Jack Ready

Background

About Jack Ready

I didn’t take the traditional route. I skipped college and spent my early twenties living on a hippie commune in the Ozarks learning collaboration, initiative, and how to build systems that work for real people. I worked my way up from retail into Account Management, then moved closer to the tech in a BA/PO hybrid role—owning the backlog and delivery system for data-heavy work (death audit, secure data flows). In that seat I tied sprints to OKRs, ran discovery with business partners, set priorities and trade-offs, coordinated release readiness with engineering/QA/Ops, and reported outcomes to stakeholders. Today my title is Associate Product Manager, but I operate at Product Manager scope on a healthcare engagement platform (iOS, Android, web) built in partnership with Optum. I deliver value by- Driving product execution and shaping roadmap direction through launch and growth phases with cross-functional partners- Leading backlog grooming and sprint planning; turning business goals into clear plans and measurable outcomes; keeping alignment from vision to release- Partnering closely with engineering, QA, and design across platforms and coordinating rollout readiness—stepping into gaps to maintain momentum- Upgrading delivery systems: moving the team from Kanban to structured sprints, strengthening release processes, and building a bug intake/triage prioritization flow—raising predictability, reliability, and stakeholder confidence. Certifications (selected)- Professional Scrum Product Owner II (PSPO II)- Professional Scrum Master II (PSM II)- AI Product Manager Certification (Product HQ) Outside of work, I stay energized through my hobbies — playing chess in local clubs, skydiving (75 jumps, mainly doing formation skydiving with other skydivers), and performing trumpet in the Minnesota Valley Community Band. I bring the same curiosity, focus, and drive to these passions as I do to my professional work. 🪂