Bashaar Zainal

About Bashaar Zainal

I’m a strategic Program Manager with over 10 years of experience building scalable programs, strengthening community engagement, and driving operational excellence across global organizations. I thrive in fast-paced, ambiguous environments where structure needs to be created. My background blends program management, AI-powered learning, learning and development, product operations, and cross-functional leadership, giving me the ability to turn complex goals into clear frameworks, repeatable systems, and measurable outcomes.I’m known for designing programs that people genuinely connect with; initiatives that boost engagement, grow communities, and inspire participation. Whether launching global learning ecosystems, managing multi-vendor partnerships, or using data and KPIs to optimize program performance, I bring clarity, collaboration, and momentum to every project.I’m passionate about technology and AI, and I love building programs that help teams adopt new tools, navigate change, and stay engaged in meaningful ways.Competencies:• 10+ years Program Management, Project Management, & Operations• 10+ years Learning Experience Design & Instructional Design• 10+ years learning & development program design• 9+ years AI & emerging technology integration• 8+ years vendor & stakeholder partnership leadership• 8+ years KPI tracking & performance analytics• 5+ years community engagement strategy• Proven team building and leadership skills• Agile Scrum Master and Coach• Strong Agile, Waterfall, Iterative, ITIL, Six Sigma, SEI, RUP, UML, and MSF experience.• Strong SDLC and software delivery methodology experience• Process and continuous improvement advocate• Excellent and effective communication skills• Highly analytical, excels in ideation, and excellent at removing development roadblocks • Excellent presentation skills Technologies:Visual Basic, Splunk, Jira, Azure, ServiceNow, MS Project Server, MS Visio, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Premiere Pro), Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook), Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides), Basecamp, Smartsheet, Asana, Monday.com, Confluence, Salesforce, Power BI, Tableau, Google Data Studio, Cornerstone LMS, SharePoint, Degreed, LinkedIn Learning, Udemy Business, Articulate 360 (Rise, Storyline), Vyond, Canva, Figma, Camtasia, Snagit, ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity, Adobe Firefly, Synthesia, Miro, Microsoft Teams, Slack, Zoom, Trello, HTML/CSS, JavaScript, Python

Experience

1. Senior Program Manager, Learning & Development

   PayPal

   Mar 2025 — Present · Tampa, FL, US

   At PayPal, I lead the design and development of AI Academy, the company’s global learning hub for artificial intelligence education and upskilling. Built in SharePoint and powered by analytics, it served as a one-stop ecosystem for 30K+ employees to explore curated learning journeys tailored to five AI personas from Curious to Pioneer. I collaborated closely with PayPal’s AI and Data Science teams, integrating content from the AI Summit, Udemy, and LinkedIn Learning, while also facilitating live sessions with industry leaders like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Perplexity. This initiative became a flagship example of how AI, personalization, and design can elevate enterprise learning and empower employees to innovate confidently.

Education

• University of Central Florida

  Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (B.S.B.A.), Integrated Business (IB)

  2013 — 2016

Skills

• Team Building
• Management
• Online Marketing Analysis
• Training Management
• Computer Graphics
• Customer Service Management
• Google Analytics
• Recruiting
• Employee Training
• Social Media Marketing
• Microsoft Excel
• Training
• Microsoft Office
• Sales
• Hiring Employees
• Online Video Strategy
• Facebook Marketing
• Computer Software Training
• Youtube Api
• Microsoft Word
• Team Leadership
• Twitter Marketing
• Project Planning
• Online Marketing
• Sony Vegas Video
• Leadership
• Advertising
• Online Video Marketing
• Digital Project Management
• Agile Project Management
• Matlab
• Public Speaking
• Microsoft Powerpoint
• Social Media
• Prezi
• Computer Proficiency
• Marketing
• Project Management
• Employee Management
• Online Advertising