SUMMARY:

• Results - driven, PMP certified project manager offering 10+ years of experience in project, program, and portfolio management.
• Proven track record of delivering objectives on-time, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully manage diverse projects from inception through completion, under the pressure of fast-paced, time-sensitive environments.
• Exceptional communicator who builds positive relationships with business partners, project stakeholders, all levels of management, as well as technology and support teams.
• Ability to leverage expertise in implementing leading edge IT solutions and collaborative team leadership to consistently improve ROI, efficiency, and optimize processes by developing operational best practices.
• Collaborates with business partners and IT leadership teams to plan and prioritize projects for alignment with strategic roadmap.
• Effectively manages cross-functional teams to actively bridge the gap between business and technology teams ensuring forward progress to successfully produce project deliverables within critical timelines.
• Maximizes productivity by setting clear expectations and proactively communicating project status, issues, and risks to project stakeholders and senior management.
• Able to identify emerging and potential issues and provide solutions that successfully align organizational objectives with business needs.
• Demonstrated talent for creatively addressing operational problems to enhance programs, drive product enhancements, boost productivity, and increase efficiencies.
• Enhances company performance by improving enterprise efficiency, consistency, accountability and revenue through strategic management and optimization of IT and IS resources, and effectively leading initiatives and cross-functional teams to cut costs and increase end-user satisfaction.
• Analyze As-Is and To-Be processes and work with both business and technical resources to determine whether the requirements can be reasonably met within the current technical environment, and propose solutions for meeting business requirements in the most cost-effective and efficient manner.
• Excellent knowledge of Software Development and methodologies including Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC), Agile, and Waterfall.
• Adept at working independently and effectively managing and delivering multiple projects with limited direction.
• PMP certified project manager, proficient at PMBOK, Waterfall, and Agile project methodologies.

TECHNICAL SKILLS:

Tools: MS Office (Excel, Word, Outlook, Visio, PowerPoint, OneNote, Project Server, Access, and Project), SharePoint, Team Foundation Server (TFS), GoToMeeting, OpenVoice, Skype Meeting, and WebEx

Technologies Managed: ASP.NET, C#, JavaScript, WorkPaper Manager, Business Objects, OnBase, EXACT, LifeRay, Statistical Analysis System (SAS) Server, UNIX, Oracle, SQL Windows Server 2008/2012, Citrix, HIGLAS, MCS, VMS, FISS, IBM Mainframe, Microsoft Access, SQL, SharePoint

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Confidential, Fargo, ND

IT Project Manager

• Dually accountable for portfolio management and oversight of corporate IT projects that align with key strategic business and IT initiatives.
• Provides portfolio management for the largest account within IT ($30M).
• Leads portfolio management and governance team, analyzes and aligns portfolio with corporate strategy and financial goals, drives PMO decisions for portfolio management which ensures project budget and resource approvals meet the organization's business and financial objectives.
• Provides executive project oversight and facilitates project solicitation, selection, prioritization, implementation, controls, and reporting, and resolves tactical issues and operational problems in order to achieve executive objectives and goals.
• Manages portfolio inventory to ensure that prioritization and scheduling of work is in line with business strategy, technology initiatives, and available resource capacity.
• Reviews project portfolio with IT leadership and provide status updates on current projects, as well as plotting future projects for implementation to strategic IT roadmap.
• Creates a collaborative partnership among senior leadership and portfolio stakeholders, and supports the portfolio governance process.
• In collaboration with BPMO, developed a Community of Practice to share best practices across organizational units, foster teamwork, and streamline business processes.
• Mentors and collaborates with peers on project management skills, implementation of new concepts and methodologies, and serves as a change agent within the organization.
• Assists PMO with documenting Project Life Cycle templates and Process Workflow.
• Adept at end - to-end project management, diligently managing all phases of project life cycle, from inception through completion.
• Leads teams across broad technical and business disciplines, focusing teams on project objectives and tracking progress to ensure milestones are completed on time, under budget, and with the desired outcomes.
• Effectively manages multiple projects simultaneously in a fast-paced environment, adapting to frequently changing priorities and business needs.
• Defines processes and tools best suited to each project, and applies most effective management style based upon project specifics and business objectives.
• Achieves project objectives by working with appropriate leadership to identify expertise needed to form skilled cross-functional project teams, clearly communicating roles, responsibilities, accountabilities, and expectations through detailed project plans, schedules, and work breakdown structures.
• Proactively identifies key project risks, roadblocks, and issues, and partners with business and project team to identify and implement appropriate corrective action.
• Serves as a liaison between stakeholders, vendors, security, and IT teams in developing scope and project plans aligned with CMS Information Security Acceptable Risk Safeguards (ARS), while ensuring attainable milestones for successful project go live.
• Interfaces with and manages enterprise architecture, .Net, java support, windows, UNIX, and other IT resources groups regularly, providing a diverse and robust knowledge base.
• Creates all project related documentation including business requirements, functional specifications, project schedules, communication plans, risk management, training, disaster recovery, and operations.
• Develops and implements new policies and modifications for improved task completion and efficiencies.
• Works directly with enterprise and solution architects to perform gap analysis of current and future state workflows to develop recommendations for improved processes, and efficient integration.
• Responsible for implementation of tracking mechanisms to confirm achievement of stated objectives and guiding projects to on-time completion.
• Coordinates multidisciplinary team meetings and maintains all meeting documentation such as agendas, action item logs, and meeting minutes.
• Facilitates project close-out and proactively identifies opportunities for improvement to all process and tools used in the execution of project activities.
• Coordinates efforts and sets up post-production support to track and resolve critical issues, and provide weekly executive project summaries to stakeholders.

