Charles S.

Charles S. Email and Phone Number

IT Portfolio Mgr (Agile Transformation Lead) @ Ciena
Chesapeake, VA, US
Charles S.'s Location
Chesapeake, Virginia, United States, United States
About Charles S.

With over 20 years of leadership in agile software and product delivery, I am passionate about transforming organizations and teams to deliver value-driven outcomes and continuous improvement. I am currently the Agile Delivery Lead II at AARP, where I am responsible for creating consistent and high-quality user stories, identifying and mitigating risks and dependencies, and coaching delivery teams and peers on agile best practices and enterprise guidance.I have extensive experience in agile portfolio and product management frameworks and methods, such as Scrum, Kanban, SAFe, XP, and hybrid methods, as well as in software and web development, DevOps, service management, and agile life-cycle tool administration. I have also led and facilitated several end-to-end program level agile transformations, training and mentoring agile product managers, owners, scrum masters, and program leaders to deliver strategic value. I hold certifications in Certified Agile Coach, Change Management (ADKAR), Scrum Master (CSM), Professional Scrum Master (PSM I), and ITIL Foundation.

Charles S.'s Current Company Details
Ciena

Ciena

View
IT Portfolio Mgr (Agile Transformation Lead)
Chesapeake, VA, US
Website:
ciena.com
Employees:
10127
Charles S. Work Experience Details
  • Ciena
    It Portfolio Mgr (Agile Transformation Lead)
    Ciena
    Chesapeake, Va, Us
  • Aarp
    Agile Delivery Lead Ii
    Aarp Aug 2023 - Present
    Washington, Dc, Us
    • Value Delivery: Led multiple strategic initiatives from idea to completion managing schedules, quality, cost, and people.• Epic and User Story Creation: Drove the creation of consistent, value-driven Epics and Stories incorporating best practices in architecture, information security, agile delivery, quality engineering, governance, service management, and user adoption.• Leadership & Initiatives: Led departmental and organizational initiatives, managed OKRs, identified risks and dependencies, removed impediments, and spearheaded team problem-solving.• Agile Integration: Integrated Rapid Delivery principles into team practices, coached teams on reporting, backlog development, refinement, prioritization, and facilitated team ceremonies.• AI Implementation: Successfully piloted and implemented Copilot for Edge and Copilot for M365 AI, collaborating with InfoSec, Engineering, and Department Heads.• Analytics & Optimization: Leveraged Power BI to evaluate, optimize, and improve departmental output and AI product delivery.• Goal Setting & Mentoring: Defined individual and team goals, mentored and coached team members, and managed performance.• Product Management: Assisted in creating and managing product requirements, budgeting, strategies, roadmaps, and specifications.• Technical Translation: Translated strategic business ideas into technical requirements with actionable epics and user stories, ensuring compliance with organizational and regulatory standards.• Project Management: Managed technical cross-functional projects, tracked progress, and maintained agile planning and development cycles.• Tool Proficiency: Advanced experience with Jira, Confluence, Lucid Chart, MS 365, Power Automate, Power BI, Mural, Copilot for M365, MS Edge, etc.
  • Ciena
    It Portfolio Mgr (Agile Transformation Lead)
    Ciena Aug 2021 - Jan 2024
    Hanover, Maryland, Us
    • Community Leadership: Led and expanded the IT Lean/Agile community, collaborating with Executive Sponsors, Product Management, Product Owners, Agile teams, and stakeholders.• Enterprise Transition: Facilitated the transition from project models to System/Product outcomes across business units and IT/Product development programs.• Strategic Vision & Governance: Set strategic IT vision through governance, lean budgeting, change management, and portfolio structure for IT departments.• Coaching & Alignment: Bridged Business Units and IT/Product development through enterprise-wide coaching, managing OKRs, and driving strategic outcomes.• Strategic Priorities: Worked with IT executives to establish annual, quarterly, and monthly strategic priorities.• Performance Metrics: Created and interpreted portfolio-level data/metrics using Atlassian tools, providing insights for executive decision-making.• Reporting & Presentations: Delivered enterprise reports and metrics presentations to manage prioritization of strategic initiatives.• Process Improvements: Drove process enhancements, Risk/Change management, and IT governance as part of transformation activities.• Mentoring & Training: Coached team leaders and teams in Agile methodologies, providing training and fostering continuous learning.• Guidance & Leadership: Provided overall guidance for coaches within the Agile Community of Practice (CoP) or Center of Excellence (CoE), promoting continuous improvement and innovation.
  • Northrop Grumman
    Enterprise Staff Agile Coach
    Northrop Grumman Jun 2017 - Jul 2021
    Falls Church, Va, Us
