I have now taken up a Senior IT Project Manager and Programme Manager role in the Estates area of the University. I have full responsibility for managing an IT Technology set of projects, ranging in size and budget. These range from upgrades of critical systems, System Integration Projects, Ecostructure Implementation projects and cloud migration projects. As we embark on a digital transformation roadmap, our aim in Estates, like many other areas of the University, is to transform and modernise the University’s IT systems.

I have now moved to Corporate Services Group within Information Services in the University. This role will allow me to widen my experience across the University, and build more great working relationships across a first class Institution.Skill sets and Experience•Management of Agile Project teams•Creation of Project Plans(MSProject)in collaboration with Project Sponsors and Business partners•Maintaining Project Plans and tracking tasks and work through Jira boards •Resource, Risk, Impact and Change Management•Presentation of changes at CAB, with fully documented changes including roll back plans•Gatekeeper of Documentation through the lifecycle of the project including Business Requirements documents, systems design documents, technical documentation and responsible for handing over systems to Business as Usual Operational teams•Management of all testing phases of a project( peer testing, systems integration testing, User Acceptance testing)•Facilitation of online( using MS Teams) and in person meetings and setting up any workshops needed in a project•Responsibility for all reporting throughout the project lifecycle.This includes weekly and monthly reporting and project closure reports•Working with Software Development teams to create deployment checklists for the Project•Management of and collaboration with third party companies working on University Projects.•Documenting Lessons Learned in each Project and sharing these with the PMOProjects I have managed end to end, in this role to date are• Systems Integrations • Management of the Integration and User Acceptance testing for all phases of the System Integrations Projects• Data Migration Projects • API upgrade project • Python upgrade project •Various Service Improvement Projects for Online Learning Applications•Numerous continuous Improvement Projects Related to Finance systems •Incident Management system Upgrades

Working in the Information Services Group, I am responsible for delivering IT Software Development and IT Infrastructure Projects. I also have responsibility for promoting Project Management methodologies across all areas of the University. I initiate,plan, resource, cost and deliver projects, assisting in driving digital transformation and change for a truly global institution.Projects that I have managed end to end, and had total responsibility for delivering on time and within budget are:-• University wide project to Decommission Infrastructure devices and technology • Critical systems migrations of oracle databases from physical to virtual server technology • Remote application delivery( Azure cloud) for Students• Critical online Learning technology annual upgrades • Citrix Application rollout for students to access remotely • Website migrations to Virtual Linux technology• Systems integration Projects for HR and Finance systems

Overall management responsibility for 36 IT professionals. Responsible for delivering numerous IT Infrastructure Projects for large health, government and private customers. Examples include, a technical refresh of 16 servers on a critical financial application for NHS Scotland and a global rollout of printer technology on the RS Components account.As part of an offshoring strategy, I identified 3 UK based accounts suitable for transition to an offshore model and managed the offshoring process to move all support to India. This resulted in successful transitions with significant cost savings. Implemented a new patching strategy across the full UNIX/Linux estate of over 2000 servers for 30 customer accounts by utilising automated tools.Implemented a new on-call rota system for out of hours support coverage of 30 customer accounts, which streamlined activities by 50%.Integrated offshore resources and new colleagues from company acquisitions into the existing UK based server and tooling team. Analysed strengths and weaknesses of the team to identify skills gaps and introduced ongoing knowledge transfer sessions to bridge the gaps resulting in a more collaborative and knowledgeable team despite the geographic separation.Created an apprenticeship programme in conjunction with QA. Produced a plan for apprentices to complete a training rotation in various areas and mentored them throughout the process.Managed the training budget for all staff in the UNIX server and tooling technology area. Identified skills gaps and worked with 3rd party partners (Red Hat and Oracle) and customers to create a training plan that would fill the gaps and remain within the budget.Identified team level objectives and conducted 1-1 interviews to identify employee specific objectives. Monitored appraisal process throughout the year to identify high and low performers. Responsibility for recruitment including creating job specification and selecting candidates for the role.

Managed the rollout of a new company wide PKI card implementation. Responsible for ensuring 250 staff, in the managed services area, switched to PKI usage within 2 months. All staff successfully transitioned within the agreed timescale.Implemented time off in lieu in place of overtime as part of a wider cost cutting exercise throughout the company resulting in savings of £5k/month. Introduced a remote daily huddle call for the team to discuss all operational and project activities relating to all customer accounts. This created a close-knit team ensuring greater collaboration and openness across the entire team resulting in fewer issues as staff had the opportunity to raise and discuss issues with the wider team before they become major.Created a new configuration management database (CMDB) to record all server details including licensing and end of life operating system matrix. This ensured we complied with re-licensing and service contracts and supported future auditing requirements.Ensured all staff within the global team had the appropriate security clearance for the accounts they were working on. Identified gaps and in conjunction with the vetting team arranged their clearance level and communicated to account level directors.

As Team Leader for 24 members of staff managing 30 Customer accounts and over 4000 servers, I take full ownership of all things Unix/Linux for both BAU and Project work and am 100% accountable for all work undertaken and completed.My team are spread throughout the UK and India and we are a delivery focused team. We always strive to meet and exceed our SLA targets and Project timescales, and it is my job as team leader to motivate all staff and build a team to provide first class support to all Customers. I report directly to the Head of Infrastructure and Data Management and work with him, and other Sector leads, to proactively drive the business forward in the Unix/Linux/Tooling area.

Unix Technical Specialist/Deputy Team LeaderI worked within a Specialist UNIX team providing all round support for over 3000 Unix/Linux servers. Our Team manage 16 customers, and our main target is to manage each contract within the SLA's defined as part of that contract. We need to communicate with customers and Service Delivery Managers, manage realistic expectations and convey that in a professional manner. Our aim is to meet and exceed expectations always.I also deputised for the Uk UNIX Team leader, covering customer meetings and annual appraisals for staff.

Unix and Linux system administrator managing 1000+ servers across a number of large clients throughout the UK with added responsibilities for managing 4 local staff.

Unix system administrator managing 500+ servers across a number of large clients throughout the UK and Unix Project Lead on major server build projects.

Unix technical Specialist for a number of clients in Scotland. This was primarily specialising in Unix, however I assisted with Oracle database Support and Networking fault finding in the Data Centre.

Technical Specialist providing all round support for over 5000 customers/end users throughout Scotland.