Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Languages
Interests
Timeline
Generic
Yusuf Samantar

Yusuf Samantar

Fort Lee,NJ

Summary

Dynamic leader with extensive experience at IDT Corporation, excelling in product strategy and development. Proven track record in team building and conflict resolution, driving innovation and efficiency. Spearheaded the transition to AWS, enhancing operational capabilities while fostering strong relationships with stakeholders. Successfully championed Scrum adoption, enhancing product delivery and customer satisfaction. Adept at recruitment and performance analysis, fostering a culture of collaboration and excellence.

Overview

26
26
years of professional experience

Work History

Partner

Geniotime, LLC
08.2022 - Current
  • Oversaw firm's day-to-day administrative operations, provided guidance to my partner who is the President of the firm and enforced compliance with state, federal, and local regulations across organization.
  • Worked with our CPA firm on timely Federal, state and local tax filings.
  • Provided outstanding service to our client, promoting effective, and lasting business relationships.
  • Spoke with peers to verify task completion, meeting tight deadlines, and schedules.
  • Networked with other professionals and organizations to expand contacts and opportunities.

VP of Product Development - Payment Services

IDT Corporation
09.2017 - Current
  • Oversaw entire product deployments from vision and creation to rollout and delivery for the Payments Product Line.
  • When I came into the role, we did about 2M transactions and $8M in gross profits that year. This year, we are doing around 2M per month (that's 24M transactions annually) and will end up with over $75M in gross profits
  • Started the position with a single Scrum team and scaled that into 5 different teams dealing with different functional areas like Compliance and Verification, Pricing, FX and Rewards, Retailer management, Transaction Processing and Partner Integrations
  • Owned and prioritized product backlog for five different Scrum teams.
  • Collaborated with development leadership on hiring, training and retaining great talent.
  • Pioneered and helped streamline a "talent bench" process, whereby new hires would serve their initial 90 days on our best team, so they learn where the bar is set and then, be transitioned over to other teams, once they've become fluent in our best practices
  • Coordinated with software developers to create custom applications and trackers to achieve client goals.
  • Managed implementation of new features by outlining plans and specifications such as how, where, and when each component would work.
  • Analyzed customer feedback via tools such as Fullstory or by making quarterly field trips to identify areas for improvement.
  • Focused on building critical features up front in order to identify constraints and technical challenges.
  • Continually maintained and improved company's reputation and positive image in markets and communities served.
  • Helped champion Scrum adoption/adaptation throughout the organization, especially within the stakeholder community.

VP of Software Engineering and DevOps

IDT Telecom
03.2015 - 09.2017
  • Oversaw business-wide changes to modernize procedures and organization.
  • Responsible for Software Development teams including QA/QE, DBAs, Sys Admins and App Support.
  • Managed 10 direct reports, 4 Dev managers, 1 UI/UX design manager, QA manager, DBA manager, DevOps manager, SysAdmin manager and App Support manager, each with their teams of Engineers or Tech Admins
  • Directed technological improvements, reducing waste and business bottlenecks.
  • Cultivated company-wide culture of innovation and collaboration.
  • Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors and strategic partners.
  • Analyzed industry trends and tracked competitor activities to inform decision making.
  • Helped to maintain PCI compliance as a Level 1 merchant and Acquirer.
  • Demonstrated proficient leadership skills to motivate employees and build competent teams.
  • Collaborated with senior management to develop strategic initiatives and long term goals.
  • Kicked off and helped champion the company's transition from on-Prem to AWS.
  • Established the practice of DevOps within the company.

VP of Software Development

IDT Telecom
10.2014 - 03.2015
  • Led all Software Development teams focused on the company's flagship Boss Revolution calling and airtime top-up product.
  • Managed 4 Development manager and 1 UI/UX manager and their staff, dealing with different application eco-systems within our Boss Revolution stack.
  • Initiated strategies to drive product growth while modernizing our software stack
  • Led the introduction of Distributed Architectures.
  • Placed new emphasis on Design driven development and expanded test coverage by the dev teams.
  • Helped to maintain PCI compliance as a Level 1 merchant.
  • Led various front end and backend teams working on technologies such as .NET, Ruby on Rails, Java, AngularJS, React Native, Oracle databases and many more.
  • Directed technological improvements, reducing waste and business bottlenecks.
  • Led recruitment and development of key performers to maximize utilization of existing talent and capabilities.
  • Established and maintained strong relationships with customers, vendors and strategic partners.

Software Development Manager

IDT Telecom
02.2008 - 10.2014
  • Led the original team who built and managed the one-and-only Boss Revolution product line
  • Built inter-team collaboration guidelines to reduce dependence and redundancy and accelerate development efforts by integrating diverse developer voices.
  • Managed and personally contributed to software development refactors in reporting, transaction flows, 3rd party integrations and switching to a new backend
  • Hired and retained great talent
  • Placed high emphases on Test driven development

Software Development Analyst

IDT Telecom
12.2001 - 02.2008
  • Worked closely with business users and business analysts to understand functionality and propose creative solutions to meet business needs.
  • Completed software development lifecycle from requirement analysis to test planning, test case development and test execution.
  • Balanced multiple projects by completing and updating documentation, managing scope and adjusting schedules.
  • Developed and implemented workflow templates, prioritizing efficiency and ease-of-use for end-users of our custom CRM platform.
  • Participated in risk assessment analysis for Telecom products, applying standard change control procedures to minimize inherent liability in software releases.
  • Offered input for complex documents to support client-ready final versions.
  • Performed internal system acceptance to deliver well-tested enhancements and meet business requirements.
  • Held final approval for software versioning validation, providing oversight of pre-shipment features or revisions and updates.
  • Troubleshot incidents reported by end-users to schedule system changes and identify permanent solutions.
  • Cultivated interpersonal skills by building positive relationships with others.

Market Management Systems Manager

Winstar Communications
07.1999 - 12.2001
  • Building automations for the Market Managemengt team
  • Working closely with the Product team to help launch the first ever business bundle (triple play) called Business Essentials
  • Drafted change management policies to streamline introductions of new software and systems.
  • Communicated with third party providers and business channel partners to maintain strong commercial alliances.
  • Assisted in onboarding high-profile clients, going hands-on to encourage strong business relationship formation.
  • Liaised with other departments to help educate and provide training on new products, pricing and features.
  • Led technical upgrade projects for clients by working and coordinating with consultants and developers for integrations.

Education

Bachelor of Science - Management Information Systems

American University
Washington, DC
2000

Skills

  • Recruitment and hiring
  • Performance analysis
  • Product Strategy
  • Product Development
  • Scrum Product Ownership
  • Tech management
  • Team building
  • Marketing knowledge
  • Conflict resolution
  • Account management

Languages

English
Native or Bilingual
Somali
Native or Bilingual
Italian
Native or Bilingual
Arabic
Limited Working
Hindi
Elementary
Spanish
Elementary

Interests

  • Being the best Husband and Father I can
  • Horseback Riding
  • Kayaking
  • Hiking
  • Football (Juve) and American Football (Phins)
  • Tennis

Timeline

Partner

Geniotime, LLC
08.2022 - Current

VP of Product Development - Payment Services

IDT Corporation
09.2017 - Current

VP of Software Engineering and DevOps

IDT Telecom
03.2015 - 09.2017

VP of Software Development

IDT Telecom
10.2014 - 03.2015

Software Development Manager

IDT Telecom
02.2008 - 10.2014

Software Development Analyst

IDT Telecom
12.2001 - 02.2008

Market Management Systems Manager

Winstar Communications
07.1999 - 12.2001

Bachelor of Science - Management Information Systems

American University

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