Chris Howie

Freelance Consultant @Self-Employed

PartnerFinancial PlannerBI Analyst✔️ ITBusiness OwnerSolution Integrator💼 C-level Executive🧨 ConsultingSystem Architect🏦 FinanceSystem AnalystCOOProduct ManagerProject ManagerBusiness AnalystAdvisor

As a freelance consultant, Chris Howie has successfully managed and implemented numerous projects across various industries. He has demonstrated a strong ability to provide effective business strategies, improve operational processes, and increase overall productivity. His excellent communication and leadership skills have allowed him to build strong relationships with clients and achieve high customer satisfaction. Chris also has a remarkable ability to work independently, manage his time effectively, and deliver high-quality work under pressure.

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Work Background

OptumDirector - Principal Business Architect

Apr. 2016 - May. 2024Eden Prairie, MinnesotaCollaborated with key stakeholders in multiple teams across Optum, UHC, and UHG, defining business architecture, planning, and execution of strategic programs. Provided work direction, mentored, and indirectly led a cross-functional team of 12, establishing KPIs in alignment with Enterprise Analytics and Automation divisional vision and goals. • Defined and drove an enterprise Clinical Analytics strategic capability to lay the groundwork for ongoing curation of a pipeline of business-specific initiatives. This included a competitive landscape, defining high impact use cases, and curation of a prioritization workshop across lines of business/product/technology areas in the Clinical Domain. From this shared backlog of AI/ML use cases, the top 2 ideas drove $2M in first year efficiency savings. • Helped drive an "Analytics and Emerging Technology" working group and governance structure/process. This included bringing together multiple teams, with conflicting personalities and perspectives/agendas, toward a more holistic approach to govern and partner on the use of Analytics and Emerging Tech. • Oversaw internal execution of Responsible Use of AI program across UnitedHealth Group, partnering with technology, legal, compliance, R&D, product, and analytics teams across to design and implement an enterprise Machine Learning Review Board. This board enables expert review of all AI models to mitigate risk and unintended consequences. • Defined, communicated, and implemented architectural vision and governance processes and data management for a portfolio of 8 cross-functional products, improving data quality from 65% to 97% compliance which drove a faster financial close process and actionable insights on the performance of automation and analytics work. • Architected key processes and tooling using a City Planning metaphor to guide investment decisions in a capital portfolio of enterprise common capabilities, driving substantial cost savings to UHG from 2018-2021.

TargetBusiness Strategy & Architecture Consultant

Mar. 2014 - Apr. 2016Minneapolis, Minnesota, United StatesCollaborated with stakeholders across the enterprise to finalize and launch Target's initial technology product taxonomy and governance model, streamlining investment and support processes and enabling better prioritization with faster time to value across business-area portfolios. • Published updates to the IT workforce strategy, articulating measured improvement year over year on Agile maturity curves (e.g., average burndown, time to value) and technical talent needs. Implemented portfolio-level prioritization across marketing technology product team backlogs, driving more consistent value delivery. • Hired and trained a cross- functional product team of 3 engineers, 1 scrum master, and 1 product owner (me) for the corporate creative asset search feature, which delivered a working MVP of a time-saving asset search function to the business in its first two sprints.

TargetSr. Business Analyst

Sep. 2011 - Feb. 2014Minneapolis, Minnesota, United StatesLed planning and implementation of various initiatives. • Co-led the planning and initial scoping of Target’s EMV payment (chip and pin) program, promoting a comprehensive view of domestic payment requirements during the EMV transition period of 2012-2015, leading to a best-in-class launch of chip and pin in 2015, helping Target avoid $80M in annual fraud liability. • Led technology investment planning and definition for Target's first mobile wallet implementation, applying Agile principles to the analysis of a complex, vendor-dependent environment resulting in a rebooting of a program at risk of stalling out.

Prime TherapeuticsFunctional Business Analyst - Finance

Feb. 2011 - Sep. 2011Bloomington, Minnesota, United StatesAccountable for business architecture, requirements, vendor demonstration/evaluations, and user testing in collaboration with IT on a multi-stage ERP assessment and selection program covering core financials, inventory management, and warehouse management.

Lawson SoftwareBusiness Systems Analyst - Finance PMO

Jun. 2008 - Feb. 2011St Paul, Minnesota, United StatesServed as Product Owner on 5-person scrum team, designing and deploying custom license entitlement billing system, resulting in an integrated information flow for software sales data throughout entitlement, distribution, and financial systems. • Oversaw departmental capital investment portfolio and led business analysis activities on global ERP implementation and customization. Acted as liaison between cross-functional teams, translating technical verbiage to business terminology. • Led customization design, training, and implementation of core Lawson S3 billing & revenue applications to colleagues in Lawson's EMEA geography enabling a global view of financials from one solution.