Jeff Eckstein Email & Phone Number

Burnaby, B.C.

The Information and Technology Services (IaTS) division within Pacific Blue Cross consists of 115 staff; within that the Technology and Device Services section is comprised of 39 IT professionals of which I am responsible for 18. These staff reside in the Operations, Desktop Services, Networking and Infrastructure areas. I routinely act as an interface between IaTS sections and Business departments to clarify issues and ensure production systems are functional.Reporting to the Director… Show more The Information and Technology Services (IaTS) division within Pacific Blue Cross consists of 115 staff; within that the Technology and Device Services section is comprised of 39 IT professionals of which I am responsible for 18. These staff reside in the Operations, Desktop Services, Networking and Infrastructure areas. I routinely act as an interface between IaTS sections and Business departments to clarify issues and ensure production systems are functional.Reporting to the Director of Technology and Device Services, I provide staff coaching, management, direction, and streamlining of operations, as well as being the go-to person for production matters. I am also involved in budget management and establishing and driving vision for the Technology and Device Services section.Significant Achievements:Resolved long-term system performance issues affecting staff and membersConducted a Business Impact analysis with related Disaster Recovery optionsReplacing three disparate Storage Area Networks into a single unified SANCreated and driving completion of an IaTS Roadmap bringing systems software up-to-dateDeveloped new mobile device policyReduced operating costs through technology change, shift and report restructuring Show less

North Vancouver, Bc

As the Manager of Information Technology with a staff of nineteen, in Geographical Information Systems, Business Systems, Infrastructure and Operations, and Project Delivery sections, I provided vision, strategy, direction, and have implemented appropriate digital technologies for the improvement of staff, citizen, and business effectiveness, interactions and engagement. Significant Achievements:Established a Critical Incident Management process for significant issues, composed… Show more As the Manager of Information Technology with a staff of nineteen, in Geographical Information Systems, Business Systems, Infrastructure and Operations, and Project Delivery sections, I provided vision, strategy, direction, and have implemented appropriate digital technologies for the improvement of staff, citizen, and business effectiveness, interactions and engagement. Significant Achievements:Established a Critical Incident Management process for significant issues, composed of clear steps for the IT department to follow; effectively delegating time and manpower depending on the issue.Created new roles and shifted duties within the IT department to manage administrative tasks and ensure project success. These actions saved time and recognized staff strengths and weaknesses.Created the Information Technology Executive Committee and Terms of Reference to allow for senior management involvement, ownership, and support of corporate IT projects.Involved in and guided significant staffing and project resources to the successful go-live of the Cities new Payroll and Human Resources system. Show less

North Vancouver

I was responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership to our client support and infrastructure operations. This included administering a joint annual capital and operating budget of two million, as well as the acquisition, planning, and implementation for the same. This position included awareness of, and consideration for, Business Systems directions and building for service, security and agility.Significant achievements:Successfully built (and moved) a new Data… Show more I was responsible for providing strategic direction and leadership to our client support and infrastructure operations. This included administering a joint annual capital and operating budget of two million, as well as the acquisition, planning, and implementation for the same. This position included awareness of, and consideration for, Business Systems directions and building for service, security and agility.Significant achievements:Successfully built (and moved) a new Data Centre during City Hall renovations to allow for the complete relocation of the Data Centre over a single weekend, resulting in zero disruption and downtime for staff.Successfully established a Bring Your Own mobile Device process and policies.Successfully allowed Apple computers to be active and secure participants on the City network.Replaced 400 corporate PC’s and upgraded to the Windows 7 operating system. This involved significant planning, communication, resources, and application testing. Show less

Through five direct reports, a staff of thirty-four, and numerous contractors, I was responsible for providing services in the areas of Support Centre (200 Retail Stores and Head Offices), Technical Store Coordination (openings, closings, and renovations), Desktop Services (600 head office PC’s), IT Procurement, and Problem Resolution. In addition, I sponsored and lead numerous corporate level projects and participated in corporate I.S. strategy, direction, architecture and planning. This… Show more Through five direct reports, a staff of thirty-four, and numerous contractors, I was responsible for providing services in the areas of Support Centre (200 Retail Stores and Head Offices), Technical Store Coordination (openings, closings, and renovations), Desktop Services (600 head office PC’s), IT Procurement, and Problem Resolution. In addition, I sponsored and lead numerous corporate level projects and participated in corporate I.S. strategy, direction, architecture and planning. This included the creation of a Macintosh section within our corporate Marketing department, as well as establishing myself and my department as the “hub” for communications from IT to the Business.Significant achievements:Unified the Support Services division consisting of thirty-four staff in five sections.Championed the creation of the Release Management process, reducing system outagesCreated a Duty Manager role to provide emergency resolution of corporate (electronic) store-front issues. Established a secondary location for Support Centre staff as well as a computerized method of call handing that allowed staff to assist clients even if the primary location was unavailable.Managed and administered an annual budget of 2.4 million; and managed an additional 1.1 million in capital funds annually earmarked for retail store technology.Provided sponsorship and guidance to Business Analysts and Project Managers. Show less

Reporting to the City Manager, I was responsible for providing overall vision, strategic direction, budgeting, acquisition, planning, implementation, leadership, and daily operations of our information and telecommunications systems. Significant achievements:Collaborated with the Finance department to successfully restructure the Information Services budget from a General Capital to a Reserve Fund model, allowing mandatory recurring and anticipated project costs to be… Show more Reporting to the City Manager, I was responsible for providing overall vision, strategic direction, budgeting, acquisition, planning, implementation, leadership, and daily operations of our information and telecommunications systems. Significant achievements:Collaborated with the Finance department to successfully restructure the Information Services budget from a General Capital to a Reserve Fund model, allowing mandatory recurring and anticipated project costs to be automatically budgeted and funded – resulted in significant time savings and significantly improved resource capacity planning.Created the capacity for electronic transactions via the City web site.Established direction and implemented corporate technology infrastructure to a single platform, thus saving administrative time and money, as well as remaining current with technology.Implemented one of the first iSCSI Storage Area Networks (SAN) in BC, allowing all servers to share a common pool of disk space. This allowed for increased agility and costs savings. Established and implemented Voice Over IP telecommunications solutions allowing increased functionality and ease of call transfer at switchboard.Established the City’s Internet presence by creating a public website and implementing a Web Content Management System. Show less

Surrey, Bc

In a department of seventeen, I managed, coached and provided leadership to a team of eight while supporting my own projects and clientèle. My team was divided into Technical Support and Applications Development divisions, which included areas such as systems management, project development, implementation, maintenance, help-desk and support.

Surrey, Bc

As Computer Systems Assistant, I installed a new office and student records system into the districts elementary and secondary schools. During this time, I Interacted with all levels of staff, from Trustees to school principals and clerks.

Ba Tech, Technology In Tech. Mgmt.

Via Part Time Studies

Certificate (Partial), Local Government Administration

Diploma, Technology

Diploma in Business Computing