Valeria Zelaya
Philadelphia,PA
Summary
Experienced professional with extensive experience in project management, data governance, international development programs, and negotiation skills. Highly analytical and able to design projects in data, risk, or economic development domains. Able to lead and motivate a team and skilled at linking business and technology to accomplish strategic goals. Proficient in cost-benefit analysis.
Overview
21
21
years of professional experience
Work History
VP Reg Reporting Project Manager
Citi Bank
Delaware
08.2021 - Current
- Manage Consent Order Projects (Data Migration, Data Quality Project, Platform changes) using the LEAN approach.
- Assist in Data Quality project process design with blueprints workflows, controls, change management and risk assessment.
- Design Data Quality project components and develop templates to track progress (Key performance Indicators/KPI)
- Manage a team of six business analysts to implement projects
- Direct UAT (user acceptance testing) efforts in data migration project and system enhancements
- Created test cases using Agile methodology and validating the test results.
- Spearhead the change to a new platform to deliver regulatory reports reducing manual interventions by 80%
- Skills gained: Data Migration, Project Management
Sr. Consultant, Enterprise Data Management
Wells Fargo via SGA Consulting/Contract
Boston, MA
05.2020 - 08.2021
- Spearheaded a data migration project (current state vs target state)
- Developed the test cases/user stories, test plans, key performance indicators, and project metrics.
- Directed a team of 10+ people to implement data project (review deliverables and provide training)
- Documented the current state of different sources of information (current data transformations/data profiling/data count)
- Produced data artifacts such as data flows and data lineage of current state versus target state.
- Tested the business requirements to ensure the new database was developed accordingly. 100% data delivered
- Analyzed data using SQL and Tableau to ensure data migration was successful (Compare before and after)
- (Telecommute from Boston, MA)
- Skills gained: Project Management, Data Governance
VP Sr. Associate Operational Risk Management
Santander Bank
Boston, MA
06.2019 - 12.2019
- Managed the Operational Risk Management program and led annual key risk indicators (KRI) review
- Created dashboard to report operational risk metrics (internal/external fraud, risk events and limit breaches among others.
- Developed an action plan to mitigate the operational risks with threshold breach. Bringing 80% of risk metrics to green status
- Ensure risk controls comply with a risk framework based on risk appetite and exception management.
- Boston MA
- Skills gained: Project Management, Risk Management
VP Associate Risk Management Data Steward
Santander Bank
Boston, MA
04.2016 - 06.2019
- Oversee the Data Governance Framework for risk and regulatory reporting data.
- Directed a team of five consultants to ensure the data governance implementation.
- Spearheaded projects to identify Key Data Elements in the Risk Domain and apply risk data quality controls.
- Streamlined the data quality controls by reducing the false positive percentage by 50%
- Implemented data governance task (metadata definition, data quality rules and data lineage.
- Gathered requirements for system enhancements producing business requirement documents (BRD) and tested results.
- Worked with multiple origination systems and risk databases to implement data quality control using SQL for data testing.
- Developed approximately 700 data quality controls to improve regulatory data quality by 80%
- Performed as a project manager to implement data quality and data governance projects.
- Ensured business controls conform to limits, exposure per credit policy, risk appetite statement and market risk framework.
- Boston MA
- Skills gained: Data Governance, Data Quality, Project Management
AVP-Enterprise Risk Management Analyst
State Street
Boston, MA
11.2014 - 04.2016
- Performed as a product business owner under the Agile Methodology for System Development Life Cycle.
- Gathered and prioritized business requirements for risk system enhancement (counterparty risk and trading system)
- Liaise between business and technology teams to ensure accuracy of project implementation.
- Directed the technical team (10 people) to ensure implementation of the business requirements.
- Orchestrated data system migration projects for Credit Facility reducing cost by 60% and improved platforms efficiencies.
- Completed a data flow lineage delineating source system, enrichment process and data hubs.
- Managed the end-to-end data cycle from writing user stories/test cases to conducting UAT using SQL for data analysis.
- Updated the Credit Risk Economic Capital Model user guide as per the current procedures (model inputs, descriptions, the Monte Carlo simulation methodology, data set needed) and validated model outputs.
- Ensured all business requirements follow the credit risk guidelines, credit approval process, and risk rating system.
