Pj Birkel Email & Phone Number

United States

Chicago, Il, Us

Most recently, I led strategic initiatives to enhance customer retention through targeted retail engagement, pricing optimization, and in-depth strategy analysis. With expertise in shaping and communicating roadmap updates and dependencies, I drove organizational strategy while managing a team of five product managers and five scrum teams focused on client-facing software products. This included innovations in big data harmonization and normalization. As the product lead for customized hierarchy solutions, I influenced cross-functional teams and products, integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) model prediction solutions to deliver impactful outcomes.SPINS is a data analytics company that specializes in providing insights and solutions for the natural, organic, and specialty product industries.Key Accomplishments:● Orchestrated the integration of 3 acquisitions into the SPINS ecosystem and product development life cycle while improving overall organizational efficiency and integration.● Planned and executed several product launches, utilizing the MVP process and alpha/beta releases that fortified capabilities prior to the official Go-to-Market (GTM) release.

Gent, Be

I was promoted to include DevOps process improvements for Esko where I guided the transition to a DevOps organization and mindset. I directed a diverse, multi-national team of 23 DevOps engineers as well as manual, automation, and performance testers across varied software products as well as serving as R&D and platform operations lead for migration to AWS public cloud infrastructure.Esko is a global provider of integrated software and hardware solutions and are designed to streamline and enhance workflows for brand owners, packaging converters, and printers, enabling them to produce high-quality packaging and printed materials more efficiently.Key Accomplishments:● Improved speed of integration and deployment from days to minutes by implementing Infrastructure as Code (IAC) and CI/CD pipelines.● Lowered speed of problem resolution from weeks to days by creating client environments and process improvements.● Reduced release cycle length by implementing a continuous testing strategy, using CI/CD pipelines, and fostering a DevOps mentality.

Gent, Be

I was promoted to Director of Quality & Product, where I implemented new quality standards and processes that significantly improved customer retention and satisfaction. By overseeing the product portfolio, creating current and future state roadmaps, and developing a compelling strategic vision, I drove the direction of future product development.Key Accomplishments:● Grew revenue 33% by delivering product releases focused on customer requests and strategic product improvements.● Integrated and analyzed vast datasets from global conglomerate customers through external APIs that gleaned comprehensive insights.● Enhanced product quality and decreased hot fixes from 5 to 1 per quarter by implementing process improvements.● Reduced product defect leakage to 2.2% from 9% by increasing automation testing and process improvements such as mimicking client environments and conducting thorough code impact analysis.● Boosted automation test coverage 250%, using Selenium, Jmeter, and Gatling that solidified confidence in software releases.● Integrated key customization features into core products after-value assessment, ensuring that common client add-on requests increased value add for the greater client community . ● Actively solicited and received an average of 5 new inquiries per month, filling sales funnel with average inquiry amount of $200K+ and annual inquiry at $1.75M, achieving a 20-30% close rate.

Gent, Be

In 2017, following BLUE Software's acquisition by Esko, I was promoted to lead product development. I conducted comprehensive assessments of current and future state architectures, managed programs, and performed impact analyses. Leading a team of five software engineers and managers, I oversaw the development of a SaaS platform built on Java and SQL. As a Level 3 escalation contact for R&D, I played a pivotal role in addressing urgent customer issues, leading cross-functional "war room" teams, and driving critical investigations to uncover and resolve root causes.Key Accomplishment: ● Spearheaded the organization's transition from a waterfall development model to an Agile (Scrum) framework.● Developed and launched an external API product that achieved seamless customer/partner integration and purchase.● Achieved full traceability for regulated and non-regulated industries by safeguarding that the SDLC is followed from the moment a defect is raised all the way through implementation in production. ● Organized migration efforts from a single-tenant SaaS application to a multi-tenant AWS-hosted offering with 5-9 uptime.

In 2012, I was recruited by Blue Software, where I successfully delivered over 100 end-to-end SDLC software releases and managed multiple internal development projects. I provided comprehensive project and program management across various departments for a business specializing in the design, development, and production of prepackaged software. As an escalation lead during R&D root cause investigations, I played a critical role in resolving complex issues. Additionally, I served as the development and operations team lead during transitions involving private equity and competitor acquisitions.Blue Software was a company specializing in label and artwork management solutions, primarily serving the packaging, retail, Life Sciences, and consumer goods industries. Key Accomplishments: ● Decreased time to resolution for open investigations within ServiceNow ticketing system by prioritizing proper utilization of R&D resources.● Increased organizational revenue from $18M to $24M by employing customer-centric product roadmaps combined with strategic improvements that engaged and retained users.

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

I created, managed, and co-owned a startup software consulting firm providing customized software design and services to clients with a team of 38 consisting of 8 FTEs and 30 independent contractors. Engaging in a high level of direct interaction, analyzing, designing, and developing customized products and solutions for customers ranging from Fortune 500 to small businesses. Utilized FileMaker, MySQL, and Web technologies, I delivered services that included system analysis and design, workflow consultation, software implementation, web design, animation, training, and ongoing client support.Key Accomplishment: ● Generated $2M+ in project revenue yearly by identifying and closing business development opportunities.

Master Of Business Administration - Mba, Management Information Systems And Services

Bachelor Of Business Administration - Bba, Marketing