Danielle Olivier-Zimmerman
Westerly,RI
Summary
Dynamic Program Manager and Scrum Master with a proven track record at Citizens Bank, excelling in team leadership and Agile implementation. Expert in process optimization and strategic planning, driving efficiency and collaboration. Adept at coaching teams to enhance performance, delivering high-quality results through data-driven decision-making and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Delivering enterprise Agile, digital transformation, & technology modernization with expert strategy & leadership
- Strategic Agile leader with proven success driving exceptional performance & delivering business value in banking industry.
- Collaborative director of organization-wide coaching & development for Scrum Masters, Product Owners, and leaders.
- Motivational builder, manager, & trainer of high-performance teams, driving engagement, commitment, & success
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
PROGRAM MANAGER & SCRUM MASTER SUB-CHAPTER LEAD
Citizens Bank
09.2022 - 04.2024
- Coordinated cross-functional teams to streamline project execution and enhance communication strategies.
- Developed detailed project plans, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and timelines.
- Implemented process improvements that increased efficiency in program delivery.
- Managed stakeholder relationships to facilitate collaboration and address concerns proactively.
- Led team of 10 Scrum Masters, enhancing team and chapter performance.
- Initiated and executed chapter programs (Learning & Development and Community-building initiatives). Led strategic team/stakeholder coaching, mentoring, and development,including training on efficient software delivery practices.
- Delivered portfolio of solutions and capabilities with responsiveness/speed to market, efficiency, and quality.
- Ensured successful project delivery by focusing on continuous improvement and customizing training initiatives.
- Propelled organization through transformative journey, forming and leading highly-skilled Scrum Team, fostering chapter maturity.
- Improved Scrum Team performance by cultivating personal and professional growth of members.
- Empowered team to overcome impediments and drove efficiency by eliminating systemic waste to improve value flow and fostering culture of continuous learning. Advanced team cohesion, knowledge sharing, and collaboration.
- Utilized data-driven decision-making approaches to inform strategy development and optimize outcomes.
- Delivered high-quality results by setting performance metrics and monitoring progress against targets.
- Leveraged technology tools for enhanced project tracking, reporting, and information sharing among team members.
- Collaborated with business leadership to set priorities based on business needs, resource capacity and risk exposure.
CHIEF SCRUM MASTER
Citizens Bank
04.2021 - 09.2022
- Achieved release objectives and results for complex Agile initiatives by overseeing Scrum Teams to ensure Quality, Predictability, Flow, and Velocity. Evaluated performance against Objectives and Key Results (OKRs).
- Supported 10-15 scrum masters within the neighborhood and town structure. Each scrum master had 1-2 scrum teams each for which I held weekly dependency and impediment meetings (scrum of scrums).
- Supported 4 neighborhoods/neighborhood leads within the town structure. Coordinated dependency and impediment meetings, town and neighborhood project coordination meetings, cross town dependency meetings all to ensure project delivery timelines and team performance.
- Trained team members on Scrum principles, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Trained team members on Scrum principles, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Implemented Agile methodologies to improve project delivery timelines and team performance.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams to identify and resolve impediments swiftly.
- Developed and maintained product backlogs, ensuring prioritization of user stories.
- Trained team members on Scrum principles, fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
- Monitored sprint progress through metrics, facilitating data-driven decision-making.
- Engaged stakeholders to gather feedback, aligning project goals with business needs.
- Collaborated with Product Owners to refine requirements and ensure alignment with business goals.
- Collaborated with product owners, team members, technologists, and other scrum masters to define solutions and drive progress.
- Coached cross-functional teams on Agile principles, leading to an increase in successful project deliveries, including IT projects.
- Worked closely and listened to team members' feedback to identify issues and resolve conflicts.
- Coached teams in Agile practices and provided necessary training to create positive mindset to Agile methodologies.
- Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments, and hurdles to productivity.
- Mentored junior team members on Scrum best practices, fostering their professional growth within the organization.
- Managed various IT projects to meet deadlines and customer requirements.
