Josh Burnell Product Management Director

Josh Burnell never expected one company to feel like several.

Over the past eight years at Asurion, he's worked across small business products, retail, digital experiences, AI, and platform technology. Every role introduced a new set of challenges, new customers, and new ways of thinking.

"Moving across an organization this complex feels like working at several different companies without ever changing the culture," he says.

Today, Josh is Senior Director of Product Management for Asurion's Intelligence Platform, helping shape the AI capabilities that support customers and the people who support them. Looking back, he doesn't see a series of promotions. He sees a series of opportunities to learn.

Growing by saying yes

Josh joined Asurion as a Product Manager supporting small and medium-sized businesses.

Because the team was small, everyone wore multiple hats. Product strategy, development, client relationships, sales, and training all became part of the job. It gave him a broad foundation and, more importantly, the confidence to step into unfamiliar territory.

From there, one opportunity naturally led to the next.

He moved into retail products before expanding into digital experiences across mobile apps, customer-facing websites, and the Asurion website. Later, his work with the Asurion New Ventures team introduced him to AI-powered customer experiences, eventually leading him to his current role overseeing the Intelligence Platform.

Not every move was planned.

"The move from the small and medium-sized business team to the in-store team was intentional," he says. "Most of the others found me."

Curiosity creates opportunity

Josh noticed a rhythm throughout his career. Every role lasted roughly a year and a half to two years—long enough to build something meaningful, but short enough that he never stopped learning.

"After a year or two in any role, it's easy to lean into how comfortable it's become," he says. "Saying yes to the new thing is the harder instinct, but it's the one that shapes you."

That mindset led him to develop skills he hadn't expected to learn.

While working on the Asurion website, he learned how to manage a large-scale website. Today, he's exploring AI development, experimenting with tools like Claude Code, and turning product ideas into working software.

"The tactical skills changed with every role," he says. "Curiosity is the one that traveled with me."

Solving problems that matter

Today, Josh leads the Intelligence Platform, which develops AI capabilities used by both customers and customer support teams.

One project he's especially proud of is his team's work deploying conversational AI in the voice channel.

Instead of navigating long phone trees, customers can describe what they need in their own words. The AI understands their request, automates steps where appropriate, and connects them with the right expert team more quickly.

For Josh, that's where the work becomes meaningful — not just in what the technology does, but in what customers actually feel.

"We're seeing shorter call times and getting customers to the right place the first time," he says. "That means customers get their issue resolved and get back up and running faster."

While the technology itself continues to evolve rapidly, what excites him most is finding the right ways AI can make customer experiences genuinely better.

Growing with the business

Josh credits much of his own growth to leaders who consistently looked for opportunities to stretch people beyond the work they had already become comfortable with.

"When something new comes up, leadership looks at the current team first," he says. "They create room for someone to step off work they've mastered into something unfamiliar."

He believes that's one of the reasons so many people build long careers at Asurion. Many of the colleagues he started with eight years ago have grown into entirely different roles across the company. "That isn't accidental," he says.

When he stepped into unfamiliar roles, he found managers willing to coach him through the parts he hadn't done before. That experience continues to shape how he leads his own team today.

Building together

One lesson has stayed with Josh throughout his career. Coming from a sports background, he'd always believed in the power of teamwork.

"When the problems get hard, everyone converges instead of splitting into their corners," he says.

That collaborative approach extends across his current team, which partners closely with product, engineering, customer solutions, legal, compliance, and client services to build AI capabilities that scale across the business.

For Josh, that's what makes solving difficult problems enjoyable. "It's not just about building technology," he says. "It's about bringing together people with different perspectives to solve something meaningful."

Why he stays

After more than eight years, Josh still feels like there's another challenge waiting around the corner. He says he's never stayed in one role long enough to become bored, and every new opportunity has pushed him to develop skills he didn't have before.

The people matter just as much.

"You spend most of your week with your colleagues," he says. "Even on the fire drill days, people jump in and rally rather than protecting their own lane." That's what keeps him excited about whatever comes next.

Looking ahead

Josh believes the best career moves start with clarity.

Start by knowing what kind of problems you want to solve. Talk with your manager about where you want to grow. Then be willing to raise your hand when an opportunity appears.

"Every leader I've worked with at Asurion has their team's best interest at heart," he says. "I've watched managers help people grow, expand their scope, and increase their impact, even when that meant cheering them on into a new challenge in another part of the org. That's what makes this such a great place to build a career."

He didn't plan every move. Instead, he stayed curious, kept learning, and kept saying yes to challenges that pushed him beyond what he already knew.

Ready to solve big problems and keep growing? Explore open roles at Asurion today.