Derek Fero
Ponte Vedra
Summary
Dynamic Project Management leader with a proven track record over 10 years in Healthcare ITwith cross-functional team leadership and enterprise release management. Expert in data analytics and relationship building, driving process improvements that enhanced operational efficiency. Successfully mentored teams, fostering professional growth and delivering complex projects on time and within budget.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
QA & Testing Senior Advisor
Cigna Healthcare
07.2010 - 04.2026
- Led cross-functional Enterprise teams to develop and implement strategic healthcare initiatives.
- Mentored advisors, fostering professional growth and enhancing team performance.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to streamline operational processes, increasing efficiency.
- Managed project timelines and deliverables, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
Project Manager
Cavulus
04.2018 - 08.2020
- Led cross-functional teams to deliver complex projects on time and within budget.
- Developed and managed project schedules, reporting, and delivery timelines for key stakeholders and senior leadership.
- Coordinated stakeholder communication to ensure alignment on project goals and expectations.
- Ensured smooth release execution across multiple application systems and environments.
Project Management Senior Specialist
Cigna Healthcare
07.2010 - 03.2017
- Directed risk management and contingency planning to ensure successful delivery of complex, Enterprise initiatives.
- Led collaborative efforts across stakeholders from Engineering, Product, Compliance, Finance and Business teams to drive alignment and execution.
- Managed and led both large-scale Enterprise integrated releases and smaller concurrent projects across multiple teams.
- Contributed and drove process improvements, including development of release quality metrics (Delivery Quality Index).
- Developed training modules for new hires, enhancing onboarding efficiency and knowledge retention.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Management Information Systems
Central Connecticut State University
New Britain, CT01-2009
Skills
- Relationship building and management
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Data analytics
- End-to-End Testing Leadership
- Agile / SAFe Methodologies
- Training and mentoring
- Enterprise Release Management & Delivery Execution
- Jira JQL
- Confluence
- Test Data Management
- Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook
- Project management
Certification
SAFe Agilist (Scaled Agile Framework)
Timeline
Project Manager
Cavulus
04.2018 - 08.2020
QA & Testing Senior Advisor
Cigna Healthcare
07.2010 - 04.2026
Project Management Senior Specialist
Cigna Healthcare
07.2010 - 03.2017
Bachelor of Science - Management Information Systems
Central Connecticut State University