Marie Olson

👋 Hello

My name is Marie Olson. Here you'll find my resumé and an overview of my professional approach.

Product ManagerSeattle, Washington Area Email: marieSolson@gmail.com

I’m a people-first, remote-first product leader with over 10 years of hands-on experience leading successful teams and digital initiatives. Here's a brief summary of my career:

-I have experience leading project sprints, ensuring high-quality delivery, and managing teams and stakeholders collaboratively.

-Additionally, I can wear many hats, including acting as a scrum master (Certified SM), research, and project management. My focus is on asking the right questions and assembling the right team to achieve success.

- I have extensive experience in scaling products and leading teams through all stages of business development, from pre-product/market fit to product-led hyper-growth and scale.

- I am committed to creating cultures and software development processes that enable teams to do their best work in safe, healthy, and fulfilling environments.

Skills:

Product Management:
- Backlog Prioritization, Roadmapping, Story Journey & Persona Mapping
- Stakeholder Communication & Collaboration
- Business Value Assessment, Navigating Complex Operating Models
- Agile Methodologies (Scrum, Kanban)
UX Research & Design:
- User Interviews, Surveys, Focus Groups
- Usability Testing, A/B Testing, Card Sorting
- Persona Development, Journey Mapping, Task Analysis
Data & Analytics:
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Data Analysis & Basic SQL Queries
- Product Lifecycle Management
- User Research Feedback Analysis, Customer Obsession
Technology Tools:
- JIRA, Confluence, Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, Power BI, New Relic
- Augmented Reality Platforms, Mobile App Development (iOS/Android), Web Development, CMS Systems
Leadership & Strategy:
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Strategic Planning & Execution
- Change Management, Stakeholder Engagement
- Training & Onboarding Programs

How I Work

Before diving into my work history, I’d like to highlight the key areas where I specialize and thrive. My focus is on collaborating with teams to drive customer and business growth, tailoring solutions to meet the unique needs of the product and organization. Here are my core areas of expertise:

Product & Growth Leadership: Building and leading empowered teams in supportive, fulfilling environments. Developing processes and strategies that enable teams to act swiftly, aligning customer and business needs with a focus on sustainable, ethical growth.
Product Management: Shaping product vision and strategy to ensure teams are solving the right problems for both customers and the business. Designing systems that drive quality execution and timely delivery.
Team Structures & Development Processes: Partnering with engineering leaders to design team structures and workflows that align with the organization's culture, ensuring all stakeholders are appropriately engaged.
User Experience Research & Design: Proficient in heuristic evaluations, usability testing, participatory design, concept testing, and surveys. Skilled in creating content audits, style guides, flow diagrams, and mock up concepts.

Experience

Starbucks Corporation, Seattle, Washington — Product Manager (05/2019 – Present):

Managed internal retail partner iOS applications, improving productivity and user experience by collaborating with stakeholders and enhancing product lifecycle management tools.
Led the full product lifecycle of Play Caller and Playbuilder, from strategy to continuous improvement, contributing to the initiatives to reduce customer wait times by 30 seconds.
Released the Playbuilder mobile app, saving Store Managers (SMs) 5 hours per week in deployment planning, resulting in 2.84M hours redeployed annually across 10,940 stores, equating to $85.27M in labor savings.
Additionally, digitized the Daily Coverage Report (Play Caller App), saving Store Managers 9 hours per store annually across 10,940 stores, for an additional $2.95M. In total, these efforts contributed to $88.23M in annual labor savings.

Led UX research teams to conduct comprehensive employee and market research, identifying key customer needs and shaping product strategy. This resulted in significant improvements in employee promoter scores and sentiment, particularly in areas such as "having the right tools to do my job" and "feeling heard and valued through feedback."
In the last 4 years, launched and managed three retail native applications, achieving 98% adoption and saving 6M pages annually, equating to ~$700K in printing costs, and completely retiring two paper-based tools.

Unify Consulting, Kirkland, Washington — Product Manager (Starbucks) (06/2018 – 05/2019):

Led development releases and ongoing maintenance of StarbucksReserve.com and Princi.com, improving site performance, reducing downtime by 15% and enabling a CMS for content managers in Operations.
Directed the launch and maintenance of UberEATS for Siren Stores during the COVID-19 lockdown, enabling 100% operational capacity through delivery and pick-up services when in-store dining was unavailable.
Managed the development of Augmented Reality mobile apps for Milan and New York Roasteries, enhancing customer engagement during wait times and introducing a self-guided tour feature, improving overall visitor experience.
Documented and facilitated the release of 12 international mobile and web applications, creating a process for Licensed Markets and ensuring consistent global deployment standards.

