Women’s History Month: meet Nicole Scherbina, Senior Staff Manager of Product Operations

Women’s History Month is a time to recognize the women who are not only advancing their fields, but reshaping what leadership means within them. The theme guiding this year’s Women at 1Password Employee Resource Group (ERG), Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future, reflects that responsibility.

One of the women leading that change within 1Password is Nicole Scherbina, Senior Staff Manager of Product Operations and a leader within our Women at 1Password ERG. Her perspective on leadership, equity, and readiness reflects the kind of intentional impact we’re committed to building.

Take a few minutes to get to know Nicole and the journey that shaped her leadership.

Can you share a bit about your career journey and what led you into product operations? Was this a path you always envisioned?

My career has been shaped by a few themes, but the most relevant one is making order out of chaos. I’ve worked across very different environments and in organizations of different sizes and stages (food, non-profit, toys, you name it). Each one forced me to learn different operating models and challenged what I thought I knew. Having that diversity of experience is a superpower, and gives you more to pull from when you’re pattern matching in your next role. I’m a zero to one systems builder at heart. I’m most energized when something is undefined or messy and needs structure. I care about helping teams make better decisions and creating order where there isn’t any.

Product Operations became the right fit because it sits at the intersection of strategy and execution. It’s where you design the systems that translate ideas into outcomes. It wasn’t a path I mapped early on. It’s the result of a broad career that gave me perspective, pattern recognition, and a deep appreciation for how different teams operate. All of that now shows up in how I build and lead.

As Senior Staff Manager of Product Operations, what are the most critical problems you’re focused on solving at 1Password today? How does your work enable product teams to do their best work?

My focus is on the systems behind the execution; thinking about how what we’re doing ties back to our goals, and what’s in the way. 

The most critical problems my team is solving are prioritization, cross-functional alignment, and operating effectively in ambiguity. Practically, this is about how effectively teams are operating when it comes to planning, communication, and visibility. 

My team’s role is to reduce the chaos, surface trade-offs early, and provide visibility into risk and progress. We want product teams to spend more time solving meaningful customer problems and less time navigating processes or misalignment.

What’s a moment in your time at 1Password that you’re especially proud of?

The moment I’m most proud of is actually right now, and what I’m most proud of is my team and how they’ve risen to the occasion. 

1Password is at an inflection point as AI reshapes how we build, prioritize, and deliver. Periods like this test an organization’s operating discipline and leadership depth.

My team has adapted exceptionally well to this environment. They’ve leaned into experimentation, tested tools in real workflows, shared what’s working and what isn’t, and brought others along. Seeing them operate with that level of ownership and judgment at a pivotal time makes this particular moment stand out.

You’ve built and developed a strong team that reflects different backgrounds and identities. What’s your philosophy when it comes to attracting, developing, and retaining diverse talent in product?

Diversity is not an initiative – it’s a leadership responsibility. Building a strong team starts with expanding your definition of what “great” looks like and challenging assumptions about experience and style. Excellence is not defined by a specific degree, school, or background. Not everyone has had the same access to opportunity, and strong leaders account for that rather than defaulting to what they know.

I focus on hiring for capability, curiosity, and mindset. From there, it’s important to set expectations, give and ask for direct feedback, and create a space where it’s safe to dissent. People stay where they see a path to growth, where their perspective is valued, and where they’re not penalized for sharing what they think.

Retention comes down to the environment a leader creates. Teams do their best work when they feel respected, challenged, and supported. That requires engaged, intentional leadership. Leaders have to work at and want to do it, because your people know when you don’t mean it.

You’re part of the leadership team for Women at 1Password ERG. What does advocacy look like to you in that role, and why is this work important to you?

Advocacy, to me, is both systemic and personal. 

Systemically, it means ensuring women’s experiences and feedback are visible in leadership conversations and translated into action where needed. It also means showing women at all levels what success looks like, what other women are capable of, and building the road for others to follow behind.

Personally, it means mentorship, sponsorship, and creating spaces where difficult conversations can happen safely. It means equitable access to information and opportunities. It means addressing bias directly and making room for others to lead.

This work is important because culture is shaped by what leaders prioritize. If we want equity in outcomes, we have to be deliberate about equity in opportunity. 

What’s something you wish more women internalized about their own potential or readiness for leadership?

If you wait until you feel ready, you’re likely already late. You may not ever feel ready, but you have to do it anyway, because growth happens at the edges of what you're comfortable with. 

Many high-performing women wait until they meet every requirement before stepping forward, whether it’s for a new role or a promotion. Leadership often requires stepping into ambiguity before you feel prepared and guiding others through it. 

I encourage women to trust their instincts, judgment, and resilience. Confidence comes through experience, and experience often starts with raising your hand before you feel entirely ready.

What does Women’s History Month mean to you personally, and what responsibility do we have as leaders today to shape the next generation of women in tech?

Women’s History Month is about both recognition and accountability. It’s a moment to acknowledge the progress that’s been made and to be honest about the gaps we still have.

As leaders, our responsibility is to make advancement less dependent on luck or proximity to power. That means building transparent systems, advocating in rooms where decisions are made, and modelling inclusive leadership consistently, not just when it’s convenient.

The next generation is watching how we lead. The standard we set today becomes what they inherit.

Women’s History Month is about honoring progress and taking responsibility for what we build next. If you want to join leaders like Nicole and help build the road ahead for the next generation, check out opportunities on our team.