Malini Jain
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Montreal, QC, Canada
Toptal member since April 6, 2022
Malini is an experienced professional specializing in Agile project management. She holds certifications as a SAFe Scrum Master and CSM and an MBA. She excels in client management and technical solution development and has worked in various industries, including telecommunication, banking, and nonprofit. Malini's team-building skills have helped many teams work together effectively, with 15+ direct reports.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Collaboration
- Delivery Management
- IT Project Management
- Jira
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
- Scrum
- Scrum Master
- Team Building
Work Experience
Data Product Owner and Delivery Manager
Comniscient Technologies LLC dba Opensignal
- Drove the delivery of data product development and maintenance across two cross-functional agile teams, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and timelines.
- Created product roadmaps and prioritized backlogs with well-defined user stories.
- Created and owned project plan, estimated delivery timeline, risk mitigation, and stakeholder management.
- Owned the feature development, technical product specifications, timeline, and feature development.
- Led Agile ceremonies, including daily stand-ups, sprint planning, sprint review refinement, and retrospectives.
- Reported project execution status to management against pre-defined milestones and OKRs.
- Spearheaded initiatives for data compliance, quality, and governance, including implementing monitoring and alert systems for critical issues.
- Introduced and streamlined a Jira-based intake system of production issues, automating ticket creation and assignment for enhanced team responsiveness.
- Mentored team members, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment to drive high-quality deliverables.
- Delivered advanced training sessions and thought leadership content on delivery best practices and processes.
Project Manager | Product Owner | Scrum Master
OpenSignal
- Joined the team as an interim project manager, then transitioned to a product delivery role serving functions of product owner and scrum master.
- Drove the delivery of strategic data product development and maintenance across two cross-functional agile teams, as well as planning non-client-facing projects such as internal cloud migration and infrastructure health check and upgrade.
- Led agile transformation of the engineering, data science, and data operations teams. Accomplishments included but were not limited to implementing guidelines for agile ceremonies, estimation, and reporting processes.
- Implemented a Jira intake form for issue reporting and new requests, automating the creation and assignment of tickets. This solution replaced direct email and Slack messages, ensuring a structured workflow and proper team allocation.
- Designed a roadmap for the technical development and data science team to transition to Agile in collaboration with stakeholders and teams.
- Implemented said roadmap primarily as a scrum master and team product owner while coaching other leaders new to the Scrum methodology.
- Created materials and carried out organization-wide training on story point estimation, backlog refinement, and continuous improvement, focusing on realistic, implementable techniques and best practices.
- Designed and implemented an Agile project approval process as an addition to the Scrum framework. This highly successful process streamlined the intake of new projects and ensured a seamless flow through the various phases of Agile development.
- Filled the product manager role for a year during their absence.
Director Consulting Services | Agile Program Manager
CGI
- Promoted to director level. Increased bookable revenue by developing client relations in both consulting and Managed Delivery service models for the largest telecom operator in Canada.
- Led proposals and evolved solution offerings, leveraging experience and creativity to design, propose, and execute solutions for complex client problems in advanced business and technology environments.
- Managed a team of 12 data engineers as direct reports. Managed their performance, career development, and compensation processes, including salary reviews, promotions, and performance-based rewards.
- Ensured operational excellence by streamlining processes to enhance efficiency, resource allocation, and project profitability.
- Managed sales pipeline, ensuring accurate forecasting, lead prioritization, and conversion to meet revenue targets.
- Owned the creation and execution of contracts with clients, including drafting the scope of engagements, SLAs, financials, pricing, and billing.
- Ensured client and team success by providing industry knowledge, delivery capability, and thought leadership.
- Acted as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders, providing insights and guidance on strategic initiatives.
- Worked hands-on as an Agile program manager, coordinating status reports, dependency management, budgeting, planning, and approval at the program level for a 10-team SAFe train for the largest telecom operator in Canada.
SAFe Scrum Master
CGI
- Supported an Agile delivery team in a SAFe Agile Release Train (ART) as a scrum master.
- Facilitated all scrum and SAFe activities, including but not limited to sprint planning, sprint reviews, retrospectives, backlog grooming, and PI planning. Ensured efficient Agile ceremonies, fostering transparency and ownership.
- Guided the team in the adoption of the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). Built a cohesive team through trust, openness, and accountability, resulting in increased velocity and excellent feedback from team members and stakeholders.
- Collaborated with the product owner to ensure alignment on backlog priorities and sprint goals.
- Removed impediments and provided support, ensuring uninterrupted team progress.
- Coordinated with other scrum masters, release train engineers, the product management team, and other stakeholders to align and manage expectations on the team's behalf.
- Coached the team on Agile principles, empowering members to take ownership and embrace collaboration.
- Monitored team performance using metrics and feedback to drive continuous improvement.
Senior Project Manager | System Integration and Migration
CGI
- Planned, implemented, and oversaw the large-scale implementation of IT projects for one of Canada's largest telecommunication providers.
- Managed end-to-end projects using both Waterfall and Agile methodologies, ensuring successful delivery within scope, time, and budget.
- Oversaw project budgets and forecasts, tracking financials to ensure alignment with business goals.
- Collaborated with development teams and SMEs to estimate project costs and define solutions that balanced feasibility, value, and budget constraints.
- Built cross-functional teams to develop and deliver complex solutions.
- Drove alignment between business, technical, and operational stakeholders.
- Collaborated with clients to manage expectations and coordinated activities.
- Managed risks and dependencies, proactively identifying and mitigating potential project roadblocks.
