Palo Alto Networks

Senior Project Manager

Project Success Academy℠

Course Instructor

Velvet Vision

Founder

Raytheon Technologies

IT Project Manager

Fulcrum Technology Solutions

IT Project Coordinator

University of Houston

Program Manager

Project Manager | Helping Women Land Tech PM Roles | your PM bff

In 2024, I noticed something: most mid-career project managers weren’t underqualified. They were under-positioned. They had the skills, experience, and drive, but weren’t landing six-figure project management roles because hiring managers couldn’t see their value.

That realization led me to build the Velvet Vision framework. It helps project professionals position themselves as the obvious hire before they ever apply.

This isn’t resume tweaking or chasing certifications. It’s about clarity, strategy, and execution. My clients stop blending in, start leading with confidence, and step into roles that pay them what they’re worth.

Who I Work Best With:
I work with project managers in the U.S. and Canada who:
• Have at least 3 years of project management experience
• Are ready to step into $100K+ roles
• Want to be seen as leaders, not task managers
• Value clarity, execution, and accountability

This program is not for people who are brand new to project management, unwilling to take ownership of their growth, or looking for a quick fix.

Results so far:
• Clients have collectively secured $313K in salary increases with an average uplift of $44K per person
• On average, clients land offers in 3.3 months (fastest in 68 days)
• ROI consistently exceeds 800%, with some clients covering their investment in the first paycheck

If you’re a project manager in the U.S. or Canada ready to earn more, lead more, and finally get seen, you don’t need luck or endless hustle. You need positioning.

No fluff. No guessing. Just strategy that gets results.

👉 Apply to work with me: https://calendly.com/d/cm7j-vb9-kvr

Yonelly G.

I walked into the interview knowing I didn’t meet half the requirements.

And I could feel the room had already met candidates who "looked better" on paper.

For a moment, I wondered if I was wasting everyone’s time 
(including my own)

So I redirected the conversation.

Instead of defending my gaps, I told them how I lead when things get messy.

And that’s when the interviewer leaned in.

She wanted someone who could steady the work when the plan stopped matching reality.

It became really obvious when I stepped into the role.

The biggest problems were alignment issues and broken communication loops.

Most people lose confidence when they see a job spec they can’t fully match.

But at senior levels, you’re rarely hired for a checklist.

You’re hired for your ability to lead through uncertainty and make progress visible again.

--
If we haven’t met — I’m Yonelly Gutierrez.
I talk about the moments, setbacks, and wins that shaped my career, so you can grow with more confidence in yours.

Yonelly Gutierrez

Senior Program Manager | Helping Founders Stabilize Delivery Without Adding Headcount

Most leadership challenges happen with people who don’t report to you.

But few people are ever taught how to lead without authority.

“Can you get everyone aligned?” becomes the real test of leadership.

And many feel stuck because they’re relying on authority they don’t have.

I hear this concern from professionals across roles and seniority levels.

Here are 7 ways to lead without formal authority:

1. Lead with Clear Direction
 ↳ People follow clarity
 ↳ State the outcome before discussing tasks

2. Listen Longer Than You Speak
 ↳ Listening creates instant influence
 ↳ Ask: “What’s your view on this?” and give space

3. Remove Friction for the Team
 ↳ Support builds trust more than authority
 ↳ Spot blockers early and simplify the next step

4. Make Expectations Simple
 ↳ Confusion slows collaboration
 ↳ Keep instructions short and confirm understanding

5. Share Credit Generously
 ↳ Recognition motivates teams to work with you
 ↳ Highlight contributors in meetings and updates

6. Build Relationships Before You Need Them
 ↳ Influence grows through consistent touchpoints
 ↳ Check in without an agenda and offer help early

7. Stay Calm When Things Shift
 ↳ Composure reassures your team
 ↳ Take a breath, focus on solutions, and keep your tone steady

Leading without authority grows easiest when people trust your judgment and your consistency.

♻️ Repost to help your network
➕ Follow Yonelly Gutierrez for more leadership insights

7 Ways to Lead Without Authority

Strong PMs do not stay stuck because of skill.
They stay stuck because their system hides them.

Teams rely on delivery.
But they do not create visibility.

No shared framework.
No consistent feedback.
No common language for outcomes.

Strong PMs do the work.
Leaders never see the impact.

That is a system problem.
Not a talent problem.

When teams build visibility into how they work, everything changes.

Work becomes easier to read.
Communication becomes lighter.
Decisions become faster.

I build those systems.
If your PM team is strong but unseen, DM me.

The first call told me everything.
People talking over each other, frustration leaking through every answer, and a customer who’d clearly had enough.

I’ve walked into tough programs before, but this one felt heavy in a different way.

I stopped taking notes halfway through.
There was no point collecting “updates.”
The issues weren’t in the tasks.
They were in how people were working around each other.

After the call, I started checking in with folks one by one.

𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱? 
𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬? 
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨?

It took about a day to see the pattern.
A bunch of small things pulling in different directions...

-Different definitions of done.
-Priorities that didn’t match.
-Risks everyone recognized but no one wanted to own because it would start another round of blame.

