Senior Program Leader - PMP-Certified Project & Portfolio Manager
Resume:
DAN ALWENDE
+254-***-***-*** ********@*****.*** LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-alwende
Profile Summary
PMP-certified Senior Program Leader with 10+ years of progressive experience in Financial Services and ICT, specializing in establishing and governing high-impact, large-scale retail portfolios and regional banking operations. I manage budgets consistently exceeding $1M+, demonstrating high-level fiscal accountability and a track record of delivering programs on time and under budget, including achieving a 35% ROI on regional retail assets. Expert in driving the full project lifecycle, strategic risk mitigation, and credit portfolio management. Proven ability to translate complex credit and technical mandates into clear strategic direction for ExCo-level leadership.
Industry Leadership & Awards
1st Runners-Up: Volunteer of the Year Award 2025 – Project Management Institute (PMI) Kenya Chapter.
Finalist: PMI Kenya Excellence Awards 2025 (Volunteer Category).
Global Events Manager: PM Playbook (Volunteer Role).
Key Competencies
Project Management Expertise: Expertise in leading and managing large-scale, high-impact projects across diverse banking domains, ensuring timely delivery, adherence to budget, and maintaining quality standards.
Client Relationship Management: Proven ability to build and maintain critical stakeholder relationships at all levels, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and business retention.
Quality and Compliance Oversight: Experience in implementing and overseeing robust quality control measures to maintain high standards of workmanship and ensure
Policy and Regulatory Compliance across project deliverables.
Team Leadership and Capacity Building: Experience leading, mentoring, and developing cross-functional and Scrum teams, enhancing productivity, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Procurement and Vendor Management: Proficient in sourcing, procuring, and managing third-party vendor relationships and materials to optimize project resource utilization and minimize costs.
Contract Negotiation: Skilled in reviewing, negotiating, and managing contracts with clients, subcontractors, and suppliers to ensure favorable terms and reduced financial risks, ensuring adherence to agreements.
Strategic Planning: Expertise in developing and executing strategic initiatives to drive business growth, optimize resources, and improve operational efficiency and EPMO alignment.
Budgeting and Financial Management: Skilled in analyzing project budgets exceeding $1M+, controlling costs, and tracking financial performance to achieve cost savings and enhance portfolio profitability..
Major Accomplishments
Budget & Financial Management: Demonstrated executive fiscal accountability by managing a professional KES 10 Million budget for strategic initiatives, delivering a 35% Return on Investment (ROI).
Risk Mitigation & Quality: At Equity Bank of Kenya, reduced processing errors by 37% through comprehensive staff training on account opening procedures and banking regulations.
Team Performance & Leadership: Led a team of 15 personal banking officers, resulting in a 31% improvement in productivity and overall team performance.
Governance & Knowledge Management: Developed and implemented a knowledge management system for the PMI Chapter, capturing project lessons learned and best practices to standardize future project delivery.
Stakeholder Satisfaction & Retention: Improved customer satisfaction by 25% and boosted retention rates by 29% (Cooperative Bank), confirming outstanding client relationship management skills.
Financial Oversight & Cost Control: Analyzed project budgets and financial reports, identifying opportunities for cost savings, which enhanced overall project profitability during complex projects.
Strategic Growth: Successfully developed and executed business strategies that drove significant branch growth and improved profitability within the banking sector.
Agile Sales Initiatives: Prospected and generated over 300 leads, contributing to a 40% increase in new account openings as a Direct Sales Officer.
Quality Control Implementation: Implemented inventory control measures and quality standards, optimizing stock levels and ensuring regulatory compliance during construction operations.
Training Effectiveness: As an ICT Tutor, improved student proficiency assessments by 34% through interactive teaching methods.
Career Highlights
Director of Marketing & Board Member Project Management Institute, Kenya Chapter Feb 2025 - Present
Strategic Initiative Leadership: Spearheaded data-driven strategies aligned with organizational goals, increasing membership by 18% Year-over-Year (YoY) and expanding organizational reach and financial stability.
Fiscal Responsibility & Cost Management: Managed a KES 10 Million budget, delivering a significant 35% ROI through optimized campaigns and strategic partnerships.
Board Level Contribution & Executive Influence: Provided marketing expertise directly to the PMI Kenya Board, influencing key decisions on member value and organizational growth.
Team Leadership & Efficiency: Led a 10-person marketing team, implementing process improvements that enhanced campaign efficiency by 12%, successfully reducing marketing spend per acquisition.
