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PROFILE

An articulate and highly motivated technical/ business/IT professional. Has a demonstrated track record of achieving results across a variety of business systems in local government, manufacturing industries, services sector and software houses. Working on complex systems ensuring delivery within technical specification, legal parameters, budget, time, quality and to company standards.         

A committed and energetic team player and manager; leading by example. Accustomed to working under pressure on multi-sites using own initiative with good time management. Extensive hands-on implementation/change management encompassing analysis of current systems, documentation, design of solutions, organization / planning, implementation, user training and IT infrastructure and business systems support. Experienced in customer/client facings ensuring customer satisfaction is met.

Possessing a keen eye for detail, ability to support high pressure projects committees and teams in fast-paced complex environments.  A lateral thinker with good written and oral communications skills along with negotiation expertise including sound experience of learner coaching and mentoring support. Problem solver with strong troubleshooting skills, proven ability to implement innovative solutions and optimise resources. 

selected achievements

·     Reviewed and established new document management system and loaded with existing data.

·     Programmed and Project managed the split of AT Engine Control’s ERP business databases into three parts.  Project managed the data analysis and software support company commissioned to develop the tools for the data splitting.  Project costs estimated at £150K with a resultant impact of 5% increase in profit margin due to data rationalisation and production changes.

·     Establish and administration of Group service desk along with the design and creation of call centre.

·     Design and implementation of VOIP systems across multiple sites.

·     Phased rollout and upgrade of PC hardware and support of Microsoft operating systems and applications including user training.

·     Engineered the integration and administration of AT Engine Controls business systems and a new HP server during office relocation. Including the purchase and installation of a new £100K HP business systems server.  Successfully managing the delivery of the server, disaster recovery / support contracts and establishing the connections to the HP server across three sites.

KEY SKILLS

·     IT Service Management and customer / client support, Project Management methodology similar to Prince2

·     Windows operating system support (2000,NT,XP), support of MS Office packages, Outlook, Cisco networks, PC installations/upgrades, UNIXK administration

·     Successfully managed demanding workloads within strict time scales. Sound negotiating and influencing skills for business success demonstrated by leading and support of large complex business/IT projects, SLA’s  and system re-engineering initiatives. Customer focused with extensive customer facing skills.

·     Experienced in all aspects of full project lifecycle management including, formulation of detailed analysis and change requirements, generation of full project documentation, identification and optimum utilisation of resources, internal and external audit management and provision of post implementation user support

·     15 years IT, RDBMS database and business consultancy with extensive experience of business systems encompassing manufacturing/distribution/retail companies, service sector and software houses for projects up to £1 million

·     25 years support and development of ERP systems on Pick platforms using All, Databasic, English, Procs, Recall, RPL, System Builder, Unidata, Universe and some SQL. Also 4 years Cobol Programming and 5 years Dateease 

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Dec 99 – Dec 06        IT Change / Project Management 

AT Engine Controls formerly part of [snip]

Primary IT service management supporting 140 users across multiple sites and external clients after introducing ITIL principles. Setting SLA’s and OLA’s, release and capacity management, project tracking and pro-active review of systems for improvements. Extensive customer/client facing.  

Creation of new Document and Drawing Release Management System

Reviewed current system with engineers and Directors across multiple sites and agreed on new structure to hold merged document and drawing releases onto one database.

Created network directors / folders and migrated to new database. 

Establishment and support of service desk system across 4 sites

Was part of the team designing a help desk database to record issues raised and time/actions taken across all IT support functions. This formed the measure of IT service delivery and KPI’s.

Besides being the primary support of the ERP systems, I took my turn to act on the helpdesk and establish service agreements with department heads and other companies within the Group.

Held weekly review of helpdesk status and creation of problems raised from issues. 

IT Consultancy designing and establishing small call centre for large leisure company to rationalize membership database and create savings in marketing developments (not part of AT Engine Controls). 

Software Asset Management review across 3 sites

Following software purchases over 7 years through GROUP IT then as a separate company followed by a management buy out; I was briefed to review all software used and licences held.

After testing of Asset Management software I decided to use myself and another to visit 70 pc’s across 3 sites and document software loaded and product-id keys used. Also I researched what licences had been purchased.

After identifying use of many different licence types, in variable names, I presented a report of findings to the Managing Director with my recommendations. 

Office and main server relocation into Group IT

Liaised with Group IT and reviewed what changes to our network were required and co-ordinated the installation of our new server into Group IT computer room. I negotiated contracts with disaster recovery suppliers and was responsible for the transfer of our ERP systems to the new server and the connectivity to our new location and to our other sites.

Three years later I organised the server to be moved out of Group IT to our own site in Manchester, that had become the head office.  

Desktop rollout for Windows upgrade to 80 pc’s across 3 sites

Managed and co-organized the rollout of new PC’s and MS Operating systems across multiple sites including

pre-testing of application, ensuring functionality and connectivity existed. Also creation of new documentation and training of users accordingly. 

Transfer of our email system from Lotus Notes to Outlook

Co-ordinated the review of both the personal and company contents of users email boxes and also what data was held in a small number of Lotus Domino databases.

I negotiated contracts with external consultants to manage our email systems, control the internet access and transfer the emails to the Outlook platform.

I transferred a number of databases to Excel, changed users email access to Outlook and trained users. 

Extraction of IT services from Group IT when management buy out occurred

A programme of projects were raised when the buy out was stated and as one of our sites was within Group offices and intranet then servers had to be moved, new VPN’s purchased and one site rewired to be separate from Group intranet, including the telephone system.

I was tasked to review changes to network requirements, new VOIP telephone system and relocation of our ERP server from Group computer room to our own site.

