v2.0.0-rc   business analyst · product manager · educator · student success manager

Talitha
O'Brien

Overflowing impact.

I combine BA depth, PM drive, and technical literacy
to build products that move people at their core.
I map processes, close gaps, and translate complexity into clarity.

I advocate for the user in every decision,
and I teach, making me the person stakeholders trust
to communicate clearly, align teams, and keep everyone moving.

Dedicated, ambitious, iterative by nature,
a walking well of strong will
and the experience to make every product decision count.

Download CV View My Work
Talitha O'Brien

// about

The Stack

Some people follow a straight path. I've been pushing commits.

Developer → educator of 700+ students → product manager → business analyst. Each version shipped new thinking. Each role taught me how users, systems, and businesses actually work from the inside out.

I started in engineering, where I shipped iOS, Android, and web features at a fintech startup and abstracted 90% of duplicated code into a reusable package at a legal-tech firm. Then I spent three years teaching front-end development, running Scrum ceremonies for student teams, and iterating on the LMS itself.

Now I sit at the intersection I was always moving towards: technical enough to talk to engineers, empathetic enough to understand users, and analytical enough to build a business case from first principles.

I also have a strong conviction: if you're not doing anything with AI, you're choosing to be slower. In my current role as Student Success Manager, I'm actively using PowerAutomate to automate manual onboarding and administrative workflows — because time spent on repetitive process is time stolen from work that actually matters. I believe every administrative task that can be automated should be automated, and I won't wait to be asked.

700+
students mentored
107.9×
projected ROI — BA case study
90%
code duplication removed
$ git log --oneline --reverse
v0.0.1
init: Full Stack Bootcamp
HyperionDev · 2019
  • First commit. Foundation loaded.
  • HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python end to end.
Coding Highs & Lows Student Spotlight
v0.1.0
feat: Junior Developer
Franc (fintech) · May 2020 – Dec 2021
  • iOS, Android, Web cross-platform feature delivery.
  • Bug fixes, TDD, Agile sprint ceremonies.
  • Cross-functional collaboration with design and product.
v0.2.0
feat: Intermediate Developer
LexTego (legal tech) · Jan – Aug 2022
  • Shipped OCTIA. Abstracted 90% of duplicated code into a private package.
  • Built telemetry dashboards in Elastic. Wrote API documentation.
v1.0.0
stable: Front-End Educator
Noroff University College · Dec 2022 – Dec 2025
  • Mentored 700+ online students in HTML, CSS, JS, TypeScript, and React.
  • Scrum Master for student capstone projects.
  • Contributed to LMS iteration (Moodle). Formal pedagogy qualification, OsloMet.
edu
edu: B.Ed. Vocational Pedagogy & Andragogy
OsloMet · Jan 2024 – Jan 2025
  • Formal qualification in pedagogy and adult learning theory.
  • Applied directly to curriculum design and student mentorship at Noroff.
cert
cert: Product School Micro-Certifications
Product School · 2025
  • Product Discovery Micro-Certification (PDC)
  • Product Prioritisation Micro-Certification (PPC)
v1.1.0
feature/pm: Product Manager Intern
Stroop Digital · Aug 2025 – Jan 2026
  • Roadmap ownership defined, prioritised, and communicated delivery milestones.
  • Stakeholder communication across engineering, design, and client teams.
  • Cross-functional delivery in a fast-moving agency environment.
v1.2.0
patch: Student Success Manager
Noroff · Jan 2026 – present
  • Automating onboarding workflows with PowerAutomate + Claude Code.
  • Zendesk support ops and student lifecycle management.
v1.3.0‑beta
feature/ba: IT BA Intern
London Success Academy · Feb 2026 – present
  • 3 end-to-end business analysis case studies. Certificate of completion issued.
  • Options evaluation, ROI modelling, MoSCoW prioritisation, roadmaps.

// stroop digital · product manager intern · aug 2025 – jan 2026

Product Management Internship

Product Strategy · Agile · Process Improvement

The Product Was the Internship Itself

Most interns execute someone else's roadmap. At Stroop Digital, the internship is the product and you are the PM. The mandate: follow a structured agile learning pathway, ship real PM deliverables, and apply product strategy to improve the internship process for every cohort that comes after you. For a developer who has spent years refactoring other people's inefficient systems, this was a natural fit.

→ Self-managed delivery owned the full PM lifecycle end-to-end: discovery, prioritisation, roadmap, execution, and retrospective with no one assigning tickets.
→ Learning pathway as backlog treated each module (Business Canvas, OKRs, Customer Journey, MVP Design) as a sprint deliverable, tracking progress and blockers independently.
→ Process improvement output applied product strategy to identify friction points in the internship experience and proposed improvements to the programme for future interns.
→ Developer instinct, PM lens brought a builder's bias for optimisation: if something was slow, unclear, or repeated I documented it, reasoned about it, and proposed a better version.
6 months
Agile methodology
PM full lifecycle
View Learning Platform →

The Setup

  • Structured Agile PM programme — intern owns the full experience, no brief handed down
  • Modules: Business Canvas, Product Canvas, Customer Journey Mapping, OKRs, MVP Design, Roadmap, Backlog, Delivery, Value Measurement
  • Each module is a deliverable you produce, review, and iterate on

The Challenge

  • The product you're building is the internship itself
  • Apply learnings to identify what works, what doesn't, and improve it for the next cohort
  • Think like a PM from day one — not just completing tasks, but questioning why they exist

Why It Clicked

  • As a developer, I'm wired to ask: where's the waste?
  • Stroop gave me a framework to channel that instinct productively
  • Every friction point became a user story; every repeated confusion became a process gap worth closing

// product board

// london success academy · it ba intern

BA Presentations

Week 1

Complaint Management CRM Modernisation

Stakeholder analysis, technology survey, and options evaluation for a legacy Delphi CRM. Recommended COTS solution with a 9-month phased roadmap.

