Ben Gaa
St. Louis
Summary
Dynamic Digital Product Owner with a proven track record at Merck KGaA, adept at leading cross-functional teams to innovate and enhance product roadmaps. Skilled in requirements gathering and process improvement, I excel in prioritizing tasks and fostering collaboration, ensuring successful project delivery and user satisfaction through effective communication and analytical problem-solving.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
Work History
Digital Product Owner
Merck KGaA
09.2024 - Current
- Led cross-functional teams to define product vision and roadmap.
- Facilitated agile ceremonies to ensure team alignment and continuous improvement.
- Ensured seamless integration of new features with existing systems through meticulous planning, testing, and coordination with technical teams.
- Prioritized backlog items based on business value and customer feedback.
Senior Functional Analyst
Merck KGaA
01.2013 - 08.2024
- Analyzed business requirements and translated them into functional specifications for development teams.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to gather and validate project requirements, ensuring alignment with business objectives.
- Developed comprehensive test plans and executed testing procedures to ensure system functionality met user needs.
- Assisted in the design of user interfaces, enhancing user experience through iterative feedback cycles.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to ensure successful project delivery within tight deadlines.
- Validated business intelligence reports within test environment to troubleshoot production issues.
- Reduced system errors, conducting rigorous testing and debugging of application features.
Senior IT Analyst
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, St Louis Mo
07.2008 - 12.2012
- Led system integration initiatives, enhancing data accuracy and operational efficiency across departments.
- Developed strategic IT solutions to streamline workflows and reduce response times for technical support.
- Mentored junior analysts, fostering skill development and ensuring adherence to best practices in IT processes.
- Conducted needs assessments to identify technology gaps, driving targeted improvements in system capabilities.
- Ensured seamless integration of new systems into existing infrastructure, minimizing disruptions for end users.
- Troubleshot incidents reported by end-users to schedule system changes and identify permanent solutions.
- Communicated and explained business requirements to team members to understand and implement functional demands.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Creative Writing
Knox College
Galesburg, IL06-1998
Skills
- Requirements gathering
- Innovation and creativity
- Process improvement expertise
- Cross-functional team leadership
- Problem-solving
- Multitasking
- Reliability
- Excellent communication
- Task prioritization
- Adaptability
- Analytical skills
Timeline
Digital Product Owner
Merck KGaA
09.2024 - Current
Senior Functional Analyst
Merck KGaA
01.2013 - 08.2024
Senior IT Analyst
Sigma-Aldrich Corporation, St Louis Mo
07.2008 - 12.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Creative Writing
Knox College