Rebecca Huff
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
La Paz, Mexico
Toptal member since February 16, 2021
Rebecca has over 20 years of leadership and management experience ranging from small business consulting to delivering solutions for Fortune 10 companies. She's a well-rounded product and project manager with a demonstrated history of working in the entertainment and telecommunications industry. A strong marketing professional skilled in business processes, CRM, team building, data centers, and management, Rebecca leverages technology to support business delivery and operational improvements.
Project Highlights
Expertise
- Business Operations
- PMO
- Product Owner
- Project Delivery
- Project Planning
- Risk Management
- Team Leadership
Work Experience
Product Marketing Manager | Product Owner
AT&T
- Developed and executed the first “always-on” digital/social marketing strategy.
- Launched DIRECTV's Disney Movies Anywhere integration.
- Spearheaded a coupon platform for AT&T satellite video products.
- Delivered a framework to support TVOD (movie rental and sales) on a streaming platform.
- Established a base DevOps model across the team which ensured future code deployments would include monitoring and troubleshooting tools built-in.
- Launched the EST (electronic sell-through) product which delivered $31 million in revenue, $6.5 million in margin, and 1.2-million unique EST buyers (23% were new TVOD buyers). I received the AT&T Corporate Q1 2018 award for leadership and collaboration.
- Established operational procedures increasing issue resolution by 50% and transitioned ongoing support and administration to engineering, freeing up the marketing staff to focus on core responsibilities with a 25% in time savings.
Associate Director — Technology, Digital Care Project Management
AT&T
- Achieved the overall care-call shed target of 2 million (YE actual of 3.54 million, 177% attainment). The forecast used standard deviation from the prior year; the team exceeded this by capitalizing on unplanned opportunities).
- Led the rapid budget analysis across six teams to address the $20-million budget gap spurred by a corporate increase of the care-call shed target.
- Developed and implemented a rolling 12-month continuous improvement (CI) roadmap.
- Implemented and operationalized biweekly executive reporting on key metrics (call shed and digital percentage for the care call organization).
Senior Manager, Production Data Management (PDM) – Product Catalog and Content Mapping
DIRECTV
- Managed and was accountable for over 2,000 products and over 11,000 offers in the product catalog.
- Oversaw the capacity planning and staffing to support the delivery of over 200 projects/year; over 400 unique SDRs (service tickets) for a total of over 6,000 offers changes and over 4,000 programming changes.
- Decreased department expense costs of supporting project delivery by 50%.
- Initiated and facilitated monthly cross-functional business and IT meetings which reduced silos and drove overall process improvement—leading to an 88% reduction of problem tickets and increased completion of enhancements by 43%.
- Flawlessly executed the annual pricing and packaging (price increase) initiative in 2013, 2014, and 2015 (P&P generates over $500-million revenue annually); 2013 was the first year that PDM delivered P&P with zero defects.
- Simplified the bill (2012-2014) and reduced the call volume of 2-2.5 million in the first three months.
Senior Project Manager
DIRECTV
- Delivered an infrastructure and the initial implementation for ADE (Active Decision Engine) with a budget: $8.7 million.
- Oversaw the scope analysis, definition, and management.
- Developed and managed the project schedule for three simultaneous project tracks.
- Devised business and stakeholder communications tools.
- Created the financials to manage a budget and stayed within the IT PMO budget variance guidelines of 0% variance without an approved change request.
- Hired and supervised project support staff (PMs and administrative support).
- Managed the vendor relationship, including statement of work and day-to-day delivery.
Senior Project Manager
DIRECTV
- Responsibly for the full program delivery for the LA data center migration.
- Developed and managed the project schedule for the facility build-out, initial operating capability build-out, and five waves of application migrations (120 applications with 3-5 instances each).
- Created the project funding proposal for the CEO and facilitated the proposal presentation.
- Owned the creation and delivery of stakeholder communications up to the CIO level.
- Defined and managed the scope for the facility build, infrastructure build, and application migrations.
- Oversaw the facility selection process including building requirements.
- Spearheaded the RFP process and managed vendor relationships; hired and supervised a project staff of ten people.