Data-Driven Digital Proficiency: Conducted market research informing the launch of the "PMI Kenya Digital Learning Platform," successfully attracting 300+ new users in Q1.
Multi-Channel Campaign Success: Directed integrated digital, print, and event campaigns, achieving a 28% increase in event registrations and 15% lead generation improvement for certifications.
Stakeholder Satisfaction: Partnered cross-functionally with sales, product, and customer service teams, contributing to a 10% increase in customer satisfaction and engagement/communication.
Performance & Growth Tracking: Tracked Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), using data to drive decisions and achieve consistent 8% quarterly growth in key engagement metrics.
Marketing Expertise for Customer Service Excellence Training Program (Volunteer) United Nations Volunteers - East and Southern Africa (Aug 2025 - Present)
Strategic Planning & EPMO Alignment: Developed and executed a comprehensive 12-week marketing plan to elevate brand equity, designed to generate demand for a government-mandated training program by focusing on targeted outreach to public, private, and international audiences.
Risk Management & Strategic Analysis: Conducted an in-depth PESTLE and SWOT analysis to identify strategic opportunities and mitigate threats (e.g., critical website issues), providing data-backed recommendations to KSG leadership for robust digital presence.
Event Planning & Project Documentation: Authored the official Concept Note for the Customer Service Excellence Conference, outlining a detailed plan for the landmark event, including participant engagement, session topics, and research compilation.
Lead Generation & Metric Tracking: Created and launched a detailed webinar plan as a key marketing tool designed to generate qualified leads and attract a minimum of 200 participants from public and private sectors.
Stakeholder Collaboration & Coherence: Collaborated directly with the Kenya School of Government (KSG) and the Huduma Kenya Secretariat to align marketing efforts with the government-mandated initiative, ensuring strategic coherence across all project pillars.
Content Development & Reporting: Drafted and refined core marketing materials, including a project launch newsletter and a comprehensive 12-week content calendar, aligned with KSG’s strategic goals.
Project Manager (Contract) Excelerate Remote USA July 2025 - September 2025
Project Lifecycle Management: Directed the end-to-end project lifecycle for a simulated, large-scale, cross-functional initiative (Global Career Fair), leading a remote, cross-functional team to a successful and on-schedule delivery.
Agile Methodology & Reporting: Utilized Agile methodology and modern tools to develop a comprehensive project dashboard, track progress, manage task backlogs, and deliver a detailed final project report to leadership.
Risk & Contingency Management: Developed a robust A/V and technical support plan to mitigate potential event disruptions, ensuring seamless operations for high-visibility presentations, workshops, and attendee experiences.
Stakeholder & Vendor Coordination: Managed key external vendor relationships, including catering and venue, and implemented a detailed day-of-event schedule to ensure all logistics were meticulously coordinated and executed.
Performance & Leadership: Achieved an 87% overall rating in a 360-degree feedback evaluation from peers and managers, demonstrating strong capabilities in teamwork, time management, and the ability to consistently deliver high-quality work.
Program Manager Wakwetu General Stores Ltd Kenya Sept 2020 – Jan 2025
Project Leadership: Led multiple construction projects from inception to completion, ensuring compliance with safety regulations, quality standards, and timelines, contributing to overall project success.
Procurement Optimization: Spearheaded the sourcing and procurement of construction materials, implementing inventory control systems that reduced waste and optimized stock levels.
Stakeholder Coordination: Effectively facilitated communication between clients, architects, engineers, subcontractors, and regulatory agencies, resulting in seamless project execution and stakeholder satisfaction.
Resource Allocation: Strategically allocated human, financial, and material resources, improving operational efficiency and minimizing costs on multiple high-value projects.
Contract Management: Reviewed, negotiated, and managed contracts with clients, suppliers, and subcontractors, ensuring favorable terms and reduced financial risks.
Financial Oversight: Conducted in-depth financial analysis and budget tracking for all projects, identifying cost-saving opportunities that enhanced overall project profitability.
Logistics Coordination: Streamlined logistics and distribution processes to ensure timely delivery of materials, minimizing project delays and increasing productivity.
Quality Assurance: Implemented robust quality control measures that ensured all construction materials and processes met regulatory standards, maintaining high levels of workmanship.
Personal Banking Officer Cooperative Bank of Kenya June 2017 - Aug 2020
Client Relationship Management: Led efforts to enhance customer satisfaction, resulting in a 25% improvement in customer retention through effective relationship-building strategies.
