Baraa Bakhsh
Portfolio Manager
Profile
· A senior Portfolio, program and project manager with a business and IT background, , guiding companies to fulfill their business objectives, and causing timely achievements.
· 11+ years of experience in Project Management, 5 of which, are in program management leadership, serving government, and global brands such IBM.
· A Master graduate and multifaceted certified professional boasting credentials and courses in Project Management.
· Demonstrated expertise in managing PMOs and EPMOs, ensuring streamline project execution and value realization.
· Strategic planning, business development, value-based engagement at C-Level, effective leadership to manage executive stakeholders, and value-added deliverables based on expertise in business and technology.
· Extensive track record in managing programs to best practice standards, adopting governance measures and compliance reporting, to ensure the fulfillment of project’s deliverables on scope, schedule, and budget.
· Proficient in building effective teams, attracting and empowering talent, and developing productive work practices, in multicultural environments.
CORE STRENGTHS
ENTITIES AND INDUSTRIES
Entity Name
- Ministry of Hajj
- IBM
- UNITEC
Category
- Governmental
- Global
- Global
Industry
- Public Services
- Infrastructure
- Education
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
January 2023 – Present
Ministry of Hajj & Umrah
- Oversee the project management office activities, enhancing strategic alignment and governance across multiple projects.
- Manage a portfolio of projects ensuring they align with broader strategic objectives and deliver on time, budget, and scope.
- Mentor and lead project managers, fostering a culture of continuous improvement Spearheaded 4 VRO Projects: Led 4 successful vendor relationship optimization (VRO) projects, focusing on improving vendor engagement and supply chain efficiencies.
- Improved project delivery timelines: Through effective planning and coordination, I successfully streamlined project workflows, resulting in improved delivery
January 2020 – Dec 2022
Ministry of Hajj & Umrah
- Developed and implemented portfolio management processes and guidelines, improving project delivery and stakeholder satisfaction.
- Managed a diverse portfolio of Hajj and Umrah service projects, integrating new technologies and methodologies to enhance service delivery.
- Prepared and presented persuasive project plans to senior stakeholders for
- Fostered efficiency through the creation and integration of project management artifacts, automation, and operation
- Instrumental in setting up monday.com project management
Sep 2017 – Dec 2019
Ministry of Hajj & Umrah
- Directed multiple projects focusing on service improvements for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages, which attract millions of international participants annually.
- Successfully led initiatives that streamlined operations, including the integration of digital ticketing systems leading to a 50% reduction in operational bottlenecks.
- Collaborated closely with Saudi regulatory bodies to ensure all projects complied with new and evolving standards, thereby enhancing the safety and satisfaction of pilgrims
Part time Jan 2016 - July 2017
Full time Nov 2014 - Dec 2015
IBM, New Zealand
- Led a team in the development and delivery of over 300 application packaging solutions, using Microsoft application packaging frameworks for Windows 7 environments.
- Introduced innovative quality control processes and collaboration strategies with offshore teams in Malaysia, resulting in a 20% faster project delivery timeline.
- Developed a dynamic project management approach that adapted to evolving client needs, ensuring high satisfaction rates and establishing IBM as a preferred vendor for future contracts.
April 2014 - Oct 2014
UNITEC, New Zealand
- Designed and delivered a comprehensive curriculum on IT fundamentals to Level 4 students, emphasizing hands-on learning through projects involving Linux, SQL, HTML, and CSS.
EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS
Second Degree Honor, Master of Computer & Information Science
Auckland university of Technology
Bachelor of Computing System
Unitec
Foundation of Studies Part A
Lincoln University (New Zealand)
Associate degree Computer Science
Makkah Community Collage
Certified PMP Project Management Professional, PMI
ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) Course
Certified SSYB Six Sigma Yellow Belt
Certified LSSWB Lean Six Sigma White Belt