Antonina Ushakova

Key Responsibilities

• Reorganized an underperforming team into a structured, value-driven unit, promoting accountability and on-time delivery.
• Oversaw delivery of internal-facing tools and client-requested feature changes, managing priorities with business stakeholders.
• Proactively identified and addressed risks, managing critical dependencies and ensuring smooth project flow.
• Aligned cross-functional teams including DevOps, technical, QA, and functional areas to resolve dependencies and accelerate progress.
• Established and maintained project structures, workflows, and technical documentation to support operational clarity and efficiency.
• Reported directly to C-level executives, advocating for business priorities, ensuring alignment, and managing escalations with transparency.
• Built processes that accounted for interdependencies with other projects within the migration program, fostering cross-project alignment.
• Introduced lightweight Agile rituals to speed up delivery cadence and improve communication clarity across distributed teams.
• Advocated for team members’ needs, promoting accountability and protecting project scope by confidently saying "no" when necessary.

Key Achievements

• Transformed a chaotic, disorganized Salesforce project into a streamlined success, setting a new operational standard for future projects.
• Increased team efficiency by 50%, turning a disjointed group into a high-performing unit capable of consistently delivering high-quality outcomes under tight deadlines.
• Reengineered key project processes mid-stream, integrating Agile practices that significantly enhanced workflow efficiency and adaptability.
• Successfully delivered a Salesforce project on time, despite multiple delays from interdependent projects, navigating a complex and chaotic environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Establishing and optimizing communication with client stakeholders, ensuring alignment on priorities, risks, and delivery expectations.
• Facilitating Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, stand-ups, reviews, and retrospectives, to maintain team rhythm and focus.
• Gathering and analyzing performance metrics (cycle time, throughput, velocity) to identify delivery bottlenecks and optimize team performance.
• Analyzing internal delivery processes and implementing improvements to enhance efficiency, visibility, and collaboration.
• Utilizing tools like Jira, Confluence, and AI-supported dashboards to manage project progress and improve reporting clarity.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversaw the full project lifecycle from initiation to completion, managing scope, schedule, and quality of a business-critical ITSM software project.
• Led the collection and refinement of requirements from multiple business streams, ensuring alignment with technical teams and stakeholder expectations.
• Managed a multi-service system architecture with numerous API integrations, including integrations with Salesforce and other essential platforms.
• Coordinated with multiple cross-functional streams, aligning technical teams, business stakeholders, and vendor teams to ensure smooth execution and issue resolution.
• Applied a hybrid approach of Agile and Waterfall methodologies, enabling flexibility for continuous improvement while maintaining long-term planning stability.
• Controlled project budgets, optimized resource allocation, and ensured cost efficiency while delivering high-impact solutions.
• Directed the design, development, and deployment of a complex, multi-service architecture with an emphasis on API integrations, master data management, and service alignment.
• Organized and led workshops, team events, and executive presentations to ensure alignment, address project challenges, and drive stakeholder engagement.
• Prioritized deliverables and managed competing demands from multiple streams, ensuring timely execution and delivery of essential project milestones.
• Prepared comprehensive project documentation, including discovery, technical requirements, and process improvements, ensuring clarity and consistency throughout the SDLC.

Key Achievements

• Delivered a high-impact, enterprise-level ITSM software project for a leading telco B2B company, meeting tight deadlines despite a fast-paced and complex environment.
• Integrated Agile and Waterfall methodologies to optimize workflows, driving a 20% increase in project throughput through improved execution processes.
• Created comprehensive project documentation throughout the SDLC, including the complex discovery phase, to ensure operational clarity and support knowledge transfer.
• Elevated team performance through motivational leadership, goal setting, and clear role definition, driving productivity and ensuring project success under pressure.

Key Responsibilities

• Orchestrated the simultaneous management of up to 11 projects, ensuring objectives, timelines, and deliverables were consistently met.
• Spearheaded the development of a structured communication plan, transitioning from ad-hoc updates to a formal system that enhanced project transparency and accountability.
• Cultivated strong client relationships, improving retention rates through personalized support and proactive communication.
• Supervised daily operations across development, QA, and design teams, optimizing efficiency and ensuring adherence to timelines and quality standards.
• Facilitated Scrum ceremonies, including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, sprint reviews, and retrospectives, fostering team alignment and continuous improvement.
• Coached and mentored teams to build skills, enhance performance, and promote a culture of accountability, collaboration, and learning.
• Acted as a hands-on problem solver, collaborating with teams to address blockers, resolve technical challenges, and maintain project momentum.

Key Achievements

• Enhanced client retention through personalized support and proactive communication, strengthening long-term client relationships.
• Successfully managed up to 11 concurrent projects, achieving on-time delivery and meeting client objectives in a fast-paced, startup environment.

Outline

Led fintech projects for the Middle East market, driving cost reductions, process compliance, and continuous improvement. Established comprehensive work plans, managed budgets, and mitigated risks to ensure successful project execution. Collaborated with director on strategic project prioritization to establish project plan.

Outline

Supported the launch and execution of multiple projects, driving performance improvements through effective planning, execution, and data-driven decision-making. Collaborated with stakeholders, streamlined communication processes, and provided actionable insights through financial and performance reporting to support strategic planning.