Darwin De Leon Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

As the Director of Digital Product, I provide strategic, implementation, and operational direction for the Mobile App, Web Portal, and Incentive Programs. This includes the Digital Experience (DX), the production support, the contract administration, and program design, for all programs. All products aim to deliver a variety of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).I work with teams to develop products focused on improving Consumer Effort Score (CES). Products delivery and exploration go beyond mobile and portal, but also include Interactive Voice Response (IVR) products, Smart Home Ecosystem integration, Smart Wearables, and Virtual Reality (VR). All products exploration and journey mapping follow consumer centric principles incorporating behavioral science.Additionally, I lead teams on ensuring proper product backlog prioritization leveraging SAFe methodologies like Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF) and MSCW methods.As part of my role I conduct budget assessment for financial projections and allocations. Project resource assessment to identify staffing needs and work delegation. Administration of contract to include scope identification, billing and pricing, and overall vendor management. Major accomplishment(s): Led the first Covid-19 Vaccination Incentive Program for the FEP, Led Major initiatives that required cross functional team contribution.

Chicago, Il, Us

BCBSA, Incentives Programs - May. 2017 – Present. (Avg. 1Mil Users per month) As a Product Owner/Manager I represent the business stakeholder’s and also define new features and functionality within the digital experience eco system. Develop and maintain an appropriately prioritized backlog of user stories for implementation. Execution of journey-mapping practices to identify user needs, along with road map development to identify long term business strategic objectives. Work with development teams to ensure full understanding of the product vision and designing great features for our members. Work with vendors ensuring proper coordination and budget compliance. A key focus is to inspire and motivate the development teams to deliver innovative and exciting solutions with an appropriate sense of urgency. Act as an ambassador for the product internally and externally, and as the primary technical contact for queries related to the product and Work with key stakeholders across the company to ensure successful product releases.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Leidos, Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) - Data Warehouse Modernization Enhancement (DME), Mar. 2017 – May 2017. (Avg. 1Mil Users per month) As a Product Owner I Developed and maintained an appropriately prioritized backlog of user stories for implementation. In addition, worked with project managers and technical leads to determine scope and priorities for product development cycles. Worked with development teams to ensure full understanding of the product vision and designed great features for our partners. A key focus was to inspire and motivate the development teams to deliver innovative and exciting solutions with an appropriate sense of urgency. Acted as an ambassador for the product internally and externally, and as the primary technical contact for queries related to the product and Worked with key stakeholders across the company to ensure successful product releases. Execution of journey-mapping practices to identify user needs, developing wire frames and mock-ups were also a part of my sprint responsibilities.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Product Owner – Technical Services Dep., ICF Connect-Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Dec. 2015 – Mar. 2017. As a Product Owner I focused on system engineering to satisfy contractual requirements that delivered high business impact and overall end to end product lifecycle delivery. Leading a team of business analyst, I oversaw backlog prioritization, coordinating requirements with stake holders, and engaged operations in system solutions. In addition, I executed journey-mapping practices to identify user needs, and developed wireframes & mockups. I developed and execute test cases, and lead UAT (user acceptance testing) sessions.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Product & Process Improvements – ICF Group, Mar. 2013 – Mar. 2017. Lead Continuous improvement projects using evaluation tactics focused on high business impact. Perform baseline analysis and collaborate on determining achievable goals, with reasonable timelines, by employing SCRUM methodologies including team velocity, and PBI (product backlog item) sizing. Developed and deployed action plans to resolve both system and production issues, with a high focus on prioritization driven by ROI. Lead all lean activities that produced significant cost savings though productivity, quality, waste reduction improvements, and improved business processes. Provided mentoring and support to all production leads, managers and supervisors to bring about the necessary cultural change within the company. Leverage technical, business and financial acumen to communicate effectively with client executives and their respective teams. Expert in agile and waterfall project management methodologies. Responsible as the Scrum Master and Product Owner for several projects, leading the backlog grooming, daily scrum, sprint planning, sprint reviews and retrospective.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Managed the operation for the NLAD, which is designed to help telephone carriers identify and resolve duplicate claims for Lifeline Program-supported service and prevent future duplicates. ICF provides technical support to carriers when interacting with the database. Acted as a client liaison between the client and ICF. He developed a resolution navigator to assist Tier 1 and Tier 2 Help Desk Support in achieving first-call resolution, as well as providing consistency in communication. He ensured ongoing training of CSRs, completed program progress updates, and oversaw the performance of call monitoring.