SCRUM MASTER & AGILE MENTOR
Citizens Bank
11.2019 - 04.2021
- Scrum Master for 2 scrum teams concurrently.
- Mentored 1-2 scrum masters individually concurrently.
- Held weekly lunch and learn sessions for any jr scrum masters and product owners
- Facilitated Scrum ceremonies, enhancing team collaboration and productivity.
- Coached cross-functional teams on Agile principles, driving continuous improvement in processes.
- Managed product backlogs, ensuring prioritization aligned with business objectives.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to clarify requirements and expectations for project deliverables.
- Implemented metrics for tracking team performance, fostering accountability and transparency.
- Identified impediments and facilitated resolutions, promoting a culture of problem-solving within teams.
- Mentored junior Scrum Masters, sharing best practices and enhancing overall team effectiveness.
- Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives.
- Conducted daily stand-up meetings, sprint planning sessions, and sprint reviews, ensuring effective communication among team members.
- Managed product backlog effectively, prioritizing high-value items for faster completion.
- Led sprint reviews and planning meetings to promote full team engagement.
- Implemented continuous improvement initiatives through regular retrospective meetings with the team.
- Resolved conflicts and facilitated open communication among team members, promoting a healthy work environment.
- Facilitated seamless integration of new team members into existing projects without compromising productivity levels.
- Identified potential risks early in the project lifecycle and implemented mitigation strategies accordingly.
- Optimized resource allocation by identifying and addressing bottlenecks in project workflows, leading to reduced time-to-market for product releases.
- Applied agile methodology to shorten cycle time and achieve target margins.
- Implemented key performance metrics to track team progress and identify areas of improvement consistently throughout projects'' lifecycles.
- Created comprehensive user stories with clear acceptance criteria to guide development efforts.
- Assessed and reported progress to stakeholders regularly, maintaining transparency throughout the project lifecycle.
- Reduced technical debt by actively identifying areas requiring refactoring or architectural improvements during sprint planning sessions.
- Acted as go-to resource for engineering team, providing clarity on tasks, gathering missing assets or requirements and handling project changes.
- Streamlined communication between developers and QA teams, ensuring smoother workflow and higher quality outputs.
- Coordinated with product owners to ensure backlog items were prioritized for maximum project impact.
- Strengthened team cohesion and morale, organizing team-building activities and maintaining open-door policy.
- Optimized resource allocation by closely monitoring team capacity and adjusting work assignments.
- Assisted mentees in setting achievable goals and creating realistic action plans for personal and professional growth.
SCRUM MASTER & AGILE COACH
Embrace Home Loans
01.2019 - 11.2019
- Scrum Master for 2 scrum teams concurrently
- Facilitated Agile ceremonies, enhancing team collaboration and engagement.
- Coached cross-functional teams on Scrum principles, promoting best practices for delivery efficiency.
- Guided product owners in backlog management, ensuring alignment with stakeholder priorities.
- Identified process bottlenecks, implementing strategies to improve workflow and productivity.
- Served as Scrum Master and Agile Coach for nationwide direct mortgage lending company. Supported Salesforce for Marketing, Direct, and Retail Loan Officers.
- Introduced Agile best practices and mobilized teams.
- Directed and led organization on best practices for testing and business requirements.
- Facilitated Scrum of Scrums, Agile Community of Practice, and Process Improvement workshops on story estimation/writing/refinement.
- Managed vendors and contracts.
- Oversaw ADKAR Change Management model.
- Positively impacted business by developing/delivering testing solutions and roadmap to prioritize backlogs.
PROJECT MANAGER & SCRUM MASTER
Citizens Bank
08.2017 - 12.2018
- Scrum Master for 2 teams concurrently.
- Led cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects on time and within budget.
- Developed project plans, defining scope, timelines, and resources to ensure alignment with business goals.
- Implemented risk management strategies, identifying potential issues and facilitating proactive solutions.
- Streamlined communication processes among stakeholders, enhancing collaboration and project transparency.
