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Hello!

I've excelled in launching products from 0-to-1 at both early stage and late stage companies by figuring out what the important metrics are and driving changes that move those metrics up and to the right. I make things happen.

  • LinkedIn
  • Calendly

About Me

Over 15 years of experience in Product as an individual contributor and/or team leader, scaling products from ‘0 to 1’ that have been used around the globe by more than 20M MAU and generated $100M+ in revenue annually. I’ve seen my efforts help talk a Buffalo, NY startup to IPO.

I thrive by bringing teammates together to solve problems in a rewarding environment that everyone feels heard and finds value in being a part of. Always willing to roll up my sleeves to accomplish the task at hand, my expertise is navigating through ambiguity to identify the problem or need and developing solutions that delight consumers while exceeding business objectives.

If you have an opportunity in the product space and are looking for someone to come in and get things done, I would love to hear from you.

Email: JeffLukes@gmail.com
Book Time: https://calendly.com/jefflukes/30min

Resume

Below is a summary of my work experience. For a complete look at my accomplishments, you can download my full resume here.

 

Work Experience

 

Nuvocargo: 01/2022 - 11/2022

Lead Product Manager: 04/2022 - 11/2022

Senior Product Manager: 01/2022 - 04/2022

As the Lead Product Manager at Nuvocargo, a cutting-edge digital logistics platform, I reduced the time it took Shippers to book  a shipment from 2-days to instantaneous and reduced friction by centralizing all forms of communication between Shippers and Carriers into one application. I successfully aligned stakeholder objectives, implemented agile best practices, and managed API integrations to drive efficiency and customer satisfaction.

​
Willis Towers Watson: 07/2015 - 01/2022

Senior Product Manager: 03/2019 - 01/2022

Product Manager: 07/2015 - 03/2019

During my tenure at Willis Towers Watson, a global advisory and solutions company, I introduced data integrity and eliminated operational inefficiencies by creating a single benefits enrollment platform that was able to serve every client in every country in every dialect. ​Through strategic planning and cross-functional collaboration, I led a team to successfully launch the platform to over 100 clients in 35 countries in 30 dialects that resulted in an 83% customer-approval rating and a 95% client retention rate.

 

Synacor, Inc: 11/2005 - 03/2015 

Senior Director of Product, Portal: 08/2009 - 03/2015

Product Group Manager: 11/2007 - 07/2009

Manager, Portal Solutions: 11/2006 - 11/2007

Product Manager: 11/2005 - 11/2006

As the Senior Director of Product at Synacor, an industry leader in content and services delivery, I owned the vision and execution of their flagship white-label portal product, resulting in 21.5M+ unique monthly viewers and $100M+ annually. With a focus on customer satisfaction and revenue growth, I secured partnerships with major clients, including Verizon and Charter and played a key role in driving the company's IPO in my 6th year. 

​

M&T Mortgage: 10/2001 - 08/2005

Internet Channel Manager, Banking Officer: 10/2001 - 08/2005

Built and launched the very first version of MandTMortgage.com. “Proactive Galaxy Award Winner” Q1 2003: Given to the employee who best demonstrates initiative.

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Education

 
State University of New York at Fredonia

BA, Business Administration, Marketing

Skills & Expertise

  • Product Development

  • Consulting: Software & IT

  • Client Management

  • Cross-functional Team Leadership

  • Account Management

  • Product Roadmap & Prioritization

  • Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

  • User Stories & Epics 

  • Jira, Trello, & Linear

  • Start-ups

  • Software Development

  • Mirro

  • FullStory

  • Lookr

  • Loom

  • Qualtrics – NPS Surveys 

  • Hubspot 

  • Authentication/SSO/MFA

  • Program Management

  • Agile & SCRUM

  • Mentoring & Training

  • Business Development

  • User Experience (UX)

  • Go-to-market Strategy

  • Full SDLC

  • Change Management

  • SaaS

  • MS Office

  • Notion

  • Linear 

  • Google Analytics

  • SEM Rush

  • Google Docs, Sheets, Slides

  • Logistics

  • Healthcare & Health benefits 

  • Banking

Portfolio

HEALTHCARE: 
Summary brief - Global benefits enrollment platform

I was brought in to Willis Towers Watson to take their US, English only, benefit enrollment platform and convert it into an internationalized and localized global solution. 

​

This PDF talks about the process I undertook to successfully build and launch the platform to support 100+ clients across more than 35 countries in 30 dialects. 

​

Download the brief here. 

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IDENTITY MANAGEMENT:
Case study - Streamlining the rider verification process at Uber

This was a case study I was asked to complete as part of the interview process a company I was talking with. 

(The company I was interviewing with was not Uber.)

​

Download the case study here. 

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LOGISTICS
Image - Online shipment scheduler

One of the projects I worked on at Nuvocargo was a shipment scheduler which allowed Shippers to book shipments online. Previously, Shippers would have to contact a Customer Success or Account Manager to book their shipments. This scheduler reduced operational time for both Shippers and Nuvocargo as well as reduced the number of scheduling errors. 

SPRINT SUMMARY NOTES: 
Example sprint summary email

I like to have fun and bring humor to the workplace. 

​

One of the ways I accomplish this is by sending out engaging, highly informative, sprint summary emails. It celebrates what the team accomplished, how it impacted the business, what's on tap, and team members that went above and beyond. 

​

I've found this approach results in a better engagement numbers and a greater number of employees that know what the team has accomplished. 

​

Download an example email from Nuvocargo here. 

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CONSULTING: 
Custom solutions for enterprise clients

While at Synacor, we built HUNDREDS of solutions for enterprise clients such as Verizon, Charter Communications, HBO, Toshiba, and AT&T. 

​

I would meet with clients, and prospect clients, to understand their needs and then translate those needs into a plan for the team to execute from. 

​

This is one example of an entertainment portal we designed and built for Toshiba. 

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IDENTITY MANAGEMENT:
MFA and SSO experience

During my run at Synacor, we built 40+ client portals and integrated with 100's of content providers. Synacor was an early innovator of MFA and other authentication solutions. We performed countless number of SSO integration with content providers such as HBO and ESPN. By verifying the users identity with the content provider, we were able to provide access to premium streaming content from the client's portal the customers were entitled to. 

 

This is an illustration of the content Synacor aggregated and the devices our authentication platform was used to access content from. 

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CONSULTING:
Custom web development and marketing for local businesses 

In my free time, I've helped a number of local business navigate through their web initiatives. 

​

Here is an example of a local law firm I consulted with to launch a modern website that is optimized for local SEO success. I've also worked with several local automobile dealerships to ensure their CRM systems are hooked up to their sites and the content is optimized for SEO purposes.

 

Most recently, I've consulted with local businesses on the power and benefits AI can provide to their organizations.  

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