Meet Jackie Yang, our Growth Partnerships Team Lead in San Francisco. Jackie joined ironSource in September 2019, starting out as a Growth Manager on ironSource’s Unified team. Since then, Jackie’s moved to a team lead role, working hard to develop her leadership skills, and proud of the team she’s built and the wins they’ve generated this year. Keep reading to get to know Jackie and her role at ironSource a bit better.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and what brought you to ironSource.
I started out my career in biology and medicine and thought I wanted to be a doctor, but life never goes as expected. I landed in mobile advertising in 2015 and was completely taken by how quickly the whole industry was evolving and how much growth potential it held. I loved everything about it and I knew this is where I wanted to lean in.
Through the next several years, I built solid relationships that eventually led me to ironSource. Having started in the ad mediation space, I knew all about ironSource and was excited to see its hold on the market, its emphasis on providing developers with a top-of-the-line robust product, and of course, its strong leadership team.
What led you to make the decision to come work at ironSource?
The people were one of the biggest reasons I came to work at ironSource. Through my interviewing process, I could tell how intelligent, collaborative, and warm the team was. I knew I would level up my professional growth here being surrounded by the best in the industry.
I was also super excited to be one of the first Unified Account Managers, tackling a new challenge of juggling the two sides of growth (user acquisition and monetization).
In your opinion, what makes someone successful at ironSource?
- Knowing how to get the job done, but having fun while doing it
- Curious and open - there is so much to learn
- Team player - we all have each other’s back and we want everyone to succeed
- Be open to feedback - there is always room to grow
- Be able to celebrate wins and losses - we learn from both and are better for both
What’s something that’s surprised you since starting at ironSource?
I was surprised by how much people work together. I can stop by someone’s desk at any time. Everyone is always asking each other questions and there is a strong “get it done” mentality. It’s really apparent that everyone is here to help each other no matter what role they’re in.
What makes ironSource different from other companies you’ve worked for?
- The flat organization. We’re really all in this together. Our management team works in the trenches next to us while also giving us the flexibility, creativity, and freedom to make mistakes, try new ways of doing things, develop into our best selves, and make an impact on the business.
- How much the management and HR care about us and our well-being and career growth. For example, management and HR put together an extensive leadership boot camp over several months for all the team leaders that taught us how to give better feedback and understand our own strengths and motivations. They also invited the entire San Francisco office to participate in a personality insights course, where we learned how to work better together and now understand how our different personality types complement each other within our teams. Not to mention, we hold monthly book clubs on various topics, such as negotiating tactics or habits of successful people, that are meant to help us grow professionally.
- Complete trust in us. ironSource is all about encouraging us to think on our own and push the boundaries. You learn very quickly that there’s no set rules on how to manage your accounts and that with the guidance of your manager/peers, you will find your own style that will allow you to shine.
- The resources available to you to excel. For example, in my role, I work very closely with our BI/Growth Strategy team who is genius at finding smart and innovative ways to make everyone’s lives easier, whether it's building out tools to provide better client insights or holding weekly office hours to have a dedicated time to help answer questions. Meanwhile, for new hires, our onboarding training is extensive and supportive, helping build your foundation and knowledge along with meet and greets with each team in the office. Plus, ongoing training to keep you up-to-date and polished on new products.
What’s your advice for someone looking to join the mobile gaming industry?
Jump in with both feet and don’t be shy! Ask questions - it’s the only way to learn. Be curious and open to constantly learning new things about the industry (even veterans in the biz are still learning on the daily!). Be ready for a fast-paced environment where things change often and be able to roll with the punches. Be open to meeting new people and trying new things - we’re an industry full of diverse, smart, fun people.
Think about where your interests lie and where your skills intersect. There are so many different ways you can get involved with mobile gaming - whether it’s on the actual game development side, ad monetization, data, user acquisition, biz dev. This is an industry where you can quickly climb the ranks as long as you’re dedicated and passionate about what you do.
