Applications Technology Development Executive
* Reputation for maximizing business value and delivering critical technology solutions in record time
* Expert ability to analyze challenges, organize diverse resources, and build consensus at all levels
* Design and implement cutting-edge software applications that drive revenue and boost productivity
* Unrivaled skill in transforming chaotic environments and processes into a high-performance organization
Progressive 16-year management career in applications architecture, systems design, and IT project leadership in diverse industries and global business environments. Trusted partner, bridging gaps between technology and business with unique ability to manage strategic and tactical technical levels. M.S. in Computer Network Systems; B.S. in Computer Science.
Demonstrated competencies in:
* Software Development Lifecycle
* Project / Program Management
* Development Methodologies
* Systems Architecture & Design
* New Product Delivery & Launch
* Vendor & Contract Negotiations
* IT Operations & Support
* Staff Sourcing & Retention
* Resource & Budget Management
* Business Needs Analysis
* Team Leadership & Development
* Applications Security & Compliance
* High-Availability Systems
* Best Practice Improvements
* Disaster Recovery / Business Continuity
Professional Highlights
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
Chicago, IL
1998-Present
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, TECHNOLOGY
Direct Editorial Publishing technology development with involvement in application design, product development, quality assurance, IT infrastructure, revenue growth, vendor selection and negotiations, compliance efforts, and new market launch. Hire, manage, and retain as many as 25 direct reports. Serve as trusted business partner on domestic and international levels. Rapid rise through several promotions from Senior Software Engineer to Executive Director of Technology in 3 years.
* Headed turnaround of the entire applications and product development workflow from requirements to delivery. Instituted standardized development, QA, deployment, and project management processes to build a record of on-time/budget project completion that consistently met or exceeded expectations (33% early and under budget).
* Cultivated a world-class work environment to achieve an average staff retention rate of 92%.
* Leader in growing the number of electronic products and applications by a factor of 10 over a span of 3 years (30+ digital products) including creation of several award-winning products.
* Championed adoption of new software development methodology and a process to recycle programming code for multiple products. Resulted in 80% margins for new products and cut product development time by 50% consistently.
* Expanded functionality of a complex financial system and replaced legacy technologies to open up markets in Britain, Europe, and Australia for a new suite of products (online subscriptions).
* Revamped online server hardware architecture to reflect changing business model from free to fee-based premium online products and support future growth patterns. Achieved 24/7 availability for online products and systems serving over 20 million page views per month and SLAs of 99.99% uptime in a fault-tolerant distributed infrastructure.
* Restructured the QA and systems operations departments to dramatically improve customer satisfaction and service levels. Realigned staff and introduced improved training, performance management, and internal communications.
* Project managed relocation of corporate offices and datacenter (150 servers) to new facilities. Oversaw phased migration plan, IT infrastructure support, vendor negotiations, and stakeholder relationships. Achieved move with zero loss of data, minimal disruption to operations, on-schedule completion, and at 50% of projected budget.
Trans Union, LLC
Chicago, IL
1995-1998
TECHNICAL ANALYST, INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT
High-level accountability for delivering comprehensive, stand-alone credit reporting and information management systems for national banks and credit issuers in Mexico and Italy. Directed teams of senior developers in engineering and integrating client/server CRM applications to meet the requirements of international customers.
* Achieved rapid ramp-up as a new-hire to develop a key application for a customer database containing 20-45 million records. Deployed and integrated under an impossible 3-week deadline to salvage a multimillion-dollar contract.
* Spearheaded and led an IT team challenged with establishing software development, documentation, and configuration management standards. Improved application delivery times by 25% and costs by 15%.
* Reengineered an existing CRM application to develop and launch an integrated localization package (enabled display of multiple languages and business rules) with a 50% cost savings and 3+ weeks ahead of schedule.
* Conceptualized, designed, and implemented a name/address matching algorithm to process customer credit records with zero errors and
exception rate under 5%. Enabled member institutions to quickly identify fraudulent use of data.
Sears, Roebuck & Co.
Hoffman Estates, IL
1990-1995
SENIOR PROGRAMMER ANALYST, POINT-OF-SALE DEPARTMENT
Fast-track promotions from intern to senior analyst in 3 years, gaining project leadership authority within 3 months of tenure as programmer. Developed retail applications for deployment over a distributed network server that connected 850+ locations nationwide to 5 regional data centers. Managed applications and systems infrastructure development, testing, and support.
* Directed a team of 6 senior programmers and consultants in the design and roll-out of an inventory system. Provided real-time data reconciliation/reporting capabilities and reduced reporting time by 50% with accuracy to within .1%.
* Built application to integrate an automated cash counting system into the corporate POS system. Cut cash counting time in half (reducing back-office staffing needs) and provided near real-time cash drawer reconciliation reporting.
* Led selection and customizing of an off-the-shelf, automated sales forecasting and scheduling application which ensured appropriate staff coverage proportionate to anticipated customer activity and sales volume.
Technical Summary
Hardware:
Sun, HP, IBM, Dell, StorageTek, BreeceHill, F5, Cisco, Hubs, Firewalls, SAN, NAS, RAID, Avaya
Networking:
TCP/IP, Ethernet, SSL, VLAN, VPN, WAN, MAN, DNS, Load Balancers
Storage:
DB/2, Oracle, Informix, SQL Server/2003, VSAM, LDAP, Active Directory, NIS, SAMBA/CIFS Shares, NFS
Systems:
Solaris, Linux, AIX, HP-UX, Windows Workstations: 95 to XP Pro, Windows Servers: NT to 2003, Mac, Apache, Netscape, IIS, WebLogic, Tomcat
Languages:
C, C++, .Net, Visual Basic, Java, J2EE, JSP, ASP, JavaScript, HTML, XML, XSL, SQL, JCL, COBOL, CICS
Software:
MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, Project, PowerPoint) Visio, Lucene, RetrievalWare, InstallAnywhere, InstallShield, Crystal Reports, Quark, XyEnterprise XPP, JD Edwards, Legato, Virtual Server, EOS Q-Series
Education & Industry Leadership
Elmhurst College
Elmhurst, IL
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER NETWORK SYSTEMS
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN COMPUTER SCIENCE
Industry Speaking Engagements:
* Technology Executives Club (2003-2006): Portfolio Management & Business Process Alignment, Outsourcing Seminar, IT Governance & Project Management, Corporate Buying Intentions & Technology Sector Forecast
* Camp IT Conferences, Chicago (2005): How to Measure/Prove IT Effectiveness & How to Demonstrate Efficiency |
