Open to opportunities

John Sisounthone

@johnsisounthone

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Experienced program manager driving digital transformation in financial services.

United States

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What I'm looking for

I am looking for a role that fosters innovation and collaboration, where I can leverage my skills in Agile methodologies and product management to drive impactful projects.

I am a product leader with over 5 years of experience in financial services and mission-driven organizations. My expertise lies in driving digital transformation, platform excellence, and process optimization. I excel at journey mapping, stakeholder alignment, and building Agile roadmaps that deliver proof-of-value.

Currently, I serve as a Program Manager at Writing for Freedom, where I lead research sprints and discovery workshops to scope digital grant-application features. My role involves creating journey maps and opportunity diagrams, ensuring compliance with internal controls, and prioritizing product backlogs and OKRs. Previously, I worked at American Express as a Project Manager II, where I spearheaded Agile delivery of commercial-card onboarding enhancements, significantly reducing onboarding time.

My educational background includes an MBA and a BA in Sociology, which equips me with a unique perspective on organizational dynamics and social management. I am passionate about leveraging my skills to drive impactful change and enhance customer experiences.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Program Manager - Grant Funding and Allocations

Current

Writing for Freedom

Aug 2023 - Present (2 years)

Drove research sprints and discovery workshops to scope digital grant-application features, leading stakeholder interviews and competitive analysis to identify problems and solutions. Created journey maps, opportunity diagrams, and clear problem statements to build and prioritize product backlog and OKRs, embedding regulatory guardrails into digital design to ensure 100% compliance with internal c

Agile Stakeholder Management OKRs Regulatory Compliance Digital Design Competitive Analysis Journey Maps

Project Manager II - Card Data Enablement

American Express

Oct 2021 - Present (3 years 10 months)

Spearheaded Agile delivery of commercial-card onboarding enhancements, running customer interviews, analyzing usage data, and translating insights into prioritized epics and user stories. Facilitated sprint planning, backlog grooming, demos, and retrospectives in Jira, delivering reporting features that cut onboarding time by 12%.

Agile Jira User Stories Sprint Planning Backlog Grooming Data Analysis Confluence KPI Tracking

Product Manager - Go to Market Strategy

JLS Trading Co.

Jun 2020 - Present (5 years 2 months)

Partnered with UX, research, risk, and engineering to release MVP features in two-week sprints, slashing manual handoffs by 30% and elevating client satisfaction. Defined product strategy for a digital payment launch, running discovery sprints, drafting problem statements, and mapping customer journeys.

Product Strategy UX Risk Management Engineering Customer Journey Mapping UAT

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Ohio University

Master of Business Administration, Executive

Completed an Executive MBA program, focusing on advanced business administration principles and leadership strategies. Developed expertise in various aspects of business management.

University Of North Carolina-Charlotte

Bachelor of Arts, Sociology

Studied Sociology with a focus on Organizations & Social Management Problems, and Urban Youth and Communities. Gained a comprehensive understanding of societal structures and community dynamics.