3 min reading time
Defining & Developing: Meet Leigh Harrison, Product Manager at LearnUpon
As Product Manager at LearnUpon, Leigh Harrison is at the center of everything. From day-to-day decision making to big-picture planning, her role is equal parts strategy, collaboration, and creativity — with plenty of problem-solving in between.
In this interview, Leigh shares how she moved from Customer Success to Product, why pen and paper is still her secret weapon, and what it feels like to see her work have a real impact on thousands of learners.
What does a typical day look like for you as a Product Manager?
As typical as it sounds — no two days are the same! Most mornings kick off with stand-up alongside our engineering team, where we share updates, ask questions, and remove blockers.
From there, it varies. Some days are packed with meetings: reviewing designs, planning new features, joining customer calls, or coordinating with other teams. Other days are more focused — digging into data, reviewing bugs, capturing feature requests, testing improvements, or working on product strategy.
Every day brings something new, which is one of the things I enjoy most.
What first drew you to the world of Product, and how did that lead to LearnUpon?
My career has always been very sociable and customer-facing, I love meeting new people. That led me into a Customer Success role, where I worked closely with the Product team to share customer feedback and insights. Seeing that collaboration turn into new features was fascinating. I loved watching something evolve from an idea into something real and usable.
Then, I was offered the chance to step into a Product Manager role as part of maternity leave cover… and I jumped at it! That experience confirmed how much I loved the role: the creativity, the problem-solving, and being able to see real change happen through your work. I’ve been in Product ever since.
When I found LearnUpon, the culture and stage of growth felt like the perfect fit. I knew it was a place where I could continue to learn and grow, while helping build something meaningful.
How do you collaborate with other teams at LearnUpon?
Product intersects with so many parts of the business. That means I get to work with teams like Customer Success, Implementation, Sales, Engineering, Marketing, and Design almost every day.
To make great decisions, you need to deeply understand customer challenges — and that requires a lot of cross-team collaboration. I work most closely with Engineering and Design, and we spend a lot of time walking through the current experience and figuring out how to improve it.
I work as a Product Manager in Dublin, but LearnUpon has offices across the globe. So, it’s a really collaborative environment. There’s a huge amount of trust, and while we work hard, we always make time to have a bit of craic too!
What’s a skill you didn’t expect to rely on so much in Product?
Organization — or at least the level of it I’ve come to rely on. Even with all the digital tools out there, I still go back to pen and paper. Writing things down and making checklists helps me organize my thoughts and stay focused.
One of the habits that’s really helped me is setting one clear, achievable goal every day. When you’re juggling multiple complex projects, having a single focal point helps keep you grounded. If I can make progress on that one goal, I consider it a successful day, no matter what curveballs come up.
What’s been a standout moment in your time at LearnUpon so far?
As a Product Manager, there have been a few already — things move quickly here! But one of the most rewarding moments was seeing our Course Progression redesign hit a huge usage milestone. It was amazing to see how much the change resonated with customers.
It was also a great example of what collaboration at LearnUpon looks like. Product, Design, Engineering, and other teams all working together to make something great. Celebrating those wins as a team makes the whole process even more satisfying.
Interested in joining Leigh the LearnUpon team?
At LearnUpon, we’re always looking for curious, collaborative people who want to build impactful learning experiences. Check out our open roles at LearnUpon to see where you might fit.