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Alison Valley, Product Manager

I’m passionate about using data to uncover insights, build great products, and drive results. Over the past 5+ years, I’ve worked in B2B and B2C digital businesses, from startups to enterprise organizations, developing go-to-market strategies and product roadmaps, and establishing KPIs that deliver real growth.

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I love tackling complex problems and turning complex ideas into solutions that work. I’m a strong advocate for human-centered design and accessibility, ensuring that the products I work on are inclusive and user-friendly for everyone. Collaboration is at the heart of everything I do, and I’m always eager to learn, adapt, and take on new challenges.


While my recent experience in the corporate world has broadened my skill set, I'm now actively seeking to return to the small-mid sized business environment where I feel I can make the most significant impact. 

Education

University of North Carolina Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina
Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology
Graduated May 2017

University of California, Berkeley Extension

Berkeley, California
Specialized Certificate Program in UX Research
August - December 2023

Pratt Institute

New York, New York
Specialized Certificate Program in Human-Centered Design
August - December 2022

University of Sussex

Brighton, England
Anthropology and Global Studies
Fall, 2016

The National University of Ireland Galway

Galway, Ireland
Archeological Field School
Summer, 2015

Professional Experience

Outdoorsy

Product Manager (Contract)
Remote

April 2025 - July 2025

  • Directed product discovery initiatives including user research analysis, market research, cross-functional team brainstorms, design sketches, and data analysis, leading to a 10% improvement in marketplace performance.

  • Introduced new methodology for research analysis enhancing operational efficiency by 30%, using generative AI.

  • Collaborated cross-functionally to create specs, manage backlogs, and deliver user-centered digital products, while guiding engineering and design prioritization through impact-effort analysis.

Ziff Davis, CNET

Product Manager
Remote

July 2024 - December 2024

  • Lead CNET's commerce marketplace product strategy as well as roadmap
    development and execution, delivering mobile-optimized, customer-centric
    experiences that met user needs and achieved key business objectives.

  • Leverage Looker, user interviews, and market research to generate data-driven insights, translating analytics into product improvements and identifying growth opportunities, resulting in a 10% average CTR increase.

  • Reduce post-release bugs by 20% by streamlining feature development through collaboration with the development team, proactive troubleshooting, and clear acceptance criteria informed by user feedback and testing.

  • Collaborate with product design and development to implement key page
    redesigns and address critical tech debt as part of a strategic plan to enhance user experience and platform performance, resulting in a 25% traffic increase, improved SEO, 12% revenue growth, and enhanced customer satisfaction.

  • Optimize cross-functional team workflows by implementing generative AI tools and strategic planning frameworks, informed by internal process reviews, improving project delivery time by 30%.

Technology Advice

Product Manager
Remote

July 2023 - March 2024
Promoted from Senior Project Manager July 2023

Senior Project Manager 

Remote

February 2023 - July 2023
Promoted from Digital Design Project Manager February 2023

Digital Design Project Manager

Fit Small Business, a Technology Advice Brand

Remote

September 2021 - February 2023

  • Defined and executed product strategies and roadmaps for a portfolio of brand websites informed by market analysis, customer feedback, and A/B testing, resulting in a 15% increase in website traffic and SEO and a 5% revenue lift.

  • Established company-wide design guidelines promoting human-centered design, accessibility, brand consistency, and mobile optimization, fostering a culture of creative problem-solving and product innovation that shifted the company towards a product-led strategy.

  • Streamlined product development processes by facilitating alignment between agile teams and stakeholders on complex issue resolution, feature development, and precise product requirements with actionable acceptance criteria.

  • Optimized agile planning and execution, improving sprint goal completion by 20% and reducing feature turnaround time by 30% through enhanced resource allocation, strategic alignment with business goals, and cross-functional collaboration.

  • Efficiently and strategically led an international team of UX and graphic designers, enforcing a high level of attention to detail, ensuring efficient project completion, and cultivating a deep understanding of expectations to ensure project success and stakeholder satisfaction.

  • Researched, planned, and executed custom UX elements such as calculators, quizzes, generators, downloadable assets, etc., and ensured the success of each widget through detailed testing and clear communication with stakeholders.

  • Oversaw the development backlog and established clear priorities, using a transparent system of accountability and effectively communicated bottlenecks.

  • Designed and implemented UX element reports using Google Data Studio to track user engagement and task completion. Developed a reporting framework to consistently and accurately read reports and communicated the findings to stakeholders.

  • Created and maintained detailed brand guidelines with a focus on accessibility and user experience.

  • Led the strategy to optimize a website focused on teaching and empowering SMB owners, and oversaw the content experience, implemented architectural changes, and created UX elements.

  • Collaborated with development, design, and content teams to create superior experiences that aligned with user needs and business goals, resulting in a 30% average increase in page performance.

  • Championed human-centered design and accessibility principles while leading a cross-functional team of international UX and graphic designers.

