Josephine Ocheni
Upper Marlboro,MD
Summary
Results-driven Chief Operating Officer with 17 years of experience at the Census Bureau, Department of Commerce, having held seven progressively responsible roles within the organization. Extensive expertise in optimizing operational efficiency, streamlining processes, and leading cross-functional teams in a single-office environment. Proven track record of driving continuous improvement initiatives, increasing profitability, and adapting strategies to meet the evolving needs of the business. Strong leadership and decision making skills, with a focus on employee engagement and customer satisfaction.
Overview
17
17
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Deputy Chief of Business Operations
United States Census Bureau
06.2021 - Current
- Operational Leadership: Oversee day-to-day operations, driving efficiency improvements and cost reductions while aligning departmental goals with broader organizational strategies.
- Budget & Financial Oversight: Lead and optimize business operations for one of the largest federal data collection efforts in the nation, overseeing an annual Communications budget of $60M, over $25,000 in credit card purchases and managing a direct team of 14 professionals, and a department of approximately 174 employees ensuring alignment with strategic objectives and government regulations
- Strategic Planning & Execution: Developed and implemented operational strategies that improved efficiency across communications, logistics, and data management, directly impacting the success of the decennial census and other national data initiatives
- Process Optimization: Spearheaded process improvements, reducing operational costs by 15% and improving productivity across departments by streamlining workflows and implementing new technologies
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Established cross-departmental collaborations that enhanced the overall effectiveness of Census Bureau operations, particularly in areas of IT systems, data management, and stakeholder communications
- Customer Satisfaction: Managed partnerships with key stakeholders, including government agencies, contractors, and private sector vendors, ensuring compliance with federal policies while optimizing project delivery timelines
- Transformation: Led the transformation of operational processes through data analytics, allowing for real-time reporting and decision-making that ensured project goals were met within budget and on time
- Employee Recruitment & Engagement: Successfully filled and onboarded and 37 vacancies in FY24 through operational means.
Operations Manager, Communications Unit
United States Census Bureau
05.2018 - 06.2021
- Led workshops to improve communication, diversity, and employee engagement within the Communications team, helping build a stronger and more connected workplace culture.
- Managed important projects, including handling legal requests and coordinating contracts, ensuring everything was done on time and according to the rules.
- Took charge of risk management, keeping track of potential issues and leading efforts to reduce risks across key programs.
- Managed key areas of the 2020 Census National Partnership Program, which aimed to count every person living in the U.S. for national demographic data, including overseeing the Black/Sub-Saharan and Embassy portfolios. Led a $675 million communications campaign to inform and encourage participation, ensuring it was scalable, on schedule, and within budget.
- Led efforts to improve collaboration across teams, speeding up and improving data collection processes, benefiting millions of U.S. citizens and residents by providing accurate data for federal planning and resource allocation.
- Played a key role in planning and carrying out large projects that impacted national infrastructure, ensuring everything was executed smoothly.
- Managed daily operations for a 20-person team, overseeing resource allocation, performance, and process improvements to make everything run more efficiently.
- Worked with legal teams to manage legal requests, ensuring compliance and transparency throughout the process.
Operations Manager, Research Department
United States Census Bureau
08.2016 - 05.2018
- Led collaboration between the Census Bureau and several research institutions, overseeing data linkage, quality checks, and contract management to improve program effectiveness and impact.
- Managed the transfer and delivery of data to multiple researchers, ensuring 100% accuracy and timeliness in meeting project deadlines.
- Acted as the primary liaison for a Congressional Commission on evidence-based policy-making, coordinating all needs between the Commission and the Census Bureau, resulting in a 30% increase in alignment of objectives and successful implementation of action plans.
- Directed the recruitment and onboarding of 15+ staff members for the Commission, managing logistics for 20+ meetings and tracking progress to ensure smooth operations and 98% on-time task completion.
- Oversaw a budget of over $1 million, optimizing resource allocation, reducing procurement costs by 15%, and processing staff reimbursements within 48 hours.
- Developed and streamlined 10+ operational processes for the Commission, improving efficiency by 25% and cutting training time by 40%.
- Managed 5+ complex Interagency Agreements (IAAs) for onboarding staff from various agencies, ensuring 100% compliance and delivering updates to stakeholders in real-time.
- Partnered with IT teams to build and maintain infrastructure for Commission staff, resolving technical issues within 24 hours and achieving 99% system uptime.
- Ensured the timely delivery of key research project outputs, improving knowledge management efficiency by 20%.
VARIOUS OPERATIONS ROLES (7 Total Positions)
United States Census Bureau
03.2008 - Current
- Held 7 positions in operations across multiple offices, progressing from Operations Coordinator & Manager to Deputy Chief of Business Operations, with increasing responsibilities.
- Managed diverse operational functions in each office, including logistics, inventory, scheduling, team coordination, and budget oversight, driving improvements in cost reduction and efficiency.
- Consistently contributed to operational excellence, including reducing costs by 10%, improving team productivity by 15%, and increasing service reliability across units.
- Gained extensive experience in process optimization, workflow management, and cross-functional collaboration that laid the foundation for future leadership roles.
Education
Master's Degree - Management with a Concentration in Project Management
University of Maryland University College
College Park, MD08.2010
Bachelor of Science - Family Science, Public Health
University of Maryland
College Park, MD05-2007
Bachelor of Arts - Sociology, Family Demography
University of Maryland
College Park, MD05.2007
Skills
- Multi-Departmental Operations Management
- Strategic Planning & Execution
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Process Optimization & Efficiency
- Budgeting & Financial Management
- Employee Engagement & Retention
- Performance Metrics & KPIs
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Change Management
- Continuous Improvement & Lean Methodologies
Certification
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Business Analysis Certification, George Washington University, March 2012
- Diversity and Inclusion Certification, Cornell University, August 2021
Timeline
Deputy Chief of Business Operations
United States Census Bureau
06.2021 - Current
Operations Manager, Communications Unit
United States Census Bureau
05.2018 - 06.2021
Operations Manager, Research Department
United States Census Bureau
08.2016 - 05.2018
VARIOUS OPERATIONS ROLES (7 Total Positions)
United States Census Bureau
03.2008 - Current
Master's Degree - Management with a Concentration in Project Management
University of Maryland University College
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- Business Analysis Certification, George Washington University, March 2012
- Diversity and Inclusion Certification, Cornell University, August 2021
Bachelor of Science - Family Science, Public Health
University of Maryland
Bachelor of Arts - Sociology, Family Demography
University of Maryland
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