STEVE ZITKOVICH email: steve@zitkovich.com | (request phone number by email) | currently in California KEY SKILLS & EXPERTISE Localization * Product Management * E-commerce * International Strategy + Tactics * Multilingual Marketing * Partnerships * English, German & French SUMMARY * Creative, analytical, organized International Product Manager for international B2B & B2C E-commerce * 360-degree view of international business from startups + global companies in Europe and Seattle * Turn business goals into technical and non-technical (marketing, processes) solutions and results * Positive attitude, team player; looking to join a company long-term International Expansion * Define product and marketing localization strategy + manage international go-to-market * Set up multilingual marketing (including translations), sales and customer service to support international * Manage partnerships and vendor relationships 15+ years International E-commerce Product- and Program Management * Create international e-commerce strategy and manage roadmaps and product rollouts * Write functional requirements, make wireframes and map customer flows * Agile development teams 15+ years International Online Marketing + Customer Engagement * Develop and lead international marketing plans and programs, localized to target markets * Brand-management, customer engagement (ex. email, loyalty) and tactical marketing programs 15+ years Localization Expert * Staff/participant at six Localization World conferences: Berlin 2015, Seattle 2012, Silicon Valley 2011, Seattle 2010, Berlin 2010, Bonn 2004 * Author/presenter of webinars on localization for startups; on YouTube under my name * Speaker at Localization Project Management Certificate course by The Localization Institute * Staff member at Brand2Global conference, London 2015 Personal * Languages: English (native), German (fluent), French (conversational) * 13 years living in Europe (France, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Czech R, Slovakia) * Active volunteer in non-profit organizations; strong believer in social entrepreneurship PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Program Director at Moravia IT (Monterey, CA) April '16 - present Manage localization services account at global Silicon Valley internet company. Sales + P&L responsibility. Two Startups At Once: E-Commerce Mobile App + International Move June '15 - March '16 1. Wrote business plan for an innovative e-commerce mobile app that delivers digital content by independent artists (especially music, books, video). 2. Moved back to Europe on my own, i.e. not re-located by an employer. Moving one's life abroad is a lot like doing a startup: requires flexibility, agility and decisions based on opportunities or challenges. International Product- and Program Manager consulting / contracting Sept '08 - March '16 Between contracts I work on entrepreneurial/business ideas in the Seattle startup community. Holland America Line (Seattle) (April '14 - Feb '15) * Increased speed + quality of promotions and content translations across 4 languages and worldwide markets to establish simultaneous release (simship) delivery. * Delivered localization projects, including $500K project, to budget and on-time delivery. * Managed international e-commerce purchase path, data protection and privacy. Tango Card (Seattle) (Sept '13 - April '14) * Business development in identifying and setting up partnerships globally, including Amazon and iTunes e-gift cards procurement across Europe and Asia. * Assisted VP Product Management on 2 MVP products. * Supported sales teams on calls and proposals; international capabilities were a differentiator in landing a number of key customers. Sogeti USA (Seattle) (Dec '10 - March '12) * Consulted Starbucks on localization strategy and best-practices in creating an internationalized platform and processes to host websites for 39 countries. * SharePoint 2010 implementation: Co-author of governance document and SME for international/localization issues supporting Starbucks global offices, stores and operations. * Assessed dev team processes at Charles Schwab and made recommendations to improve development speed and reduce risk using Agile methodologies. Earth Class Mail & Swiss Post Box (Seattle & Zurich) (Jan '09 - Oct '10) * Did knowledge transfer of Earth Class Mail processes to Swiss Post Box, including technical implementation, marketing, operations, customer service and overall business rules. * Managed implementation to launch deadline. Launched in 5 countries. * Member of core team planning Swiss Post Box product road map and marketing. [Private Entrepreneur] (Den Haag, NL) (Sept - Nov '08) * Took business concept and defined an online/web service (including functional requirements and wireframes) to develop a beta version to attract further investment. Project work for Alice In Chains and Soundgarden (Seattle) 1992 - present Various projects and managing archives. 2006-2007 was particularly busy during Alice In Chains reunion. International Program Manager at Microsoft (Redmond) May '07 - July '08 Team managed localization of 350+ projects, more than 3 million words and a budget of nearly $6 million. * Led globalization and localization strategy, planning and requirements for international versions of the Microsoft Dynamics, People Ready Business and other Microsoft customer campaigns websites. * Managed localization budget to within 5% of target on a quarterly basis. * Defined and led project to maintain SEO during translation/localization. * Authored best-practices ("Localization Framework") for reference across Microsoft. Int'l Product Marketing Manager at Ofoto (now Shutterfly) (Amsterdam, NL) July '04 - Oct '05 Ofoto had 20+ million members. Responsible for European websites in 7 languages. * Defined prioritized, customer-focused features and roadmaps for the European e-commerce sites. * Drove on-time and on-spec implementation of roadmap with the US-based technical teams. * Wrote requirements for co-branded EU websites and integrated services with partners (ex. Adobe). Program Manager & Interim Head of IT at Zefa Visual Media (Düsseldorf, DE) Oct '02 - Jan '04 * Responsible for strategy and roadmap of multilingual e-commerce web sites and services as well as the back-office system (developed and maintained in-house) serving 8 international offices. Director Product Management at B2Build SA (Paris, FR) May '00 - July '01 * Developed product plans and roadmap to support B2Build's business goals. * Managed first commercial Ariba Marketplace 7.0 implementation in Europe. Entrepreneur (Paris, FR) Oct '99 - May '00 * Wrote business plan, functional requirements and presented to investors for an e-commerce platform selling B2B stock-photography. Program Manager & Int'l Project Manager at Getty Images (Seattle & London) Mar '97 - Sept '99 * Managed site during exponential growth from $0 to $2+ million per month. * Managed requirements and roadmap for new e-commerce features; added 5 languages. Web Design Associate at Starwave Corporation (Bellevue) Oct '94 - Mar '97 * Managed the merchandising/e-commerce sites for NBA.com and ESPNET SportsZone. Customer Service & Dealer Sales at AEI Music Network (Hamburg, DE & Seattle) Jan '90 - July '94 * Built customer service department for German B2B music service company with 10,000 customers. SOFTWARE SKILLS Proficient in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook), Project, Visio, SharePoint and Adobe Photoshop. Learn whichever new software or app is needed to get the job done. Familiar with tools and processes for translation and multilingual site development. OTHER EXPERIENCE * Languages: English (native), German (fluent), French (conversational) * Teacher of German and English in Czechoslovakia (Bratislava 1991/92, Prague 1993). * Have worked on many music-related projects including band management and producing events. * Non-profit and volunteering: 2006 – present: Volunteer teach an English class I created for international students. 2011 – 2014: Translators Without Borders. 2006 – 2007: Board member of the Young Professionals International Network (YPIN). EDUCATION University of Washington, Certificate in Software Product Management (9-month program) University of Washington, Bachelor of Arts, German Area Studies