Sylwia Kołoda-Walczyk
Software Engineering Manager
Kraków
Profil zawodowy
Strategic and people‑centric leader with 15+ years of experience in aviation software, driving product delivery, cross‑team collaboration, and organizational performance. Proven track record in leading multi‑disciplinary teams, shaping delivery governance, and elevating engineering and support operations.
Experienced in managing complex enterprise aviation systems, coordinating large‑scale releases, and guiding teams through change, modernization, and cross‑product integration. Recognized for strong communication, stakeholder management, and the ability to translate business goals into actionable delivery strategies.
Podsumowanie
2
2
Languages
1
1
Certification
6
6
years of post-secondary education
16
16
years of professional experience
Doświadczenie
Software Engineering Manager
CAE
Kraków
2023.04 - Current
- Further scaled the Kraków engineering organization and expanded area of resposability from 20 to 50+ people (including 3 supervisors, increasing delivery capacity and organizational resilience).
- Led the Kraków Crew Manager unit, driving strategic delivery across engineering, QA, and maintenance.
- Delivered a production‑ready MVP of the new Crew Manager Training Solution in 12 months, accelerating product roadmap execution and enabling early customer validation.
- Rebuilt and modernized the interna performance engineering framework, replacing legacy Python workflows with Azure DevOps pipelines and integrating Grafana/Prometheus, improving performance visibility. Created internal procedured to measure and monitor performance on daily bases as well as on-demand.
- On daily basis, indetifying key telents and high‑potential engineers and creating individual growth paths, improving succession readiness.
- Strengthened engineering culture through coaching, transparent communication, and process improvements, resulting in higher team engagement and more consistent delivery outcomes.
Software Engineering Supervisor
CAE
Kraków
2022.05 - 2023.04
- Started by leading a single Scrum team; quickly expanded responsibilities as the Kraków unit grew.
- Led the recruitment and scaling of the Kraków engineering team — doubling its size within 6 months.
- Drove re‑organization of the Crew Manager Kraków unit to improve ownership, delivery flow, and cross‑team collaboration.
- Identified missing competencies and rebuilt the performance engineering team to restore delivery efficiency and quality.
Team Lead Tech Product Manager
CAE
Kraków
2022.03 - 2022.04
- Gathering requirements from product managers and translating them into clear, actionable user stories.
- Preparing scope and backlog for development teams; ensuring clarity and alignment with business goals.
- Working closely with Scrum teams during development phases; reviewing and accepting user stories.
- Participating in defect review, investigation, and resolution processes.
- Collaborating with integrated internal products (Crew Access, Flight Plan Manager, Recovery Manager Crew, Crew Planner) to ensure functional consistency.
Team Lead Tech Product Manager
Sabre Polska
Kraków
2019.01 - 2022.03
- Leading and developing the Kraków Business Analyst Team; acting as site leader responsible for team performance, engagement, and collaboration.
- Driving product delivery governance: backlog prioritization, user story acceptance, cross‑team alignment.
- Coordinating analysis and planning for multi‑team Big Room Planning sessions across product versions.
- Facilitating collaboration between engineering, QA, support, and product teams to ensure consistent delivery.
- Overseeing defect review processes and supporting incident investigation and resolution.
- Ensuring functional and architectural consistency across integrated aviation products.
Team Lead Business Analyst
Sabre Polska
Kraków
2017.04 - 2017.12
- Managing and mentoring a team of business analysts; fostering growth, ownership, and analytical excellence.
- Leading scope definition and user story preparation; ensuring clarity and alignment with business goals.
- Supporting release planning and cross‑team coordination.
- Strengthening collaboration with integrated products within the Sabre aviation ecosystem.
Business Analyst
AzimuthIT / Smart4Aviation Group
Kraków
2014.04 - 2014.07
- Acting as main analyst for several Smart4Aviation products, contributing to product ownership responsibilities.
- Leading requirements gathering, documentation, and functional design for aviation software.
- Managing client relationships with Air France, Air New Zealand, Martinair, Thomas Cook, EasyJet.
- Delivering presentations, demonstrations, and supporting product rollout.
Junior Analyst
AzimuthIT / Smart4Aviation Group
Kraków
2011.10 - 2014.05
- Supporting analysis and documentation for major aviation clients.
- Conducting user training and supporting system implementations.
- Collaborating closely with development and QA teams.
Software Tester / QA Intern
AzimuthIT / Smart4Aviation Group
Kraków
2010.07 - 2011.10
- Performing manual testing of web and mobile applications.
- Preparing test cases and scenarios; reporting defects.
- Working with tools such as TestLink, Mantis, Scarab, Quality Center.
Wykształcenie
Postgraduate Studies - Business Analyst – IT & Business
Warsaw School of Economics (SGH)
Warsawa 2013.09 - 2014.06
Master degree - Mathematics (Computer Mathematics specialization)
Jagiellonian University
Kraków 2006.10 - 2011.10
Umiejętności
- Organizational Leadership & Team Development — coaching, mentoring, performance management, building collaborative culture
- Cross‑Functional Delivery Leadership — aligning engineering, product, QA, and support teams
- Governance & Strategic Planning — release governance, change control, RFC processes, Big Room Planning
- Stakeholder Management — executive communication, expectation alignment, decision facilitation
- Operational Excellence — incident management oversight, SLA collaboration, continuous improvement
- Enterprise Aviation Expertise — Crew Management, Flight Ops, Smart Suite, Smart COMM, Smart Operations Manager
Languages
Polski
First language
English
Upper intermediate
B2
Certyfikacja
- ITIL® Foundation
- PRINCE2® Foundation
- LCCI English of Business Level 2
- Negotiations Under Control – Professional Client Service
Zainteresowania
- Climbing
- Reading books
- Trekking
- Movies
Oś czasu
Software Engineering Manager
CAE
2023.04 - Current
Software Engineering Supervisor
CAE
2022.05 - 2023.04
Team Lead Tech Product Manager
CAE
2022.03 - 2022.04
Team Lead Tech Product Manager
Sabre Polska
2019.01 - 2022.03
Team Lead Business Analyst
Sabre Polska
2017.04 - 2017.12
Business Analyst
AzimuthIT / Smart4Aviation Group
2014.04 - 2014.07
Postgraduate Studies - Business Analyst – IT & Business
Warsaw School of Economics (SGH)
2013.09 - 2014.06
Junior Analyst
AzimuthIT / Smart4Aviation Group
2011.10 - 2014.05
Software Tester / QA Intern
AzimuthIT / Smart4Aviation Group
2010.07 - 2011.10
Master degree - Mathematics (Computer Mathematics specialization)
Jagiellonian University
2006.10 - 2011.10