PERSONAL DETAILS

My current position is permanent, with an additional car allowance.  Notice period is a maximum of 3 months, negotiable.

CAPABILITIES

I am by background a systems and software engineer; an experienced hands-on implementer whose focus is on developing systems that solve real-world problems and business needs.  I design technical solutions to business problems by combining technical understanding with real-world commercial experience. 

I’ve run teams of varying sizes for many years.  I believe in:

·         Delegating responsibility to others to foster involvement and ownership.

·         Encouraging innovation and creative solutions whilst motivating staff in difficult times.

·         Working hands-on with the team rather than managing from above.

·         Leading by example and encouraging contributions from all.  

My key skills include:

• Communicating complex issues and implications to non-technical people, bridging the gap between technology and the real world.
• Simplifying technical points so that they remain relevant to the commercial discussion at hand; delivering crucial information at an appropriate level, at the right time, and in a relevant way: "a geek who can speak" as described by others.
• Keeping abreast of current and future developments, trends, and shift in the world of technology.
• Understanding the business, cultural, and social contexts in which IT systems operate.
• Motivation, mentoring and management of technical and IT staff .

KEY IT SKILLS

• Security, load and capacity planning of software-based systems, distributed programming and systems.
• Software development; structured requirements analysis, functional and design specifications, programming team management, outsourced development management, project planning.
• Operating Systems: Windows NT, 95, 98, 2000, XP (workstations & servers); Unix, including Solaris, Linux (RedHat, Mandrake).
• Networking: inter/intranet engineering ; web servers, including Apache and IIS ; web systems design and implementation ; high-capacity load-balanced network servers ; dynamic data-driven sites … enterprise integration ; security, including firewalls and encryption.Networking: TCP/IP and Ethernet networking, local and wide-area.
• Databases; design, development, replication.
• Languages: C/C++ ; Java ; Perl ; Python ; Visual Basic.

CAREER HISTORY 

2001 - Present             Technical Director, XXXX Cheshire/Leicester

A small, focused research company generating innovations in areas such as mobile telecommunications and interactive television for licensing to major organisations or manufacturers. Reporting to CEO, responsibilities include managing all hardware and software design (internal and outsourced), management of all IT services for staff and partners, control of relationships with external development and supplier organisations, working closely with the Sales Director to develop new business contacts and achieve licensing deals, advising partners and customers on technology strategy, turning research projects into patents, products, and other exploitable forms.

Major Achievements:

·         Secured worldwide distribution agreement for a patented messaging-based Java game addition for mobile handsets designed to increase data revenue for mobile handset operators.

·         Project management and technical direction of Symbian and Java-based version of the above, through prototype to deployment.

·         Specified, outsourced and project-managed external development projects for both hardware and software prototypes and proofs-of-concept, from tendering through to successful delivery, acceptance and deployment.

·         Developed and patented numerous mobile telephone voice-recording and response application designs for handset manufacturers ... various consumer devices including electronic board games, a digital MMS-addressable picture frame, and electronic radio-based toys ... and an instant-messaging system for cable television.

·         Project management and technical direction of a PlayStation game spinoff of previous consumer products. 

2000 - 2001                  Head of Systems and Network Management, XXXX, Warrington/London

The ISP provided dialup connectivity, email and personalised web services. Reporting to CIO, responsibilities included supervising the IT Operations team to support customer dialup infrastructure as well as the company website, the basis for all future expansion. Managed and expanded eight-member IT team overseeing the website and site services, security, and internal and external infrastructure.

Major Achievements:

·         Enhanced online service infrastructure by migrating all online services from a single third-party Sun E450 server to 20 load-balanced Linux servers in a data centre. Implemented resilient architecture capable of serving 5m+ hits per day to over 600k registered users.

·         Expanded available consumer market by developing the infrastructure to support an under-18 online shopping system which offered web banking and shopping to those without credit cards. Partners included the Alliance & Leicester.

