Microsoft

♦ Led a team of 12 in the architecture, design, and development to deliver a new internal service for all production clouds at Microsoft. Drove the collection of requirements from 4 separate customers through multiple interviews and meetings per customer to understand their use case for VMs used for troubleshooting. We designed a centrally managed and scalable compute solution that enables engineers to simply click a button to login to a fresh and secure virtual machine to test their service or reproduce a customer issue that is automatically deleted when no longer needed. This service replaced 100% of insecure debugging virtual machines from 2 cloud environments and contributed to automated front-end testing for 2 other product teams.
♦ Championed the augmentation, development, and coordination with cross-organizational teams to deliver the internal DevOps platform used to automate the deployment of 100+ services into special cloud environments saving more than 200 engineering hours per month over the existing process.
♦ Reduced network isolation deployment times by 40% by and eliminated the need for two users to initiate concurrent deployments while increasing the completion rate of deployments by optimizing the code running the deployments.

Site Reliability Engineer II

US Navy

♦ Led the design, development, team of 5, and delivery of an application and database solution to solve inconsistent human resource response times and reduce labor-intensive operations.
♦ Communicated with 15+ users to draft requirements and iteratively deliver functionality based on their feedback.
♦ Designed back-end database tables to include fields, data types, and relationships to implement 5+ functionalities in application.
♦ Troubleshot over 700 customer inquiries on application functionality and desired features resulting in 20+ major bug fixes and minimal data loss.
♦ Researched objects and syntax required to deliver automated filling of paperwork cutting 3 weeks of work down to 5 minutes semi-annually.

Application Development Lead

♦ Led a team of analysts dedicating 3,500 hours, analyzing 250,000 results from 200+ queries; resulted in valuable intelligence from 28 previously undiscovered documents, 20% of which yielded 500+ new selectors, increasing the number of known selectors for the team by 25%.
♦ Executed queries on targeted DNI and DNR selectors to satisfy intelligence needs.
♦ Performed tasking, maintenance, and compliance for all targets.
♦ Performed contact chaining to identify the center of gravity in organizations.
♦ Identified new electors for tasked and developing targets

Target Digital Network Analyst

♦ Provided timely SIGINT reporting to the IC through 1,000+ hours of analysis, 150 hours of quality control, and 80 hours drafting 5+ reports. Efforts increased mission production by 200% and established the standard for reporting in the 502 CMT in support of Pacific Commander's objectives.
♦ Drafted and edited initial reports based on quality assurance findings.
♦ Performed both initial and final quality assurance on reports drafted within 502 CMT before released tot he Intelligence Community.
♦ Provided reporting information in response to Intelligence Community (IC) requirements and in accordance with missions of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Information Assurance, and Computer Network Operations.

Target Analyst Reporter

♦ Operated signals collection equipment, systems, and antennas for analysis in identifying essential elements of information.
♦ Maintained cryptologic databases to gather additional target information and operating characteristics while protecting sensitive methods and sources.
♦ Supervised signals collection, analysis, reporting, SI communications and assigned personnel.
♦ Allocated Signals Intelligence collection resources and adjusted tasking as required.
♦ Complied with classified information storage, transportation, and protection requirements.

Cryptologic Technician

♦ Located and detected new and sustained targets of interest through search and survey.
♦ Executed Radio Frequency (RF) scans to identify relocated or Off The Air (OTA) targets of interest.
♦ Processed high priority sustained collect signals including both Digital Network Intelligence (DNI) and Dialed Number Recognition (DNR) across multiple field sites.
♦ Identified, troubleshot, and mitigated collection and processing issues associated with sustained mission across two major assets.

Signal Recovery Team (SRT) Signals Analyst Lead - National Security Agency (NSA)

♦ Performed the fix actions necessary, including restarts, configurations, and maintenance.
♦ Performed acquisition, analysis and reporting of state-of-the-art communications signals at the intermediate level.
♦ Provided indications and warnings to national level policy makers through data collection processing and forwarding to the Office of Primary Interest.
♦ Trained operators in the use of multiple follow on processors, signals databases, and other tools needed to complete relocated missions.

Signals Collection and Analysis Operator - National Security Agency (NSA)

♦ Built Infra-as-Code to dynamically generate configuration files for back-end Skype/Teams call routing deployments for more than 5 environments.
♦ Automated feature flag detection resulting in identification and creation of over 1,000 bugs saving more than a month over the current process in the delivery of features for 3 special cloud environments for Microsoft Teams application.

Site Reliability Engineer

Northwestern Mutual

♦ Used financial vehicles to help clients achieve their personal financial goals.
♦ Licensed to sell Life and Health Insurance in the State of Ohio.

Financial Representative Intern

Alex Thielman

Kind Lending

As a pivotal part of the Product Team, I laid the groundwork for a streamlined software development and support process. My focus was to establish a policy and process for evaluating business needs, particularly for loan origination systems, to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in our operations.