Team Leadership and Development: Managed and developed a team of 15 personal banking officers, driving a 31% improvement in overall team productivity and performance.
Strategic Business Growth: Developed and executed business strategies that significantly increased branch profitability and expanded the customer base through targeted sales initiatives.
Lead Generation and Sales: Successfully prospected and generated new leads, contributing to a substantial increase in new account openings and boosting market share for personal banking products.
Sales Performance Analysis: Tracked and analyzed sales performance, providing detailed reports and insights that informed strategic planning and improved decision-making.
Consultative Selling: Delivered high-impact sales presentations and utilized consultative selling techniques to drive a 35% increase in product uptake among targeted clients.
Market Share Expansion: Implemented sales initiatives that contributed to a measurable increase in customer engagement and market share within the local banking sector.
Customer Retention Initiatives: Led targeted campaigns and initiatives that resulted in higher customer engagement, significantly improving retention rates and enhancing overall customer loyalty.
Direct Sales Officer Cooperative Bank of Kenya Oct 2012 - May 2015
Lead Generation: Prospected and generated over 300 leads within six months, contributing to a 40% increase in new account openings, significantly expanding the customer base.
Sales Strategy Development: Developed and executed targeted sales strategies, resulting in a 20% improvement in sales conversion rates and increased market penetration.
Product Uptake: Utilized consultative selling techniques to drive a 35% increase in the uptake of banking products among new and existing clients.
Sales Performance Reporting: Tracked and analyzed individual and team sales performance, generating detailed reports that provided valuable insights for future sales planning and decision-making.
Client Relationship Building: Built strong relationships with potential clients, fostering trust and loyalty, which contributed to sustained business growth and client retention.
Collaboration and Teamwork: Worked closely with the sales team to enhance overall performance, leading to a 15% improvement in team sales results through collaborative efforts.
Consultative Sales Presentations: Delivered compelling sales presentations that addressed client needs, resulting in higher engagement and increased product sales.
Market Share Growth: Played a key role in expanding the bank’s market share by actively promoting banking products and services to new customers in targeted regions.
ICT Tutor January 2012 - September 2012
Emmanuel Computer Academy, Kakamega
Curriculum Development: Developed comprehensive lesson plans and educational materials, resulting in a 28% increase in student engagement and overall course satisfaction.
Student Proficiency Improvement: Delivered ICT lessons that improved student computer literacy and technical skills, leading to a 34% increase in student proficiency assessments.
Interactive Teaching Methods: Implemented innovative, hands-on teaching techniques that boosted student participation and understanding of complex ICT concepts, contributing to a 26% improvement in class performance.
Progress Monitoring: Regularly assessed and monitored student progress, providing tailored support that resulted in a significant 26% improvement in overall student performance.
Technology Integration: Introduced new technologies and tools into the curriculum, enhancing the learning experience and preparing students for current industry standards.
Classroom Management: Fostered a collaborative and engaging learning environment that encouraged peer-to-peer learning and improved classroom participation by 19%.
Student Engagement: Utilized interactive learning activities that increased student participation, creating a more dynamic and effective classroom experience.
Operational Efficiency: Streamlined instructional processes, resulting in improved course delivery and reduced errors in assessments and grading procedures.
Tools
Microsoft Project, Jira, Oracle Analytics Cloud, Tableau, CRM Systems.
Academic Qualifications
2008 - 2012: Masinde Muliro University - Bachelor of Science in Computer Science.
2003 - 2006: Friends High School Kigama – Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education.
Certifications and Awards
● Project Management Professional (PMP)® - Project Management Institute 2025
●Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) Certified Foundations Associate October 2025
●Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2025 Certified Generative AI Professional October 2025
●Oracle Data Platform 2025 Certified Foundations Associate October 2025
●Oracle Cloud Infrastructure 2025 Certified Generative AI Foundations Associate October 2025
●Data Protection Certificate - Strathmore University 2025
●Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)® - Scrum Alliance 2024
●Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)® 2024
●ITIL Foundation 2025
●AWS Cloud Quest Cloud Practitioner - AWS 2025
●Google Cyber Security Professional Certificate - Coursera 2025
●Google Project Management Professional Certificate 2024
●IBM IT Project Manager Professional Certificate 2024
●IBM IT Scrum Master Certification 2024
●Software Product Management - University of Alberta 2024
●Cloud Computing - Coursera 2024
●Introducing Generative AI with AWS - Udacity 2025
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