Slalom Consulting, Seattle, Washington – Sr. Technical Project Manager (T-Mobile) (11/2017-06/2018)

Developed and launched an Enterprise IT Training (EIT) program for T-Mobile’s Digital Transformation, improving employee technical proficiency by 20% and enhancing system adoption rates.
Designed comprehensive organization-wide training needs assessments, identifying key skills gaps and which led to an increase in targeted training effectiveness.
Oversaw SharePoint administration and User Acceptance Testing (UAT) for Training domains.
Managed installation of Microsoft SharePoint and CMS for multiple T-Mobile organizations.

Capgemini (LiquidHub), Redmond, WA, Program Manager, March 2016 - November 2017

Microsoft - Business Desk Solutions Group (08/2017 - 11/2017):
- Led a team of 9 to ensure adherence to Microsoft Volume Licensing policies globally, minimizing compliance risks and improving operational consistency.
- Developed custom Enterprise Agreement price sheets for complex deals, facilitating smoother contract negotiations and enhancing clarity for stakeholders.
Microsoft - Strategic Enterprise Services IT (Voice and Video) (04/2017 - 11/2017):
- Provided expert consultation for SESIT Voice, Video, and Conferencing initiatives, improving system reliability and cross-team communication.
- Served as Scrum Master, optimizing team workflows and improving service health through backlog refinement.
Microsoft - Small and Mid-market Solutions & Partners - Customer and Partner Experience (05/2016 - 04/2017):
- Managed and resolved 200+ monthly intake inquiries, addressing partner and customer issues efficiently.
- Created targeted communications for Corporate Leads and Stakeholders, ensuring alignment on licensing policy updates.
- Facilitated onboarding for internal teams, producing monthly Scorecard Reports to provide insights into partner performance.

Products I've Led

Playbuilder

Play Caller

Workplace for Partners

Princi.com

Starbucks Reserve New York AR App

Starbucks Reserve Milano AR App

Uber Eats x Starbucks Reserve

StarbucksReserve.com

Starbucks App - EMEA, LATAM, APAC

I led and managed several customer-facing products, including mobile websites like StarbucksReserve.com and Princi.com. I also spearheaded the development of the New York Roastery Augmented Reality app and managed the support and maintenance for the Milano Roastery Augmented Reality app. In my first six months as a consultant, I helped lead a team in scaling the Starbucks App to countries in LATAM, EMEA, and APAC.

For partner (employee) facing applications, I managed several SaaS solutions and native iOS apps, overseeing their journey from ideation and strategy through development and implementation to ongoing enhancements and maintenance.

Brands I've Worked With

Starbucks

T-Mobile

Microsoft

NTT

Education

University of Puget Sound - Tacoma, WA

September 2008 - May 2013

Bachelors of Arts: Major Business and Economics Business and Leadership Student

Minor in Economics and Religion

Special Focus on Corporate Finance, Law and Ethics, Financial and Managerial Accounting.

Business Resource Groups and Recognition

Starbucks Women's Impact Network (WIN) - Co Chair July 2023-Present

Leading Starbucks' Women's Impact Network, where our mission is "to ignite the power of women through partners, allies, and community. Representing women, non-binary partners, and allies."

Led the Women's Impact Network to amplify the voices and perspectives of women, non-binary partners, and allies within Starbucks.
Created opportunities for growth, development, and mentorship to support women's leadership and advancement.
Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop and implement strategies that promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Executive Sponsors and Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan with Women's Impact Network (WIN) National Board Leaders after closing Women's History Month 2024

WIN partnership with Starbucks Foundation and Days For Girls packaging thousands of reusable menstrual kits

Partners (employees) at the Starbucks Seattle Support Center packaging thousands of reusable menstrual kits

Fireside Chat with Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan and the Authors of Career Forward, Grace Puma and Christiana Smith Shi

Girls Makes Beats at the Women's History Month Non Profit Showcase 2024

April Haberman Senior Development Director and Celeste Mergens, Founder of Days for Girls, Marie Olson WIN Co Chair November 2023

Partner Network Leaders welcoming new Licensed Store leaders

Ellie K (my co chair) and I at Women of the World breakfast with Washington Foundation and UNHCR

Volunteering at Mountainview Middle School to advocate for STEM, encourage and nurture creativity, differences and ideas

Product Showcases, Roadshows, Hacks and Presentations

SIX (Starbucks Innovation Expo) 2024

User Story Mapping presentation to Starbucks CEO Laxman Narasimhan and Frank Britt 2024

Play Caller POC Showcase during Techtoberfest 2023

Annik (Capgemini) Team Excellence Award two years in a row

Frequent field usability testing