Ryan Zapata

About Ryan Zapata

Senior Product Operations leader with 10+ years of experience building scalable operational systems that connect strategy to execution across product development lifecycles. I specialize in creating the frameworks, feedback loops, and launch playbooks that enable product teams to ship with confidence, measure impact, and iterate with speed.Currently shaping the Product Operations function at Anaconda, where I\'ve built cross-functional systems from 0 to 1, including New Product Introduction (NPI) launch motions, OKR governance, developer experience tooling, and product health monitoring, that drive alignment across Product, Engineering, GTM, and leadership. I work deeply embedded with product teams as an extension of product leadership, balancing hands-on tactical execution with strategic initiatives in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.My career spans product management, product operations engineering, and enterprise account management across organizations ranging from high-growth startups to enterprise scale (Anaconda, H-E-B, Rackspace Technology). I thrive at building structure where none exists: defining repeatable processes, establishing reliable metrics and dashboards, synthesizing voice-of-customer insights, and mentoring teams to operate with clarity, accountability, and speed.Passionate about building inclusive teams, fostering continuous improvement, and empowering product organizations to deliver exceptional products at scale.Core strengths: Product Operations & Process Design · Cross-Functional Program Leadership · NPI & Launch Readiness · OKR Strategy & Governance · Developer Experience (DX) Tooling · Product Health Metrics & Analytics · Voice of Customer & Feedback Loops · Stakeholder Alignment & Influence Without Authority · Process Scalability & Operationalization · Change Management · Mentoring & Team Development

Experience

1. Senior Product Operations Manager

   Anaconda

   Dec 2024 — Present

   Building and scaling the Product Operations function at Anaconda, creating the operating systems, launch motions, and feedback loops that enable product teams to make data-driven decisions, execute efficiently, and deliver customer value at scale.• Architected the New Product Introduction (NPI) framework from 0 to 1, defining launch tiers and leading iterative rollouts across 13+ stakeholder functions. Currently evolving the framework with a new OSS tier and streamlined requirements.• Owned the Developer Experience (DX) program end-to-end, delivering quarterly engineering health snapshots that identified 162 hours/year lost to interruptions and informed VP-level strategy on Deep Work and Planning Process improvements.• Co-developed the Product Health Monitoring Framework (Revenue Attribution, MAU, MTTDR, Core Feature Usage), presenting directly to Product VPs and connecting to Heap, Zendesk, and Appcues NPS.• Led OKR governance as OKR Champion, driving OBoard adoption and standardizing how the team tracks and communicates objectives.• Built POM executive summary dashboards for senior leadership and drove cross-functional alignment across Product, Engineering, TPM, GTM, Legal, Security, Data, QA, and UX.• Mentored the POM team through weekly cadences, 1:1 coaching, and peer review, fostering continuous improvement and operational consistency.• Contributed to the team earning the Python Pioneer Award (2025) for innovation and foundational impact on product excellence.

Education

• The University of Texas at San Antonio

  Masters of Science, Management of Technology

  2011 — 2012

• The University of Texas at San Antonio

  Bachelor of Business Administration in Management, International Business Concentration

  2008 — 2011

Skills

• Analysis
• Social Media
• Event Planning
• Account Management
• Research
• Community Outreach
• Organizational Development
• Human Resources
• Process Improvement
• Public Speaking
• Program Development
• Customer Service
• Sales
• Non-Profit Administration
• Program Management
• Employee Relations
• Leadership
• Operations Management
• Team Leadership
• Project Management
• Social Media Marketing
• Marketing
• Office Administration