- Successfully managed multiple (1-2) projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Established effective communication among team members for enhanced collaboration and successful project completion.
- Developed strong relationships with stakeholders through regular communication updates, fostering trust and confidence in the team''s ability to deliver results.
- Scheduled and facilitated meetings between project stakeholders to discuss deliverables, schedules and conflicts.
- Guided cross-functional teams in adopting Scrum practices to improve workflow efficiency.
- Improved team efficiency by implementing Agile and Scrum methodologies for project management.
- Developed custom Scrum boards for better task tracking and transparency within the team.
- Fostered culture of continuous improvement by conducting sprint retrospectives and implementing feedback.
- Collaborated with Product Owners to refine requirements and ensure alignment with business goals.
- Planned Agile best practices and encouraged team cohesion, overcoming impediments, and hurdles to productivity.
- Facilitated Scrum framework – sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily scrums, sprint reviews, and sprint retrospectives.
AGILE/SCRUM TRAINER
Citizens Bank
02.2017 - 12.2018
- Developed and implemented training programs to enhance employee knowledge and skills.
- Facilitated 1-2 workshops monthly on compliance regulations, ensuring adherence to agile industry standards.
- Assessed training needs through surveys and interviews, tailoring sessions accordingly.
- Collaborated with management to identify areas for process improvement and efficiency gains.
- Educated stakeholders, business, and technology partners on Agile techniques,including User Stories, TDD, Continuous Integration, Continuous Testing, Pairing, Automated Testing, Agile Games, and JIRA
Additional Experience
Citizens Bank
01.1999 - 02.2017
- Portfolio Testing Manager (5/2016 – 2/2017)
- Test Manager/QA Test Specialist (1/2010 – 5/2016)
- Business Systems Analyst (1/2007 –1/2010)
- Application Specialist (1/2003 – 1/2007)
- Operations Specialist/Senior Operations Analyst (1/1999 – 1/2003)
Skills
- Expertise in team leadership, project management, strategic planning, and Agile framework implementation
- Proficient in coaching, mentoring, business analytics, change management, and continuous improvement
- Strong background in process optimization, cross-functional collaboration, and roadmap development, particularly in financial services
Certification
- IC Agile: ICC-ATC Agile Team Coaching
- Bryant University: Design Thinking Certification
- Professional Scrum Master, Level I (PSMI) & Level II (PSMII)
- Professional Scrum Product Owner, Level I (PSPO1)
- Advanced Certified Scrum Master, Level I (A-CSM) & Certified Scrum Master
- Licensed Agile Coach (LAC)
- Certified Scrum@Scale Practitioner
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT/LEADERSHIP
Ray of Hope - End the Stigma and Shame of Addiction (non-profit)
- Westerly, RI
- 05/2023 - Present
- Founder and Board Member
Raise awareness to fentanyl positioning and help reduce fatal overdoses
Worked closely with town officials to gain approval on installing three Narcan Boxes throughout Westerly, RI. The boxes include Narcan and Fentanyl Test Kits
The Galilee Mission (non-profit)
- Narragansett, RI
- 01/2026 - Present
- Newly voted board member to the Galilee Mission Board
Galilee Mission provides recovery and hope to adults who have problematic dependence on drugs and/or alcohol and are in need of residential treatment, outpatient, intensive outpatient, peer recovery, transitional or sober living, or other social services.
Timeline
PROGRAM MANAGER & SCRUM MASTER SUB-CHAPTER LEAD
Citizens Bank
09.2022 - 04.2024
CHIEF SCRUM MASTER
Citizens Bank
04.2021 - 09.2022
SCRUM MASTER & AGILE MENTOR
Citizens Bank
11.2019 - 04.2021
SCRUM MASTER & AGILE COACH
Embrace Home Loans
01.2019 - 11.2019
PROJECT MANAGER & SCRUM MASTER
Citizens Bank
08.2017 - 12.2018
AGILE/SCRUM TRAINER
Citizens Bank
02.2017 - 12.2018
Additional Experience
Citizens Bank
01.1999 - 02.2017