Linda Yoss
Payson,AZ
Summary
I’ve built my career around delivering customer centric technology. At American Express, this means providing a portfolio of technical tools and capabilities that make colleagues more successful and more satisfied with their work. I drive transformations that move top, middle and working levels of an organization from their current state into an agile, product-centric model of operation. I lead global teams that collaborate across business lines to tailor solutions to unique organizational needs. I push a customer value agenda which infuses products with meaning and measurable value. I have extensive product lifecycle “stick time” and understand the importance of delivering in an iterative and agile manner. I’ve led agile transformations and am adept at applying the most useful methodology to the products at hand. My product experience covers networks, software, hardware, mobile and infrastructure; I have worked in financial, government and global commercial industries. I’m experienced in creating new market opportunities through innovation as well as through strategic iteration. I bring strong collaboration, communication, people leadership and change management skills; I’m proud of my lasting relationships with team members, customers, partners, suppliers, and stakeholders.
Overview
39
39
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director Digital Product Management, CEG
American Express
03.2022 - Current
- Led the transformation to cross functional product teams for core HR systems including Oracle HCM, Payroll, Digital Documents and Rewards/Benefits
- Established 5 cross functional product teams which included building their unique strategy, vision, mission, roadmaps, prioritization schemes and backlog
- Trained and mentored a team of 6 new product managers; mentored product resources across CEG
- Introduced Agile practices including PI planning, user story creation, backlog refinement
- Methodologies used included Scrum, Kanban and Lean.
Director Product Management/UX, Digital Workplace
American Express
06.2015 - 03.2022
- an enterprise level 350-member early adopter community to provide product and market readiness feedback
- Led a multi-faceted organizational transformation that included agile methodologies, product mindset, learning organization and operationalization of a new DW strategy
- Implemented fit-for-purpose agile development practices including Scrum, Lean, Kanban and Scrumban
- Build out of a learning environment that mapped to the talent strategy
- Constructed and operationalized product scorecard metrics and OKRs
- Established a UX/UI team and practices integral to DW product and service development
- Built a UX design and research organization from the ground up, constructing both work process and standards as well as building a professional team
- Using 'jobs to be done' UX research, constructed colleague work profiles that are used in and outside of Digital Workplace for system requirements and usability inputs
- Established a UX design practice that is embedded in product development teams as well as provides services to organizations outside DW
- Defined and implemented a Digital Literacy initiative with the mission to help colleagues use available technology to be even more successful in their work
- Established the mission and operating principles for a colleague forward educational initiative
- Defined and conducted enterprise level campaigns to raise colleague digital dexterity around tools such as OneDrive and Slack
- Increased the level of collaboration through cloud documents by 350% across the enterprise.
Sr Product Manager - Cyber Systems
General Dynamics
01.2006 - 01.2015
- Senior product manager for a secure laptop, a secure smartphone, and a suite of software applications
- Formalized voice of the customer throughout the product lifecycle
- Use of human centered design and UI best practices to infuse designs with usability
- Product lifecycle management including market analysis, product requirements, cost to build, dev ops, launch, sales readiness, iterative improvements, metrics
- Cross functional leader of enterprise team which entailed customer and stakeholder management.
Director of Product Management
Itron
01.1985 - 01.2005
- Directed product portfolio organization for software platforms, hardware product lines and network solution sets, with over 125 projects under development at any given time
- Established a product management organization with ownership for 11 software platforms, 9 distinct hardware product lines, and 4 network solution sets with a staff of 15 product managers based around the world
- Owned a combined portfolio worth $220 million in yearly revenue and entailed roughly $16 million of product research and development.
Education
Master of Arts - Organizational Leadership
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WABachelor of Arts - English, Sociology
Whitworth College
Spokane, WASkills
- Product evangelist
- Customer advocacy
- Agile development
- Organizational transformation
- Story telling
- Stakeholder management
- Design thinking
- Change management
- People leadership
- Strategic thinking
- Value measurement
Certification
- Certified Product Manager - Pragmatic Institute
- Certified Product Manager - AIPMM
- Design Thinking Certification (and others) - Nielson Norman Group
- Human Centered Design – Maya Design
- Agile: SAFe, Lean, Scrum, Kanban
- Mutual Gains Negotiation Certified Instructor – Harvard Business School
References
References available on request
Timeline
Director Digital Product Management, CEG
American Express
03.2022 - Current
Director Product Management/UX, Digital Workplace
American Express
06.2015 - 03.2022
Sr Product Manager - Cyber Systems
General Dynamics
01.2006 - 01.2015
Director of Product Management
Itron
01.1985 - 01.2005
Master of Arts - Organizational Leadership
Gonzaga University
Bachelor of Arts - English, Sociology
Whitworth College