- Developed and managed the communication plan to support the needs of 26 unique business groups.
Senior Project Manager | Project Manager
DIRECTV
- Managed a portfolio of multiple infrastructure projects (2003 to 2008).
- Facilitated the implementation of a central IT PMO for an IT organization of over 1,000.
- Supported the migration to a next-generation enterprise solution, Clarity, as organizational maturity evolved.
- Established PM standards and best practices and executed a PM competency evaluation.
- Developed and implemented a PM training program to support PM evolution and organizational consistency.
- Implemented a first-enterprise PMO tool called Planview. Delivered the infrastructure, oversaw deployment, and managed organizational rollout.
Project Director
Reliable Power Systems, Inc.
- Delivered all business operations support and managed the product delivery for an over $2-million contract with Sprint and Lucent, as well as other power quality product sales and production.
- Developed processes and procedures to administer all aspects of the project including manufacturing, purchasing, invoicing, and order fulfillment.
- Sourced items on the bill of materials, created vendor relationships, and managed invoicing.
- Developed and managed a plan for production delivery.
- Provided production cost analysis to management and managed the plan.
- Provided client support and supported inside sales.
- Oversee the OEM relationship to ensure delivery schedule and product quality.
Project Manager — Corporate Development and Project Delivery
Alttech Ventures Corporation
- Worked for Alttech Ventures, a startup developing internet intellectual property management and protection tools.
- Developed the implementation specifications for the technical support department, including staffing needs, hardware, and software requirements and budget.
- Stepped into corporate website and product development projects that were significantly behind schedule and brought both projects up to date.
- Oversaw the development of three new websites and additional product development.
- Supervised the development of product specifications and evaluated client needs and quality control.
- Directed marketing strategies and developed and implemented a direct internet marketing program.
- Prepared and delivered presentations for shareholder and VC events.
- Prepared and delivered product launch presentations for industry groups, potential partners, and specific client targets.
Instructor
Okanagan University College, Continuing Education Department
- Worked as a technology instructor for an adult education program and consistently received excellent student feedback.
- Developed and created the curriculum for all the classes I taught.
- Taught the following classes: Internet Fundamentals, Technology & Terminology, Internet Research Techniques, and Computer Fundamentals.
Project Delivery Manager
Freelance
- Handled project management, website design, website analysis, technology vetting, and contractor hiring.
- Facilitated the sales of website development, internet programming, and web hosting.
- Worked with clients to develop project specifications and timelines.
- Supervised the development process to ensure that the final product meets or exceeds client expectations.
Project Management
Permion Technologies
- Provide internet expertise and managed the asset disposal division for Permion Technologies, a company that develops chemical marking technology for the purpose of managing and protecting fixed assets.
- Developed an internet auction website to market surplus assets for the Canadian Coast Guard.
- Established maritime industry connections and developed and executed marketing programs.
- Marketed and sold surplus assets for the Canadian Coast Guard (a client of Permion).
- Developed and implemented employee training programs.
- Developed training materials for technical and product sales.
Project History
DIRECTV — EST Product
Launched the EST (electronic sell-through) product which expanded the DIRECTV TVOD (transactional video) platform, increased competitiveness, and introduced a new revenue stream.
The first-year program delivered $31 million in revenue, $6.5 million in the margin, and 1.2 million unique EST buyers (23% were new TVOD buyers).
I received the AT&T Corporate Q1 2018 award for leadership and collaboration. I also developed and implemented operational sustainment procedures which increased issue resolution by 50%. I then transitioned ongoing support and administration to engineering, freeing up the marketing staff to focus on core responsibilities with a 25% in time savings.
DIRECTV — Data Center Move
Served as the program manager for the DIRECTV data center move and relocated the primary corporate data center from Los Angeles to Phoenix.
Key Activities:
• Developed and managed project schedule for the facility build-out, the initial operating capability build-out, five waves of application migrations (120 applications with 3-5 instances each).
• Defined and managed the scope for the facility build, infrastructure build, and application migrations.
• Oversaw the facility selection process including requirements.
• Spearheaded the RFP process and managed vendor relationships; hired and supervised project staff.
• Owned the creation and delivery of stakeholder communications up to the CIO level.
