Donald Fiander Email & Phone Number

Halifax, Ns, Ca

Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada

Halifax, Canada Area

A newly created position within the Provost’s Planning and Analytics Team. Long term I advise on all aspects of data at the University, including; implementation of new tools and systems, data governance and data employment. Day to day I analyze university problems with a data science lens.Core responsibilities:- Promoting data science at the university through creation of a data pipeline and curation of datasets- Advise on implementation of new products and services and interoperability with legacy systems- Provide direction on strategic goals through program management and metric creation- Support the Analytics team on everything from a traditional SAS and Tableau shop to a proper data pipeline with the use of R, Python, Jupyter Notebooks, etc- Employ latest research on time series forecasting to improve existing enrolment projections.

In this role I provide insight to senior leadership on the use of institutional data for forward looking, data driven decision making to meet strategic objectives.As a part of the Provost's Executive team, I ensure the operations of Dalhousie Analytics are aligned to meet all functions of data planning, reporting, management and analysis.Core responsibilities include:• Provide leadership in the effective use of institutional data to establish and achieve the strategic goals of the university.• Lead and direct a team of institutional analysts and data scientists responsible for all analytics across the University.• Manage the operations of Dalhousie Analytics to create, analyze, and disseminate timely and reliable information to support decision making.• Ensure that internal and external data reports are clear and accurate, and presented for broad range distribution that reflects the professional stature of Dalhousie Analytics and the institution.• Direct budget planning for the department.

In this role I led a small team of analysts and data scientists focused on Data and Advanced Analysis, reporting to the Executive Director, Dalhousie Analytics. I was responsible for the implementation of the data analytics strategy and to ensure the most effective use of Institutional Data to support both the administrative functions and faculties at Dalhousie University.I directly led the design, implementation, testing and management of the computer systems and tools to collect, store, analyze and predict data and trends as they relate to university operations, strategic priorities and planning.

In this cross functional leadership role, I was responsible for the management of complex projects, development of launch support programs and services, and implementation of tools and technologies within the Proactive Problem Management and Data Analytics group (PPMDA). Large scale project management techniques, planning methods, and achieving results through a global team are a central component of this position.Achievements:Develop new reporting and analytical tools to achieve customer support goalsSuccessful implementation of data category revamp to improve data accuracy and reliability.Collaborated on the creation and design of the first Balanced Scorecard in CSO.Helped bring experts together from around the business to form a Metrics Steering ComitteeDeveloped improved launch support methods and monitoring techniques.Integrated traditional support metrics with online data (Radian6, Omniture, ForeSee) to understand the voice of the customer.Recognized for data analysis and reporting prowess throughout Research in Motion

As a Team Lead for the CSO Intake Team, I led senior analysts and user engagement specialists on a special project designed to streamline feedback between customer support and development. This nine month special assignment led to countless feature enhancements and bug fixes for BlackBerry OS and helped establish the direct support model within CSO.AchievementsLead a special team of analysts to improve usability and customer experience of BlackBerry smartphones.Developed simulations to re-create customer issues on smartphones to facilitate root cause analysis.Documented and presented feedback to project stakeholders and CSO executives.

In my role as Senior Data Analyst, I was responsible for the interpretation of a variety of sources of customer technical support data and utilizing this understanding to provide next steps recommendations to Senior Executives, Software Development and Product Management. Based on my prior experience in analysis of manufacturing data, I functioned as a leader in this position and worked to drive improvements through all reporting and data analysis groups within the company.AchievementsLead a total redesign of the data analysis, integration and reporting process within the Customer Support Operations Global team. Implemented qualitative data display concepts such as scorecards, etc… with success.Worked closely with senior management to aid in the correct interpretation of data and identification of trends to improve customer support and drive proactive solutions.Provided support to a range of other team members in the development of other departmental reporting initiatives.

Commercial TechnologyFor this role I worked with a cross functional team to undertake the design and implementation of PSImetals to replace existing shop floor systems. This position required the co-ordination of a business system review team to extract current business rules for product configuration into the new PSI system. I also provided support for the development of QM modules for PSI.Achievements:Translated product specifications and business rules into new system.Expanded my knowledge of QM modules to PSImetals platforms.Business Process Documentation (As-is and To-be)Test planning for new systems

As Quality Management Team Lead during an SAP implementation I provided direction to a cross functional team in outside processing, yield, and legacy systems. Extensive planning and co-ordination with the team and consultants was critical to this successful nine month implementation. Additional responsibilities included monitoring and improving product yield and providing support to a recently installed ERP using both SAS and MS Access. Achievements:Successfully completed Realization and Implementation phases of SAP QM module including test planningDeveloped train the trainer learning system to prepare those working with the new business system (SAP)Identified 1M in recoverable yield at outside processors (OP)Designed a Yield Improvement Program for Canadian OPs which mirrored the existing American system

In this role I participated in a failure analysis team which provided support to business teams to identify defect root causes. My responsibilities included independently managing investigations utilizing various metallographic techniques such as scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometry (EDAX).Achievements:Used SEM technology to identify micro-pitting of chrome bumpers which was recognized by customer upper management for avoiding millions in claimsDeveloped capability to identify wide variety of product defects and utilize this knowledge to effectively complete root cause analyses using a range of metallographic analysis techniques.

My accomplishments in this role included defect reduction initiatives. By drawing on existing production data and quality information, I developed steel quality guidelines which resulted in significant financial savings for Dofasco. I also developed mechanical testing methods for new steel products and evaluated laboratory test software for the production environment. Specific tasks included automotive and OEM specification review and systems recommendations for all new products and equipment.Achievements:Reviewed and initiated changes to catalog system at Dofasco contributing to reduced inventory of downgraded steel resulting in financial benefits Created and implemented mechanical test methods for new steel chemistries