Shannon R. Foster
Summary
I have 15+ years of leadership experience (in both technical and non-technical environments). I am currently managing three distributed (remote and in-office) Scrum teams, comprised of Full-time employees as well as near-shore Contractors. My role requires that I work cross-functionally with Products and business stakeholders to ensure my teams are delivering the most value possible. I take great pride in building highly innovative and motivated teams; while operating with a "people first" leadership mentality. I have a solid foundation in front-end programming languages and am adept in Agile Software development practices. Additionally, I have several years of Technical Project Management, Product Management, Product Development, Product training and technical documentation experience.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Manager of Software Engineering
Dealer.com
02.2018 - Current
- Foster a work environment where my teams feel comfortable innovating, as well as taking risks, while recognizing and acting on “fail-forward” moments
- Constant evaluation of team and organizational priorities and forming strategies to meet as many demands as possible, while advocating for our roadmap
- Coach and Mentor team members on career/personal growth
- Effectively lead teams through significant process, personnel, and technology changes
- Deliberate focus on projects that will keep my product and technical knowledge up to date
- Build relationships and collaborate cross-functionally to create process improvements, efficiencies, and internal tools throughout the organization
- Act as a mentor and sounding board for other Engineering and non-Engineering leaders
- Partner closely with Architecture and Products to ensure that we are all aligned and working on the highest value work.
Manager, Custom Development
Dealer.com
10.2015 - 02.2018
- Manage a team of 11 Developers (in disparate locations) and one Technical Project Manager
- Evaluate custom work requests based on Client and Business impacts; while being mindful of the potential precedent and technical debt being set
- Act as a mentor and remove barriers to allow my team to continually grow and develop their skills
- Function as Product and Process SME for our department as well as other business units
- Escalation point for internal and external customers
- Ability to calm and diffuse intense situations and create a concreate path forward.
Account Manager & Product Specialist
Dealer.com
03.2011 - 10.2015
- Client Relationship management
- Website products and configuration SME
- Serve on several cross-functional groups to assist in resolving business critical issues
- Create and maintain successful working relationships with Engineering, Products, and Operations Stakeholders
- Effectively communicate complex ideas and concepts to form actionable items
- Troubleshoot and fix technical issues that come into the DEV Queue
- Help prioritize Bug/maintenance backlog for Website Platform Scrum teams.
People Leader & Product Development Lead
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan & Vermont
03.2001 - 03.2011
- Responsible for recruiting, interviewing, hiring and performance managing direct reports
- Focus on coaching/ developing / mentoring employees and team building
- Responsible for developing/executing Full Product Lifecycles
- Work directly with the State of Vermont regarding compliancy regulations
- Manage several key projects (including full development of project plan, functional requirements, user stories and BRD)
- Responsible for the gathering and analysis of competitive intelligence data
Education
BA - English, Biochemistry
Wayne State University
Detroit, MichiganSkills
- Lead Teams
- Change Management Process
- Customer Relationship Management
- Agile Work Processes
- Verbal and Written Communication
- Cross-Functional Team Management
- Strategic Planning
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Complex Problem-Solving
- Product Management and Branding
Timeline
Senior Manager of Software Engineering
Dealer.com
02.2018 - Current
Manager, Custom Development
Dealer.com
10.2015 - 02.2018
Account Manager & Product Specialist
Dealer.com
03.2011 - 10.2015
People Leader & Product Development Lead
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan & Vermont
03.2001 - 03.2011
BA - English, Biochemistry
Wayne State University
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