ANTHONY STEPHENS
Chicago,IL
Summary
Senior Technical Project Manager and Product Leader who manages complex technical integrations, customer relationships, and delivery for enterprise accounts. Brings Agile/Scrum, SQL, and product coordination experience to bridge engineering, sales, and leadership teams, turning technical needs into measurable project outcomes and growth opportunities.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Technical Project Manager
AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES
Chicago, IL
04.2024 - Current
- Technical Project Manager II | August 2020 – September 2022
- Managed technical integrations and customer relationships for global financial institutions and enterprise accounts, enhancing user experience on the Akamai platform.
- Manage integration projects from initial planning through site cutovers, including project scope, effort estimates, resource allocation, and risk mitigation.
- Work with sales and technical account teams from presales trials through implementation and sign-off, assessing customer web architectures and recommending edge, media, and security solutions.
- Translate complex web, cloud, and security requirements into clear technical deliverables for engineering teams and concise project updates for business stakeholders.
- Identified opportunities for product enhancements and additional services during trials and integrations, collaborating with product management to address customer needs and expand account growth.
Director of Product Development
SOURCE ALLIANCE NETWORK
Chicago, IL
09.2022 - 03.2024
- Led the roadmap and delivery of software development and analytics initiatives using Agile methodologies.
- Worked across IT, Analytics, executive leadership, and external enterprise partners to turn business needs into technical requirements and product specifications.
- Established performance metrics for IT and Analytics, implementing process improvements that sustained team effectiveness above 85%.
- Standardized workflows and documentation, enhancing user governance and executive reporting to improve consistency and visibility across departments.
- Reported directly to the CEO and developed operational processes across Finance, IT, Auditing, and Data Analytics.
- Managed strategic client relationships, participated in prospective client sales meetings, and delivered product demonstrations to support new business and service contracts.
- Oversaw capacity planning, personnel administration, and network operations while managing access permissions and third-party vendor relationships.
- Recruited, interviewed, and onboarded employees across Auditing, HR, Finance, and Marketing to support business growth.
- Operations Manager | December 2019 – June 2020
Operations Manager
Source Alliance Network, LLC
Chicago, IL
12.2019 - 06.2020
- Collaborated with CEO to design and implement operational processes across finance, IT, auditing, and data analytics functions.
- Recruited, interviewed, and onboarded key hires across auditing, HR, finance, and marketing teams to drive operational growth.
- Managed strategic client accounts and facilitated sales calls and product demos to enhance service contract value.
Director of Data Operations & Analysis
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
Chicago, IL
01.2018 - 12.2019
- Led data processing, analytics, quality assurance, and data collection, managing performance and workload distribution for team of 12 direct reports.
- Built and managed data processing engineering team using SSIS to import EDI, XML, and flat-file logistics data into SQL data marts for client-facing supply chain dashboards.
- Supported client network optimization and procurement initiatives using SQL, R, Tableau, Jaggaaer, and Llamasoft Supply Chain Guru to identify and analyze cost-saving opportunities.
- Managed global supply chain technology initiatives for 4PL platform.
Director of Quality Assurance
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
Chicago, IL
02.2017 - 01.2018
- Established a dedicated Quality Assurance department, addressing gaps in data validation processes to enhance overall quality management.
- Developed validation procedures covering more than 200 global parcel, less-than-truckload (LTL), full-truckload (FTL), ocean, and air carriers.
- Detected carrier billing discrepancies, enabling clients to recover unrecognized savings and minimize freight expenses.
- Led Tableau data visualization team, creating training programs for new data analysts to improve team capabilities.
- Global Supply Chain Technology & 4PL Platform
Lead Analyst
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
Chicago, IL
01.2015 - 01.2017
- Managed analytical team workflows, developed SharePoint and Tableau KPI dashboards for clients, enhancing reporting and operational processes.
- Analyzed data sets to identify trends, risks, and process gaps.
- Led BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS analysis reviews for client reporting and issue tracking.
- Prepared clear reports for stakeholders across operations and service teams.
IT Project Manager
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
Chicago, IL
01.2013 - 01.2015
- Led information technology projects for BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS across client delivery teams.
- Coordinated project plans, schedules, and milestones for network solution initiatives.
- Managed stakeholder communication throughout system upgrades and implementation phases.
- Directed a team of six IT professionals in software deployments, SSIS task automation, Active Directory administration, and vendor software contract negotiations.
Auditing Manager & Auditor
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
Chicago, IL
01.2008 - 01.2013
- Supervised 12–15 supply chain auditors, developing effective auditing methods to enhance compliance and accuracy.
- Audited BridgeNet Solutions service records for compliance with internal controls.
- Reviewed invoices, contracts, and billing files for accuracy and policy alignment.
- Examined operational logs to verify support process consistency across departments.
Education
B.A. - Communications
University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, ILSkills
- Project & Product Management: Agile/Scrum, Project planning, Product roadmapping, Resource allocation, Risk Management, Customer Relationship Management, Strategic Vendor Management, Cross-functional leadership
- Stakeholder Management
- Cloud, Web & Infrastructure: Akamai Edge Platform/CDN, Web Architecture, API security, DNS, TLS/SSL Certificates, Network management
- Data & Analytics: SQL, SSIS, Database Optimization, Data Architecture, Tableau, ETL, EDI, Data Modeling, Data Integration, Data Visualization, R, Jaggaaer
- Tools & Platforms: Jira, Salesforce, Zoho, Trello, Wrike, Slack, Microsoft 365, SharePoint, Visual Studio
- Platforms & Tools: Jira, Salesforce, Zoho, Trello, Wrike, Slack, Microsoft O365, SharePoint, Visual Studio
COMMUNITY & VOLUNTEER INVOLVEMENT
- Volunteer Leadership & Advocacy: Arts of Life, Special Olympics, Kaleidoscope 4 Kids, Tutoring: Italian American Club
Timeline
Senior Technical Project Manager
AKAMAI TECHNOLOGIES
04.2024 - Current
Director of Product Development
SOURCE ALLIANCE NETWORK
09.2022 - 03.2024
Operations Manager
Source Alliance Network, LLC
12.2019 - 06.2020
Director of Data Operations & Analysis
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
01.2018 - 12.2019
Director of Quality Assurance
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
02.2017 - 01.2018
Lead Analyst
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
01.2015 - 01.2017
IT Project Manager
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
01.2013 - 01.2015
Auditing Manager & Auditor
BRIDGENET SOLUTIONS
01.2008 - 01.2013
B.A. - Communications
University of Illinois Chicago