COLLEEN M. MERCHANT
Spencerport,NY
Summary
Seasoned project management specialist with comprehensive experience in leading projects from inception to completion. Skilled in coordinating cross-functional teams, optimizing processes for efficiency, and implementing innovative solutions to complex challenges. Proven ability to deliver projects on time and within budget while maintaining high standards of quality. Demonstrated success in enhancing operational workflows and significantly improving project outcomes through strategic planning and effective communication.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr. Project Manager
Second Avenue Learning Inc.
Rochester, NY
01.2022 - Current
- Manage the marketing creative team’s projects and workflow to the client, and back to the publications.
- Assign projects to the proper parties, and track progress from multiple rounds of review, internally and externally.
- Help the client stay on track with their tasks when they were without a PM.
- Help the team deliver projects on time and within budget
- Review incoming projects to understand the requirements, and help create activity briefs along with the account manager.
- Hold weekly scrum meetings with the team
- Assign projects to the appropriate team members, or external resources/contractors, for execution.
- Institute a new creative workflow – Lytho, to help with collaboration and streamline reviews.
- Maintain daily work logs, weekly status notes, and monthly billing.
Project Manager
Roberts Communications, Inc.
Rochester, NY
01.2015 - Current
- Company Overview: Advertising Agency
- Manager of projects between creative, interactive and account service departments in fast-paced agency
- Guiding and routing projects through trafficking and maintaining documentation as well as approval processes for project materials generated from internal departments and online resources
- Coordinates workflow between account team, production, database programmer, interactive and creative on a daily basis
- Manage hand-off steps between appropriate teams ensuring the loop is closed; prioritizing and negotiating; reviewing project input and helping to identify risk
- Ensures completion of project deliverables by managing and monitoring assignments
- Follows up on project status and deliverables on a daily basis
- Manages daily to-do calendar and monitors out of office calendar, runs standup meetings twice a week, attends and represents the creative team at client team status meetings
- Advertising Agency
Sr. Project Manager
Dixon Schwabl
Victor, NY
06.2021 - 12.2021
- Developed tools, processes, and protocols to manage complex projects with ongoing and evolving deliverables—timelines, milestones, budgets, scheduling, project queue, and managing hundreds of time-sensitive details and tasks.
- Assisted the VP of Account Operations in continually improving and streamlining workflow and project delivery templates to enable better time tracking, researching, and adopting new tools to improve project management and quality control.
- Assumed responsibility for client relationships during assigned projects. Aligned work on assigned projects with other account-related marketing efforts and activities.
- Set up and tracked projects in appropriate project management software, and managed billing for assigned projects. Documented project history, decisions, and status, as needed.
- Created project schedules and timelines, and posted change orders and job tickets as needed. Tracked and reported on project budgets and timelines. Provided regular, timely, and detailed project status updates to clients and the project team.
- Recognized scale and scope creep, and made adjustments to activities, budgets, etc., to account for the changes. Worked with the traffic department to ensure project scheduling and staffing choices were appropriate for each project. Reported regularly on project budget status to the internal team and clients as needed, and as appropriate.
- Assisted as needed in the development of proposals and technical specification documents for customer engagements.
- Shared knowledge of projects and examples of work with the account leadership team in weekly meetings.
Creative Resource Manager
University of Rochester
Rochester , NY
01.2018 - 06.2021
- Scheduled, monitored, and managed the daily workflow of multiple projects in University Communications, Stewardship, Advancement Events, Alumni Relations, and Annual Giving.
- Involved in all phases of the creative process.
- Develops production schedules, creative briefs, specifications, and timelines.
- Monitors project status, team effort, expectations, risks, and bandwidth.
- Proactively negotiated necessary changes in scope or prioritization with the team and stakeholders.
- Reviewed work before stakeholder review.
- Managed internal and external client relationships.
