Maria Edwards

Experience

• 

  First Data Corporation

  Jan 1997 - Jun 2010

  Work with clients to design and implement Product Control Files (PCFs) with more than 10,000 parameters to facilitate conversion projects. As internal subject matter expert, also assist clients with setup of pricing, promotion, and rewards products. Coordinate internally with conversion data mappers, IT department project managers, programmers, testing department personnel, and client services staff. Gather client requirements and manage technical tasks, including building and submitting batch interfaces and running queries. • Recognized for expertise in managing “major” conversions (from 4M to 45M cardholders).• Regularly selected for special assignments between the conversions and testing departments. Acted as a liaison to the testing department on code changes to comply with congressional mandate (Unfair or Deceptive Acts or Practices, UDAP) to ensure client compliance with new legislation. • Tapped to manage unique project for Credit One Financial Services — a startup (not conversion) of a new product for a loan services provider. Wrote business requirements, created test plans, and executed the test scenarios for the Consumer Loan Re-amortization functionality. Portfolio grew from startup to a $200M client within two years. Recognized by client as being “integral to the success of” their project.• Made adjustments to Nordstrom project in mid-conversion to support client decision on how interest rates would be applied for accounts. Rebuilt existing parameters, decision tables, and rules logic. Led remapping of existing data to support change. Successfully completed conversion of 5M+ accounts. • Honored with “The Essential Piece” award in recognition of abilities and contributions to multiple projects. Show less Led pricing team comprised of 4-5 QA analysts. Contributed to team projects with up to 10 analysts. Also personally managed individual pricing projects. Consulted with client representatives to determine which test scenarios to execute. Identified and reported on issues preventing further testing. Worked with team to complete test scripts and questions related to pricing issues. Ran queries using ODS to research account characteristics on the system for testing purposes or to fulfill client inquiries. • Consistently achieved zero defect product implementation for projects under test through writing and implementing detailed, thorough test scripts. Identified code issues and completed testing projects in the integration cycle for rollout in the Client Acceptance Testing (CAT) region and into production.• Facilitated Balance Administration project to offer additional functionality to allow parts of monetary balances to be processed and stored separately within an account balance. Project was high priority and highly visible, due to potential for impact on all customer accounts (millions of cardholders).• Selected to participate in two high-profile conversions due to previous conversion experience, pricing knowledge, and Spanish-speaking abilities. Project for Scotiabank International was a 100,000 card portfolio across 23 countries that took 18 months to complete. Led PCF and pricing setup, including mapping, converting, and servicing multiple portfolios and currencies, including major system support. • Promoted to QA Testing Engineer (highest testing level at FDR) within 3 years in recognition of work performance, leadership capabilities, and system knowledge. Also selected as leader of the pricing team. Show less Performed conversion work related to pricing and rewards. Coordinated with clients to facilitate conversions. Set clients up for promotional, rewards, and credit insurance products for marketing retention programs. Updated promotional section of project plan and authored a manual for the setup of promotions in client conversions.• Employed research and problem-solving skills to ensure timely issue follow-up, resolution for clients, and successful conversions.• Led promotional and rewards marketing retention portion of conversion of 20M Visa and Mastercard accounts as part of yearlong GE Consumer Card conversion project. • Contributed to one of FDR’s largest and most successful conversions, 45M accounts in a GE JCPenney conversion. Show less

  • Senior Project Analyst, Conversions

    Jan 2006 - Jun 2010

  • Quality Assurance Engineer

    Jan 2001 - Dec 2005

  • Conversion Analyst

    Jan 1997 - Dec 2000
• 

  Banco Santander

  Jun 2010 - Jan 2011

  Senior Business Analyst

  Worked with clients to launch a new credit card portfolio. Gathered, reviewed and wrote gap requirements for an international technology credit card team based in Madrid, Spain. All requirement gaps were validated with legal and were related to the recent Credit Card Act, which governs fees, pricing, change in terms, and billing statement calculations. As the credit card project subject matter expert, led the search for third party vendor products to support rewards loyalty programs, statement processing, and plastic personalization. Show less

• 

  Sallie Mae

  Jan 2011 - Apr 2013

  Senior Systems /Senior QA Analyst/ (K-Force)

  Provided and supported analysis and implementation of future enhancements and current functionality on a new third party vendor payment and loan processing platform. Participated in analysis of the existing processes of student loan processing on the Sallie Mae Platform and contributed to the functional requirements process, user testing and eventual conversion of the private loan portfolio to the new vendor platform.

• 

  JLS Associates

  Apr 2013 - now

  JLS Senior Systems Analyst/Senior QA Consultant

  Delivered the analysis and implementation of stronger and thorough test plans for existing Citi QA testing. This process was completed by interfacing with the business stakeholders, IT and QA testing departments to support the Best Buy Credit card conversion to a new processing platform. Supported Navient private student loan processing on the new FDR platform, as the SME, systems analysis and QA lead. Gathered, documented and tested business requirements from both the business and IT stakeholders, researched and provided issue resolution, and supported and implemented changes for both new functionality and maintenance of the loan processing platform. Show less

• 

  Navient

  Sept 2016 - Sept 2016

  Sr. Systems Analyst