Jason Palmer, Product Manager in New Orleans, LA, United States
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Jason Palmer

Verified Expert  in Product Management

Product Manager

Location
New Orleans, LA, United States
Toptal Member Since
December 25, 2018

Jason is a product leader and technologist offering a diverse mix of experience in hardware, software, and operations with an ability to understand and improve ways that technology, business development, budgets, and customer experience intersect. He's the type of person who's continuously learning new things with a focus on building innovative products.

Project Highlights

Automated Hardware Product Development
Led product design and development, scaling from idea to nationwide distribution with over 400,000 paying users.
Growth Operating Model
Built and managed a highly complex financial model for forecasting growth and new revenue opportunities on a monthly basis.
Customer Support Call Center
Set up and launched 24/7 multilingual customer support center, servicing an average of 750 customers per month.

Expertise

Work Experience

COO | Co-founder

2013 - PRESENT
MobileQubes
  • Conceived the product concept and managed all software and hardware development from initial concept through multiple product launches leveraging lean and agile frameworks.
  • Formulated software feature requirements, designed wireframes, and created user flow diagrams for kiosk client, inventory management, payment processing, and back-end remote management application software.
  • Developed the initial hardware designs and mechanical automation using Autodesk Inventor; also built the first prototype.
  • Led all of the product management including oversight of UX, product roadmap, market research, usability testing, and data analytics.
  • Conducted search and evaluation process for software development contractors and hardware vendors and managed project plan.
  • Sourced and led negotiations with multiple contract manufacturers in China for mass production of kiosks and power banks, including making 25+ onsite visits to Chinese manufacturing facilities to ensure smooth production.
  • Created pitch decks and participated in funding activities that lead to over $6M in equity and debt financing.
  • Assembled distributed team of 35+ full-time and contract employees, both domestic and international.
  • Managed all customer and field service, including 24/7 support center, dispatch teams, inventory logistics, and warehousing.
  • Owned financial model and budget forecast.
  • Set KPI targets and implemented OKRs for full-time staff to align the team with company goals.
  • Built original KPI and financial reporting dashboards using Excel; managed conversion and expansion of data analytics to Power BI.
  • Planned a just-in-time inventory strategy to maximize sales and minimize inventory-carrying costs using historical and forecasting analysis.
  • Coordinated all accounting, including: compliance and tax preparation for 21 states, processing monthly reports and payments for 60+ venue partners, and capitalization table management.
  • Supported the enterprise sales for multi-year, system-wide contracts with Amtrak, Port Authority of NY & NJ (PATH), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA), Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Caesars Entertainment, and MGM Entertainment.
  • Was featured on CNBC’s Power Pitch Broadcast and named #2 on their 2017 Upstart 25 list of promising new startups. With additional features in Free Enterprise (US Chamber of Commerce), Business Insider, Chicago Tribune, PYMNTS.com, and Inc.com. MobileQubes has shipped 450 kiosks, shipped 100,000 power banks, and is operating in 21 states with designs released for three different kiosk platforms with approximately ten iterations; with more than 400,000 paying customers and seven-figure annual revenues.

Field Engineer

2009 - 2013
Abbott Laboratories
  • Provided engineering support for automated hematology, immunology, and clinical chemistry instruments.
  • Served as subject matter expert and delivered consultation on the use of systems to client personnel.
  • Responsible for the launch and implementation of new clinical laboratories in the region.

Automated Hardware Product Development

https://www.mobilequbes.com/

Led product design and development, scaling from idea to nationwide distribution with over 400,000 paying users.

I led engineering and product efforts from the initial concept through launch and scaling. This included everything from writing product requirement documents and creating user stories for software to building hardware prototypes and managing manufacturing in Shenzhen, China. I also established the product vision that owned the end-to-end customer experience.

Growth Operating Model

https://www.mobilequbes.com/

Built and managed a highly complex financial model for forecasting growth and new revenue opportunities on a monthly basis.

I created a complex operating financial model in Excel within automated input calculations to include staffing, CAPEX, marketing effectiveness, debt vehicles, budget vs. actual, and five-year financial statements. All variable assumptions are input on a single tab and flow through to the full 12-tab model.

Customer Support Call Center

https://www.mobilequbes.com/

Set up and launched 24/7 multilingual customer support center, servicing an average of 750 customers per month.

I led the entire project—from inception to launch—and managed for the first six months until hand-off.

I conducted the initial market research, vetted potential third-party vendors, and tested potential software service providers. I also created all of the support documentation, macros, training materials. I utilized Grasshopper, ZenDesk, GSuite, and Basecamp for the execution with a combination of third-party international distributed agents and in-house staff.

The system continues to maintain a customer satisfaction rating of more than 90% each month.

Graduate Research Project

Developed a thermal imaging and laser system to quantify the heating kinetics of carbon nanotubes in tumor cells.

I built an entire test platform from the idea to execution. I also performed all of the data analytics and imaging analysis. The research was published in the Chemistry of Materials and Journal of Biomedical Optics with 30 citations.
2001 - 2007

Bachelor of Science Degree in Biomedical Engineering

Louisiana State University - Baton Rouge, LA, USA

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