ABOUT ME | MeganJFaykosh

Megan J Faykosh

Business Solutions Architect

An Analytical Mind Focused on Optimization

For pretty much my entire life I've been told I "think too much" and "analyze" everything. I used to feel my overly analytical mind was a curse, but I've come to see it as a blessing in my career. With over a decade of experience, I've honed my skills in using strategic and analytical thinking to guide improvements in everything that I do.

My curiosity fuels constant learning and expanding expertise. I excel at optimizing processes, roles, and efficiencies through analysis and empathy. I now focus my analytical mindset and passion for improvement on enabling organizations to reach their full potential. My superpowers are in leading teams to implement solutions that propel progress in a collaborative way.

Resume

My Objective

Lead enterprises in building high-performing teams, optimizing operations, and successfully strengthening internal frameworks across people, processes, and technology.

Certifications

Certified SAFe 6 Architect

Certified Scrum Master

Product Management Certificate

Languages

English (native)

German (Professional working proficiency)

Deluxe Corporation,
Minneapolis, MN

Enterprise Architect & FinOps

Process Solutions Architect

UX DesignOps Manager

November 2022 -
Current

Enterprise Architecture & FinOps

Lead enterprise architecture initiatives focusing on application rationalization and governance frameworks
Spearhead FinOps implementation for multi-cloud environment (AWS, Azure, proprietary cloud), optimizing technology costs and driving cloud efficiency
Develop and implement enterprise-wide governance structures ensuring alignment with business objectives
Drive change management strategies for technology transitions and process improvements

Process & Solutions Architecture

Architected and implemented enterprise-wide workflow solutions, resulting in measurable improvements in operational efficiency
Established comprehensive governance frameworks for process management, ensuring consistency and best practice adoption
Redesigned project intake processes, enhancing cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder communication
Configured and customized Jira Service Manager for automated service delivery, including workflow definition and SLA management
Led strategic technology scaling initiatives, partnering with IT teams to ensure seamless integration

Design Operations Leadership

Directed UX/UI product design and development teams, optimizing design processes and tool utilization
Implemented data-driven productivity measurements, establishing metrics and reporting for enhanced transparency
Led comprehensive technology audit and optimization initiative, resulting in $10,000 cost reduction while improving efficiency
Enhanced organizational visibility through implementation of integrated dashboard solutions utilizing Smartsheet, Microsoft Teams, Outlook, SharePoint, and Power BI
Managed large-scale cross-functional product development initiatives

Core Competencies

Enterprise Architecture & Governance
Technology Cost Optimization (FinOps)
Process Design & Implementation
Change Management
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Technology Stack Optimization
Data-Driven Decision Making
Service Delivery Automation
Workflow Optimization

Integrated Solutions by Megan, LLC

Minneapolis, MN

Business Solutions Architect, Business Owner

January 2024 –
Current

Collaborate with teams and drive business results by leading the design and implementation of solutions that improve processes, technologies, and capabilities across the organization.
Services include:

Assessing current state and identifying improvement opportunities aligned to strategic goals
Collaborate with Enterprise leaders to establish the portfolio’s technology vision, strategy, and roadmap.
Conduct technology evaluations and application rationalizations.
Designing solution architectures that align with business goals and IT strategies
Leading execution of new solutions for business process, system, and organizational change
Establish governance and tools to support and scale transformations
Measure solution impact on business performance with relevant KPIs

Marketing Operations Consultant,
Sr. Digital Project Manager
(Contractor)

March 2021 –

September 2022

Marketing Operations & Digital Transformation

Led comprehensive digital transformation initiatives for growing organizations, focusing on scalability and efficiency
Developed and implemented standard operating procedures and business goals for digital agency operations
Streamlined technology stack through strategic application consolidation
Directed brand marketing, digital development, and product design strategies
Managed multiple website development projects as Digital Project Manager
Provided strategic guidance for UX/UI design implementation

Consulting & Strategic Advisory

Achieved approximately $18,000 in annual cost savings through strategic technology optimization and process improvements
Implemented comprehensive technology and workflow solutions:
- Executed successful Smartsheet deployment including configuration, training, and adoption strategy
- Streamlined operations through workflow automation and process standardization
- Established clear financial accountability and reporting frameworks
- Enhanced project visibility and resource management capabilities
Led organizational transformation initiatives:
- Conducted thorough technology assessment and delivered scalable, cost-effective recommendations
- Identified critical role gaps in marketing and design teams, providing strategic staffing recommendations
- Bridged operational gaps between marketing and creative teams through process alignment
- Introduced and facilitated Agile methodology adoption across teams
Drove measurable operational improvements:
- Accelerated employee onboarding through standardized processes
- Enhanced project budget accuracy and staff utilization tracking
- Eliminated workflow redundancies and established repeatable processes
- Increased cross-team visibility and communication effectiveness

Adventure Creative Group, Minneapolis, MN

Sr. Integrated Project Manager

September 2019 – February 2021

Sr. Project Manager and Operations Consultant

(Contractor)

December 2018 – September 2019

Ogilvy & Mather,
Chicago, IL

Project Manager
Studio Coordinator

February 2014 – August 2014

Led end-to-end production of retail activations and shopper marketing campaigns, driving process optimization.

