Life in Adtech: Empowering Programmatic Advertisers Through Product Operations

In our blog series “Life in Adtech” we’re showcasing the different ways in which StackAdapters are driving innovation in adtech, and creating a progressive tech culture. From using modeling and data to create advanced algorithms to building stylish and robust user interfaces, everyone at StackAdapt is contributing to evolving the StackAdapt platform and providing the best product and service for our clients.

This month features Mazharul (Maz) Elahi, Product Operations Manager at StackAdapt. Maz shares his journey into adtech, what his role entails, and how his team supports the success of StackAdapt users. 

Can you share a bit about your journey into working in adtech, and what attracted you to product operations? 

I started out in my career helping a few early stage video on demand (VOD) and streaming startups in the APAC region with product and marketing operations. In 2019, I moved to Toronto, where I started working at StackAdapt. Because of my prior experience in scaling startups from scratch, I resonated with the empowerment that StackAdapt provides to the small players in the market.

In my new role at StackAdapt, I began learning about the adtech world and its robust ecosystem. I was instantly fascinated by how the different players in the industry were integrated with each other. It is incredible how they deliver powerful machine learning services to businesses that previously did not have the marketing muscle to compete with large companies—with much deeper pockets.  

You started out as a Campaign Optimization Manager at StackAdapt. Since then, you’ve moved into new positions. Can you share with us how your role has evolved?

Campaign Optimization Manager was the perfect role for me to start in, because I hadn’t worked in adtech before. The role helped me learn about the root-level mechanisms of the programmatic platform. I got to help clients optimize their campaigns by playing with all the levers that were available in the product at the time. 

This role gave me a better understanding of how the platform functioned and how it could be improved to help our users. I worked closely with the talented Product team, and so when the opportunity came, I joined the team to work as a Product Engagement Specialist. 

In this second role, I got to help build a modern support portal that acts as a knowledge base for our users to search and find product information with ease. Since then, my role has expanded into various domains to match the growth of StackAdapt, and this eventually led to the transition to my current role as a Product Operations Manager. 

What is the main focus of the Product Operations team at StackAdapt, and what are your main responsibilities on the team?

Product Operations are basically a counterpart to product management and design. The core responsibility of my team is to be an efficient entity by proactively identifying areas for development in our platform. 

From there, we support the Product team with the right tools so that they can create quality solutions for our end users. Product Operations is involved with the Product team during all the stages of product development and currently the team focuses on the management of documentation, roadmap, feedback, research, and analytics. 

As a Product Operations Manager, how do you contribute to the success of StackAdapt users?

Product Operations supports StackAdapt users by capturing important insights about their experience, and ensuring those insights are reflected in our roadmap for future solutions. We help the wider Product team to work on a diverse set of adtech solutions, and then ensure that our users know when they can expect to see new solutions in the platform. 

I think the most important success metric is reflected in how confident and empowered our users feel when using the StackAdapt platform. A big way that my team supports this is by providing users easy access to technical documentation and instructions. 

We also capture important insights about platform user experiences. We ensure those insights are reflected in the solutions we add to the roadmap, help the wider Product team work on those solutions, and ensure that our users know when they can expect to see the new releases in the platform. 

What advice would you give someone interested in a career in Product Operations?

Product Operations roles are a great fit for anyone interested in learning the craft of product development and operations. My advice would be to keep up to date with any developments taking shape in the product operations space, and seek out insights from thought leaders in the industry. This is a relatively new area in the product space and we are all learning new things every day! 

What is the most rewarding part of being part of the Product Operations team at StackAdapt?

Product Operations is a deeply satisfying role because it aspires to facilitate an environment where meaningful solutions are built to empower programmatic advertisers. My greatest reward is the group of talented people that I work with everyday who teach me so much about the industry and product leadership. We have a great Product team and it’s a privilege to work with them! 

Interested in joining StackAdapt? See our open roles and apply here.

In each new addition, we will be highlighting our teams and employees in our “Life in Adtech” series—stay tuned for more!