- Boston MA
- Skills Gained: System Development Life Cycle, Data Analysis, Risk Management Best Practices, System Testing
System Business Analyst
Santander Bank
Boston, MA
11.2013 - 11.2014
- Gathered business requirements that improved and maximized financial risk models including Anti-Money-Laundering model decreasing the false positive rate by 10% (compared to previous year)
- Performed data analysis to assess the incorporation of new data feeds in the systems and write the requirements.
- Conducted UAT (User Acceptance Testing) to test system performance after changes were implemented.
- Performed data mapping (source to target) for systems enhancements and developed data models.
- Conducted validations to verify changes were implemented (running frequency in SAS/SQL for data profiling.
- Boston MA
- Skills gained: Data Analysis, System Testing, Risk Management Process
Energy Procurement Analyst
Energy-Quote
London, UK
01.2008 - 01.2010
- Procured energy and gas contracts from suppliers, analyzed and presented the best offer to power consumers.
- Increased the number of offers/tenders received by 50% (compared to previous year) by providing feedback to suppliers.
- Negotiated contracts and improved contract terms reducing prices up to 3%.
- Managed the entire energy procurement process from procurement to closing client deals for Iberian markets.
- Provided analytical support including processing, analysis, and modeling of data using software applications.
- London UK
- Skills gained: Data Analysis, Energy Procurement, Negotiation, Data Modelling
Operations Analyst
International Finance Corporation (IFC)- World Bank Group
Nicaragua
01.2005 - 01.2008
- Designed project in advisory services aimed at advancing economic development and encouraging the growth of the private sector. Projects on forestry, renewable energy, carbon markets, agriculture supply chain, and management skills for SME.
- Delivered project proposals including risk & mitigation strategies, performance indicators, and cost-benefit analysis.
- Researched potential areas of economic growth in developing countries (Peru/Bolivia/Haiti/Nicaragua)
- Partnered with project stakeholders including implementors such as WWF, NGOs, and local governmental entities.
- Spearheaded the project implementation, monitoring & evaluation including liaising among donors, beneficiaries, and implementers.
- Executed the project management, reported performance indicators, and project results ensuring 95% of metrics were delivered.
- Negotiated with donors to guarantee project funding (50% to 80% of project cost)
- Nicaragua
- Skills Gained: Negotiations, Project Management and Monitoring, Grant and Budget Management, Cost-Benefit Analysis
Education
Master of Science in Finance MSF -
The George Washington University
DC01-2013
Bachelor of Science BSc in Finance - undefined
University of Mobile
AL, USAMaster of Business Administration MBA - undefined
Maastricht School of Management
The Netherlands01-2004
Skills
- Computer: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel), Programming skills in SAS Guide, MATLAB, SQL, Tableau and KNIME
- Team leadership
- Grant and Budget Management
- Cost-benefit analysis
- Strategic planning
- Negotiation
- Procurement
- Risk management
- Data analysis
- Performance metrics analysis
- Proposal writing
- Data Migration
- Project Management
Additional Skills and Interest
Languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian
Certifications: Industrialized Agile (Bronze and Silver) certification, Machine Learning Professional Edu-MIT, 02/2020 to 04/2020
Volunteer: Cradle to Crayons/Roadman ride for Kids, Boston, MA
Interests: Photography (Nature Scenes) and published travel writer in Atlas Obscura.
Timeline
VP Reg Reporting Project Manager
Citi Bank
08.2021 - Current
Sr. Consultant, Enterprise Data Management
Wells Fargo via SGA Consulting/Contract
05.2020 - 08.2021
VP Sr. Associate Operational Risk Management
Santander Bank
06.2019 - 12.2019
VP Associate Risk Management Data Steward
Santander Bank
04.2016 - 06.2019
AVP-Enterprise Risk Management Analyst
State Street
11.2014 - 04.2016
System Business Analyst
Santander Bank
11.2013 - 11.2014
Energy Procurement Analyst
Energy-Quote
01.2008 - 01.2010
Operations Analyst
International Finance Corporation (IFC)- World Bank Group
01.2005 - 01.2008
Bachelor of Science BSc in Finance - undefined
University of Mobile
Master of Business Administration MBA - undefined
Maastricht School of Management
Master of Science in Finance MSF -
The George Washington University