Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Volunteer Experience
Timeline
Generic

Benard Obichie

Buffalo,NY

Summary

Passionate and seasoned advocate for business agility and change management within software development circles. A certified Agile servant leader with a track record spanning over 13 years in spearheading digital transformations. Proficient in cross-functional planning, deployment, and on-demand product releases, prioritizing value and quality. Possesses comprehensive expertise in Agile methodologies, including XP, Scrum, SAFe, Lean, Kaizen, and Kanban. Dedicated to supporting informed business decision-making, optimizing value flow, soliciting continuous feedback, and enhancing customer experiences across digital platforms.

Overview

8
8
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Senior Scrum Master

M&T Bank
Buffalo, NY
06.2022 - Current
  • Spearhead Agile SAFe framework adoption on the Digital NextGen Agile Team, resulting in the successful implementation of an innovative online banking solution, elevating customer experience to unprecedented levels.
  • Guide and mentor Agile Release Trains (ARTs), steering teams through PI planning, aligning with business objectives, and fostering seamless coordination among multiple Agile teams.
  • Enforce Agile best practices and ceremonies, orchestrating sprint planning, daily stand-ups, backlog refinement, and retrospectives to nurture collaboration and foster accountability.
  • Utilize Agile metrics and tools to scrutinize team performance, pinpoint bottlenecks, and propel continuous improvement initiatives, culminating in a 20% surge in team velocity.
  • Collaborate closely with Product Management to meticulously prioritize and refine the program backlog, ensuring alignment with strategic imperatives and amplifying business value delivery.
  • Proactively tackle impediments and dependencies, forging close partnerships with stakeholders to swiftly resolve issues and preempt risks, thus averting project delays and disruptions.
  • Cultivate a culture of perpetual growth and refinement, offering mentorship and training on Agile principles and practices to empower team members.
  • Facilitate seamless cross-team communication and coordination, fostering transparency and alignment across organizational echelons, ultimately enhancing cross-functional collaboration and delivery predictability.
  • Share insights and best practices to elevate Agile effectiveness across the organization, fostering an environment of continual evolution and enhancement.
  • Collaborate with the Leadership Agile Committee of Excellence (LACE) on PI planning activities, ensuring strategic alignment and execution, while driving efficiency and coherence through facilitated ceremonies.
  • Deliver Agile training and coaching, instilling a positive mindset and proficiency in Agile methodologies, equipping teams to excel and thrive within dynamic environments.
  • Lead all Scrum ceremonies, driving efficiency and alignment across teams, ensuring collective success and impactful outcomes.

Agile Scrum Master

Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America N.A.C.A.
Buffalo, NY
12.2018 - 06.2022
  • Orchestrated the seamless migration of customer data and information from an on-premises environment to a cloud environment within Microsoft Azure, ensuring uninterrupted operations in Office 365 tenant.
  • Spearheaded the implementation of cloud-based intelligence automation for credit report items, enhancing efficiency and accuracy in financial processes.
  • Pioneered the utilization of cloud-based methods for organizing financial statements and budgeting, revolutionizing readiness assessments for home ownership.
  • Elevated loan processes through cloud-based automation, significantly reducing time to customer value and streamlining operations.
  • Guided and coached Scrum Teams on applying agile SAFE values and principles, fostering a culture of continuous improvement and adaptability.
  • Empowered teams to self-organize and meet Sprint objectives, fostering a high-performance environment focused on delivering business value.
  • Facilitated all Scrum ceremonies and narrative analysis sessions, promoting collaboration, transparency, and actionable insights.
  • Identified impediments impacting Scrum team's ability to deliver on Sprint goals, driving progress and overcoming obstacles throughout each sprint lifecycle.
  • Achieved a 30% increase in data migration efficiency compared to previous methods, resulting in substantial time and cost savings.
  • Improved loan processing time by 40% through the implementation of cloud-based automation, leading to enhanced customer satisfaction and revenue growth.

Senior Mortgage Consultant

Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America N.A.C.A.
Buffalo, NY
09.2015 - 12.2018
  • Design a comprehensive home buying framework aligned with NACA's criteria and standards, focusing on qualification, eligibility, readiness, affordability, available funds, and compliance measures.
  • Collaborate closely with stakeholders to develop features aimed at improving monthly cash flow and creating affordable budgets that minimize long-term mortgage payments.
  • Partner with product owners and team members to establish ambitious yet realistic goals that drive progress and success.
  • Mentor and train junior loan consultants and financial counselors on principles of business agility and maximizing business value within the context of home buying processes.
  • Manage a minimum of four projects annually, ensuring adherence to budgetary constraints, strict scheduling, and defined scope requirements to achieve organizational objectives effectively.

Education

M.B.A. (EFD) - Business Administration

State University of New York at Buffalo
01.2024

B.A. - Urban & Public Policy

State University of New York at Buffalo
01.2011

Skills

  • Product Requirements Analysis & Documentation
  • Cloud based Project implementation
  • Team Training & Mentoring
  • Stakeholder Engagement
  • Relationship Management
  • Issues & Conflict Resolution
  • Technical leadership
  • Agile Methodologies & Project Planning
  • Web / Mobile app development
  • Agile Release Planning
  • Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC)
  • Software as a Service (SaaS)
  • Risk Identification and Analysis
  • Analytical and Critical Thinking
  • Transformational leadership
  • Collaboration, Empirical Quality & Process improvement
  • JIRA, Confluence, MURAL, MIRO, Slack, Microsoft Office

Certification

  • Certified SAFE 5.1 Scrum Master, 25219404-8804
  • Certified SSGI Lean Six Sigma – Green Belt SSG, 45082552

Volunteer Experience

  • Led project initiatives at RCCG, North Tonawanda, NY from 09/2010 to 09/2015, orchestrating programs and events for support staff and the congregation, while managing outreach, pastoral care, and ceremonial services.
  • Directed staff development, ensuring ministerial resources for effective duties and responsibilities, while fostering team growth and goal achievement.
  • Implemented strategic solutions to challenges, leveraging opportunities, and collaborating with organizational leaders to support mission objectives.
  • Guided continuity, change, and transition within the church, establishing shared visions and translating goals into actionable steps with Ministerial Staff and Leadership Teams.
  • Ensured community relevance through collaboration with Ministerial Staff and Leadership Teams, aligning church initiatives with community needs.

Timeline

Senior Scrum Master

M&T Bank
06.2022 - Current

Agile Scrum Master

Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America N.A.C.A.
12.2018 - 06.2022

Senior Mortgage Consultant

Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America N.A.C.A.
09.2015 - 12.2018

M.B.A. (EFD) - Business Administration

State University of New York at Buffalo

B.A. - Urban & Public Policy

State University of New York at Buffalo

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Benard Obichie