Paul Davis
Gaithersburg,MD
Summary
Executive leader with over 20 years of success driving enterprise-wide business and technology transformation, scaling global PMOs, and overseeing complex IT and capital portfolios exceeding $100M annually. Known for crafting and executing PMO strategies aligned with corporate priorities, enhancing delivery through established governance frameworks, and mentoring high-performing, distributed teams. Skilled in risk-based planning, executive stakeholder engagement, and portfolio optimization. Demonstrated track record of success in highly regulated sectors including Finance, Federal, and Transportation. Brings deep expertise in agile delivery, financial modeling, and enterprise IT operations.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Sr. Director, Digital Technology Operations
Amtrak
09.2017 - Current
- Established and led an enterprise PMO overseeing a $110M+ annual IT Capital & Operating portfolio; developed business cases and roadmaps, aligned investments to strategic priorities, and executed multi-year planning cycles.
- Built and scaled a high-performance department of 85+ engineers and PMs across verticals such as Network Engineering, Cybersecurity, Wi-Fi/RF, and Information Display Systems.
- Implemented a robust PMO governance strategy introducing EVM (CPI, SPI, EV), PERT analysis, RAID logs, project charters, and standardized dashboards for executive and board-level reporting.
- Streamlined intake and capacity management processes for 950+ annual capital project requests, improving forecasting accuracy to within 2% of budget.
- Created Operating Level Agreements and a Terms of Reference framework to formalize governance and cross-department collaboration.
- Regularly briefed C-suite, Board of Directors, and the Federal Railroad Administration; served as Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) and voting member for major procurement activities.
- Recognized for building an award-winning internship program with a 15% conversion-to-hire rate, exceeding company average by 4x.
Sr. Portfolio Director, Execution & Delivery
Unissant
08.2015 - 02.2017
- Directed a portfolio of six high-value Federal contracts across technology modernization and analytics, managing subcontractors, client relationships, and team performance.
- Defined and executed PMO governance frameworks, process maturity strategies, and CMMI L3/ISO certifications.
- Mentored and scaled a 20+ person team; implemented project tools and standards to enable consistency, transparency, and delivery excellence.
- Supported business development via proposal leadership and RFP responses for new initiatives.
Senior Program Manager, Business Portfolio Team
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
01.2012 - 08.2015
- Served as PMO Advisor to executive leadership; developed and institutionalized the Integrated Project Lifecycle framework and governance reporting.
- Led a $10M enterprise SaaS implementation (eDocs replacement) for 5,000+ users, from business case through deployment.
- Delivered digital modernization initiatives for IMF.org and secure collaboration platforms (Sitecore, Adobe Experience Manager).
- Strengthened portfolio oversight through strategic KPI tracking and stakeholder engagement.
Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives (HAMP & Credit Loss Mitigation)
Fannie Mae
11.2009 - 11.2011
- Led program delivery for Treasury-sponsored initiatives; developed a centralized PMO dashboard and integrated master schedule across 25+ active projects.
- Directed BCP/DR planning and testing; authored Business Impact Analyses and coordinated with auditors and Treasury for compliance.
Director, Strategic Operations
SoundExchange
08.2008 - 07.2009
- Transformed digital royalty data systems, improving payout accuracy and enabling 300% growth in quarterly distributions.
- Oversaw international rights management partnerships and improved Board-level reporting through robust data integration.
Education
MBA - Finance
Golden Gate University
San Francisco, CA05.2003
BBA - Business Administration
Golden Gate University
San Francisco, CA12.1998
AIT - Signals Intelligence Analysis
Goodfellow Air Force Base
San Angelo, TX05.1991
Diploma - Russian Language Immersion
Defense Language Institute
Monterey, CA11.1990
Skills
- Leadership & Strategy: Executive Communication, Strategic Alignment, Team Building, Change Management, Governance
- Portfolio Management: Project & Program Delivery, Prioritization, Scope/Schedule/Budget Control, Benefits Realization
- Financial & Risk Oversight: Forecasting, Financial Reporting, EVM, Risk & Issue Management
- Operations & Optimization: Continuous Process Improvement, Resource/Intake Management, KPI Reporting, Quality Assurance
- Methodologies & Tools: Agile (Scrum, SAFe), ITIL, PMP, RMP, CMMI L3, RAID Logs, PERT, Project Charters
Earlier Career Experience
- Fannie Mae – Sr. Project Manager, Securities Accounting – Led software releases for securities trading and capital reporting systems.
- Freddie Mac – Sr. Financial Analyst, Capital Markets – Managed financial reporting and IT SOX controls for mortgage-backed securities portfolio.
- Equinix – Sr. Project Manager – Led data center network infrastructure deployments for customers in high-availability environments.
- CellularOne – Manager, Network Ops – Oversaw mobile telecommunications operations and team leadership.
- U.S. Army – Signals Intelligence Analyst (MOS 98C) – Served as a linguist and foreign intelligence analyst; held Top Secret clearance.
Certification
- Project Management Professional (PMP #1315558)
- ITIL Service Management
- Agile Scrum Master (ASM)
- Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)
- CMMI Level 3
- Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
- Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS)
- Expertise with Firewall Administration, LAN/WAN, Active Directory, DNS, MS Exchange Server, Windows Server 2000-22, Scaled Agile (SAFe)
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
French
Professional Working
Russian
Limited Working
German
Elementary
Timeline
Sr. Director, Digital Technology Operations
Amtrak
09.2017 - Current
Sr. Portfolio Director, Execution & Delivery
Unissant
08.2015 - 02.2017
Senior Program Manager, Business Portfolio Team
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
01.2012 - 08.2015
Program Manager, Strategic Initiatives (HAMP & Credit Loss Mitigation)
Fannie Mae
11.2009 - 11.2011
Director, Strategic Operations
SoundExchange
08.2008 - 07.2009
MBA - Finance
Golden Gate University
BBA - Business Administration
Golden Gate University
AIT - Signals Intelligence Analysis
Goodfellow Air Force Base
Diploma - Russian Language Immersion
Defense Language Institute
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