Meet the Magnopians: Ellen Gordon
Ellen is a Lead Technical Program Manager at Magnopus. She originally kicked off her career in Public Relations, where she learned the art of storytelling, leaned into her skill for stakeholder management, and kept things running smoothly behind the scenes. From there, she easily transitioned into program management and hasn’t looked back since.
Tell us about your role at Magnopus!
As a TPM, I keep our Product teams aligned, raise blockers, and assist teams in their effort to turn complex technical work into clear, on-time deliverables.
What made you decide to pursue a career in this field?
I don’t think I followed a straight path into this industry. I’ve evolved from working in a wide range of industries and roles, building a skill set that helped me realise where my strengths lie. I’ve always been a highly organised person, both personally and professionally – my friends and family would verify this through my crazy level of holiday itinerary planning! Ultimately, that's what draws me to program management – the challenge of organising multiple moving parts and having things come together. I enjoy being that bridge of communication across teams and helping them achieve their end goals.
What have you been most proud of at Magnopus?
What stands out for me the most is the people. When I successfully facilitate teams learning something together and creating something everyone is proud of, it’s a great thing to be a part of. So to summarise, enabling my colleagues to smash their jobs is what stands out for me!
What two skills are essential for anyone in your role?
Being a trustworthy leader: Most of the time, TPMs will need to influence teams without being someone's direct manager, so the ability to motivate and align people with a level of authority and trust is key.
Being an excellent communicator: Delivering clear, concise comms – from Slack updates to meeting structure – is the glue that keeps everyone aligned and moving towards our goals.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt in your career?
The importance of reading what you write and then checking it again. As a dyslexic, this has been my biggest challenge to overcome. I always remember a previous manager gifted me Dryer’s English by Benjamin Dryer, highlighting the importance of language and communication. It has stuck with me as a really thoughtful gift at the beginning of my career and reminds me of a job and a team that helped shape my future.
What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not working?
I am a big fiction reader, so my ‘to be read’ list is ever-growing! I love an audiobook, so I like to have one on the go alongside a physical book. My physical book at the moment is The City of Brass by S. A. Chakraborty, and my audiobook is Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy. Two very different books, but I think Wild Dark Shore is pulling ahead – it’s a great, gripping mystery novel.
What's a daily routine you have in your life that brings you joy or just gets you through the day?!
I love to cook! Leaning into my type A personality, I religiously plan my meals for the week, incorporating new and old recipes into the mix. After work, I find it’s my de-stresser to stick on some music or an audiobook and cook up a delicious meal. I’m just back from a trip to Japan, so I have been making some yummy bowls of ramen and using some of the cool crockery and stunning chef's knives that we purchased out there.
If you didn’t have to sleep, what would you do with the extra time?
If I didn’t have to sleep, I would use the extra time to travel more. Traveling at night with less of the daytime rush and arriving in new places at the start of the day, ready to go, would be ideal. You could also explore cool parts of cities that are normally rammed with tourists in the wee hours of the morning by yourself, which would be dreamy!
If you could have any other job in the world, what would it be?
If I had no economic concerns and was doing something for pure pleasure, I’d love to run my own little cosy bookshop – either selling coffee or with an evening wine bar. I’d call it “Lewellen’s”, which is a combination of my husband's and my names.
What’s your go-to karaoke song?
“It's All Coming Back to Me” by Celine Dion. It’s a bit of a family anthem between my sisters and me, and has been performed as a karaoke trio at each of our weddings without fail!
