Karen Bates, MS, PMP, CSM, SA

Experience

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  Intuit

  May 1997 - May 2000

  Group Development Manager

  Led a newly formed 26-member engineering team in the development of Web-TurboTax, the company’s first web-based tax preparation product.• Managed the planning, development, and release of Web-TurboTax for three years, consistently delivering on time, on budget and with high quality. Ensured high quality of tax calculations, reliability, availability, and extreme security for customer financial data, meeting the stringent IRS tax-filing deadline of April 15th.• Created and implemented standards and processes for web-based development, load/capacity testing, deployments, and operational procedures. Established KPI metrics and developed web-based reporting and dashboards.• Interfaced with Infrastructure and network teams to identify and coordinate all required hardware, network, and security requirements for production and load testing environment.• Collaborated closely with product management to develop roadmaps and define features. Created project schedules, assessed impacts, and develop contingency plans to mitigate uncertainty. Show less

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  ProFlowers

  May 2000 - May 2001

  Vice President of Engineering

  Led a staff of 40 software and QA engineers. Overseeing the development of high-volume e-commerce order fulfillment system. • Partnered with FedEx to integrate the beta version of FedEx Ship Manager software, automating high volume shipping activities for the growers. Increasing efficiency, and reduced data entry errors.• Played a key leadership role in setting the company’s direction and strategic vision meetings. Led cross-functional business meetings to define IT priorities, driving key business decision based on resource and cost allocations. Show less

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  Peregrine Systems Inc.

  May 2001 - Jul 2002

  Director of Development

  Led a 25-member global software development team, driving successful release of four enterprise-level web-based application within one year.• Implemented extreme programming (XP) methodologies to accelerate product delivery, resulting in faster time to market and improved product quality.• Turned around critical international account, with significant implementation and integration problems, in three months through hands-on leadership. Collaborated closely with the customer, senior management, and third-party OEM partner to troubleshoot, generate options, and create go-forward strategies. Show less

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  TD Waterhouse Capital Markets, Inc.

  Sept 2002 - Jul 2005

  Sr Manager Technical Project Management

  Managed Project Managers, Business System Analyst, and QA personnel in the development and implementation of front-to-back-office solutions for 3000 financial Advisors nationwide.• Directed multiple concurrent projects, ensuring stakeholder alignment, timely delivery, and quality across a complex portfolio of financial software solutions. Championed a collaborative leadership approach, driving team alignment and ensuring that business objectives were met across multiple stakeholders.• Managed third-party vendor relationships, ensuring contract adherence and on-time delivery of mission-critical features. Show less

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  ID Analytics, Inc.

  May 2008 - May 2011

  Director of Engineering Services

  Led cross-functional team in the delivery of on-demand identity intelligence software powered by AI and machine learning (ML).• Managed the full project life cycle for developing and deploying statistical risk-based software, leveraging ML models to meet business objectives. Developed quarterly plans and product roadmaps aligned with the company’s strategic vision and led cross-functional meetings to prioritize projects, enabling data-driven decisions that drove revenue growth.• Developed and mentored teams, cultivating a high-performance, collaborative culture that consistently delivered high-quality products on schedule. Led the organization-wide adoption of Agile methodologies, accelerating product development and successfully launching the MYIDScore.com website within 3 months, meeting critical strategic business objectives. • Championed automated testing initiative, optimizing the testing process, and maximizing QA efficiency. Oversaw the selection of tools, framework design. Environment setup, script creation, and monitoring and pass/fail results, driving improvements in software quality and speed.• Awarded PMI San Diego 2009 Project of the Year for public service website MyIDScore.com.• Tools: Java, XML, J2EE, My SQL 5.0, MS Project Show less

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  MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Inc.

  Jun 2011 - Jun 2019

  Vice President Technology Services and Program Management

  Led the IT project portfolio for enterprise software, SaaS, and cloud-based programs, managing diverse teams and driving transformational change in pharmacy benefit management. • Directed a portfolio of 30+ high-impact projects, transforming numerous business process areas with innovative solutions and tools that reduced software and operation costs by 60%. • Defined and owned all key program KPIs and metric to track critical goals, objectives, and health. Empowered teams to drive continuous improvement through clear metrics, governance, and performance standards.• Led the adoption of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), establishing governance and steering committees to ensure the successful implementation of cloud SaaS tools, processes, and performance metrics across the enterprise. • Managed a $19M IT capital budget and a $38M expense budget, maintaining financial oversight and ensuring budgetary compliance within 1-2% over five years. • Tools: Jira, Jama, Confluence, SpiraTeam, Portfolio for Jira, Salesforce, MS Project Show less

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  ARS National Services

  Jun 2019 - Jun 2022

  Senior Director of Engineering

  Led a distributed engineering, DBA, and technical project management team driving transformational change within the company’s financial data processing system. • Incorporated Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) standards and processes, enhancing design reviews, promoting code reusability, and improved product quality by 50% through a “shift-left” testing approach. Strengthened alignment, operational efficiency, and communication between IT, business, and operations teams, driving cohesive collaboration.• Led key initiative to implement multichannel digital communication, including AI-driven digital communication tools such as, virtual assistants, text message outreach, and web chat platforms. Reducing non-critical tech support calls by 30%.• Incorporate business case review and business process analysis into the planning phase of all technical projects, achieving stakeholder buy-in, clarity of business objectives, and ensure compliance with Federal and State regulations.• Drove a culture of continuous improvement, standardizing engineering, and project management processes, resulting in 40% increase in delivery efficiency and product reliability.• Tools: SQL Server, .NET, AWS, Jira, Confluence, MS Project Show less

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  Dell Technologies

  Jun 2022 - now

  Senior Manager Technical Program Management

  Lead a global, cross-functional team of Technical Program Managers within the Services Program Management office, responsible for delivering commercial and consumer service offerings across global markets.• Direct the end-to-end execution of 12 strategic service offerings, overseeing cross-functional collaboration to ensure alignment with company objectives and drive excellence customer experience. • Mentor and coach team members, driving a 20% improvement in project performance by implementing Agile methodologies and optimizing processes, while fostering a high-performance, customer-focused culture.• Led 6 strategic transformation initiatives, collaborating with executive leadership, and overseeing a team of 20+ resources to drive optimization and standardization across multiple processes. Established a comprehensive governance framework for end-to-end program delivery, integrating Agile Scrum methodologies, and enhancing tool set utilization. Focused on operational efficiency and accelerating time-to-market, successfully streamlining workflows, and improving overall organization effectiveness.• Built the framework and resource capacity planning models, ensuring optimal team performance and alignment with organization priorities.• Tools: Jira, Confluence, and Planview Show less