• Developed and managed the communication plan to support the needs of 26 unique business groups.
• Led the program execution team and directed 200+ cross-functional team members.
• Designed custom deliverables to support the unique needs of data center migration.
• Created financials to manage budget; 0% budget variance.
DIRECTV — IT Project Management Office
Spearheaded the creation and evolution of IT PMO at DIRECTV by using a continuous improvement mindset when we developed tools, processes, and training which took our IT organization from an average PMO to being a standout in the industry.
Key Activities:
• Facilitated implementation of a central IT PMO (2008).
• Transitioned from Planview to Clarity.
• Executed PM (project management) competency evaluation.
• Established PM standards and best practices.
• Evolved the software development lifecycle (SDLC) process.
• Refined budget forecasting and tracking tools and procedures.
• Supervised EDS/HP consulting resources.
• Migrated the PM organization from an internal project tracking tool to Planview
• Revamped the SLDC processes in 2005 to support the implementation of an enterprise portfolio management tool.
• Chaired IT PMCOP (PM Community of Practice).
• Oversaw the creation of estimating models and tools.
• Developed and implemented resource capacity forecasting and management.
• Performed all project management responsibilities.
• Managed creation of SLDC process in 2003.
• Established budget forecasting and tracking tools/procedures.
• Implemented the infrastructure certification process.
• Performed all project management responsibilities.
Certifications
Project Management Professional (PMP)
Project Management Institute (PMI)
Skills
Tools
Office 365, Skype, Skype for Business, Microsoft Project, Slack, Zoom, Jira, AgileCraft, Confluence, Visio
Paradigms
Change Management, Agile, Scrum, PMBOK, Agile Project Management, Agile Leadership, Agile Software Development
Industry Expertise
Technology, Digital Marketing, New Business Ventures
Other
Project Management Professional (PMP), Projects, IT Project Management, Project Delivery, IT Projects, Project Planning, Project Lifecycle, Project Controls, Schedule Optimization, Project Scheduling, IT Program Management, Technical Program Management, Project Management Office (PMO), Project Management & Delivery, Project Management, Program Management, Estimation & Planning, Project Discovery, Project Estimation, Cost Estimation, Staffing, Scope of Work (SOW), Digital Project Management, Project Reporting, Technical Project Management, Best Practices, Project Tracking, Waterfall Methodology, Business Operations, Relationship Building, Cisco Webex Meetings Server, Budgeting, Budget Management, Leadership, Team Building, Business Processes, Change Leadership, Team Leadership, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Operations, Business Process Optimization, Scrum Product Owner, Risk Analysis, Risk Management, Risk Assessment, Scheduling Tools, Budget Controls, Critical Path Analysis, Quality Improvement, High Code Quality, Quality Control (QC), IT Operations Management (ITOM), Data Management, Product Owner, User Stories, Presentations, Mentorship & Coaching, Relationship Management, Growth Marketing, Product Marketing, Product Management, Issue Management, Root Cause Analysis, Technical Hiring, Software Development Management, Executive Reporting, Roadmaps, Data Center Migration, Vendor Management, System Requirements, Technical Requirements, Business Requirements, Process Ownership, Templates, Training, PMO Development, PMO, Requirements, Status Updates, Communication, Scope Management, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Project Scoping, Project Analysis, Project Timelines, Vendor Selection, Planview, Budget Modeling, Risk, Client Relations, Proposals, Client Presentations, Presentation Development, Project Leadership, Training Content, Curriculum Development, Curriculum Development & Delivery, Training & Training Content Development, Product Launch, Infrastructure, Content Marketing, Marketing, Content Management, Agency, Team Management, Request for Proposal (RFP), Process Optimization, Web Applications, Smartsheet, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Social Media, BlueJeans, Quality Assurance (QA), ITIL V3 Foundation Certified, Stakeholder Management, Data Center Infrastructure, ITIL, User Flows, Website QA, Website Redesign, Email Marketing, Startups, Early-stage Startups, Manufacturing, Hardware Integration, Hardware, Social Media Platforms, Discovery Workshops, Agile Program Management, Digital Marketing Strategy
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