Product Training Leader with 10+ Years Experience

M E L I S S A K O E S T E R, M B A

Manager, Talent Development and Learning

Boston, MA 02108 978-***-**** ***************@*****.*** https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-koester/ P ROFILE

Engaging trainer with 10+ years of valuable experience in building relationships, cross-team collaboration, and stakeholder presentations. Adept in problem-solving, negotiation, and conflict resolution to drive successful training outcomes. Passionate about continuous learning and staying ahead of industry trends to enhance training programs. Proven ability to create an inclusive and dynamic learning environment that empowers teams and improves product adoption. S K I L L S

Product Training Advisor Relationships Recruitment Facilitation Learning Management Systems Training Evaluation Adult Learning Client Relations Public Speaking Wealth Management Technology Employee Onboarding Team Building AI Bot Training for In-App Help Building Relationships Negotiation Cross-Team Collaboration Continuous Learning Technology: MS Office Suite Videate – creating videos with AI UserPilot – creating click through skins on screens Walnut – creating simulations Vimeo – open URL for uploaded content Camtasia – Recording web presentations P ROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PRODUCT FACILITATOR LEVEL 3 at Advisor360 Weston, MA 08/2019 – 02/2025

Orchestrated platform and product training for 20,000 advisors, pioneering a train-the-trainer model that efficiently scaled learning, empowered client teams, and ensured high adoption rates.

Developed and delivered onboarding training for 14,000 advisors during COVID, adapting to evolving technology in a startup environment, resulting in technology adoption surpassing the 50% benchmark and increased revenue per advisor.

Identified gaps in new hire support and created a company-wide onboarding program, successfully onboarding 800+ employees while managing product development training.

Spearheaded AI-driven support improvements by testing and refining an AI bot, entering thousands of product queries to surpass an 80% success rate for in-app help.

Achieved 87%+ survey scores and 100% ratings for training on 150+ platform enhancements, enabling a smooth implementation, reducing ramp-up time, and increasing revenue from day one.

Learned and implemented Videate AI coding to convert in-app help articles into automated video tutorials, increasing accessibility and user adoption.

Distributed recorded live sessions and created interactive simulations, overcoming demo site delays and cost barriers.

Optimized team efficiency by adopting new technologies, reducing the facilitation team from six to two while boosting internal and external client satisfaction.

Tailored business strategies by leveraging available technology to enhance efficiency and optimize product adoption.

Supported transition of new/existing advisors, including IAR, Hybrid RIA, and RIA-only, by facilitating seamless onboarding to new systems.

ONBOARDING TRAINING MANAGER at Fidelity Investments, Asset Management Boston, MA 10/2015 – 07/2019

Crafted and launched award-winning new hire onboarding program at TD, delivering a $5 million ROI over five years by building a supportive, engaging experience that boosted employee retention, performance, and overall satisfaction.

Identified high turnover risk among new hires and spearheaded a global collaboration with teams in India, Georgia, and Connecticut to develop a comprehensive onboarding program, supporting new employees, managers, and peer partners.

Created a heat map of user feedback using a color scale to visually represent sentiments, allowing senior leadership and award committees to quickly assess improvements in morale and new hire longevity from thousands of comments. MK

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR (10/2024 – 02/2025) and VICE-CHAIR (08/2015 – 10/2024) at Down East Enterprise Rockport, ME

Revitalized 75-year-old family-owned publishing business by aligning shareholder interests, reducing expenses, increasing efficiencies, securing COVID relief funds, and expanding business lines, resulting in thriving business and content. DEGREES OF DIFFERENCE: BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEMBER at Advisor260 Weston, MA 10/2023 – 02/2025

Supported Advisor360 corporate non-profit Degrees of Difference as a Board Member which had a budget of $40,000/year and sponsored between 8-14 events annually

EDUCATION AND L I CENSES

Master of Business Administration

Simmons Graduate School of Management

Bachelor of Arts in French and International Affairs in Economics University of Maine at Orono

ATD Certification for Instructional Design

ATD Training and Facilitation Certificate

Licensed Series 7 - General Securities Representative (lapsed) Licensed Series 63 – Uniform Securities State Law Exam (lapsed) A vocation

HOUSE RENOVATIONS (1993- 2024)

Lexington Concord Northampton Holyoke Lowell

8 Projects

Acting as General Contractor

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