Women in Tech: The Joy of the Stretch

Welcome back to our "Women in Tech" series. In this instalment, we sit down with Martina McKee, our Director of Product Operations. With almost three years at SmartRecruiters, Martina has been a key force in scaling how we build products. She shares her journey, from discovering her passion for tech in secondary school to navigating a dynamic career path that proves it's okay not to have a complete plan.

Ready to be inspired? Watch the full video to hear Martina's insights, or read the complete transcription below.

What sparked your interest in a technical field?

Martina: I originally became interested in the technical field back in secondary school, thanks to a phenomenal Computer Science teacher. She made the subject very engaging, and I found myself gravitating towards it. Although I initially applied for a healthcare course at university, I decided at the last minute that I wanted to do something more general. It naturally fell back to Computer Science because it was a subject I enjoyed and one that would allow me to specialize in different areas later on.

How did you get to where you are today at SR? Can you share a pivotal moment that jumpstarted your journey?

Martina: I don't think there was one pivotal moment that jumpstarted my journey. It was more about a path that built up over time and culminated in my current role. After my university degree, my first job was as an engineer, but I quickly realized that this was not my destiny! I was still interested in the space, so I transitioned into project management and then into a creative role as an information architect. These roles gave me valuable experience that I was able to leverage in a web and design studio when I moved back to Northern Ireland. From there, I transitioned from services to product, which I loved, and eventually found my perfect role in Product Operations.

The lesson from my journey is that it's okay not to have a complete plan. Instead, I gravitated toward things that interested me, worked hard, and my experience naturally layered up. Do different things, find out what you enjoy, and go from there.

Looking back, what's one piece of advice you wish you had received when you were starting your career in this industry?

Martina: I wish I had been encouraged to take more risks. Taking risks and even failing is fine because the joy is often in the "stretch." When you're given a challenge and you think, "How the heck am I going to do that?" and then you figure it out, that joy just doesn't compare to staying safe and doing more of the same. Push yourself further because that's where the joy lives.

Could you describe a typical "day in the life" in your role? What do you find most engaging?

Martina: It would be incredibly difficult to outline a typical day. As Director of Product Operations, the role of my team is to scale and optimize how we do Product. By its nature, this involves a lot of collaboration with people across many different departments, from R&D and Customer Success to Legal, Pre-Sales, Sales, Marketing and Implementation. I'm a bit of a generalist, and I love coming into situations to figure out what we need to do. No two days are the same, which is what makes it a great fit for me.

What specific skills or qualities do you believe are most crucial for success in your particular technical area?

Martina:First and foremost, you need a massive passion and drive for building amazing products that delight customers. Beyond that, the most important skills come down to people. Product Operations requires strong collaborators and connectors who can bring people and teams together. It's also about knowing when to guide and support versus when to push and drive for change. Having that balance is really key.

What message do you hope to convey to young girls and women who are aspiring to enter technical fields?

Martina: I'd want them to understand that the world is their oyster in a tech company. The tech industry isn't just about coding; there are so many important roles across different departments.

For me, curiosity, determination, and grit matter far more than pure intellect. Even the smartest person won’t succeed without a genuine passion for collaboration and a relentless drive to build great products.

I would also say work hard, be curious, but also have fun and be sure to build connections. The lifelong friendships you create are equally as important as the work. People remember your work ethic and how you interact as part of the team, and those connections can be invaluable later in your career.