Meet Hometime's Lead Product Manager: Mel Balmes

This week we’re spotlighting our Lead Product Manager, Mel Balmes. Read on to learn more about what makes Mel tick, what she gets up to outside work and what she loves about Hometime.

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What is your job title at Hometime?

I am the Lead Product Manager at Hometime and work closely with the development teams.

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Where are you based?

I am based in Rizal, Philippines. We moved here when I was 3 and it has been my hometown ever since.

Fun fact: it's named after the national hero of the Philippines, Jose Rizal.

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What does a typical day of work look like?

A "typical" day for a product manager is pretty much "atypical". It involves coordinating with stakeholders on the product roadmap, directly working with designers to create technical requirements, aligning with engineers and monitoring product development, and everything in between that is relevant to the Hometime platform.

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What are some of Hometime's values you connect with that drew you to the role?

I appreciate how Hometime values its people by allowing us to have work-life balance and flexible working arrangements. It is an open and respectful culture that is built on trust.

How do you unwind?

I meet up with friends or watch movies/series/variety shows on different content platforms.

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What is one thing people don't know about you that may surprise them?

The nature of my role involves a lot of talking, like coordinating and aligning with cross-functional teams….. but actually I'm an introvert. 

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What podcast are you listening to/what book are you currently reading?

I used to listen to content from Dive Studios - The Tablo podcast, Daebak show, Commit or Quit, I think you're dope.

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What gets you excited about life?

The fact that there’s a lot to learn - not necessarily about work and the industry, but life in general - people, culture and new experiences. Travelling is one thing that gives me that opportunity to learn while having fun and leisure time.