Dan Alcalde

Dan Alcalde​-| Jersey City, NJ 07310 |- | linkedin.com/in/danalcalde/ Summary Highly accomplished Program Manager and Agile Coach with extensive experience leading software development teams and driving process improvements across digital agencies, media (The New York Times, Newsweek, MLB Advanced Media), and technology companies (Zapier, Bitly). Proven track record of implementing Agile and Lean methodologies to accelerate delivery timelines, enhance cross-team collaboration, and improve organizational transparency. Skilled in leveraging Jira, Confluence, and SDLC tools to optimize workflows and foster a culture of continuous improvement. Skills ●​ Program Management: Agile Program Management, Project Planning, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Budget Management, Roadmap Development ●​ Agile & Lean Methodologies: Scrum, Kanban, Agile Coaching, Lean Practices, Continuous Improvement, Retrospectives, Sprint Planning, User Stories ●​ Leadership & Communication: Cross-functional Team Leadership, Servant Leadership, Mentoring, Coaching, Facilitation, Communication Strategy, Executive Coaching ●​ Software & Tools: Jira, Confluence, Atlassian Suite, SDLC, Agile Project Management Tools ●​ Organizational Skills: Organizational Design, Culture Change, Process Implementation, Training & Development Experience Agile Coach & Program Manager (Contract Role – Ended due to organizational restructuring)​ Catalyst | Dec 2023 – Oct 2024 ●​ Implemented executive-level Agile processes aligning value streams across teams, increasing organizational transparency by 30%. ●​ Improved R&D delivery cadence, reducing average sprint cycle time by 25%. ●​ Coached executives on communication and collaboration frameworks, resulting in improved cross-department coordination and a 15% decrease in project blockers. ●​ Cultivated a continuous improvement mindset, driving a 20% increase in retrospective action adoption across teams. Senior Agile Program Manager (Role ended due to company-wide layoffs)​ Zapier | Feb 2021 – Jun 2023 ●​ Launched 6 Growth & Revenue teams using Agile frameworks, accelerating time-to-market by 40%. ●​ Delivered workshops on Agile estimation and Lean practices, increasing delivery predictability by 35%. ●​ Coached Product Managers, Engineering Managers, and Directors, enhancing leadership capabilities and improving team velocity by 25%. ●​ Administered Jira across multiple teams, streamlining issue tracking and reporting workflows. ●​ Led a company-wide rebrand using Agile program management, achieving all milestones on schedule despite complex dependencies. ●​ Mitigated project risks by establishing cross-team communication channels, reducing dependency-related delays by 30%. Agile Coach ​ Cherre | Mar 2019 – Jan 2021 ●​ Established the first process-oriented Agile coaching role, aligning team structures with evolving business goals. ●​ Implemented company OKRs, improving alignment and transparency. ●​ Implemented customized Agile methodologies tailored to diverse teams, increasing sprint success rate by 20%. ●​ Delivered targeted training on Agile principles and leadership skills, resulting in a 25% uplift in team engagement scores. ●​ Fostered a culture of continuous process improvement, contributing to a 15% improvement in product delivery quality. Senior Agile Program Manager ​ Bitly | Mar 2018 – Feb 2019 ●​ Customized Agile and Lean processes to increase team efficiency, leading to a 30% reduction in delivery times. ●​ Optimized company-wide OKRs, reducing complexity by 50% and improving transparency and alignment. ●​ Facilitated retrospectives and coached team members, improving team morale and improving developer experience and satisfaction by 20% ●​ Led multiple product launches with 100% on-time delivery. ●​ Reorganized teams based on value streams, enhancing collaboration and focus on customer outcomes. ●​ Mentored first-time Scrum Masters, developing a pipeline of Agile champions within the organization. Director of Process and Execution​ Tapad | Jan 2014 – Sep 2017 ●​ Coached product teams in Agile best practices, increasing sprint success rate by 30%.. ●​ Aligned product development with corporate strategy, eliminating bottlenecks and improving time-to-market by 25%. ●​ Introduced peer recognition and feedback loops, enhancing team engagement and retention. ●​ Developed training programs leading to a 40% improvement in Agile maturity across the organization. Previous Experience Director of Project Management​ Cinchcast | Feb 2013 – Jun 2013 ●​ Implemented and enforced processes across multiple technology and business teams. Agile Coach and Consultant (Contract Role – Multiple client engagements)​ Valtech | Mar 2011 – Feb 2013 ●​ Helped clients implement and tune agile methodologies to suit their development needs. Multimedia Technical Project Manager​ Major League Baseball Advanced Media | Oct 2010 – Apr 2011 ●​ Introduced agile methodology and best practices to the multimedia development team. Senior Project Manager​ Newsweek | Apr 2009 – Oct 2010 ●​ Acted as the primary liaison between the editorial, business, and technology teams. Technical Project Manager​ The New York Times | Aug 2007 – Mar 2009 ●​ Managed the requirements, scope, and implementation of editorially driven software projects such as online coverage of the 2008 Elections and the 2008 Olympic Games Education ●​ New York University ●​ City University of New York, Hunter College Professional Development ●​ Certified Scrum Master (Scrum Alliance, 2009) ●​ Learn to Code in Python, Backend Engineering courses (Boot.dev, 2025)