View full presentation →
Week 2

Retail Self-Service Checkout Optimisation

ROI modelling across 3 options, stakeholder matrix, and risk mitigation for a retail chain with 8-min peak wait times and 70% CSAT.

View full presentation →
Week 3

Hospital WhatsApp Appointment Scheduling

Quantitative options analysis, MoSCoW prioritisation, and 24-month roadmap for a hospital with 21-day wait times and a 107.9× ROI recommendation.

View full presentation →

// linkedin · verified skills

Skills

Product & Business Analysis

Product Management Product Road Mapping Product Lifecycle Management Backlog Management Analytical Skills Performance Metrics UX Research Market Research Customer Journey Mapping Agile, Lean & Waterfall Methodologies Scrum

Education & Leadership

Adult Education Pedagogy Cross-team Collaboration Team Management Coaching & Mentoring

Soft Skills

Listening Googling Writing Collaboration Critical Thinking Empathy Problem-Solving

AI Tools

Claude Code ChatGPT Lovable PowerAutomate Zapier

Technical

JavaScript TypeScript CSS NestJS AngularJS Flutter Python MySQL Docker Jest Software Documentation

// what others say

Recommendations

"

Talitha is an exceptional teacher, recognised for her meticulous attention to detail and ability to provide concise, constructive feedback. Her knowledge and hands-on experience in the tech startup world have been instrumental in helping me understand the industry's intricacies and apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios. Her blend of industry experience, detailed teaching, quick and constructive feedback, and steadfast encouragement make her an extraordinary vocational education instructor.

Kyrre Gjerstad Kyrre Gjerstad Fullstack Developer · React, TypeScript Student at Noroff · June 2023
Featured · Head of Product
"

I was privileged to work with Talitha on the commercialisation of LexTego's flagship transaction monitoring product. Talitha is an incredibly enthusiastic person and showed great initiative in all her tasks and often exceeded expectations in her delivery. She is exceptionally thorough, with a natural affinity for development and technology. She is a clear and precise communicator, and on several occasions effectively challenged gaps in design and specification to improve the overall standard in our product and documentation. I would not hesitate to work with Talitha again.

Justus Ortlepp Justus Ortlepp Head of Product · Business Analyst · Data Scientist Senior colleague at LexTego · March 2023
"

I have had the privilege of being a student of Talitha at Noroff. She is an outstanding and truly engaging teacher, one of the best I have ever encountered! Talitha's friendly demeanor and willingness to help students set her apart. She has a remarkable ability to quickly identify issues in our code and guides us toward solving them independently, which significantly enhances our learning experience. Her supportive nature and genuine empathy for students make her a wonderful mentor. I wholeheartedly recommend her at the highest level.

Rukaiya Tahsin Rukaiya Tahsin Frontend Developer Student at Noroff · October 2024
"

It is my pleasure to recommend Talitha as an exemplary front-end development instructor. Talitha possesses a profound mastery of front-end technologies, demonstrating an exceptional ability to articulate intricate concepts with clarity. Her dedication to creating a supportive classroom environment is evident through personalised guidance that caters to the individual needs of each student. What truly sets Talitha apart is her unwavering motivation and encouragement — she inspires students to explore the subject matter with curiosity and passion. Her professionalism, technical acumen, and genuine concern for the success of students make her an invaluable asset to any educational institution.

Weronika Martinsen Weronika Martinsen Front End Developer · Aker Solutions Student at Noroff · January 2024
"

During my initial year as a front-end development student at Noroff, I was fortunate to receive mentorship from Talitha. I particularly remember one Friday, right before a school project deadline — she called me back on the school's platform and sat with me on a Friday evening, going beyond regular class hours, to help me sort out the issues I was facing. Talitha's professionalism and hard skills are undeniable, but it's her interpersonal skills that truly distinguish her. Her empathetic nature and consistent encouragement have significantly enhanced our educational experience. Her role transcends that of an instructor; she is a mentor whose influence motivated me to strive for excellence.

Maik Helland Olsen Maik Helland Olsen Frontend Software Engineer · JavaScript, React Student at Noroff · December 2023
"

I had the privilege of being a student in Talitha's frontend development class, and I cannot speak highly enough of her expertise, teaching style, and genuine commitment to her students' success. She has the ability to simplify complex concepts and explain them in a clear and understandable manner. Furthermore, she creates a supportive and inclusive learning environment where everyone feels valued and comfortable asking questions. I'd also like to highlight her patience and willingness to provide additional support whenever needed, which truly make her stand out. I am truly grateful for the knowledge and guidance she has provided.

Martine Midttveit Martine Midttveit Frontend Development Student · Noroff Student at Noroff · December 2023