Confidential, Fargo, ND

Business Analyst

• Managed a large - scale, top-priority, and complex multi-million dollar federally mandated project, attaining milestones on-time and within budget by proactively tracking metrics and project outputs, working with project team and key stakeholders to devise best practices and continuous improvement of project delivery, and synchronizing the efforts of cross-functional departments.
• Effectively lead business initiatives, and initiated continual efforts to improve implementation by identifying opportunities to streamline processes.
• Forecasted and reported on upcoming deliverables to provide increased insight into resource and capacity planning for senior leaders.

Confidential, Fargo, ND

Operations Coordinator

• Managed a high - profile, complex Medicare initiative through all phases of the project life cycle.
• Effectively leveraged resources needed for large/high-risk project, focusing team on business objectives mandated by the federal government, and tracked progress to ensure project milestones were completed within defined timeline and budget.
• Led a team of 12 to correct 21,000 Medicare claims, demonstrating ability to manage project allocated resources without direct authority by providing on-site, day-to-day direction.
• Identified and implemented process improvements and streamlined processes to increase quality and efficiency and to mitigate risks.
• Performed quality assurance reviews of work tasks ensuring quality and timeliness standards were met, assisted staff in meeting individual and team quality expectations, monitored and reported quality review statistics, and identified problem areas and developed plan of action for correction.

Confidential, Loveland, CO

Product & Business Development Manager

• Developed business strategy, tactics, revenue and profit objectives.
• Managed development of concept, formula, and packaging for new vitamin products.
• Led overall brand marketing efforts, including new product development initiatives.
• Drove profitability by tracking and analyzing market performance by monitoring sales, and implementing steps to optimize results.
• Sourced ingredients and suppliers for new products.

Confidential, Fargo, ND

Associate Manager

• Managed the implementation of new, high - profile legal accounts, assessed client needs for initial scope of account services, and developed project plans, schedules, and benchmarks for successful execution.
• Responsible for client-facing interaction and completing client project lifecycle from requirements gathering through planning, implementation, and roll-out into production.
• Assembled and managed project teams up to 25 members, assigned individual responsibilities, developed project schedules, and determined and acquired resources needed for on-boarding new accounts.
• Led Implementation team, ensuring optimal service of delivery, improved client satisfaction to 98.6%, and consistently exceeded quality standards.
• Performed risk assessment and analysis, and held regular status meetings with project team and provided project status reports describing the state of the project, progress and accomplishments, risks, and issues.
• Ensured adherence to project deadlines, budget, escalations, and change management for client accounts.
• Performed personnel evaluations and provided developmental guidance.
• Demonstrated ability to meet customer needs in a timely manner, building productive customer relationships and taking personal responsibility for customer satisfaction and loyalty.
• Responsible for managing cross-departmental project teams to ensure operational readiness for new product and service launches.
• Defined and managed adherence to project standards and compliance requirements.

Confidential, Fargo, ND

Project Lead

• Successfully managed several concurrent projects, and improved quality by 8%.
• Responsible for daily shift management, including intake of all new project requests and for distribution of work.
• Directed staff to meet tight deadlines in a high stress environment, regardless of possible setbacks.
• Demonstrated strong organizational skills and flexibility to adjust for shifting priorities.
• Motivated team to work together towards a common goal and to achieve cooperation within the team.
• Achieved project objectives, ensuring completion in a timely and cost effective manner.
• Coordinated quality reviews and participated in approval of project deliverables.