Amy Grau Email & Phone Number

Plano, Texas, Us

Alpharetta, Georgia, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄My leadership, coaching, and executive decision-making led to my advancement as VP of Product Management.I partner with the engineering, sales, risk, IT, and product management teams to drive the delivery of release plans, technology roadmaps, and product strategies for Salesforce enterprise initiatives and customer-centered commerce solutions.Recently, my focus has shifted towards working with Technical Product Owners and Directors of Product Management to oversee, monitor, and remediate our portfolio management processes, particularly new merchant acquisitions, due diligence, payment processor integrations, new operating models, and value-add eCommerce services.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒➊ Portfolio ManagementI took over the portfolio management function in my previous role, which has extended into this one. This effort involves working with the senior leadership to revamp and roll out lean portfolio management processes.Additionally, I am focused on training a dedicated portfolio management team on identifying business opportunities, writing user epics, and learning the KPIs for evaluating programs, projects, and initiatives.➋ Merchant IntegrationI'm presently leading a new value stream in collaboration with sales, risk, and compliance teams to develop and integrate new payment facilitator models that will allow merchants to quickly receive and process card payments by the end of 2023.

Alpharetta, Georgia, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄Following a restructuring, I was promoted to Senior Director of Product Management. I managed a team of Product Owners, Product Management Directors, and Technical Writers on back-end compliance and Salesforce eCommerce initiatives.I drew upon my IT business relationship manager background to forge relationships, build trust, and promote communication between IT, engineering, sales, product, and risk teams to quickly escalate issues, develop mitigation plans, and solve problems.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒➊ Vertical Business GrowthI established and implemented a new sponsor bank relationship with Fresno First Bank, the first in nearly 15 years, which expanded MerchantE's payment processing services to high-risk businesses, such as CBD.To move things forward, I developed an internal stakeholder rollout plan. I drove the setup, testing, and implementation of internal business systems, ADF and CDF functionality, and AMEX certification.Within 3 weeks following deployment, the sales team onboarded the first merchant partner. I was nominated and recognized with the 2021 Excellence in Leadership Award, the company's highest honor.➋ Portfolio ManagementI revamped the portfolio management processes and organized a 6-week training on business case development and practices for identifying target verticals and developing go-to-market strategies.➌ Talent DevelopmentOne of my wins this year was arranging for Certified Scrum Product Owner and Agile methodology training for my team. This ongoing training and mentorship have resulted in zero attrition on my team.

Alpharetta, Georgia, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄I transitioned into a Director of Product Performance role and managed monthly budget, revenue, and variance tracking for multiple MerchantE products.During this time, I assisted Scrum Masters, Delivery Managers, and engineering teams in initiating business requirements discussions, developing user stories, identifying project risks, and defining mitigation and release plans.I also stepped in to take over Salesforce-related projects following an internal resignation in the Product Organization. I coordinated requirements gathering, escalated requests, and managed technology transfers with engineering teams.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒➊ Risk Mitigation PlanningI escalated issues and produced a mitigation plan that proposed breaking up 3 massive releases into 6 smaller ones and considering off-band releases to ensure the Sponsor Bank Tool's delivery by the reforecasted date.This effort led to establishing and implementing MerchantE's first sponsor bank relationship in nearly 15 years with Fresno First Bank, an initiative I presided over when I was promoted to Senior Director of Product Management.➋ M&A PlanningI helped with M&A planning and due diligence activities, including reviewing product offers, making recommendations, and performing portfolio analyses for new product development opportunities and merchant integration planning.➌ Continuous ImprovementsI served in an advisory capacity to implement operational enhancements into the Developer Portal for the sales engineering team. Working with the vendor, I tracked down the root cause of 2 bugs with the certification request form, which improved the sales engineering team's satisfaction, who were the primary data consumers.

Alpharetta, Georgia, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄I joined the organization as a Technical Writer, where I quickly captured attention for creating, updating, and maintaining all technical and end-user documentation across all MerchantE products in 3 months.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒One of my key contributions was designing and implementing a Developer Portal to document all APIs and leading UAT efforts for the new corporate website as part of a company-wide rebranding effort.

Cincinnati, Ohio, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄As Technical Delivery Manager, a role I transitioned into, I drew on my technical communications, IT infrastructure, and business process improvement background to plan and deliver solutions to drive organizational goals.I focused on being the critical link between business and technical teams. On the business side, I would communicate about upcoming infrastructure enhancement programs that would impact specific business operations.From a technical standpoint, I worked with infrastructure teams on using different business processes to troubleshoot and solve problems and understand the business applications' impact during IT deployments and maintenance.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒➊ Business Process OptimizationI directed the implementation of ServiceNow, which migrated all incident and change management processes and inventory onto a single platform within 7 months, achieving global business process alignment.✔Streamlined IT network inventory and data center management✔Strengthened internal controls around IT service management✔Optimized IT team productivity through an enhanced technical ticket process✔Trained US employees on new global processes following implementation➋ Operations RestructuringI played a key role in 2 major consolidation initiatives:✔Reduced the Atlanta office footprint by 50%, shutting down and relocating all IT equipment (and residual employees)✔Facilitated the closure of 4 US offices located in IL, TX, and AZ, following Vantiv's 2018 acquisition of Worldpay➌ Effective Team BuildingI organized IT team appreciation events, including the annual chili cook-off and quarterly breakfasts that raised an average of $2K to $3K for local charities.Unfortunately, I was laid off with several colleagues following a restructuring. Since then, I've volunteered with the Girl Scouts of Atlanta and was recently honored as their September Volunteer of the Month.

