Scrum Master Project Manager

Uchechukwu Nicholas Uzoka, PMP, ACP, CSM - ISI

Alameda, California 415-***-**** *********@*****.*** Uchechukwu Uzoka LinkedIn

Scrum Master Agile/Scrum & Waterfall Methodologies

Professional Summary

Results-oriented Scrum Master with Business Analysis experience within the Financial and information Technology domains with 12+ years experience.

Adept at managing the full project lifecycle, from business analysis and requirements elicitation to implementation and post-go-live support, ensuring alignment with business objectives and regulatory requirements

Recognized as a business strategist capable of planning and overseeing multimillion-dollar projects. Aligning business objectives with technology solutions to drive process improvements, gain competitive advantages, and achieve bottom-line gains. Exceptional communication skills, leveraging a blend of technical, business, and financial acumen.

Expert in both Agile/Scrum and Waterfall project management methodologies. Skilled in managing cross functional project teams, consistently delivering high-quality outcomes that meet or exceed timeline and budgetary targets.

Areas of Expertise / Skills

Project Management: MS Office Suite, SharePoint, JIRA

Business Modeling: MS Visio Database/Query: SQL Certifications: CSM-ISI Soft Skills: Leadership, Problem-Solving, Analytical Thinking, Strategic Thinking, Conflict Resolution, Detail-Oriented, Collaboration, Adaptability, Communication, Creative thinking.

Professional Experience

Rand Merchant Bank – A Division of FirstRand Group July 2018 – January 2025

Scrum Master/Business Analyst

Lead and coach teams to adopt and implement Scrum and Agile methodologies, driving effective sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and backlog grooming to enhance team collaboration and performance. Utilize strong communication, facilitation, and presentation skills to manage and influence stakeholders while communicating organizational impediments to leadership. Leverage JIRA for velocity tracking and risk management, fostering a culture of continuous improvement within cross-functional teams through servant leadership and strategic alignment with business objectives.

Led a cross-functional team responsible for the delivery of software development projects.

Executed the decommissioning of the old security software (Softcon) and implemented a new software (CCure) at the organizational level.

Collaborated with executive stakeholders to identify several business needs, develop strategic plans, and implement process improvements.

Fostered a positive team culture and eased communication by encouraging open communication, promoting collaboration, support team members well-being and flexibility, team building activities, celebrating team achievements and milestones.

Made technical decisions and provided expertise by developing business processes and policies to ensure consistency and quality, staying up to date with industry trends and encourage knowledge sharing.

Empowered decision making by giving team members the autonomy to make informed decisions and take calculated risks.

Ensured team members have the necessary resources and support through training, mentorship, and coaching.

Rand Merchant Bank – A Division of FirstRand Group July 2017 – June 2018

Scrum Master

As a Scrum Master at Rand Merchant Bank, I executed multi-million-dollar projects, delivering them on time and within budget. I effectively coordinated cross-functional teams, utilized Agile and Hybrid methodologies, and applied risk management strategies, leading to a 15% increase in project efficiency. My initiatives resulted in a 25% reduction in project delays and a 15% improvement in clients’ satisfaction.

Managed a team of four direct reports (one business analyst, one quality assurance analyst and two developers)

Designed and implemented the operational process for the RMB Nigeria online platform increasing client satisfaction while also reducing processing time for manual instructions by 60% and error rate by 70%.

Led transition of the organization’s core banking software application from Quartz to BaNCS, positively impacting 75 users through process automation of 12 diverse products, decreased manual processing by 45% and increased revenue by 35%.

Served as organizational Banking Application Champion for 13 business units; Found gaps and analyzed risks and identified gaps for three manual processes, documenting more than 60 business and test cases which led to application enhancements.

Demonstrated understanding of the customer requirements incorporating knowledge of the development and interpretation of Business Requirement Documents (BRD), Functional Requirements Specifications (FRS), Use Cases, and the Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM).

Foster a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging regular feedback through one-on-one meetings, 360-degree feedback.

Uchechukwu Uzoka Page 2

Scrum Master cont.

Rand Merchant Bank – A Division of FirstRand Group June 2015 - June 2018

Scrum Master

Coach teams to adopt and implement Scrum and Agile methodologies, driving effective sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and backlog grooming to enhance team collaboration and performance. Utilize strong communication, facilitation, and presentation skills to manage and influence stakeholders while communicating organizational impediments to leadership. Fostering a culture of continuous improvement within cross-functional teams through servant leadership.

Led implementation of agile software development projects resulting in a 20% reduction in defects, 25% increase in team productivity and a 30% reduction in project timelines

Improved sprint velocity by 15% through clear, well-defined user stories with acceptance criteria resulting in faster delivery of working software.

Set realistic goals and align team capacity with deliverables.

Served as a servant leader by removing impediments, resolving conflicts, and ensuring the team adheres to Agile principles and best practices.

Rand Merchant Bank – A Division of FirstRand Group June 2013 - May 2015

Quality Assurance Analyst

Leveraged Agile methods to improve software quality; created and supported test plans, designed test cases, and performed user acceptance testing (UAT) to identify defects and ensure application compliance with project specifications. Used unit testing, integration testing and system testing to ensure system met the requirements and specifications

Implemented new automation framework organization-wide reducing manual testing time and increasing test coverage

Operationalized a test data management template that improved quality and reduced preparation time from 3hrs to 45 mins

Built and deployed defect tracking and reporting system to improve real time visibility and quality via data-driven decisions to improve quality.

Zenith Bank PLC May 2005 - May 2013

Banking Operations

Verified processed domestic, international funds transfers, including wire transfers and ACH transactions.

Responded to customer inquiries and resolved issues related to accounts and transactions.

Processed, reconciled trade settlements for various asset classes while maintaining accurate and up-to-date records of investment transactions.

Accomplishments

Revamped administrative workflows by automating daily requests through ServiceNow, reducing paperwork and introducing submission tracking to ensure accurate fulfillment. This enhancement improved operational efficiency, achieving a same-day service level agreement compared to the previous three-day timeline. Recognized for this achievement with the Individual Enablement Distinction Award at FirstRand Group for significantly boosting service delivery and operational performance.

Led process improvement initiatives for local and international payments (NGN and USD), achieving a 95% on-time settlement rate and enhancing compliance with regulatory standards.

Recognized for outstanding stakeholder management and strategic planning, facilitating collaboration between business units, technology teams, and external vendors to drive project success.

Education

Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry University of Port Harcourt Rivers State, Nigeria

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