·         Improved customer service call centre capabilities by implementing a centralised customer registration system based on an LDAP cluster (Windows 2000, Active Directory) with a separate mirrored database in SQL server. 

1997 - 2000                  Head of Technology Strategy, XXXX, Liverpool/London

Amaze is an Internet Technology Services Company delivering Website/Portal, Content Management, Knowledge Management and e-Learning solutions. Reporting to Managing Director, responsibilities included providing both internal and external pre- and post-sales support to ensure the design and delivery of appropriate technical solutions to clients.

Major Achievements:

·         Upgraded X-ray microanalysis processes and equipment by re-designing and re-building the client's Windows application interface.

·         Designed and delivered high-profile Millennium Dome hardware and software server platform installation, the "Kissing Booth".

·         Enabled an ever-increasing but easily-navigated amount of content to reside on the web whilst integrating it with a web interface including back-end office applications. Developed this large-scale distributed internet application for a UK organisation including the network design and hardware and software configurations.

·         Helped prepare an invitation to tender for an interactive digital television project and assessed the responses, including site visits to the shortlist of tendering organisations.

·         Managed a major multimedia product's technical prototyping and overall design, including due diligence inspections and audits from external bodies.

·         Delivered expert consultancy regarding web-based systems, Intranet design, and/or network design for Clerical Medical ... United Pan-Europe Communications (UPC) ... Volkswagen ... NESTA (National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts) ... GWR (owners of Classic FM and Planet Rock) ... BSkyB ... Allied Carpets ... BBC Online ... Oxford University Press ... UMAL (insurance) ... ECI Ventures. 

1996 - 1997                  Project Leader, Anchor Computer Systems, Anglesey/Cheshire

A small software house specialising in automotive retail industry systems. Responsibilities included designing and maintaining the Virtual Showroom (VS) website and backoffice systems, where VS was a joint venture company set up by UUNET Pipex, Kalamazoo and Anchor Computer Systems. The VS company and site are now owned and operated by Glass's Guide.

Major Achievements:

·       Enabled motor dealerships to maintain their used vehicles stock lists on the central server.

·       Expanded stock system accessibility by linking existing systems to the server and by hosting the Vauxhall Network Q used vehicle site with an alternative, Network-Q branded look and feel. 

1995 - 1996                  Systems Engineer, Data General Ltd, Manchester   

DG is a large Unix systems vendor and integrator. Reporting to Head of Systems Engineering, responsibilities included setting benchmarks and technical configurations of large (500+ user) Unix systems and integrating Unix servers with Windows / Windows NT PC clients. Assisted the pre-sales team as a technical specialist to develop customer relationships whilst designing and establishing the business benefits of complex technical multi-vendor solutions.

Major Achievements:

·         Configured, installed, commissioned and tested 32-processor system at Leeds City Council for running entire Housing Management system.

·         Configured, installed and commissioned DG Unix system at North Wales Police HQ, Conwy, for running dispatch control systems. 

1989 - 1995                  Project Leader, VG Data Systems, Altrincham

VGDS is a manufacturer of laboratory data acquisition and management systems (software and hardware). Reporting to Development Manager, responsibilities included managing a five- to eight-member developer team to design, code, implement, and support chromatographic data acquisition and analysis software systems for laboratory and analytical environments.

Major Achievements:

·         Responsibility for design and development migrating company from command-line based systems to Windows, X-Windows and other graphical interfaces.

·         Configuration, installation and commissioning of systems on customer sites in Japan, USA, Europe.

·         Extensive customer liaison and sales support onsite and at user group meetings in USA and Europe. 

1987 - 1989                  Software Engineer, Scomagg & Pirelli Focom Networks, Cheshire

EDUCATION & QUALIFICATIONS 

BSc (Hons) in Computing Science, University of Hertfordshire, 1987 

Friar's School, Bangor, North Wales

Three A-Levels ... Six O-Levels 

Other external courses attended include Managing Intellectual Property, 2003; Public Speaking And Presentation, MCCI, 1995; Implementing Self-Directed Work Teams, 1994