It was drift left alone too long.

I pulled the whole thing onto a single page.
Then I walked teams through it.
(to ensure we're talking about the same thing)

The customer communication needed the same reset.
The tension eased a bit once they knew what to expect from us.

The following weeks weren’t exciting.
Most of it was clearing out old decisions that never really got made.

You don’t notice progress at first.
Then suddenly the calls feel lighter.
People stop hedging.
You hear less contradiction and more “okay, that makes sense.”

Around day 41, the project finally stabilized.

Finally steady enough to move without bracing for the next hit.

Most “red” projects are teams trying to do good work inside a setup that no longer supports them.

Once you fix the setup, the work finds its rhythm.
People do too.

Akkodis

Information Technology Project Manager

Upwork

Lead and support software development initiatives. Optimize estimation techniques and refine backlog management processes in collaboration with the Product Owner. Implement capacity planning to forecast team's available resources. Facilitate bi-weekly sprints and optimize the productivity, traceability, and resilience of a 50-member technology squad using Azure DevOps. Support the evolution of agile practices throughout the organization, establishing an enterprise-wide agile project delivery framework.

Highlights
🎯Implemented agile transition for 3 development teams, optimizing processes to achieve 50% productivity gain and successful product launches within 3 months.
🎯Conducted workshops fostering an agile mindset enterprise-wide, attaining 83% employee engagement and establishing a robust agile project delivery framework.

Scrum Master

LVMH

Supported digital transformation initiatives across Europe to align with brand objectives while developing consumer engagement and awareness. Supported the implementation of marketing and communication strategies, managed Pan-European social media projects, and collaborated with creative teams to identify and roll out digital projects. Fostered collaboration and shared best practices within the European digital community.

Highlights
🎯Executed 12 digital projects (€5-100k budgets) with 95% client satisfaction, adhering to budgets, timelines, and quality standards
🎯Conducted weekly status reporting, streamlined frameworks for resource allocation & capacity planning, and identified risks early, reducing budget overruns by 10%.

Digital Project Manager

Ikeja Electric

Managed complex energy projects end-end from initial proposal and customer engagement through execution, coordinating all technical aspects, stakeholders, and resources. Managed customer relationships through business reviews, strategic escalations, negotiation & administration of contracts (Power Purchase Agreements) and ensured customer requirements are met.  Oversaw project plans, milestones, budgets, and timelines, providing real-time visibility to leadership through dashboards and reporting. Collaborated with cross-functional teams spanning IT, legal, finance, engineering, procurement, sales & marketing, commercial, and operations to optimize project delivery.

Highlights
🎯Executed 17+ energy projects, provided technical guidance and led business development. Worked with 6 business managers, 22 community leaders and CxO’s to develop strategic roadmaps, prioritizing initiatives with solid business case to increase consumption, turnover and competitive advantage.
🎯Deployed the power industry’s innovative Bilateral Power solution which resulted in 318% revenue increase post commencement and was replicated across 6 business units. Led in different roles- Business Developer, Data Analyst, Business Intelligence and Customer Success.

Commercial Development, Project Manager

UBA Group

Managed frontline support for strategic corporate and high net-worth customers, focusing on optimizing their experience with electronic banking products. Led efforts to drive customer engagement and retention through onboarding, maximizing product usage, and proactively addressing issues. Led digital transformation initiatives, collaborated with IT on system upgrades, and implemented process improvements.
Highlights
🎯Led initiatives that improved query response times by 8%, reduced service issues by 13%, and cut issue resolution time by 25%, contributing to a 16% year-over-year improvement in corporate customer NPS scores.

Customer Experience

With over 7 years of experience in customer success, engineering sales, project management, and digital transformation across IT, luxury, energy, and banking sectors:

↳ I am keen on improving processes.
↳ I have an innate ability to empower teams.
↳ My mission is to help organizations gain a competitive edge and achieve sustainable profitability.

Experience Highlights:.
→ Facilitated enterprise-wide Agile transformations.
→ Delivered innovative solutions for multi-million-dollar brands.

Knowledge base:
→ Agile methodologies: SCRUM, SAFe, Lean, Kanban.
→ Design thinking, continuous integration & delivery (CI/CD).
→ Customer success planning, PI planning, capacity & velocity planning

Tools Used:
→ JIRA, Microsoft Project, Asana, Azure DevOps, SharePoint, Microsoft Office, Power BI, Salesforce, and Slack.

Additionally, I have a deep fascination with the human side of technology. I am constantly expanding my knowledge, currently focusing on Microsoft's latest cloud solutions. The learning never stops!

When I'm not immersed in projects...
→ You'll find me weight lifting at the gym
→ Exploring new culinary adventures (my Jollof Rice gets rave reviews)
→ Or indulging my love for learning as a philomath

Let's connect and discuss how we can drive success together.

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Yonelly G.

Faithful Funto Osinowo, CSM®

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taplio

The Battle

Yonelly G.

Faithful Funto Osinowo, CSM®

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Yonelly G.'s LinkedIn Performance

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