Christopher Darling Email & Phone Number

City Of Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

• Data Architecture per customer / project requirements• Information Architecture per customer / project requirements• New product research and development• Assisting with project work as and when required; 1) Archiving and Monitoring systems survey - ABSA 2) E/R Team Server Deployment - ABSA 3) Proof of Value Data Virtualisation project using Denodo - ABSA

Midrand, Johannesburg

To design, develop and maintain a knowledge and information management and business intelligence architecture, by looking at document requirements and validate stakeholder requirements Identify, extract and analyse data from various Legacy data bases/systems Define business rules that need to be implemented for ETL processes Design, build, implement and Maintain a BI Tool and Group Reporting (Data Warehouse/Data model) Reconcile data groups to the financials such as Fixed Assets, GL ,AR and AP Perform data integrity testing. Report significant risks and break down in controls. Perform DBA function for various data bases

Establish and Manage the Application support and maintenance teamManage the successful delivery and support of the system configurationManage Problems to resolutionManage optimisation, upgrades and improvementsManage the Implementation of ChangesManage the maintenance activities, system backups and restoration of dataImplement the day to day Application support and maintenance servicesManage day to day operations of the installed application environment Optimise application technology assetsIdentify and report on critical dependencies and current performanceManage processes and standardsReport daily on activitiesManage Changes (application support)Manage records, and prioritise change requestsAssess impact and prioritise changes based on business needsManage the implementation processAssure that any emergency and critical change follows the approved processAuthorise changes along with the Operations manager if requiredEngage and manage vendorsMonitor Tests and Implementation of solutionsManage the dissemination of relevant information regarding changesManage and Implement business continuity and disaster recovery plans (application support)Consistently maintain accurate documentation of system configurationManage backup and recovery plans Manage disaster recovery procedures, including requirements for verification of system back-ups, and restore times that meet company and application requirementsManage storage for back-ups and documentation off-siteEnsure adequate beta testing and limited production testing phases are in placeEnsure input from customer, key individuals and groups in installation and upgrade plans and ensure that it is designed for a positive impact on workflows and productivity Ensure tracking system or methods for tracking solutions and procedures and processes for final delivery and/or handoff in installation and upgrade plans

Current Job specification includes;Establish and Manage the Application support and maintenance teamManage the successful delivery and support of the system configurationManage Problems to resolutionManage optimisation, upgrades and improvementsManage the Implementation of ChangesManage the maintenance activities, system backups and restoration of dataImplement the day to day Application support and maintenance servicesManage day to day operations of the installed application environment Optimise application technology assetsIdentify and report on critical dependencies and current performanceManage processes and standardsReport daily on activitiesManage Changes (application support)Manage records, and prioritise change requestsAssess impact and prioritise changes based on business needsManage the implementation processAssure that any emergency and critical change follows the approved processAuthorise changes along with the Operations manager if requiredEngage and manage vendorsMonitor Tests and Implementation of solutionsManage the dissemination of relevant information regarding changesManage and Implement business continuity and disaster recovery plans (application support)Consistently maintain accurate documentation of system configurationManage backup and recovery plans Manage disaster recovery procedures, including requirements for verification of system back-ups, and restore times that meet company and application requirementsManage storage for back-ups and documentation off-siteEnsure adequate beta testing and limited production testing phases are in placeEnsure input from customer, key individuals and groups in installation and upgrade plans and ensure that it is designed for a positive impact on workflows and productivity Ensure tracking system or methods for tracking solutions and procedures and processes for final delivery and/or handoff in installation and upgrade plans

In February 2007 I was promoted to the post of Commercial Support Team Leader, heading up the Accounts Team ( Three team members ). My responsibilities expanded to include the following:Monitoring the call queue for the Accounts Team, and ensuring that calls are responded to and actioned timeously Providing knowledge transfer to Team Members, as well as mentoring the lesser experienced staffAssisting Team Members with their calls when necessaryDiagnosing customer issues and analysing customer requirements and providing solutions where necessaryMonitoring and distribution of Team workload, and the prioritization of callsIdentifying training requirements and team development needs, and reporting these accordinglyManaging Team Workload, shift rosters, etcIn January 2008 I transferred into the Commercial Consulting Department, in the position of Implementations Consultant. My responsibilities were:Installation, configuration and troubleshooting of new sitesProvide customers with classroom and field based trainingProvide post installation consultancy services• Providing expert advice• Diagnosing problems• Ensure maximum benefit from the systemLiaise with Project ManagersConduct ad-hoc consulting where necessaryEnsure all necessary paperwork is completed and in orderEnsure Customer complaints are reported back to Support

In September of 1997, I was promoted to the position of Systems Controller, reporting directly to the Financial Director. My duties expanded to include:All required hardware, software and networking support for all company computers, both workstations and servers.Assisting with, and developing new internal systems, policies and procedures that ensure the company's conformance to ISO 9002 : 1994 and ISO 9001:2000. This included Conducting yearly internal audits, to ensure the company's compliance. Due to the fact that the version of the Macola system purchased by the company was not Y2K compliant, the decision was made to purchase the Pastel Premier system. My duties were expanded to include:The planning, implementation, support and training for the new Pastel Premier system, and the designing of new internal company systems to facilitate the maximum benefit of the Pastel Premier system.In January 2000, I was promoted to head the Information Technology Department of the company. In addition to previously mentioned duties, they expanded even further to include the following:The complete management function of the Information Technology Department, including all necessary monthly reporting, budget preparation, presentation requirements ( including senior management level ) and the purchasing and deployment of IT Equipment. All Management, support and maintenance of company Hardware, Networking equipment, and software.To at all times ensure that the Information Technology Department is kept in alignment with the group's Information Technology goals and objectives, making recommendations and implementing these as and when necessary. To ensure that Information Technology is an asset to the company, contributing to the company's profitability.

Education record

Education record

Diploma, Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping to Trial Balance - Examination written from the Financial Management Institute of South Africa, passed with distinction..