Project Manager Management

Melissa M. Downes

*** *** **, *******, ** ***** ~ 781-***-**** ~ **********@*******.***

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

. Project management certificate and full software development life cycle

(SDLC) experience.

. Subject area expertise in environmental and corporate sustainability,

energy or carbon efficiency and a financial services background.

. Effective communication skills tailored to various stakeholder groups

e.g. divisions, clients and business partners. Adept at interfacing with

technical experts, virtual teams and international audiences.

. Superior quantitative analysis to develop strategies targeted to key

business opportunities. Excellent diagnostic skills to determine root

causes of issues and validate optimal resolution.

. Strong interpersonal skills to manage diverse teams, to build consensus

and to create informal networks.

. Extensive software experience: MS Office, Project & Visio, Web

infrastructure, PL/SQL Developer, ITI Shadow base (replication), and

Application Protocol Interface (API).

EXPERIENCE

Teaching Fellow, Cambridge, MA

Academic year 2009 - present

Sustainability & Environmental Management, Harvard Extension School

. Responsible for evaluation of and guidance to 75 students in Capstone,

Environmental Management and Oceans courses.

Volunteer, Boston, MA

April - June 2009

Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston,

. Conducted business sustainability assessment required for client to

become certified as Sustainable Business Leaders.

Research Associate, Cambridge, MA

Academic year 2008 - 2009

Harvard University

. Surveyed individuals in both government and private sectors on the key

factors of success and failure in sustainability initiatives. Gained a

broadened perspective on sustainability and knowledge of collecting data

in digital audio media.

Financial Services Consultant, Boston, MA

2004 - 2008

State Street Trust & Bank, PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT & ENHANCEMENT

. Coordinated and reframed resource requirements from program managers to

communicate clear options and enabled senior management to select a

future tax system solution.

. Contributed to quorum to create best practices for new Project Management

Office (PMO) and ensured effective processes for daily management and

standard reporting to various management levels.

. Successfully integrated two projects and completed deliverables three

months early for a savings of $48,000.

. Managed team on new client implementation processes to negotiate

responsibilities and created a master plan with critical paths to reduce

time and realize revenues sooner.

Putnam Investments, STREAMLINING PROCESSES

. Evaluated cost effectiveness of implementing new software and recommended

not to upgrade.

. Streamlined nightly procedures for quicker issues resolution and

delivered investment reports necessary to make trading decisions prior to

market opening bell.

Wellington Management, DATA MANAGEMENT

. Transformed fixed income reports to deliver improved data integrity and

calculations for enhanced security measurements and better investment

decisions. System successfully installed and active today.

. Collaborated with Win Pro development personnel in India and created an

efficient virtual team. Provided application requirements, testing and

documentation for development of reports.

Fidelity Investments - Brokerage, PRODUCT ENHANCEMENT

. Developed simpler business rules for new account setup providing quicker

production response times and easier maintenance. Completed the

replacement system ahead of schedule and budget.

. Managed development expectations with clients and coordinated an offshore

QA team to ensure delivery of a high quality product.

Project Manager, SunGard Securities Processing, Bedford, MA

1999 - 2004

Promoted from Business Analyst to Sr. Business Analyst (Project Manger)

. Led development team and launched a new product with higher revenue

potential. Project budget near $1 million.

. Implemented new controls and procedures preventing Service Level

Agreement violations and financial penalties.

. Managed client roundtable meetings that negotiated development priorities

and maximized development resources.

. Designed high quality system upgrades to mimic similar established

functions that minimized training time and associated

operational costs.

. Developed a hierarchy of business rules to automate existing tasks and

eliminated rework which increased operational efficiency and reduced

operational costs.

Investment Professional, Fidelity Investments, Boston, USA & London, UK

1993 - 1998

. Prevented trading losses to mutual funds by reducing operational errors

and failed trades. Primary liaison to the bond settlement group.

Implemented tighter team coordination and enhanced procedures.

. Expedited performance improvements through effective communication of

business processes. Provided targeted solutions for IT developers and

coordinated testing efforts.

. Constructed long-term data series utilized for investment decisions and

contributed to mutual funds' profits.

AWARDS & PAPERS

Harvard University Extension School

Cambridge, MA

Award

Dean's Prize for Outstanding ALM Capstone in Sustainability & Environmental

Management Program May 2010

Expanding Adoption of Carbon Reduction Projects: Focus on Funding &

Partnerships for Residential Energy Conservation

Research Papers

. Carbon Management: Focus on product distribution metrics - Scope 1 & 2

Assessment.

. LCA carbon comparison of transport choices for cars (traditional &

hybrid) and commuter rail

. Building Information Management Systems (BIM): Metrics and automated

controls

EDUCATION

Harvard University Extension School

Cambridge, MA

Master of Liberal Arts, Sustainability & Environmental Management

Concentration: Ecology

Cumulative G.P.A. 3.72/4.00

March 2010

Relevant Courses: Strategies for Environmental Management; Corporate

Sustainability; Management for Sustainability; Sustainable Buildings:

Design, Construction and Operations; Life Cycle & Risk Assessment

Bentley University (College)

Waltham, MA

Project Management Certificate: PMP training by practicing project managers

University of Massachusetts

Amherst, MA

Bachelor of Business Administration, Isenberg School of Management

Major: Finance

Contact this candidate