Oana C.

Experience

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  Toptal

  Technical Consultant | Product and Engineering Manager | Project Rescue

  Oct 2018 - Present

  Toptal is an exclusive network of the top freelance software developers, designers, finance experts, product managers, and project managers in the world.

  • Developed a pioneering AI agent platform for a US construction enterprise, enhancing access to a vast construction project knowledge base.
  • Led the engineering of core platform APIs for Mrs Wordsmith, an edtech startup, revolutionizing AI and gaming-based language learning.
  • Implemented a language learning module for the Queen Rania Foundation, expanding access to education for over 2 million learners in the Arab world.
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  Dalia's Book

  Founder & CEO/CTO

  Sep 2014 - Present

  Dalia's Book disrupts the Romanian education system by offering modern learning contexts for digital literacy, involving the community, IT companies, schools, and professionals.

  • Bootstrapped an award-winning non-profit engaging over 1,000 tech experts to provide futuristic job security skills to over 10,000 children.
  • Recognized as Best Social Impact Startup - Regional Finalist in Central European Startup Awards (2018 & 2020) and awarded for Best Digital Skills in Education by the European Commission (2018).
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  EarthLink Telecommunications

  Product/Engineering Management Lead

  May 2021 - May 2022

  EarthLink Telecommunications is Iraq's leading internet service provider, offering a broad range of ICT solutions since 2005.

  • Developed and launched product roadmaps for an enterprise telecom solution encompassing 15+ systems, defining key product and technical features.
  • Oversaw five multidisciplinary teams totaling over 50 members, coordinating efforts across product/project management, design, engineering, testing, devops, and IT.
  • Implemented engineering best practices, automation design, and coordinated load & penetration testing to ensure quality, performance, reliability, and security.
  • Pioneered cross-functional agile processes that resolved project stagnation, leading to the highest team velocity within the department and adoption across the company.
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  EarthLink Telecommunications

  Management Consultant (Organizational Architecture)

  Aug 2020 - Apr 2022

  • Redesigned the organizational structure for the 50+ member R&D Department to transition from a flat to a hierarchical matrix, enabling a 50% departmental scale-up.
  • Developed a matrix reporting structure, defined career tracks, role responsibilities, and assessment KPIs across multiple teams including design, engineering, test, support, and project management.
  • Designed a performance management strategy fostering a culture of excellence and growth.
  • Created a change management plan to support an iterative transition, ensuring smooth adaptation to the new organizational architecture.
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  Toptal

  Technical Product Manager

  Aug 2019 - Feb 2020

  • Led the successful migration of Toptal’s Staff Portal from a monolithic architecture to a microservices-based infrastructure, enhancing scalability and flexibility.
  • Utilized a diverse tech stack including React, Node.js, Ruby, Web Services, and GraphQL, demonstrating versatility and technical proficiency in project execution.
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  Evozon

  Engineering Manager, Gaming

  Apr 2016 - Jan 2017

  Evozon specializes in end-to-end software development with a commitment to technical and strategic consultancy, emphasizing a flat organizational structure for efficient decision-making and promoting a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

  • Managed a 20-member game production team across multiple disciplines, leading to the production of 2 award-winning mobile games featured by Apple.
  • Revolutionized game development processes by designing a hybrid agile and waterfall development process, reducing the production lifecycle from 2 years to 10 months.
  • Directed product and go-to-market strategy, successfully penetrating the casual gaming market.
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  iQuest Group

  Member of Microsoft Practice Leadership (People Management Lead)

  Jan 2015 - Dec 2015

  • Led a team of 30 senior engineers to foster a support and growth culture among 130 software engineers, enhancing team dynamics and productivity.
  • Standardized key processes including onboarding, performance assessment, and project staffing, creating a structured and efficient departmental workflow.
  • Designed a new career track for L3 Support Engineering, expanding career opportunities and supporting skill development across the company.
  • Played a pivotal role in learning and development initiatives to address skill gaps, thereby improving project delivery and performance.
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  iQuest Group

  Engineering Manager for Roche

  Feb 2013 - Mar 2016

  In 2020, iQuest Group joined Nagarro, helping to transform and adapt to the future through digital product engineering with a global team of experts in 26 countries.

  • Coordinated 4 teams across engineering, QA, design, and customer support, successfully delivering 3 enterprise systems across 40+ countries using a hybrid V-Model Waterfall and Agile Scrum development process.
  • Managed release roadmaps for 3 web products, effectively translating complex business requirements into executable engineering tasks.
  • Architected scalable solutions for software, REST APIs, data, search engine, and business processes, achieving a 7x improvement in scalability that significantly reduced infrastructure and maintenance costs.
  • Developed and implemented an automated testing strategy, including a test automation blueprint for end-to-end business flows, enhancing software reliability and operational efficiency.
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  iQuest Group

  Senior Software Engineer for Roche

  Jul 2010 - Feb 2013

  • Designed and developed key web systems and ETL components, significantly enhancing the efficiency and reliability of medical data visualization platforms.
  • Implemented and introduced quality processes for development through coding standards, peer, and architectural reviews, elevating the project's overall software quality and maintainability.
  • Authored comprehensive architecture documentation using UML and the 4+1 view model, providing a clear framework and guidelines for current and future development efforts.
  • Mentored a team of 7 software engineers, guiding their professional development from junior to senior levels, and significantly contributed to the team's expertise and project outcomes.

• UMT Software

  Engineering Manager

  Feb 2009 - Jun 2010

  UMT Software joins North Highland, further enhancing capabilities in holistic transformation design, management, and value delivery.

  • Led the engineering team in developing the 1st standalone version of UMT 360, transitioning from a component of Microsoft Project and Portfolio Server.
  • Introduced agile practices across the company, incorporating scrum, refactoring, code reviews, and coding conventions, significantly advancing the software development process.
  • Played a pivotal role in translating business and customer requirements into actionable product features, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction and product fit.
  • Designed and established a comprehensive software development lifecycle, including custom CI/CD pipelines, leveraging Microsoft TFS, which streamlined release processes and improved code quality.

• UMT Software is now North Highland

  .NET Developer

  Apr 2008 - Jan 2009