Had meeting with Group IT and established that we could not connect our own network till we were disconnected from Group as Group was x-accredited.

Liaised with Group IT and created a project plan that would test network links etc. prior to final change over.

I worked with Group IT and for 8 weeks hands-on project managed the purchase of new equipment after putting my proposals to the company directors. I managed a technical user from head office and external consultants who assisted in the programme of projects. Especially the relocation of the ERP server from Group computer room to our head office where I had to establish an air conditioned room with a UPS.

This also involved negotiation with third party suppliers and business continuity meeting with heads of department.    

Implementation of new VOIP telephone system across 3 sites

Investigated new technology in terms of VOIP telephone systems to replace our current basic BT system.

The VOIP was required to handle telephone calls, data communications and possibly video conferencing.

My self and the Purchasing manager reviewed 5 different systems and put forward business proposals.

Hands-on co-ordinated the implementation along with chances to cabling and user training. 

Rollout Implementation of ERP system to acquired company (3 month project)

Liased with new company and ERP support consultants to replicate ERP functions to new company.

Using in-house project management methodology (Prince2 principles), organised and managed 8 department heads to create training material to be delivered across 3 on-site days. Negotiated with third party ERP and network suppliers and co-ordinated the link into our intranet, along with setting up of initial data, data entry of specific company data and reviewing user satisfaction and understanding 2 weeks later.  

Splitting of ERP and other IT systems due to part company sell off

Project managed and co-ordinated external consultants and in-house team of 2 to split the company databases into 3 parts.

Analysed database and designed and coded splitting routines after meetings with department heads etc. Negotiated with external consultants to create some routines and control checks, ensuring validity of data.

One part of the split was specific stock that was to be held with a frozen standard cost and then amendments made to the stock control module in another part, so that ‘frozen stock’ would be used first then current stock used. This included separate reporting of stock used from ‘frozen stock’ (some parts were owned by the company who brought part of business but were still to be used in AT Engine Controls). 

Data migration of complete companies ERP systems to Distribution company’s ERP new platform

Established project plan on the phased upload of data into new database after meetings with Group, third party suppliers and key users. Documented application configuration, mapped data structures and negotiated / influenced Managers on the basis of change.

Data extracted, tested data input into new system and identified missing facilities in new system.

Specified amendments and continued data migration testing until all correct (6 months).

On completion and acceptance by Group IT and company managers, the project was extended to assist

Group IT in data migration from other ERP systems to new ERP platform.

I assisted in setting up a standard set of customers and suppliers that were very similar to those used in my data migration project.

Creation of data warehouse replacing database recording archive information

A database existed with the basic information but had an irregular key for each record that if some cases was duplicated. My project was to devise a new database, create controls for limited access ensuring no keys can be duplicated. This information was stored in storage boxes by a third party but they was not the search criteria in the current database to help in location of set information.

I set meetings with department heads and the Managing Director to detail requirements and decide on who would enter data or just search the database.

Programming was done and a trail system was created that was accepted by the heads of department.

The coding was completed in creating a data mining facilitiy and appropriate records were transferred to the new data warehouse.

I trained the users and appointed a Database Administrator who had extra facilities to the database.

After 2 weeks I held a post project meeting to review the database and adjust accordingly.

Finally I established a 5 year plan to validate the database records in comparison to what was in the boxes.

This would be actioned, initially by checking boxes of currently used parts/assemblies.

The older boxes would be checked at a later date.

Storage of each box was costing the company £25 per year and a cost to retrieve and deposit such boxes.

By eventually reducing the boxes stored the yearly cost to the company would be reduced over the 30-40 years that this data was to be archived.   

Sept 97 – Dec 99                             IT Consultant                             [snip]

Acted as IT consultant for a variety of clients, project managing the development of: two-way interface software between housing database and Local Government systems; Y2K projects including creditor ledger, debtor ledger and systems checks

Environmental Health systems at North Norfolk District Council and creditor systems data transfer on Universe to Oracle Financial System  for ICL

May 95 – Sept 97                            Senior Systems Programmer                 [snip]/Nottingham

Liaised with suppliers, users and customers for the successful introduction of scanning systems ensuring project was phased in with smooth implementation; phasing in bar-codes in goods-in, shop floor and distribution departments. Procured and coded bar-code readers and laser printing equipment inline with re-engineering plan and reduced operatives and increased efficiencies

Aug 94 – May 95                             Senior Analyst Programmer                              [snip]/Leeds

Implemented [snip] Ltd Milk Scheduling System designed to replace the manual system and accurately determining what composition of milk was necessary for each varying container for large and small customers, including Sainsbury’s and Tesco

Mar 94 – Aug 94                             Analyst Programmer                                     [snip]

Project managed the development and support of government health systems using Databasic, English and Procs running Reality X on a Unix box

Apr 74 –  Mar 94                                                                           Other Programming Experiences

Liaised with various departments including Human Resources, Pensions and external bodies e.g. DWP for the effective delivery of new system. Programming of Company Pension statement

Managed project maintenance and development for Aristoc including feasibility, specification, programming, testing and implementation and user training

Worked in Central Government providing IT development

Developed, taught and assessed course content inline with educational standards and college guidelines for tutoring of BTEC HNC/HND students in business studies. Also taught evening classes at Loughborough College

QUALIFICATIONS

·     CompTIA Network+ level towards CCNA/CCNP – graduation expected 2008

·     ITIL Service  Delivery / Support – Foundation: Green Badge level

·     Member of British Computer Society seeking Charted status

·     BSc Information Technology (Open University) – currently to HND level, graduation expected 2009

·     C&G Adult Teacher Training Certificate Stage 1

·     Training: Communication Skills, Business Systems Management, SSADM, Prince 2 ongoing, ITIL

     Foundation