Key Highlights:

- Drove agile processes that delivered high-value product features 30% faster through advanced prioritization methods, requirement gathering, roadmapping and stakeholder collaboration.

- Boosted Wholesale Portal user satisfaction with issue reduction of 75% by rigorously evaluating help desk data and implementing targeted UX solutions.

- Accelerated developer velocity 20% by optimizing collaboration process between stakeholders and teams to rapidly clarify requirements.

- Empowered 8-person scrum team to own processes by championing agile best practices, increasing productivity through continuous improvement from retrospectives.

- Increased team efficiency 15% by consolidating fragmented backlogs into integrated master list ranked by priority.

- Uncovered 2 functionality and 5+ expanded product capabilities through conducting competitive analysis and synthesizing customer research.

SVP Product Owner

Stearns Lending (NMLS #1854)

Played a key role in mortgage leadership, serving as a catalyst to bridge the gap between business and technology advancement. By innovating programs that encouraged change, such as the launch of a mortgage loan officer council for invaluable end-user feedback, I strengthened market share. My responsibilities also included building and negotiating strong partnerships with IT business partners and honing trusted relationships with business leaders, subject matter experts, and end-users.

Key Highlights:

- Transformed mortgage lending platforms through product strategy, cross-functional leadership, and streamlining of processes. Sped up loan approval time by as much as 50% through technology and vendor enhancements.

- Revolutionized mortgage application experience, closing 50+ functionality gaps found through customer discovery, and boosting application completion rates 25%.

-Headed delivery of upgraded mobile platform, enabling 200+ loan officers to work remotely, increasing prospecting and securing more loan volume.

-Streamlined workflows across brands by integrating 7 disjointed systems into unified platform, reducing administrative effort by over 600% on repetitive tasks.

- Chartered Loan Officer user council to gather feedback and secure roadmap consensus between all stakeholders and brands. Resulted in a reduction of functional conflicts by 80%.

- Delivered critical platform capabilities in as little as 2 weeks, delighting users by responding swiftly to feature requests.

SVP Strategic Product Development

Union Bank

Led all mortgage-related projects as strategic sales project manager, directing, supervising, and coaching over 150+ sales team members, with a focus on the development, planning, and execution of digital lending technologies for home loans. Recognized as a subject matter expert in operations, I led critical initiatives in integrating multiple systems and policies, including point of sale, compliance, and system optimization, into the sales channel.

Key Highlights:

- Pioneered launch of innovative digital mortgage platform, increasing online application volume 40% through Agile development and guided UX.

- Led Agile build and launch of MVP platform, replacing legacy system. Boosted digital application volume 40% by adding new capabilities and streamlining UX.

-Reduced application to fund turn time by 14 days by implementing e-signature functionality, improving customer satisfaction.

-Established production support help desk for loan production end users, creating screen sharing and knowledge tools. Decreased issue resolution time over 75% via real-time video support.

- Spearheaded adoption of emerging technologies, decreasing borrower conditions 50% and differentiating platform through research of industry best practices. 

- Harmonized compliance and sales priorities through collaborative discussions of risk and tradeoffs. This led to elimination of rogue/unapproved marketing collateral by 90%.

Director Digital and Sales Support | MVP | 

Hey there! I'm Chad, a product management leader with a passion for creating digital solutions that really resonate with customers. You could say I'm an explorer at heart - I love venturing into uncharted territory to understand what users truly need. 

Over my 18+ years in fintech, I've had the opportunity to assemble and inspire some incredibly talented teams. Together, we've brought groundbreaking products to life that have helped financial firms thrive in competitive markets. My superpower? Bridging gaps between technology, business goals, and user needs to drive success. 

Here are a few highlights from my journey so far:

- Built product roadmaps from the ground up that resulted in game-changing solutions for clients. It's so fulfilling to see our ideas culminate in products that really move the needle.

- Led large cross-functional teams to increase productivity and enhance user experiences. Collaboration is key, so I focus on fostering an environment of trust and communication.

- Improved development processes substantially by spearheading Agile/Scrum adoption. I'm a certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Scrum Product Owner (CSPO) - process optimization is my jam! 

- Guided over 150 sales teams during complex tech delivery programs. Managing complexity comes with the territory in fintech, and it's crucial to keep aligning on strategic priorities.

Beyond work, I serve on nonprofit boards supporting causes like prostate cancer research and patient advocacy. I'm constantly inspired by the passion and care I see in my community.

As I look ahead, I'm energized by opportunities to apply my experience to new industries and challenges. If you're looking for a strategic product leader who can deliver robust solutions, I'd love to connect! Let me know if you have any other questions.  

chadjlittle@me.com

taplio

The Battle

Alex Thielman

Chad Little

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