Rob Jackson

About

  • Education: Elon University
  • Degree: BA Communications

I'm a product and operations leader with 17 years in tech, based in Johns Island, SC. At accesso, I lead a shared services team that builds core infrastructure: authentication, compliance, client tooling, and integrations used across the company's full product portfolio.

The pattern has been pretty consistent: show up where there's no playbook and build what's needed. I joined accesso in 2015 on the implementation side, managing projects across the UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the US. I moved into product leadership in 2020, first building the Product Optimization function from scratch, then taking on Shared Services in 2025. Each step started with no clear structure and ended with something that kept running without me.

The part I take most seriously is building people alongside products. I've deliberately recruited from within operations rather than the external market. The idea was to build a pathway into product management for people who already had the domain knowledge. Every direct report who wanted to grow moved into a product manager or product owner role. That's not a metric I highlight because it looks impressive. It's a design choice that reflects how I think about what leadership is actually for.

Skills & Experience

Leadership & Strategy
  • Product Strategy
  • Platform Product Management
  • Operations Leadership
  • Cross-functional Leadership
  • Stakeholder Management
  • Talent Development
Process & Execution
  • Process Design
  • Product Roadmapping
  • Agile Methodologies
  • Requirements Management
  • System Integration
  • AI/Agentic Workflows
Tools & Technical
  • SQL / Data Analysis
  • JavaScript / HTML / CSS
  • Atlassian (Jira, Confluence)
  • Microsoft Office Suite
  • Video Tutorial Production
  • Google Analytics

Professional Experience

Director, Product Management (Shared Services)

June 2025 – Present

accesso - Remote

Lead product strategy for accesso's Shared Services team, owning the roadmap, KPIs, and OKRs for platform-level capabilities used across the company's full product portfolio. Also own technology partner relationships and partnership agreements.

Key initiatives:

  • Unified Guest Login: Reframed a guest authentication initiative that had been stalled for two years by introducing a phased delivery approach. Multiple phases are in production across two product lines today, with full rollout targeted across all guest-facing platforms serving accesso's 1,100+ client venues in 31 countries by EOY 2026.
  • Revenue Recognition Engine: Defined the product approach for a capability that addressed a feature parity gap cited in 12+ prospect RFPs and removed the primary blocker for client migrations from accesso's legacy on-premises platform to the cloud. MVP released December 2025; multiple pilot clients currently in UAT.
  • EU Fiscal Compliance: Led development of a middleware service covering France, Spain, Belgium, and Germany. Became the company's subject matter expert in a specialized regulatory domain where no internal expertise existed. First clients entering production September 2026.
  • Unified Client Portal: Directed consolidation of 9+ client-facing back-office applications into a single SSO portal for operator clients. Entering beta July 2026.
  • Agentic AI Development Workflow: Championed adoption of an AI-agent-driven development process. A recent regression cycle resolved 10 bugs in one day versus one to two weeks under the prior process.

Director, Product Optimization

May 2021 – June 2025

accesso - Remote

Led the Product Optimization function at accesso, which I built from the ground up as the company's first hire into the role. The function's job was to create structure around how client feedback and feature requests reached the product team, and to say no constructively when the right answer wasn't more development.

  • Built the intake process, triage workflows, approval process, and stakeholder training that replaced fragmented feedback channels (email, phone, and support tickets) with a structured, trackable system. Worked hands-on alongside the team to evaluate requests, translate accepted items into requirements, and redirect those outside product strategy.
  • Reduced inbound feature requests from 800+ to approximately 300 per year across three major product lines while improving submission quality and response consistency. Processed approximately 1,200 requests over four years.
  • Hired and developed six direct reports, deliberately recruiting from Operations rather than externally. All six advanced to Product Manager or Product Owner roles.
  • Served as the primary escalation point for high-stakes client conversations and cross-functional disputes, including coordination of a billing discrepancy resolution affecting multiple clients across several internal teams.
  • Transitioned the function to self-sustaining operation in June 2025. The intake process continues today, managed directly by Product Managers without a dedicated team, which was always the goal.

Product Optimization Manager

Dec 2020 – May 2021

accesso - Remote

Joined as the first full-time hire into a newly created role. The director who hired me transitioned to a different role within two months, at which point I assumed functional leadership of the team. Promoted to Director in May 2021.

Global Implementation Manager

May 2015 – Dec 2020

accesso - Remote

Managed software implementation projects for accesso's ticketing and eCommerce platform across the UK, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and the US. Projects represented $2M+ in client revenue, working with clients remotely and on-site.

  • Led an 18-month pilot implementation of a major product architecture overhaul for a multi-park operator in Mexico, coordinating a combined team of approximately 25 people. Became the primary internal SME for the new product version and trained accesso's support organization. Presented the implementation at the annual client seminar. The version became the standard for net-new client onboarding for several years afterward.
  • Created 50+ bespoke training assets: 20+ client-facing and 30+ internal, to support adoption across a technically complex product suite.
  • Contributed to Business Development by supporting RFP responses and clarifying existing product capabilities for prospective clients.
  • Developed client-facing and internal utilities using JavaScript, HTML, SQL, and batch scripting to address operational gaps.
  • Served as an annual presenter at accesso's client conference across technical sessions, round-table discussions, and strategic panels.

Integration Consultant

July 2014 – May 2015

PeopleMatter - Charleston, SC

Provided technical support for integrating SaaS talent acquisition software with payroll systems for large-scale employers in retail, fast-food, and entertainment. Participated in Agile sprints with the Integration Development team in QA and client-impact roles.

Database Administrator and Programmer

Sept 2010 – July 2014

South Carolina Aquarium - Charleston, SC

  • Administered 30+ SQL databases, business systems, and a data warehouse. Built custom reporting and dashboards using SQL, SSRS, and SharePoint for financial and guest-visit analysis across all departments.
  • Led selection and deployment of a new Point of Sale and eCommerce system for a venue welcoming approximately 500,000 annual visitors, where ticket sales represented 75%+ of revenue.

Audio Visual and PC Technician

June 2009 – Sept 2010

South Carolina Aquarium - Charleston, SC

Maintained A/V exhibits and IT infrastructure for 100+ end-users. Designed interactive exhibits for major gallery renovations.

Other Experience

  • Audio Visual Technician - Kiawah Island Resort, SC
  • Wedding Videographer - Kailua-Kona, HI
  • Kayak Tour Guide & Sales Manager - Kealakekua, HI
  • Teaching Assistant: Audio Production - Elon, NC
  • Executive Team: WSOE 89.3FM - Elon, NC
  • Marketing Intern: WSTW/WDEL - Wilmington, DE