Managed full range of projects including POS, displays, direct mail, coupons, packaging, and digital assets.
Partnered closely with account, creative, production, and studio teams throughout concepting and development.
Developed and implemented optimized workflows to improve collaboration and efficiency.
Oversaw creative evolution from concept to final file delivery across 50+ sales driving launches.
Tracked budgets and guided design decisions to meet campaign objectives within financial constraints.
Ensured seamless handoff of print-ready files across channels including in-store, direct, and digital.

SapientNitro,
Chicago, IL

Digital Asset Manager
Assoc. Program Manager

February 2013 – February 2014

Leo Burnett,
Chicago, IL

Creative Resource Coordinator
(Contract)

July 2012 – November 2012

Creative Resource Coordinators at Leo Burnett have a role that is very similar to a creative Project Manager.

Managed and oversaw all creative assignments from initial brief until the work was released to the client.
Worked with Creative teams to schedule brainstorm meetings, internal reviews, and checked in with the teams to ensure the deadlines would be met.
Acted as a liaison between Account Management and Creative.
Weekly resource planning meeting with Director and Coordinators.
Facilitated workflow with Account Management as well as the Production Department.

BBDO MPLS,
Minneapolis, MN

Sr. Integrated Project Manager

October 2016 – December 2018

Introduced, implemented, and trained agency on SaaS tool for project management.
Increased revenue growth - Saw a significant increase in production revenue through workflow automations.
Increased productivity via process optimization.
Spearheaded server structure rebuilds and data migration to cloud-based server.
Standardized file naming conventions.
Built the SaaS tool frameworks, automations, metrics reporting, and dashboards.

Little & Company (Contract),

Minneapolis, MN

Sr. Project Manager (Contract)

July 2016 – October 2016

Developed and executed strategic branding and campaign launches to promote company products and services.
Managed creative teams and external vendors to produce high-quality marketing assets and events.
Leveraged technology and implemented new platforms to optimize workflows and productivity.
Ensured brand integrity through trademark searches and developing creative guidelines.
Oversaw budget and timelines from campaign ideation to rollout.
Drove collaboration across teams and enhanced visibility through centralized systems.
Continuously looked for ways to streamline processes and maximize impact of marketing programs.

Mirum
Wunderman,
Minneapolis, MN

Sr. Digital Producer
Digital Project Manager

August 2014 –
June 2016

Mirum:

Demonstrated effective communication and stakeholder management.

Increased productivity and visibility via Agile process optimization.

Wunderman:

Instituted new workflows for project intake, capacity planning, and forecasting, improving PM operations.
Developed and governed best practices.
Streamlined Inspiration and Discovery email design process.
Shorted onboarding by weeks with documentation of process within email streams.

EARLIER WORK EXPERIENCE

Recycled Paper Greetings
(American Greetings),
Chicago, IL

Art Coordinator

April 2011 – July 2012

Department Support

Supported a busy creative department by acting as a central point of contract for the artists, managing artist relationships, and participated in creative input.
Supported Management by maintaining artists’ contracts and/or creating new contracts as well as providing new artists onboarding.

Artist Support

Provided artists with creative briefs for new projects.
Received, sorted through, and logged artists' submissions.
Provided creative feedback and next steps post artwork sorts and selections.
Ensured that artists received final product samples prior to in store releases.
Provided artists with in-market testing results.

Production Support

Requested final art from artists.
Kicked off final art with Production
Reviewed and approved mechanicals before releasing to the printers.

Poetry Foundation
+ Poetry Magazine,
Chicago, IL

Executive Assistant (Contract)

January 2011 – April 2011

Assistant to the President & Board

Calendar management, scheduling,
Travel arrangements for President as well as the senior managers
Board announcements and organizing board committee meetings, taking minutes
Set up conferences
File management
Writing & distributing office communications
Organizing lunch meetings
Event planning.

Event & Logistics Coordinator

Planned and organized 1st quarter board meeting and board member retreat for the foundation.

