Ilén Zazueta-Hall | Product Manager

707-332-8646 ·  ilen@ilen.info · http://www.ilen.org

Summary

• Demonstrated ability to convert strategic vision into a compelling product for
  real users.
• Proven record of creating teams that are engaged, innovative and productive.
• Over 10 years designing and executing effective user experiences.

Professional Experience

WorkingPoint (formerly NetBooks, Inc.) | San Francisco, CA

Sr. Product Manager (December 2007 - Present)

Define product strategy and facillitate execution for workingpoint.com, a multi-tenant SaaS invoicing, bookkeeping and CRM system for the Very Small Business (VSB) market

• Led complete re-launch of product for revised target market with re-structured pricing model and architecture.
• Hands-on definition of new product features and enhancements from market research, competitive analysis, win/loss analysis and user research.
• Product Owner for Scrum team.

MarketLive, Inc. | Petaluma, CA

Product Manager (June 2005 – December 2007)

Managed the entire product life cycle from strategic planning to tactical activities for the MarketLive e-commerce platform.

• Specified market requirements for current and future products by conducting market research supported by ongoing interaction with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Led a cross-functional team in the successful delivery, internal training and adoption, and rollout to customers of a critical security compliance release – achieved PCI-DSS Level 2 Service Provider certification ten days ahead of schedule.
• Analyzed potential partner relationships for the MarketLive e-commerce platform and supervised the outsourced development of product modules integrating third party functionality such as PayPal payments.
• Scrum-master for RAD (Rapid Applications Development) team, piloting user-centered design and agile development methodologies. Team delivered 200% of anticipated functionality in first 6 months.

Information Architect (February 2005 - June 2005)

Worked with internal MarketLive stakeholders to elicit platform business requirements and translate them into functional design specifications.

• Created detailed design and functional specifications (including wireframes, use cases, business process and user flows) for e-commerce platform.
  

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. | Emeryville, CA

Senior Manager, Developer Studio Programs (Sept 2003 – February 2005)

Responsible for integrating the technical support, training and documentation teams into a single project support program, improving work efficiency and effectiveness in the Publishing Services division.

• Ensured clear communications between team members, development teams and executive management.
• Planned and directed execution of ongoing documentation, training and website development, including quality assessment.
• Recruited, hired and evaluated full and part time staff. Responsible for career development for full-time staff.
• Set strategy for reducing project cycle time via real-time information analysis and distribution.

 

Information Product Manager, Developer Studio (Oct 2002 - Sept 2003)

Led a staff of web developers, technical writers and information specialists in the development and online distribution of technical documentation and reference libraries.

• Transformed a stale "alliance website" into the primary channel of information distribution to development partners in 10 countries and 9 time zones.
• Recruited, hired and managed contract writers and developers, resulting in a pool of cost-effective "on-call" talent.
• Designed, developed and maintained custom online applications for information management and distribution using MS SQL Server, IIS and ColdFusion.

IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Brisbane, CA
(formerly Snowball.com)

Software Engineer (August 2001 - Oct 2002)

Responsible for design, development and maintenance of web applications for a high-traffic, youth destination site.

• Designed and developed J2EE translation and caching layer servlet to add dynamic components to static content while keeping equipment and license costs low.
• Prototyped new community initiative allowing users to share data and become contributors to IGN.com.
• Developed roles management and security layer for "Network-In-A-Box" content management system.

Development Manager, Publishing Systems (March 2000 - August 2001)

Lead engineering position, responsible for management of the development and production design teams for a network of high-traffic, youth-oriented web sites.

• Based on client needs, defined and documented product requirements and features, and coordinated development and deployment of products.
• Led engineering and production art team in the development of a publishing and content management system for internal and third party use.
• Online publishing liaison for all non-engineering departments.

Web Developer (December 1999 - March 2000)

Lead developer for a custom Java/JDBC based content management and publishing system for high-traffic web networks.  As acting producer, coordinated communications between the editorial and engineering teams to identify and implement new features and ensure web site quality and standards compliance.

Independent Consultant (1997-Present)

Programming and design services ranging from identity package design to web applications development and database design for small businesses and non-profits. Clients include: Shypoke Winery; Judicial Council of California, Office of the Courts; The California Museum of Oakland; The Turing Studio, Inc.; VisionFoundry, Inc.

Skills

Technical

Programming: Java, Ruby on Rails (basic proficiency)

Process: Kanban, SCRUM

Scripting: SQL, HTML, CSS, XML, JavaScript

DBMS: Oracle, MS SQL Server, MySQL

Planning Tools: MS Project, Excel

Prototyping/Design Tools: Photoshop, Illustrator, Visio, Axure RP

Other Applications: MS Office (Word, Access, PowerPoint), Adobe Acrobat

OS Expertise: Linux (Ubuntu), WinXP/Vista, Mac OSX

Foreign Languages

              Spanish, French

Education

BA, Humanities, 1996 New College of the University of South Florida