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.

EC Business Solutions, LLC

Human Resources Consultant - EC Business Solutions (Madison, AL) April 2022 – Present 
•	Strategic Planning – 
o	Provided insights and recommendations on workforce planning, talent acquisition, retention, and development. 
o	Collaborated with senior management to develop HR strategies aligned with the organization goals and objectives.
o	Analyzed current HR processes and identified areas for improvement automation. 
o	Designed and developed efficient HR workflows and processes that align with best practices.

•	Employee Relations – 
o	Developed policies and procedures. 
o	Conducted formal investigations involving all levels of interaction and providing appropriate recommendations to senior business leaders. 

•	Performance Management –
o	Designed and implemented performance appraisal processes and systems.
o	Provided coaching and support to managers and supervisors on conducting effective performance reviews. 
•	Managed special reports coordinating with project leadership and client stakeholders to file Equal Employment Opportunity & Affirmative Action Plans for a workforce of 33,000+ employees. 
•	Coordinated and recommended employee training using role-based requirements, competency gaps and individual development plans.

Owner

• Led human resource compliance initiatives for 8 companies and 1900+ employees nationwide.
• Performed compliance consulting for multi-functional projects and initiatives.
• Initiatives included the creation of HR policies, Affirmative Action Plans, OFCCP Audits, DOL Audits, EEO-1, and  Reporting.
• Provided technical guidance and direction to leaders and management.
• Audited and reviewed HR documents such as the employee handbook, job descriptions, Summary Plan Descriptions, offer letters, new hire packets, training materials, and disciplinary documents.
• Conducted an in-depth analysis of HR processes and procedures such as recruiting, hiring, pay, and termination practices to ensure compliance with federal, state, and local laws.
• Contract Negotiations - Represented the company in successful collective bargaining agreement negotiations with labor unions.
• Collaborated with leadership on matters of policy and terms of memoranda of understanding.
• Collaborated with legal counsel and departments in the preparation for and participation in negotiation with employee and labor groups.
• Administered Collective Bargaining Agreement, assuring collective bargaining compliance.
• Served as an expert resource to management regarding labor law and collective bargaining policies.
• Researched and interpreted laws and legal affairs concerning employment to managers, supervisors, and employees.

Human Resources Compliance Manager

Cubic Mission & Performance Solutions

Managed special projects.

Managed and resolved complex employee relations issues.

Maintained in-depth knowledge of legal requirements related to day-to-day management of employees, reducing legal risks and ensuring regulatory compliance.

Served as a resource and main point of contact for HR policy/procedure clarification.

Provided guidance and input on business unit restructures, workforce planning and succession planning.

Provided day-to-day performance management guidance to management.

Senior Human Resources Business Partner

United Launch Alliance (ULA)

• Employee Relations—
o Collaborated with IT and HR teams to plan, configure, and implement HRM software solutions.
o Managed 3+ special projects coordinating with 10+ leadership stakeholders and varied cross-functional teams.
o Led the production expansion Initiative to recruit and hire 150+ technicians and supporting staff by
partnering with third-party recruiting firms and developing attractive employer value propositions.
o Improved onboarding processes for 100+ technicians by establishing a partnership with an external agency to conduct pre-hiring training and assessments to increase knowledge and skills, resulting in a $60,000 annual savings.
o Measured the efficiency of supervised onboarding time for new technicians hired through the program compared to the original onboarding process and decreased the cost of hiring by obtaining government subsidies for each employee hired.
o Implemented and executed performance management programs and procedures, including but not
limited to performance appraisals and performance improvement plans for over 200+ employees.
• Labor Relations—
o Contract Negotiations - Represent the company in collective bargaining agreement negotiations. Prepared proposals negotiated compromises, and worked to reach contractual agreements.
o Contract Administration - Administered collective bargaining agreements. Help resolve grievances and disputes related to contract interpretations.
o Labor Law Compliance - Ensured company policies and practices complied with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regulations as well as federal, state, and local labor laws on unionized workforces. Advised management on legal obligations.
o Education & Training – Conducted training for managers on effective union relationship building, the collective bargaining process, grievance handling, and allowable/prohibited practices under labor laws.
o Metrics & Analytics – Tracked and analyzed metrics on labor relations activities and outcomes.

Human Resources Business Partner/Labor Relations Specialist

IGNITE

Responsible for planning, implementing and executing acquisition across the organization. 

Provided direct support to leadership and support teams of the company meeting acquisition targets. 

Managed logistics, communications, and evaluation of 100+ candidates weekly leading to the successful hiring for open requisitions, tagged to special and contract projects.

Used LinkedIn and other sourcing tools to encourage candidates to apply for open positions and collaborated with Project Managers to detail out new job descriptions and role expectations.

Talent Acquisition | Technical Recruiter

Jefferson County Commission

Provided leadership, program & and change management within the Affirmative Action Office.

Created cross-functional project teams. Assigned tasks and set deadlines for the project team to support the successful completion of project milestones. Report monthly on project successes to the Receiver and Federal Judge.

Managed 5+ projects by developing and executing strategic plans to launch an Affirmative Action Office and create internal processes that resolve complaints.

Collaborated with a team of 10+ people by establishing plan objectives, developing processes, and approving policies to create plans related to legal guidelines.

Led a team of 7+ team members by establishing goals and timelines on case response to a high success rate for cases.

Oversaw the office’s budget by consolidating costs for staffing, resolution awards for grievances, and other expenses resulting in tight adherence to objectives.

Developed strategies for receiving, investigating, and remedying complaints of workplace discrimination resulting in timely closure and remediation of over 100+ backlogged complaints.

Maintained in-depth knowledge of federal, state, and organization policies related to protected leaves and reasonable accommodations.

Affirmative Action Officer/Employee Relations Manager

Yulista Management Services

Orchestrated 3+ strategic diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and university relations initiatives by integrating data analytics to expand campus outreach.

Developed recruiting plans by including niche websites catering to specific diversity groups assuring the ability to network within 10+ diversity associations and events.

Maintained responsibility for candidate pool planning by reviewing candidate data to assess recruitment data for diversity, applicant numbers, conversion to hire, and employee retention.

Maintained affirmative action program and EEO report annually as well as maintained confidential employee records and reports.

Managed all aspects of company compliance with federal and state Affirmative Action, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs.

HR Compliance Lead

I am an accomplished cross-functional Human Resources professional with 20 years of experience in executing initiatives across human resources, people, and performance strategy. Demonstrated ability with managing cross-functional teams and collaborating with external parties to drive business value. I am experienced with data-analysis for strategic decision making and project planning. Passionate about diversity, inclusion, and equity. 

I have consistently been regarded as a dynamic leader who fosters a culture of excellence through effective employee engagement, mentoring, and team recognition practices. 

Tech Stack: Scrum Methodology, Kanban, Change Management, Continuous Improvement, Jira, Microsoft Project, SharePoint, Confluence, Microsoft Office Suite, Google Workspace, Slack, Tableau, Zoom, Google Meets, Workday, Confluence. 

Human Resource & Business Skills & Tools: Operations, Workforce Planning, Workforce Administration, Payroll Administration, Talent Acquisition, Compliance, Employee Relations, Labor Relations, Policy Interpretation and Application, Compensation and Benefits, Job Evaluations, Strategic Planning & Execution.

Communication Skills: Collaboration, Coaching, Human Resources Management, Critical Reasoning, Relationship Building, Conflict Resolution, Influence, Stakeholder Management.

I look forward to connecting with you.

taplio

The Battle

Yonelly G.

Lourie Bradley, MSM, CSM

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taplio

The Battle

Yonelly G.

Lourie Bradley, MSM, 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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