, and I also love golfing! We actually have a golf channel on slack 👀
Any Advice for Potential Applicants?
Firstly, relax and try to enjoy your interviewing experience. Don’t overthink things–people at Cleo are really friendly and want to see the best in you.
Remember, an interview is a two-way conversation. You also need to assess if Cleo is right for you.
I’d suggest coming with a few questions for the team–we like being kept on our toes.
Excited by a career in AI?
FAQs
Still have questions? Find answers below.
