Digital Transformation Marketing

Ryan J. Ahern

*********@*****.*** ● 773-***-****

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryanjahern ● Gainesville, GA 30501

IT Project / Program Management Executive Digital Transformation Leader

Accomplished and results-driven executive with 20+ years’ cross-industry leadership experience in enterprise program management, digital transformation, solutions implementation, and Agile scaling.

Track record of aligning IT strategy with business objectives, managing multi-million-dollar portfolios, and leading high-impact digital initiatives for Fortune 500 organizations. Instrumental in delivering complex integrations, platform modernizations, and workforce enablement solutions. Visionary leader with skills in building, leading, and managing cross-functional teams and fostering a culture of excellence to achieve key deliverables. Expertise in stakeholder engagement, executive-level reporting, and scaling Agile frameworks (SAFe) to accelerate business value and ensure client business success.

Areas of Expertise

Digital Transformation Leadership

Cloud Infrastructure Deployment

IT-Business Strategy Alignment

Business Process Reengineering

Change Management Leadership

SaaS & B2B Software Delivery

Product Management Leadership

Enterprise-Wide System Integration

Agile & SAFe Methodologies

IT Service Management (ITSM)

Program & Project Governance

Change Management Execution

Key Stakeholders Engagement

Risk Assessment & Mitigation

Budgeting & Cost Control

Professional Experience

The Home Depot / Volunteer

Project Services Specialist / Volunteer

Apr 2024 – Present

Taking on temporary full-time retail, customer service, and construction dispute resolution roles to cover immediate expenses until securing a full-time, salaried opportunity that aligns more closely with my career

Pursued training in Generative AI for Project Management, SAFe Advanced Facilitator: Conflict and Collaboration, Value Stream Mapping, and Digital/Financial Transformation and other relevant areas of upskilling.

Attended industry conferences like the SAFe Summit to stay ahead of market trends.

Organized intermediate volleyball leagues, officiated high school sports, and coordinated charity events—including hurricane recovery initiatives and volunteer commitments.

Baxter International Inc. (via Hillrom acquisition)

Senior Program / Product Director

Apr 2020 – Mar 2024

Led definition and transformation of Hillrom’s digital portfolio; transitioned projects, products, and platforms to Agile Release Trains (ARTs) and Solution Trains under SAFe framework. Served in multiple concurrent leadership roles, such as Program Director, Release Train Engineer (RTE), Scrum Master, Product Manager, and Business Relationship Director to ensure strategic alignment, operational efficiency, and effective delivery across enterprise digital initiatives. Led teams comprising 60+ direct and indirect reports, including architects, project managers, scrum masters, product owners/managers, and third-party vendors. Defined and executed Statements of Work (SOWs), change orders, and transition plans for successful handovers to product support teams.

Notable Contributions/Accomplishments:

Delivered three Minimum Viable Product (MVP) releases of Hillrom.com for U.S., Global Digital Marketing, and Customer Care, supporting internal customers across multiple acquired business lines and geographies that had not yet fully integrated.

Executed a digital program and SAFe-based agile transformation across organization’s portfolio, while combining agile, hybrid, and waterfall methodologies to establish a DevSecOps, product-centric approach, and designing the integration of ServiceNow and Jira for program tracking and reporting.

Managed $16M portfolio under Data Management program by directing strategic integration efforts in data migration, virtualization, and organizational transformation initiatives after Baxter’s acquisition of Hillrom.

Reduced delivery conflicts by 50% and improved coordination across Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and IT by driving quarterly Program Increment (PI) planning and aligning roadmaps across cross-functional teams.

Consolidated 90+ regional legacy websites by introducing federated governance, content ownership frameworks, and training for Global Digital Marketing team to manage unstructured regional content on Hillrom.com.

Integrated 240+ enterprise websites into a single platform by consolidating them to 27 sites on AEM and SAP Commerce, and implementing key connections with Salesforce, SAP, Mulesoft, multiple legacy ERPs, and over 20 third-party SaaS tools.

Established governance for intake processes, strategic planning, and product roadmap alignment in the IT business relationship role by formalizing prioritization systems and managing known business scope across multiple backlogs.

McDonald’s Corporation

Sr. Program Manager

Aug 2018 – Apr 2020

Mitigated compliance litigation risk by deploying a globally distributed Accessibility Program team across key projects, ARTs, and platform streams. Enforced standardized QA protocols and building an Accessibility Community of Practice (CoP) across US/CAN, LATAM, EMEA, and APAC regions. Governed all IT operations across global regions by providing leadership and executive-level reporting for portfolios and product streams covering Delivery, Mobile, Web, Kiosk, Media and Merchandising, Promotions, Drive-Thru, Digital Menus, Loyalty Programs, R&D, and Financial Transformations.