Reston, Virginia, Us

As an IT Business Analyst I focused on improving operations within programs and at an organizational level. Identified and prepared business requirements for developers and created project plans for development and testing. By employing SCRUM Technics, I was in the role of SCRUM Master, Product Owner, and Story Writer. I analyzed and problem solved for continuous efficiency improvements. Delivered presentations for IT Solutions and worked closely with clients to translate requirements into project specifications.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Operations Manager, Energy Efficiency Operations Center, Multiple Utility Companies, May 2014 – Nov. 2016. As an Operations Manager for ICF’s specialized Energy Efficiency Customer Support Center, I managed department resources and optimized the application processing. I determined call center operational strategies by conducting needs assessments, performance reviews, identifying and evaluating state-of-the-art technologies; defined user requirements; established technical specifications, production, productivity, quality, and customer-service standards. Under my leadership, ICF consistently provides incentive processing and payment fulfillment with a focus on quality and timeliness. Managed the operation for 68 programs and 107 staff members, and directly contributed to the development and implementation of performance metrics to establish employee performance and efficiently allocate staff resources including Erlang-C staffing models. Established both process and systems improvement protocols including backlog development & prioritization.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Managed five application intake centers in the state of Connecticut. ICF was contracted by the state to manage the application intake and review for the Owner Occupied Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program, and their Scattered Site Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Program. Assisted in program stand up by developing training material, and developing an inventory management system. Also developed the programs’ quality control check, which followed HUD rules and regulations for the Community Development Block Grant. Introduced program policies and provided policy interpretation. In addition, developed SharePoint processes that allowed project scalability and flexibility.

Reston, Virginia, Us

Provided leadership for the operations department on the grant/loan application review process for the Federal Broadband Initiative Program (BIP). BIP, funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, was appropriated $7.2 Billion by the US Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Services (RUS) and The Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications Information Administration (NTIA) to expand broadband access to unserved and under-served communities across the U.S. Contributed to and managed the application workflow, and created the Professional Engineers Certification (PEC) database used to verify program compliance. Also led complex projects in a team environment, such as White House fire drills, enforcing efficiency and accuracy. Additionally, developed the Environmental Review department questionnaire that was utilized to verify environmental standards compliance.

Fort Lauderdale, Fl, Us

While employed by Today’s Office Professionals, a subcontractor hired by ICF, I trained and supervised a team of 30 grant auditors for the Federal Road Home Program. This program appropriated over $10 billion by US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for victims affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Headed the application review process and interpreted federal regulations to verify application compliance. Ensured the team was fully trained and confirmed award accuracy. In addition, I was able to identify fraudulent activities carried out by applicants, and contributed to systematic improvements to filter non-compliant applications. Also directly contributed to the development and implementation of performance metrics to establish and manage employee performance and efficiency. Re-engineered the final review procedures, which resulted in a 35% improvement in production, while maintaining optimal quality.

Us

While employed at UMG Mortgage, I Performed a full range of activities to implement lender objectives by assisting homeowners/home-buyers in obtaining a suitable mortgage plan. Collected and reviewed applicant income and residence data to ensure lender guidelines compliance. Coordinated appraisals, home inspections, settlements, credit repairs, and all additional non-routine documentation required to approve mortgage loans. Conducted investigations using third-party software and in-person interviews as a preventative measure against fraud. Also prepared and processed government contracts between lenders and applicants and conducted informational mortgage courses to make sure program functions, goals and objectives were communicated to prospective client. Ensured effective policies and procedures were in place and enforced. Consulted with senior level management to recommend development of company policies to streamline procedures for improved company performance and regulatory compliance.