Never miss an episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, a podcast brought to you by Amazon and SFBT. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.

In the latest episode of Innovating Forward in San Francisco, Jane Ip, operations manager at Amazon’s DFA5 fulfillment center, discusses her unexpected career path from part-time delivery driver to operations leader.

A Bay Area native, Ip picked up a second job in college at an Amazon delivery service partner. She rose through the ranks quickly after managers noticed her strong work ethic. Nine years later, Ip now helps develop future leaders.

Amazon emphasizes workforce development and internal mobility, Ip says, particularly through its culture of continuous improvement — a “Day One” mindset that encourages taking risks and embracing opportunity.

“I’ve always been a shy person, not very outgoing, and something that I've learned working within the company is you have to be uncomfortable,” Ip says. “That's how you grow within yourself. Something that I promised myself this year is to continue to do uncomfortable things to keep growing.”

Ip also shares how employee feedback drives innovation, and how she mentors Amazon’s next generation of talent.

Learn more about Amazon careers in the Bay Area.