Building Better Connections Across Product and Operations at Pebl

Meet Juan Ruiz, Product Operations Manager

For Juan Ruiz, one word comes to mind when he thinks about Product Operations: connection. As a Product Operations Manager at Pebl, Ruiz supports the Payroll, Invoicing, Conversational AI, Crypto, and Time teams. 

“My role sits at the intersection of Product and Operations,” Ruiz said. “Making sure those teams stay closely connected is critical to building well-rounded solutions and creating strong collaboration.”

His work spans everything from managing workflows and operational processes to supporting feature launches and helping teams turn customer feedback into meaningful product improvements.

Building systems that help teams move faster

Before joining Pebl, Ruiz was looking for a role where he could help build processes from the ground up.

“What stood out to me (about Pebl) was the opportunity to define workflows, manage bug SLAs, and support strategic launches,” he said. “I thrive in environments where there’s a lot to learn, experiment with, and improve.”

Since joining the company, Ruiz and his team have focused on creating more scalable ways to capture operational feedback, whether it comes in the form of bugs, feature requests, or customer insights. They’ve also helped reshape how Pebl approaches enablement and feature launches, creating better ways to measure adoption and understand impact.

One of his proudest accomplishments has been redesigning the company’s bug reporting workflow.

“We built a workflow that automatically creates Jira tickets from Slack submissions, making it much easier to track and prioritize problems.”

That work evolved even further during a Pebl hackathon, when the team created a bot that learns from reported issues and continuously improves the company’s knowledge base. Together, those improvements have helped teams resolve issues faster and become more self-sufficient.

Another standout moment was helping launch the Alfie Benefits MCP.

“It required a lot of cross-functional alignment,” Ruiz said. “We needed our Benefits team to validate the accuracy of the information being surfaced, and through close collaboration and improvements to our prompting, we were able to launch something that delivered meaningful value.”

Growing alongside AI 

One of the biggest skills Ruiz has developed during his time at Pebl is learning how to integrate AI into his daily work.

“AI has become a huge part of how I work,” he said. “I use it to synthesize large amounts of information, act as a thinking partner, and even help me learn how to code.”

For Ruiz, AI has become more than a productivity tool. It has also helped him become more intentional about how he communicates and solves problems.

“One thing I’ve learned is that the quality of the output depends heavily on how specific you are with your inputs,” he said. “Every day I’m learning something new, and I’m excited to see how much more there is to uncover.”

A culture built on ownership and collaboration 

Ruiz describes Pebl's culture as scrappy and collaborative with a strong sense of ownership. As part of a small Product Operations team, he partners with groups across the organization, helping Product teams better understand operational workflows while helping Operations teams successfully adopt new features.

“We’ve each developed deep expertise in our respective domains and found different ways to support our partners,” Ruiz said. “I enjoy being able to bridge teams and help turn ideas into something actionable.”

That ability to connect people and teams is also what makes the work most rewarding.

“Seeing how a simple workflow improvement can make a meaningful difference for others is incredibly fulfilling,” he said. “Everyone is working toward a common goal, and the level of collaboration across teams is something I value deeply.”

Finding impact in unexpected moments 

For Ruiz, one of the clearest signs that his work was making a difference came when colleagues started seeking out his expertise.

“When you first join, you spend a lot of time learning and absorbing information,” he said. “Over time, you become an expert in your domain. When others begin relying on your perspective and expertise, you realize your work is helping shape what happens next.”

From the ballet studio to Product Operations

Before entering the tech industry, Ruiz had a very different career aspiration.

“I wanted to become a professional contemporary ballet dancer,” he said.

He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance and spent years pursuing that path before ultimately choosing a different professional direction. But the lessons from dance continue to influence how he approaches his work today.

“My dance background taught me how to problem-solve, adapt, and make decisions under pressure,” Ruiz said. “Those are skills I still rely on every day.”

Outside of work, Ruiz enjoys spending time outdoors, traveling, and exploring new places.

“Learning something new always reminds me how much there is still to explore,” he said. He also stays connected to his creative roots through the arts, whether that means visiting museums, attending different performances, or finding other ways to engage with the creative world.

Pebl in one emoji

When asked to describe Pebl’s culture in a single emoji, Ruiz didn't hesitate:

🎢