Vendor Management
Transportation, accommodations and air travel
Organized and managed transportation and travel for the executive team to attend conference in Boston.
Challenges occurred when travel happened during a blizzard in Chicago.

RailEurope, SNCF

Rosemont, IL

Travel Consultant & Solutions Specialist

February 2008 – November 2010
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November 2005 – April 2007

Customer & Travel Agent Sales, Customer Service, and Web order processing & troubleshooting.

Client & Customer Relations

Developed and maintained client (travel agents) relationships. Assisted direct customers (public) with sales, refunds, dealing with the unexpected and resolving travel related issues.

Consultant

Having lived in Europe for two years in addition to previously having traveled there, I used my wealth of knowledge to advise clients, book travel itineraries, forecast their needs, while working within their budgets.

Training

Assisted in new employee training, built and developed training materials, and shared personal travel research.

Translation

German- English translation when working with Deutsche Bahn, ÖBB and SBB

Learned basic Italian in order to also assist with the Italian rail system.

Delta Airlines,
Atlanta, GA

Intl. Flight Attendant, L.o.D*

German Speaker

* Language of Destination

April 2007–February 2008

Hired during Delta Airlines' 2007 Rebrand Launch. The rebrand included new colors, logo, uniforms, company values and customer focus.

Language of Destination (L.o.D) Flight Attendant

German - responsible for announcement and general translations.

International Qualified

Completed various cultural training courses for Israel, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Japan, China, and African countries.

Domestic Lead Flight Attendant

Responsible for

My flight crew
Final passenger manifest
Communication between the cabin and flight deck
Communication with gate agents.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Advertising Federation of Minnesota (AdFed)

Board Member

May 2019 - June 2024

During a five-year tenure with the board, significant accomplishments were achieved:

All content, communications, and auxiliary materials were centralized.
A streamlined process for annual board transitions was implemented.
The G-Drive was migrated and organized, and naming conventions were standardized.
An intranet (dashboard) was developed to serve as a central hub for board-related information.
An intake process with robust automations was established to ensure important messages were captured and nothing was overlooked.
Google Workspace was implemented, and administrator certification was obtained to optimize AdFed.org's operational efficiency.

VOLUNTEER WORK

PAWS Chicago

Level II Volunteer, Trainer & Adoption Counselor

2012 – 2014

As a volunteer, I provided an excellent customer experience for potential adopters, helped keep the center and animal suites clean, helped potential adopters meet animals and provided them with pet education, information and resources to help them find their perfect match.

Served as a Lead Volunteer and helped train or guide “Level 1” volunteers and ensured that Kitty City etiquette was followed.

Weekday Lead

Managed a team of volunteers. Made sure that all the closing duties were performed and the shelter was ready for the next morning.

Kitty City New Volunteer Orientation & Training

Taught the introduction class operations in Kitty City, cleaning, safety, cat "resident" care, PAWS Chicago's preferred ways of interaction with the cats, e.g. petting, holding, etc. In addition, I coached new volunteers on how to handle situations such as nervous or shy cats, aggressive cats, and potentially dangerous situations, such as cat fights.

Kitty City Mentoring Program

Provided more 1:1 training with new volunteers in Kitty City. Program was designed for volunteers who were working towards a Level 2 volunteer or other lead roles.

Adoption Counselor

Prior to bringing the new cat/kitten home, adopters met with the adoption counselor. Provided cat/kitten care information and answered questions.

Integrated Solutions by Megan, LLC

Megan J Faykosh

Business Solutions Architect

An Analytical Mind Focused on Optimization

Resume

Deluxe Corporation,
Minneapolis, MN

Enterprise Architect & FinOps

November 2022 -
Current

Integrated Solutions by Megan, LLC

Minneapolis, MN

Business Solutions Architect, Business Owner

January 2024 –
Current

EARLIER WORK EXPERIENCE

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

VOLUNTEER WORK

Clifton Strengths

Strategic Thinking

Learner

Intellection

Input

Context

Analytical

Integrated Solutions by Megan, LLC

Megan J Faykosh

Business Solutions Architect

An Analytical Mind Focused on Optimization

Resume

Deluxe Corporation, Minneapolis, MN

Enterprise Architect & FinOps

November 2022 - Current

Integrated Solutions by Megan, LLC

Minneapolis, MN

Business Solutions Architect, Business Owner

January 2024 – Current

EARLIER WORK EXPERIENCE

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

VOLUNTEER WORK

Clifton Strengths

Strategic Thinking

Learner

Intellection

Input

Context

Analytical

Deluxe Corporation,
Minneapolis, MN

November 2022 -
Current

January 2024 –
Current