    Responsible for technical program (SAFe Program Consultant) level training and Agile coaching, with expertise in transforming traditional SDLC teams to Agile practitioners demonstrating strong communication skills (oral, verbal, and listening), via iterative roadmaps and program execution.• Agile Transformation: Led technical program training and Agile coaching, transforming traditional SDLC teams into Agile practitioners with strong communication skills.• DevOps Leadership: Built, integrated, and maintained CI/CD pipelines to achieve enterprise DevSecOps delivery.• Release Train Engineer: Facilitated Program Increment (PI) Planning and led sync sessions with Product Managers and Owners.• SAFe Framework Implementation: Executed Implementation Roadmap and coached the Agile Release Train (ART).• Versatile Roles: Performed roles of Scrum Product Owner, Project Manager, and Program Scrum Master, leveraging strong relationship-building skills.• Digital Transformation: Led a Digital Transformation initiative, transitioning four corporate sectors to Lean Agile models using Jira and Confluence.• DevOps Training: Trained and coached Ops, Systems, and Dev teams on DevOps culture and practices.• DevSecOps Handbook: Co-created and implemented the DevSecOps Handbook, providing coaching and training on its concepts.• Agile PMO Establishment: Established an Agile PMO, governance structures, and architectural plans across multiple programs.• DevOps Assessment Tool: Modernized a DevOps Assessment tool to evaluate various factors and conducted multiple assessments and recommendations.• Lean-Agile Transformation: Led program teams towards Lean-Agile transformation, improving efficiency and productivity using Agile methods.• Community of Practice: Active member of Agile Community of Practice, Software Community of Practice, and Agile Community of Excellence.• DevSecOps Tools Management: Managed DevSecOps tools to enable CI/CD through automation and integration.
  • Johnson & Johnson
    Enterprise Agile Sr. Manager
    Johnson & Johnson Aug 2015 - Jun 2017
    New Brunswick, Nj, Us
    Leader of the transformation of 6 program teams from traditional project management to Agile through 4 levels of enterprise Agile maturity and Lean product management in a matrixed and/or influence based environment. Responsible for budgeting, project financial management, and resource allocation procedures along with attracting and maintaining a highly skilled and engaged Agile and Lean thinking workforce.• Coached Scrum & Lean Fundamentals: Guided teams in sprint/release planning, product demos, team velocity/capacity, and daily Scrum calls.• Agile Transformation: Led the shift from traditional project management to Agile/Hybrid-Agile/DevOps using Lean, Scrum, Kanban, and XP.• Stakeholder Collaboration: Worked closely with business stakeholders, PMO, and Product Management to define roadmaps, requirements, schedules, budgets, and team capacity.• Tool Administration: Managed Agile project tools (Atlassian Jira and Confluence) for over 100 projects.• Custom Reporting: Created KPIs, dashboards, trend metrics, data filters, and queries for enterprise leaders.• Mentorship: Fostered an Agile mindset among team members, promoting ownership, self-management, and decision-making.• Product Ownership: Delivered valuable features as a Product Owner within an Agile team.• Agile CoP & CoE Leadership: Initiated and led division-level Agile Communities of Practice and Centers of Excellence.• Global Collaboration: Ensured high-quality, on-time, and under-budget deliverables through collaboration with Global Product Management.• Guidance & Standards: Provided strategic guidance on scope, schedule, risk analysis, and change management.• Collaborative Environment: Created a collaborative atmosphere for teams to interact with multiple vendors across various domains.
  • Infopro Incorporated
    Enterprise Agile Coach
    Infopro Incorporated Jun 2014 - Aug 2015
    Mclean, Virginia, Us
  • Tata Consultancy Services
    Sr Agile Coach
    Tata Consultancy Services Apr 2014 - Oct 2014
    Mumbai, Maharashtra, In
  • Elevate Technology Solutions
    Scrum Master Consultant
    Elevate Technology Solutions Jul 2012 - Apr 2014
  • Vangent/General Dynamics
    Software Configuration Manager/Scrum Coach
    Vangent/General Dynamics Aug 2010 - Aug 2012
    Arlington, Va, Us
  • L3 Technologies
    Software Configuration Manager/Scrum Coach
    L3 Technologies Jun 2009 - Aug 2010
    New York, Ny, Us
  • Innova Systems International, Llc
    Software Development Manager
    Innova Systems International, Llc Mar 2008 - Jul 2009
    San Diego, Ca, Us
  • Guidestar
    Sr. Database Administrator
    Guidestar Dec 2006 - Mar 2008
    New York, Us
  • Keane
    Sr Database Administrator
    Keane Oct 2004 - Dec 2006
    London, United Kingdom , Gb
  • Dataline
    Web/Database Developer
    Dataline Apr 2001 - Oct 2004
  • Prosoft Engineering
    Web Developer
    Prosoft Engineering Sep 2000 - Mar 2001
    Livermore, Ca, Us
  • Americomm Llc
    Applications Developer
    Americomm Llc Jul 1999 - Aug 2000
  • Us Navy
    E3
    Us Navy Dec 1990 - Jun 1995
    Washington, Dc, Us

Charles S. Education Details

  • Regis University
    Regis University
    Operations Management
  • Norfolk State University
    Norfolk State University
    Management Information Systems
  • Ecpi University
    Ecpi University
    Computer Science

Frequently Asked Questions about Charles S.

What company does Charles S. work for?

Charles S. works for Ciena

What is Charles S.'s role at the current company?

Charles S.'s current role is IT Portfolio Mgr (Agile Transformation Lead).

What schools did Charles S. attend?

Charles S. attended Regis University, Norfolk State University, Ecpi University.

Who are Charles S.'s colleagues?

Charles S.'s colleagues are Bruck Wubete, Darin Mellway, Fazlay Rabbi, Christiane Campbell, Vikram Kaza Venkata, Gurvinder Singh, Jacob Lorne.

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