Heidi Schoenherr
Montreal,QC
Summary
25+ years delivering digital transformation, ERP and payments/benefits system modernization in federal and regulated environments. Proven contract consultant who establishes PMO/governance quickly, manages large multi-vendor programs, drives compliance (ATO/PIA/Treasury Board), and delivers measurable outcomes across people, process and technology.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
IT Manager, Strategic Security Assurance
Transport Canada
2024.09 - 2026.04
- Led Security Assessment team delivering 100+ Authority to Operate (ATO) certifications across enterprise platforms; implemented continuous monitoring and governance to sustain compliance.
- Designed and rolled out a risk-based, tiered ATO renewal framework aligned to Treasury Board directives; prevented critical authorization lapses across 100+ applications.
- Delivered centralized ATO registry and executive Power BI dashboards to improve visibility and accelerate decisioning.
IT Project Manager, Application Development & Data Management
Transport Canada
2021.03 - 2024.08
- Led Canadian Centre on Transportation Data (CCTD) & National Transportation & Trade Portal delivery: modernized data governance, analytics and publishing capabilities to support evidence-based policy.
- Managed team of 10 and $1.2M program budget; implemented data governance, metadata standards and a Data Catalogue integrated with GC Open Data, improving data discoverability and compliance.
- Established program governance, risk logs and executive dashboards to secure DG approvals and maintain delivery cadence.
IT Project Manager, Civil Aviation ERP Program
Transport Canada
2020.01 - 2021.02
- Directed $26M ERP modernization and application rationalization; consolidated 20+ legacy systems and secured ADM-IM approval for Concept & Business Cases.
- Oversaw 30+ resources, implemented PMO controls, and delivered executive reporting and milestone governance.
- Defined ERP target operating model and integration approach, aligning business processes and regulatory requirements to reduce duplication and enable standardized, auditable financial and operational reporting.
IT Project Manager — Agile Transformation & ITSM
Transport Canada
2020.05 - 2020.09
- Implemented Agile delivery and ITSM practices for 70+ Civil Aviation applications; established Scrum roles, performance metrics and ITIL-aligned incident/change processes to improve operational stability.
- Created a repeatable Agile onboarding playbook and training program for business and technical teams, reducing team ramp-up time and improving sprint predictability and delivery velocity.
Project Manager, CPP Benefit & Payment Systems
(Multiple Projects), Employment & Social Development Canada (ESDC)
2007.01 - 2019.01
- Led national ITRDS/CPMS implementations and major releases supporting payment calculations and financial transactions; managed teams of 40+, UAT/QA programs, and audit-ready release processes.
- Established a national Triage & Response Centre (20+ analysts) for CPMS go-live: defined operating model, escalation paths and readiness assessments to ensure a coordinated launch and rapid issue resolution.
- Authored governance artifacts, business rules, and process maps ensuring regulatory compliance and accurate payment logic in production systems.
- Streamlined reconciliation and exception-handling processes post-implementation, reducing manual interventions and improving settlement timeliness and operational efficiency.
Education
Bachelor of Commerce Degree - Finance and Marketing
McGill University And University of Calgary
Montreal, QC/Calgary, AB1992-04
Skills
- Project Management
- Business Analysis
- Payments Processing
- Benefit & Payment Systems
- Systems Modernization
- ERP (SAP Financials, PeopleSoft)
- Application Rationalization
- PMO
- Risk Management
- Authority to Operate (ATO)
- Data Governance
- UAT
- Vendor Selection & RFP
- Change Management
- Agile / Scrum / Hybrid
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Budgeting & Financial Management
- Power BI
- MS Project
- Visio
- PIA
- PSPC/Treasury Board compliance
Accomplishments
ATO Lifecycle Modernization — Transport Canada
- Zero critical ATO expiries during transition; prioritized high‑risk applications and operationalized extension criteria to optimize assessor effort.
ERP Consolidation & Payment Releases — ESDC
- Led UAT for national payment release with structured defect SLAs and executive sign‑off; delivered compliant go‑live with documented audit trail and reduced post‑release incidents.
Data Catalogue Vendor Selection — Transport Canada
- Executed vendor market scan and PoC across Collibra, Alation, Purview and Atlan; delivered weighted scorecard and TCO analysis enabling compliant vendor selection and phased implementation roadmap.
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
French
Full Professional
German
Professional Working
How I Engage (consulting model)
- Typical contracts: 3–18 months — Program rescue, modernization, PMO establishment, vendor selection.
- Roles: Lead PM, Program Manager, PMO Lead, Senior BA.
- Onboarding: PMO/governance established within 2–4 weeks; adaptable remote/onsite delivery.
- Contracting: sole proprietor / available through consulting vehicles; Secret clearance active.
Timeline
IT Manager, Strategic Security Assurance
Transport Canada
2024.09 - 2026.04
IT Project Manager, Application Development & Data Management
Transport Canada
2021.03 - 2024.08
IT Project Manager — Agile Transformation & ITSM
Transport Canada
2020.05 - 2020.09
IT Project Manager, Civil Aviation ERP Program
Transport Canada
2020.01 - 2021.02
Project Manager, CPP Benefit & Payment Systems
(Multiple Projects), Employment & Social Development Canada (ESDC)
2007.01 - 2019.01
Bachelor of Commerce Degree - Finance and Marketing
McGill University And University of Calgary