- Ensured stakeholder communication, providing regular status updates and aligning expectations across teams.
- Implemented process improvements, optimizing workflows for efficiency and delivery predictability.
Senior Business Developer | Investment Banking Partner
CGI
- Joined the management team as a dedicated business developer for a client in investment banking.
- Served as the primary client liaison, building strong relationships and understanding their project needs and requirements.
- Partnered with clients to assess upcoming initiatives and align them with the right technical expertise and resources.
- Translated business and technical requirements. Communicated and reported them to various stakeholders.
- Led candidate selections by assessing skills, cultural fit, and project alignment to ensure successful placements.
- Tracked data using Jira and analyzed business and market trends to make suitable adjustments to strategy.
- Identified new business opportunities, leveraging client insights to drive growth and expand partnerships.
- Managed stakeholder expectations, providing clear communication on resource availability, timelines, and business constraints.
- Collaborated with technical consultants (developers, architects, project managers, etc.) on ongoing projects.
- Negotiated contracts and agreements, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes for both clients and the business.
Campaign Manager and Trainer
Fundraising Direct
- Worked as a campaign manager in charge of the performance of an average of ten campaigns at a time.
- Led and managed the performance of a team of 120 telephone fundraisers, coaches, and trainers.
- Managed budget, scheduling, quality, and all operational activities related to the telephone and social media campaigns.
- Collaborated with the data analysts, account managers, coaches, trainers, and fundraisers to achieve target KPIs.
- Analyzed and segmented donor data to extrapolate the giving behavior of supporters to determine the appropriate strategy.
- Forecasted resource needs and oversaw the performance and quality of the coaching and training team.
- Led and coordinated the analysis and implementation of a company-wide switch to a new fundraising software solution.
- Ran PLAN Canada's first successful SMS donation campaign, achieving 178% of the target response rate.
- Led the call center team to exceed overall funding and quality targets on multiple test campaigns for the Heart and Stroke Foundation, resulting in a contract worth $1.2 million for the company.
- Raised $2.06 million with my team for the Liberal Party of Canada's 2015 Federal Election Campaign.
Project History
Scrum Master: Telecommunications
Guided the team to successfully scale up their organization as part of an Agile Release Train in Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe). The team met project objectives in the timeframe expected by the business.
Program Manager - Telecommunications
Managed a program involving a large set of applications with 5 major projects running in parallel, overseeing over 10 teams operating in an Agile Release Train
Business Developer - Banking
Assisted a client in the investment banking sector put together a cross-functional team to deliver an internal product.
Education
Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA)
HEC Montreal - Montreal, Canada
Bachelor's Degree in Economics and International Development Studies
McGill University - Montreal, Canada
Certifications
AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals
Microsoft
Generative AI Overview for Project Managers
Project Management Institute
Certified SAFe 5 Scrum Master
Scaled Agile, Inc.
Certified Scrum Master
Scrum Alliance
Skills
Tools
Jira, Confluence, Miro, Slack, Microsoft Excel, Google Workspace, Atlassian Suite
Paradigms
Agile, Scrum, User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Agile Software Development, Agile Project Management, Microservices, Microservices Architecture, Lean, Iterative Delivery, Change Management, Management, Data-driven Development, DevOps
Platforms
Microsoft Dynamics 365, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure
Industry Expertise
Telecommunications
Other
Teamwork, Project Management, Scrum Master, Recruitment, Collaboration, IT Project Management, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), Negotiation, Stakeholder Management, Sprint Planning, Scrum Coaching, Risk Analysis, Agile Practices, Metrics, Communication, Fundraising, Training, Delivery Management, Client-side, Client Management, Program Management, Google Drive, Organization, Planning, Client Delivery Management, CRM Systems, Integration, Milestones, Discovery, Backlog Management, Product Delivery, Project Discovery, Project execution, Roadmaps, Product Roadmaps, Risk Management, Product Discovery, user acceptance, Solution Design, Solutioning, Project Coordination, Communication Management, Contract Management, Project Reporting, Agile Sprints, Sprint Backlog, Product Owner, Project Estimation, QA Testing, Backlog Grooming, Microsoft Teams, Analysis, Critical Thinking, Writing & Editing, Team Building, Reporting, Estimation & Planning, Budgeting, Project Scoping, Project Planning, Agile Coaching, Research, Cloud Migration, Technical Product Management, Finance, Technical Project Management, Software Architecture, Product Management, Agile DevOps, Lean Portfolio Management, Client Success, IT Projects, Sprint Ceremonies, Extreme Programming, API Applications, Cross-cultural Management, Cross-functional Team Leadership, IT Recruitment, Feature Backlog Prioritization, IT Deployments, Best Practices, Change Leadership, Sales, Campaign Design, Email Campaigns, Customer Success, Creative Problem Solving, Communication Strategy, Distributed Team Management, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), Political Campaigning, Political Analysis, Politics, Charity, Cross-functional Collaboration, Data Management, Agile Product Delivery, Release Management, Data Transformation, Product Ownership, Web Development, Data, Scrum Product Owner, Director, Delivery, Empathy, Revenue Strategy, Business Development, Relationship Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Microsoft, ClickUp, Azure Cloud Services, Google Cloud, Documentation, Data Science Product Manager, Digital Delivery Management, Cloud, Jira Administration, Smartsheet, Budget Management, Big Data, Data Products, System Integration, System Integration Testing (SIT), APIs, PI Planning, Scrum of Scrums, Client Relationship Management, AI Project Management, Cloud Computing, Microsoft Azure, Data Governance, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Business Analysis
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