Senior Account Manager
Sigma Marketing Insights
Rochester, NY
01.2013 - 07.2014
- Company Overview: Integrated Marketing Services Company
- Primary tactical contact for major key client, managing Xerox, one of the Agencies largest accounts
- Coordinate and implement database marketing lead generation campaign projects for clients
- Manage client, internal resources and vendors for projects, planning implementation, and management
- Managed revenue attribution reporting related to client sponsored events
- Supported Lead process and QC related to lead assignment and distribution to sales force
- Oversight of data hygiene processes for client program
- Oversee the project's campaign targeting, file development, response and lead management, and campaign reporting for mail, email, and telemarketing initiatives
- Collaborated with internal and external clients and cross-functional teams to define project scope
- Identify revenue generating opportunities and develop marketing plans through multiple channels for presentation to client
- Integrated Marketing Services Company
Project Manager
Catalyst Direct
Rochester, NY
01.2010 - 01.2012
- Company Overview: Direct and Digital Marketing Agency
- Executional lead for major key accounts, managing $5M in budget for Goodyear, Neff Motivation, Hillside, United Way
- Assist with the clients advertising strategy, ad message and creative development across dozens of campaigns
- Collaborated with internal and external clients and cross-functional teams to define project scope
- Managed team resources and critical paths, as well as development of risk mitigation plans on projects
- Defined client requirements and project parameters, guiding teams in development and delivery of campaign strategy
- Conducted focus groups, gleaning insights into consumer behavior and preferences to ensure accurate targeting of advertising campaigns
- Direct and Digital Marketing Agency
Account Executive
Catalyst Direct
Rochester, NY
01.2008 - 01.2010
- Company Overview: Direct and Digital Marketing Agency
- Executional lead of Goodyear account (4M)
- Performed strategy development, planning and program implementation
- Worked with internal programming and analytics team to select proper audiences for 9 Continual DM campaigns
- Managed and maintained account profitability
- Collaborated with client and internal analytic team to set and adjust specific offers for each campaign monthly
- Created Work plans and change orders for internal team to develop and modify DM creative for all 9 campaigns
- Estimated, reconciled and invoiced for DM postage costs monthly
- Supervised two junior team members
- Direct and Digital Marketing Agency
Account Executive
Roberts Communications, Inc.
Rochester, NY
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Company Overview: Advertising Agency
- Account lead on Xerox North America and Xerox Global Events Management
- Managed day to day operations and management of Xerox NAAO client account and XNA business
- Performed strategy development, planning and program implementation
- Achieved client's marketing objectives while meeting deadlines and maintaining client budgets
- Developed direct mail campaigns, web programs, print, radio, and collaterals
- Assisted with event management for Xerox Global Events Management (Xerox Classic, PGA events)
- Advertising Agency
DCS Account Supervisor
Roberts Communications, Inc.
Rochester, NY
01.1995 - 01.2005
- Company Overview: Advertising Agency
- Supervised Demand Creation Services team for Xerox North American Agent Program
- Supervised daily operations of account work
- Supported Senior Account Executives expeditiously and efficiently on all phases of project work
- Responded to and resolved customer inquiries and problems while maintaining high standards of client relationship
- Managed and executed critical projects for multi-million dollar accounts
- Prepared quarterly reports
- Advertising Agency
Education
Bachelor of Science - Journalism
West Virginia University
Skills
- Client relations
- Cross-functional coordination
- Outstanding communication (verbal and written)
- Attention to detail
- Task delegation and resource allocation
- Project planning
- Schedule coordination
- Meeting facilitation
- Agile methodology, Waterfall methodology
- Problem-solving and creativity
- Creative project management
- Jira, Trello, Lytho, Basecamp, Smartsheet, Kanban
Extracurricular Activities
Current CPR and First Aid Certified Volunteer for Strategic Roundtable discussions with Ad Council, 2011-2016 United Way Campaign Coordinator for workplace campaign, 2012 Meals on Wheels delivery, 2011-2012 Animal Rescue/Fostering, 1999-present Gymnastic Coach with several State, Regional and National Championships Clinician in Region 6 Rising Star Gymnastics Clinic, 1999-2015
Summary Of Results
- Managed new routing system set up for Agency, training employees; maintains ownership of updates and changes.
- Delivered 20% cost savings to client through effective implementation management.
- Earned 2011 Web Award for Non Profit Standard of Excellence; managed site development process.
- Managed execution of complete revamp to CRM-driven market programs for Fortune 500 company.
- Drove execution of integrated marketing plan, resulting in surpassing set goal of $25 million in donations.
- Earned client satisfaction score 33% above peers.
- Contributed to Agency success by identifying opportunities for process re-engineering and improving productivity and quality throughout the agency.
Affiliations
- Aurora House volunteer 2023 to present
- USAG certified gymnastic coach 1991 to present
- CPR and First Aid certified current
Timeline
Sr. Project Manager
Second Avenue Learning Inc.
01.2022 - Current
Sr. Project Manager
Dixon Schwabl
06.2021 - 12.2021
Creative Resource Manager
University of Rochester
01.2018 - 06.2021
Project Manager
Roberts Communications, Inc.
01.2015 - Current
Senior Account Manager
Sigma Marketing Insights
01.2013 - 07.2014
Project Manager
Catalyst Direct
01.2010 - 01.2012
Account Executive
Catalyst Direct
01.2008 - 01.2010
Account Executive
Roberts Communications, Inc.
01.2005 - 01.2008
DCS Account Supervisor
Roberts Communications, Inc.
01.1995 - 01.2005
Bachelor of Science - Journalism
West Virginia University
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