Clara Ion

Experience

• 

  Ipsos Interactive Services

  Apr 2007 - Sept 2019

  • Driving product strategy and vision to deliver high quality products and/or features on schedule and budget that meet customer needs and corporate goals.• Communicating product scope changes, prioritization reasoning, and decisions affecting product delivery• Leveraging data (usage, efficacy, etc.) to define project deliverable to support delivery of high-quality products on schedule that meet customer needs• Leading Agile product development team as Product Owner, attending daily Scrum meetings, keeping Scrum artifacts visible, helping resolve impediments to the team, and assisting with sprint planning and review meetings. Based on user requirements, writing user stories and acceptance criteria, creating prototypes and/or wire-frames for new products• Working collaboratively with engineering to design, implement, and test features• Liaising between core project team and internal/external stakeholders to collect and synthesize feedback, manage/align project schedules, and motivate team. Show less • Worked with Product Managers, Product Designers and Engineering teams to translate business requirements into detailed function specifications• Organized manual testing of new products and features including User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and piloting sessions if required• Worked with QA Automation Engineers to write scenarios and validate results for the end2end automated testing of new product increments, integrated with the core components delivered• Coordinated deployment activities according to the release planning• Provided support and troubleshooting to internal and external users. Provided specialized training to users on the optimal use of software.• Maintained regular communication with key stakeholders• Developed and maintained training materials, products manuals, release notes required by users to adopt faster the new features/products, according to the release planning. Show less

  • Product Manager

    Jan 2018 - Sept 2019

  • Technical Product Specialist

    May 2013 - Dec 2017

  • Senior Project Manager

    Jan 2012 - Apr 2013

  • Senior Sample Analyst

    Apr 2007 - Dec 2011
• 

  EMAG

  Oct 2019 - Jul 2021

  IT Project Manager

  • As a project manager I was responsible with project governance, analysis, and delivery, working together with business stakeholders, technical teams, architects and third parties, to develop business requirements that served the final client’s needs.• Wrote the project plan and documentation (business needs, objectives, project description, flows, technical requirements) using Agile/Scrum methods (Jira, Confluence, Gantt) and monitored compliance with deadlines defined in agreement with the beneficiary and the software development teams.• Constantly identified and assessed risks; finding ways to mitigate them.• Worked alongside the Architects to draw high-level solutions and processes diagrams.• Defined hypotheses for new features, measuring success against clearly defined goals and metrics.• Developed testing scenarios and supported the QAs during the testing phase; organized the UAT sessions with the business stakeholders and decided if the solution satisfies their needs.• Offered training sessions for the stakeholders.• Worked closely with support teams for bug fixing in production.• Extracted data directly from databases like MySQL using HeidiSQL/Data Grip or from reports using Qlik to follow-up in production the project's expected results. Show less

• 

  _VOIS

  Aug 2021 - Jul 2022

  IT Project Manager

  • Coordinate the effort estimation and ensure IT Operations resource definition and availability (internal or 3rd parties) to meet project needs. • Conduct the kick-off meeting and provide the project staff with all relevant information for working both in the design and in the implementation phase.• Work with the end-to-end Project Lead and Technical Architect to identify the needs of the project on IT Operations services.• Leading all activities of IT Operations services as Monitoring, Operational model, Incident, Problem management, etc.• Request all necessary infrastructure changes according to the solution definition and the infrastructure offer of the infrastructure providers (for test, pre-production, and production environment).• Ensure that the Development of Requirements from and to IT Operations is completed as their contribution to the Solution Definition. • Ensure that all prerequisites for the taking over the solution are met.• Perform vendor management activities.• Communicate with all stakeholders.• Plan the stabilization phase with the client and the project staff involved and provide support to the client throughout the stabilization phase. Show less

• 

  EMAG

  Aug 2022 - now

  As a Product Manager, my role centers on building customer-centric solutions and delivering business impact through cross-functional collaboration. Here are some of the core responsibilities I’ve taken on:• Defined and communicated a clear product vision and strategy aligned with company goals.• Led the end-to-end product lifecycle—from discovery and roadmap planning to delivery and iteration.• Conducted market research, user interviews, and competitive analysis to identify opportunities and validate ideas.• Translated business needs and customer insights into detailed product requirements and prioritized backlogs.• Collaborated closely with design, engineering, marketing, and sales teams to deliver high-quality product features on time.• Used data-driven decision-making to measure product success and continuously optimize user experiences.• Championed the voice of the customer throughout the development process to ensure value-driven outcomes.• Worked in agile environments, leading sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives to keep teams aligned and focused. Show less As a Product Owner, I’ve been fortunate to work at the intersection of business and technology, driving value through collaborative product development. Here are some of the key responsibilities I’ve embraced in this role:• Partnered closely with stakeholders to uncover business needs and identify high-impact opportunities, proposing effective, tailored solutions.• Collaborated with the Product Lead to shape a strategic product roadmap and ensured consistent delivery aligned with our goals.• Translated business requirements into clear, actionable insights for the development team, and co-defined technical solutions during refinement sessions.• Led iterative planning with the Scrum team to prioritize and deliver impactful product increments.• Continuously monitored product KPIs to inform and refine the product vision and long-term strategy.• Advocated for the product internally by promoting its vision and capabilities to users across the organization. Show less

  • Product Manager

    Dec 2024 - now

  • Product Owner

    Aug 2022 - Nov 2024