Damaris Pesante
North Arlington,NJ
Summary
Analytical and globally oriented professional with 7+ years of experience working across regulated, high‑stakes environments, driven by a deep interest in cybercrime, international law, and transnational security threats. Known for an investigative mindset and a passion for understanding how digital, criminal, and geopolitical systems intersect. Beginning graduate study in Global Security, Conflict & Cybercrime at NYU to build advanced expertise in cyber threat intelligence, dark‑web analysis, and global risk. Seeking roles that leverage strong analytical instincts, cultural fluency, and a commitment to uncovering hidden patterns in complex, evolving threat landscapes.
Overview
5
5
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Commissioning Program Manager
Port Authority of NY/NJ
Newark, NJ
01.2026 - Current
- Oversee compliance, testing, and operational readiness for critical infrastructure systems supporting a major transportation network, ensuring alignment with regulatory, safety, and performance standards.
- Coordinates with government agencies, contractors, engineers, and operational stakeholders to align system requirements, resolve discrepancies, and maintain mission‑critical timelines.
- Leads issue‑tracking, root‑cause analysis, and resolution workflows to ensure system reliability and reduce operational risk.
Product Portfolio Strategist - Merchant Solutions
Fiserv
New York, NY
10.2024 - 10.2025
- Analyzed behavioral, transactional, and performance patterns across an $800M merchant‑facing platform ecosystem to identify risk indicators, capability gaps, and emerging threat‑adjacent vulnerabilities.
- Partnered with engineering, technology, and compliance teams to evaluate technical change requests for control weaknesses, operational exposure, and potential security implications.
- Built structured data models and KPI frameworks using Power BI to surface anomalies, detect deviations from expected behavior, and support risk‑based decision‑making.
- Developed governance frameworks and intake processes that strengthened visibility into system risks, improved cross‑functional intelligence flow, and enhanced early detection of platform vulnerabilities.
Senior Jira Platform Operations Manager
Fiserv
New York, NY
09.2023 - 10.2024
- Managed enterprise‑wide access governance and security posture for Jira/Confluence ecosystems supporting thousands of users, ensuring controlled permissions, workflow integrity, and protection of sensitive operational data.
- Designed advanced reporting models and dashboards that provided real‑time visibility into platform risks, anomalous activity, and operational vulnerabilities across global teams.
- Led consolidation of fragmented platform instances, reducing digital attack surface, strengthening governance consistency, and improving oversight of cross‑regional system activity.
Operations Analyst - Wealth Management
Broadridge Financial Services
Newark, NJ
05.2022 - 06.2023
- Contributed to a data‑infrastructure vulnerability remediation initiative that reduced remediation timelines by 43%, strengthening the security posture of core financial platforms.
- Identified systemic data‑quality failures and process breakdowns functioning as latent security risks; implemented corrective controls that reduced exposure across high‑volume systems.
- Applied analytical frameworks to detect operational anomalies and surface early indicators of risk, translating technical findings into actionable intelligence for senior leadership.
U.S. Strategic Pricing Analyst
Pfizer
New York, NY
05.2021 - 09.2021
- Conducted competitive intelligence analysis across 30+ pharmaceutical products, identifying pricing patterns and market actor behavior, foundational analytical skills transferable to threat actor profiling.
- Built functional models and data-driven forecasts supporting strategic decision-making under uncertainty.
Education
Master of Science - Global Security, Conflict, And Cybercrime
New York University
New York, NY12-2027
Master of Science - Master of Business Administration
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ12-2023
Bachelor of Science - Management Information Systems
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Newark, NJ12-2021
Skills
- Cybersecurity fundamentals
- Intelligence analysis methodologies
- Analytical problem-solving
- Risk identification & exposure assessment
Certification
- ISC2 - (CC) Certified in Cybersecurity
- SSGI - Scrum Master Certification
- Rutgers - Lean Six Sigma (Green Belt)
Languages
Spanish
Full Professional
Italian
Professional Working
Timeline
Commissioning Program Manager
Port Authority of NY/NJ
01.2026 - Current
Product Portfolio Strategist - Merchant Solutions
Fiserv
10.2024 - 10.2025
Senior Jira Platform Operations Manager
Fiserv
09.2023 - 10.2024
Operations Analyst - Wealth Management
Broadridge Financial Services
05.2022 - 06.2023
U.S. Strategic Pricing Analyst
Pfizer
05.2021 - 09.2021
Master of Science - Global Security, Conflict, And Cybercrime
New York University
Master of Science - Master of Business Administration
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Bachelor of Science - Management Information Systems
New Jersey Institute of Technology