Ashley Brake
Edmonton
Summary
Seasoned Project Manager seeking to advance into a Project Manager Team Lead position. Adept at leading cross-functional teams, driving project delivery, and implementing effective processes to improve outcomes. Skilled in mentoring team members, managing stakeholder expectations, and fostering a collaborative, high-performance project environment. Proven track record of guiding projects from initiation to completion while ensuring alignment with organizational and institutional goals. Brings extensive IT knowledge to support complex technical initiatives and strengthen project decision-making. Motivated to leverage my leadership experience, coaching abilities, and technical expertise to support and elevate a growing team while keeping strategic organizational objectives at the forefront.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
IT Project Manager
MacEwan University
06.2024 - Current
- Established comprehensive project roadmaps outlining objectives, milestones, timelines, and success metrics to guide project execution across the institution.
- Developed detailed project plans and documentation including schedules, task assignments, and status reports to support transparency and informed decision-making.
- Applied Agile and hybrid project management methodologies to improve delivery efficiency, collaboration, and adaptability across technical and business teams.
- Led requirements gathering sessions with academic, administrative, and technical stakeholders to define clear business needs and translate them into actionable project deliverables.
- Coordinated stakeholder engagement and maintained ongoing communication to ensure alignment with project goals, timelines, and evolving institutional needs.
- Oversaw resource planning, budget tracking, and capacity management to support successful delivery of multiple concurrent IT initiatives.
- Directed cross-functional technical teams, providing leadership, prioritization, and issue resolution to keep projects on track and within defined scope.
- Implemented structured risk and issue management processes to proactively identify, assess, and mitigate project challenges.
- Developed communication strategies and delivered regular project updates to executive leadership and campus stakeholders.
- Coordinated vendor relations, contract deliverables, and performance reviews to ensure third-party solutions met university standards and timelines.
- Oversaw user acceptance testing (UAT), quality assurance reviews, and validation steps to ensure software and system releases met functional and security requirements.
- Supported training and change-management activities, including documentation, user guides, and workshop facilitation, to ensure successful adoption of new systems.
- Ensured compliance with university policies, data governance standards, and cybersecurity requirements throughout all project stages.
Business Analyst
MacEwan University
04.2020 - 06.2024
- Lead cross-functional teams in planning, executing, and delivering IT projects, ensuring alignment with business objectives and stakeholder expectations using agile methodologies.
- Collaborate with stakeholders to define project scope, requirements, and deliverables, ensuring clear communication and alignment throughout the project lifecycle.
- Prepare and deliver regular project status reports to senior management, providing insights into project progress, risks, and issues.
- Served as an ITS liaison between various business areas and ITS.
- Utilized Agile/Scrum project methodologies.
- Provided comprehensive support for enterprise applications across diverse IT systems such as Electronic Forms, Microsoft Bookings, and Jira administration.
Technician 2
MacEwan University
08.2007 - 04.2020
- Provided technical support to the university's faculty, staff, and students.
- Assisted in installing, configuring, and troubleshooting various software applications, including Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Cloud, and specialized academic software.
- Conducted diagnostic tests and utilized remote support tools to troubleshoot and resolve network connectivity issues for users across campus.
- Collaborated with team members to escalate complex technical issues and follow up on resolution, ensuring minimal downtime and user disruption.
- Maintained accurate documentation of support requests, solutions provided, and troubleshooting procedures, contributing to the knowledge base for future reference.
Education
Project Management Certificate
MacEwan University
11-2025
ITIL 4 Foundations Certified
The Learning Academy
09-2025
Business Analyst Certificate
MacEwan University
05.2024
Computer Network Administrator
NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)
08.2007
Skills
- Project management
- Proficient in agile methodologies
- Effective stakeholder communication
- Risk mitigation strategies
- Resource planning
- Budget oversight and reporting
- User acceptance evaluation
- Communication strategies
- Technical documentation
- Training and mentoring
Timeline
IT Project Manager
MacEwan University
06.2024 - Current
Business Analyst
MacEwan University
04.2020 - 06.2024
Technician 2
MacEwan University
08.2007 - 04.2020
Project Management Certificate
MacEwan University
ITIL 4 Foundations Certified
The Learning Academy
Business Analyst Certificate
MacEwan University
Computer Network Administrator
NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology)