Oksana Cyrus

Outcomes

• Launched the VA.gov Resources and Support product, focused on information architecture, content migration, and modern design for VA benefits-adjacent content.
• Launched an on-premises CI and preview platform that enabled rapid feature QA and iteration, decreased engineering cycle time by 27%, accelerated software delivery, and improved the developer experience.
• Facilitated decoupled CMS scalability improvements that increased the published-content ceiling by more than 2,400%, unblocked the onboarding of 152 VA Medical Centers and 300 Vet Centers to the VA.gov CMS, and increased the user base by more than 500% in Q1 2021.
• Initiated and roadmapped the VA.gov CMS Design System, enabling the CMS to migrate from a deprecated theming framework to a modern one while improving the editorial user experience.
• Guided the development and delivery of services and features that improved user trust and satisfaction by 30%.
• Orchestrated the Accelerated Publishing initiative to increase CMS adoption among VA offices and business units prepared to modernize their digital properties.

Day-to-day

• Guide and support the VA Office of the CTO Digital Experience team in defining the VA.gov CMS product vision and strategy.
• Break down silos and build bridges within the internal program team and among more than 10 VA contract teams engaged in digital modernization initiatives.
• Lead sprint and quarterly program planning, backlog refinement, product demonstrations, and OKR definition.
• Conduct human-centered design workshops and develop product roadmaps for building and scaling Veteran-facing and author-facing applications.
• Balance technical architecture decisions with short-, mid-, and long-term objectives.
• Scale and mentor prime-contractor and subcontractor engineering teams.
• Manage usability studies, research and synthesis, UX/UI design, and training proposals.
• Foster cross-disciplinary collaboration among content strategists, designers, engineers, and researchers to deliver a best-in-class editorial experience.
• Empower the team with timely information that supports independent decision-making and lean delivery.