Open to opportunities

Melissa Staley

@melissastaley

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Startup-focused product leader driving mobile growth through data, cross-functional execution, and AI.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I seek product leadership roles at growth-stage startups focused on mobile, data-driven decision-making, cross-functional teams, and measurable user and revenue growth.

I am a startup-focused product leader specializing in mobile growth, data-driven strategy, and cross-functional execution. I own product vision and execution end-to-end, from UX and feature design to analytics and digital marketing.

At Firstleaf I led a 5-person product and engineering team to scale the mobile app from 0 to 50k MAUs and generate $100,000 in revenue, while owning AI prompt engineering and representing the app to the executive team and board.

Previously, I led teams at Genies and Route, where I implemented company-wide OKRs, built analytics infrastructure (Mixpanel), and scaled Route’s mobile app from 0 to 1M DAU, improving key conversion and retention metrics dramatically.

My background also includes growth-focused product work at Monkey and marketing operations at Snap, where I launched high-impact features, creator programs, and fraud prevention initiatives. I prioritize measurable outcomes, user feedback, and cross-functional alignment to drive sustainable growth.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Senior Product Manager

Current

Firstleaf

Feb 2024 - Present (1 year 10 months)

Led a 5-person product and engineering team to scale Firstleaf’s mobile app from 0 to 50k MAUs and generate $100,000 in revenue; responsible for product vision, UI/UX, digital marketing, and executive reporting.

Growth UI UX Mobile Analytics Roadmapping Stakeholder Management Budget Management

Head of Operations

Genies

Oct 2022 - Feb 2024 (1 year 4 months)

Led company-wide OKR implementation increasing alignment by 80%, launched and managed the Genies Developer Program (50+ developers), and built analytics infrastructure driving Mixpanel adoption across the company.

Operations Management OKRs Analytical Infrastructure Mixpanel Team Leadership Change Management

Senior Product Manager

Route

Jul 2019 - Oct 2022 (3 years 3 months)

Led a 9-person product team to scale Route’s mobile app from 0 to 1M DAU; drove growth initiatives that placed the app in Top 20 iOS Shopping and improved key conversion and retention metrics significantly.

Experimentation Analytics A B Testing Retention Data Infrastructure Stakeholder Management

Head of Marketing & Product

Monkey

Aug 2018 - Jul 2019 (11 months)

Led US product efforts for Monkey & Holla, built three major app features driving 40% weekly retention, and grew user base to 1M DAU with 1.5M organic installs on a $20K budget.

Product Management Growth Marketing Creator Programs Retention Content Moderation Performance Marketing

Marketing Coordinator

Snap Inc

Sep 2016 - Oct 2017 (1 year 1 month)

Hired and trained 100+ Brand Ambassadors, managed contracts and payments for 200+ vendors, and launched fraud prevention measures that saved $1M in claims; supported Cannes Lions submissions.

Vendor Management Fraud Prevention Marketing Operations Training Campaign Execution Budget Management Brand Partnerships

Event Specialist

Awestruck Marketing Group

May 2015 - Oct 2016 (1 year 5 months)

Managed 100+ events for clients including CBS, VH1, eBay, and Purina and led hiring and management of 500+ Brand Ambassadors to support large-scale activations.

Event Management Staffing Brand Ambassador Client Relations Operations Training Logistics

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Wright State University

Bachelor of Arts, Mass Communication

2011 - 2015

Completed a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication with coursework in media, communications strategy, and related practicum from September 2011 to May 2015.