  • Executed A/B tests, conducted data analysis, identified trends, and pinpointed key optimization levers.

Christine Walker Consulting

Project Manager
Remote

May 2020 - September 2021
Promoted from Client Success Specialist My 2020 

Client Success Specialist and Web Designer

Remote

December 2019 - May 2020

  • Strategized, executed, and oversaw development projects to grow the company including website optimization, tracking method improvements, host transfers, template updates, product upgrades, etc. efficiently and cost-effectively

  • Lead an international team of developers to ensure the success of products and the satisfaction of clients using clear systems of accountability, high attention to detail, efficient project completion, and a deep understanding of goals and expectations

  • Worked directly with clients to establish a website project outline which included creating sitemaps, content plans, and design plans for healthcare websites focused on leads, conversions, and revenue

  • Established a reliable and concrete processes and procedures database of text, visuals, and videos for the operations department to document and demonstrate company standards and protocols

  • Created and continuously optimized website analytics reports for both client presentation and company analysis to tactically optimize websites

  • Designed and developed visually appealing and user-friendly websites, incorporating best practices in layout, navigation, and functionality to optimize user experience and achieve client objectives.

  • Spearheaded client success strategies for healthcare portfolios, acting as the primary liaison and nurturing strong client relationships.

  • Led cross-functional teams in crafting tailored, high-performance websites for healthcare entities, ensuring on-time, within-budget delivery.

  • Conducted regular performance reviews and analyses, utilizing data-driven insights to optimize website effectiveness and guide continuous improvement efforts.

  • Provided comprehensive training and support, empowering clients to leverage website functionalities proficiently while identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities to drive revenue growth and client expansion.

Momentum Gallery

Collections Manager

Asheville, NC

June 2018 - December 2019

Promoted from Art Consultant June 2018

Art Consultant

Asheville, NC

October 2017 - June 2018

  • Management of Collections database including end user technical support, content organization, and database changes to ensure the gallery collection catalog is accurate, up-to-date and performing well.

  • Collection maintenance and cataloging including measuring, photographing, cleaning and organizing museum quality art within on-site and off-site storage facilities and online database.

  • Gallery research to provide comprehensive knowledge of individual pieces, artists, and shows for the purpose of establishing world-class curating and presentation of art at one of the largest galleries in the South-Eastern United States.

  • Maintained strong relationships with local and national arts organizations, collectors, and artists to educate, inspire, and heighten the art scene in Western North Carolina.

  • Day to day gallery maintenance including caring for art, hanging and tagging pieces and organizing events.

  • Project managed sales proposals, submissions for art fairs, research on sales opportunities, and research on artists for articles, guest exhibitions, and gallery representation.

  • Gallery database management including uploading and organizing new work into gallery database, and online art auction site, Artsy.

  • Coordinated daily office activities including answering client phone calls and emails, organizing paperwork, creating spreadsheets, and maintaining systems of office organization and cleanliness.

Asheville Art Museum

Collections Assistant 

Asheville, NC

January 2018 - August 2018

Education Department Intern

Asheville, NC

September 2017 - December 2017

  • Researched and wrote curatorial justifications for artists and artworks for upcoming shows or acquisitions and deacquisitions. 

  • Examined and analyzed historical documents for the purpose of correctly archiving at the museum or donating to a relevant facility.

  • Cataloged artist documents including PR, interviews, and articles.

  • Worked closely with the Education Department at the Asheville Art Museum to learn more about, assist with, and plan weekly art activities for preschool to middle school-aged children .

  • Coordinated with local libraries’ education departments to ensure proper implementation of art activities.

  • Developed and lead educational programs for elementary and middle school students.

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Skills

  • Product Management: Product Strategy & Roadmap Development, Product Discovery & Market Research, Feature Prioritization & Backlog Management, Stakeholder Management & Communication, Risk Assessment & Mitigation, User Research & Analysis, A/B Testing & Data Analysis

  • Product Design & UX: User-Centered Design (Human-Centered Design), Wireframing & Prototyping (Figma, FigJam), Accessibility (WCAG), Usability Testing

  • Data Analysis & Tools: Data Analysis & Reporting, Google Analytics, Looker, Tableau, Hotjar, Microsoft Clarity

  • Project Management & Agile: Agile Methodologies (Scrum, Kanban), Sprint Planning & Execution

  • Cross-Functional Team Collaboration: Jira, Trello, Asana, Airtable, Monday

  • Technical Skills: Basic HTML, CSS, API Integrations

  • Marketing & Growth: Market Research & Analysis, Content Marketing, Social Media Marketing

  • Productivity & Collaboration Tools: Google Workspace/Microsoft Office Suite, Slack

Certifications

  • Certified CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) researcher, a training program that teaches human subject research (2017)

  • Agile Leadership and Resilient Teams certification from Udemy (2020)

  • User Experience Design: Complete UX Fundamentals Course from Udemy (2021)

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