Cincinnati, Ohio, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄I led a 12-member team in delivering complex technical projects and programs to improve business process efficiency and resolve major business incident management processes to ensure continuing operations.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒➊ PCI DSS Regulatory ComplianceTo meet regulatory changes in electronic payment and security standards, I led my team in a large-scale effort to overhaul all business processes and internal systems that handled credit card data. This initiative had to be completed before an upcoming audit, a true "do or die" event.I met with staff to identify, redesign, and redeploy the front and backend processes that the changes would impact. Following implementation, I initiated UAT, chaired daily IT stand-ups to resolve outstanding bugs, and prepared IT infrastructure assets for the upcoming audit.Within 4 months, my team and I transformed 25 business systems and processes to be PCI-compliant and received a passing grade during the audit—classified as "one of the best and most thorough."➋ Data Center InfrastructureI played an instrumental role in leading the transition of 600+ staff, the primary and secondary data centers, and a 120-member, 24x7 call center operation to a brand new corporate HQ in mid-town Atlanta.✔Completed move <6 months and achieved 100% operational status before the holidays✔Incurred ZERO downtime by structuring the move-in shifts✔Maintained the integrity of more than 21 million financial transactions stored within the data centersWhile the relocation logistics presented challenges, the greater obstacle was achieving staff buy-in. Over time, I achieved this by addressing staff concerns and highlighting amenities like better Wi-Fi, public transportation access, and enhanced walkability.In 2017, following the department's restructuring, I transitioned to a Technical Delivery Manager role.

Cincinnati, Ohio, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄As IT Business Relationship Manager, I resolved issues stemming from a lack of understanding and communication behind the impact of IT programs and projects on various business units.Simultaneously, I was still in charge of managing a 3-member team of Technical Writers and leading the recruitment and onboarding of contractors to assist with large-scale technical writing projects.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒One of my first challenges was reviewing a portfolio of more than 200 projects, some dating back over 5 years and no longer relevant from a technical or business standpoint.I overhauled the process for initiating project requests by developing an IT roadmap that detailed business requirements, risks, project objectives, deliverables, milestones, and the overall demand and maintenance required by the IT team.Within a year, I trimmed the number of project requests from 200+ to ~75 by prioritizing top initiatives focused on regulatory compliance, new product development, and customer service enhancements.▶️ 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃This experience gave me a broader view of the business, specifically in the role that IT played from both a technical infrastructure and commercial business side.I regularly joined meetings and weighed in on proposed projects where IT and business intersected. Additionally, I advised c-suite leaders on projects and programs that positioned the company for growth and development through digital transformation.I also served on and chaired the Business Advisory Board and estimation meetings, where I developed an appreciation for the challenge of strategizing and finalizing 8-figure IT budgets.In mid-2014, I was promoted to Senior Technical Manager.

Cincinnati, Ohio, Us

▶️ 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐏𝐄I stumbled into Worldpay (more or less) in a temporary role after I completed my Bachelor's in technical writing. Not too much later, I applied and was hired on as a Junior Technical Writer.During this time, I worked on diverse technical documentation projects, including user guides, technical manuals, reference cards, and release notes for internal software and hardware technologies. As an active member of the Society of Technical Communication, I constantly learned and applied the latest technical writing and communications techniques.Through my self-directed initiative, I was tapped to take on more challenging projects and responsibilities.▶️ 𝐊𝐄𝐘 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒In 2008, I was promoted to Technical Writer Team Lead, where I managed and coordinated technical documentation projects for a small group of technical writers. During this time, I played a key role in a second rebranding initiative, where I led my team in transitioning all of our reference cards from paper into digital files.My second promotion came in 2009 as Technical Writing Manager. This role marked my first opportunity to experience project management at a professional level and expand my capabilities outside of the technical writing space.✔Grew team to 3 FT Technical Writers and onboarded 10 contractors to create and formalize technical documentation for 50+ software systems in 9 months✔Managed 3 separate rebranding initiatives—saved $100K+ annually following the digitization of reference cards✔Rebranded the entire IT documentation library—500+ documents—in <60 daysMy aptitude for project management, combined with my business and technical acumen, led to my advancement to IT Business Relationship Manager in 2013.