Notable Contributions/Accomplishments:

Reduced litigation risk, operating costs, and streamlined accessibility validation by driving automation of QA and WCAG compliance assessments through integration of specialized software within Accessibility Program.

Enabled enterprise-wide accessibility compliance by embedding WCAG, ADA, and Section 508 standards into QA, development, and design practices across multiple platforms under strict legal deadlines.

Supported enterprise capital optimization by guiding financial transformation initiatives between IT and Finance to define value-stream-based budgets and allow capital reallocation across high-priority portfolios.

Administered annual global IT budgeting of up to $440M by overseeing quarterly funding cycles and implementing financial controls and procedures in partnership with Finance for accurate reporting and off-cycle allocation tracking.

Reinforced transparency and fiscal responsiveness by aligning budgeting processes with transformation strategies and enabling adaptable funding mechanisms across enterprise departments.

Gorilla Group

Executive Director

Sep 2017 – Mar 2018

Managed a portfolio of accounts to maximize profitability, delivery quality, client satisfaction, and account growth within Gorilla’s Hybris Commerce practice. Managed service offerings, mentored team members, and resolved issues quickly. Collaborated with sales teams to drive strategic account pursuits and identify growth opportunities. Coordinated with operations and HR teams to balance client demands with internal practice requirements.

Notable Contributions/Accomplishments:

Spearheaded Gorilla-staffed and other client projects as Program Manager within client Program Management Offices.

Defined and enforced communication standards to align all deliverables to agreed-upon expectations and quality benchmarks.

Negotiated contractual amendments and agreements, secured favorable terms, and sustained strong client partnerships.

Monitored account budgets and maintained accurate forecasts to optimize financial outcomes and resource allocation.

Developed client case studies and facilitated collection of client references to showcase successful project outcomes.

Accenture Interactive (via Acquity Group acquisition)

Senior Digital Program Manager / Delivery Lead

Sep 2011 – Sep 2017

Mobilized and spearheaded Accenture-staffed projects within client Digital Program Management Offices. Aligned digital marketing strategies with client goals and addressed commerce, multi-channel, content and campaign management, and marketing needs via advanced ecommerce and campaign management platforms. Enabled significant B2B enhancements by re-platforming client’s online wholesale channel to Hybris 5.3, incorporating B2B2C functionality for prescription eyewear (lenses and frames). Optimized financial performance by tracking contract-controllable income and average daily rates across engagements.

Notable Contributions/Accomplishments:

Mitigated risks in business processes by identifying and managing the integration of client’s Hybris ecommerce platform with legacy fleet management and delivery routing systems.

Ensured functional, architectural, and integration alignment between client’s Hybris ecommerce platform, AEM, and Salesforce Marketing Cloud for customer segmentation, campaign management, and marketing analytics.

Enhanced client segmentation and campaign management processes by planning, executing, and analyzing results and refining solutions for evolving customer needs.

Enabled efficient in-store pick-up functionality by integrating client’s POS and Hybris ecommerce platforms.

Reduced delivery conflicts by 50% and improved coordination across Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and IT by driving quarterly Program Increment (PI) planning and aligning roadmaps across cross-functional teams.

Improved user experience and enhanced client’s B2C Hybris platform by managing monthly agile release cycles.

Facilitated smooth integration between Retail/POS systems and Hybris 5.7 which enhanced in-store pick-up functionality.

Increased communication efficiency by 90%, rationalizing client’s digital customer communications through a single platform.

Drove 21% increase in online sales and 23% increase in conversion rates through ongoing management of monthly releases and enhancements to client’s B2C site.

Additional Experience as Principal at The Revere Group & Engagement Manager at U. of Illinois, Office of Technology Management

Education

Master of Business Administration University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Champaign, IL

Concentration: MIS, Supply Chain and Entrepreneurship

Bachelor of Arts University of Missouri – Columbia, MO

Major: Communications Minor: Psychology

Certifications & Licenses

Project Management Institute (PMI)

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Program Consultant (SPC)

Product Owner/Product Manager (POPM)

Release Train Engineer (RTE)

Scrum.org

Professional Scrum Master (PSM)

Prosci

Certified Change Practitioner (CCP)

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