Sam Mcdowell Email & Phone Number

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

• Developed bespoke cloud-based applications that enable project managers and their teams to automate project workflows/processes. Examples of processes include automatically processing emails, generating documents, extracting information, filling in forms, updating databases, validating inputs and much more.• These applications are predominantly built in Azure (Function, Logic, Container Apps) or on the Microsoft Power Platform (Power Apps/Power Automate). Function/container apps developed in Python or React/TypeScript. These online platforms allow us to rapidly create applications uniquely tailored to project-specific requirements. Users get a streamlined cloud automation solution that does exactly what they need it to do, nothing more, nothing less. Automated processes can be chained together and triggered individually or in bulk. They can be integrated with other platforms that have API functionality.• We aim to implement full-stack end-to-end applications required for the project within a couple of weeks. Smaller interim modules for projects or change requests can be implemented within a couple of days. Projects are completed much quicker than they otherwise could have been, minimising time/costs while maintaining the quality of work.• Planned, developed, implemented and tested software using agile DevOps methodology.• Maintained comprehensive documentation of development and bug remediation efforts on the internal wiki, ensuring team members had access to the latest best practices for implementing automation modules.Tech Support• Provided in-house technical support for projects using alternative CLM solutions, such as Agiloft and Mitratech platforms.Capabilities Development• Spearheaded research and development into cutting edge emerging "AI" automation technologies with a view to incorporating these new technologies into workstreams to boost productivity. These technologies include LLM/GPT models, MS/Azure OpenAI integrations and MidJourney.

Belfast, Northern Ireland, United Kingdom

• Designed and implemented processes to transfer non-legal technical and administrative tasks away from associates or partners to improve profitability of legal projects.• Developed and implemented software templates and tools to improve efficiency in legal projects. From simple Excel file templates to more complicated cloud workflow processes using Nintex workflow.• Managed matters, monitored fees, generated reports and provided budget tracking administrative services for legal projects.

Belfast, United Kingdom

• Assisted in the maintenance of large global client trademark portfolios consisting of more than 200,000 trademarks worldwide.• Facilitated the search, filing and opposition of trademarks in 180+ countries for the client by validating and organising the required formalities information before instructions were sent to the agent.• Consistently obtained a quality score average of 100% for all auditable items while processing a wide variety of different work types simultaneously, ensuring that all jobs were prioritized according to established procedures.• Programmed software using the Autohotkey scripting language to create a user friendly GUI to implement custom automation of existing processes. Automation involved data extraction and parsing, email generation, instant form filling, pre-filled template generation, date calculations, text formatting and data format conversion.• GUI suite of scripts and macros was rolled out to more than 30 users to improve processing time, quality and metrics recording. Efficiency improvements from the software halved the usual processing time by removing repetitive actions and reduced errors drastically through built in data validation.• Automation suite also functioned as a simultaneous data organisation and productivity reporting tool. As it assists users in reducing repetitive tasks it also keeps track of all their previous information to be used for reference, data reporting and visualisation.• Created a video tutorial using video editing software and provided training classes on the effective use of scripts and macros.

Belfast, United Kingdom

Belfast

• Open Door Housing Association is a housing association for disadvantaged people. My role was to assist the Finance Officer in processing purchase orders for house maintenance and repair as well as various other office management duties.• Input hundreds of backlogged purchase orders and invoices into their housing association management software, assisted in drafting cheques and accounting for petty cash.• Created mail merge lists to automate and streamline the correspondence generation process and speed it up. Previously the firm had been doing everything manually. Mail merge integration reduced the time of doing the task from several hours to 10 minutes.• Delivered a presentation to the company on the request of their COO to talk about best practice for talking to deaf customers based on my personal experiences.• Sending out purchase order reconciliations.

Northern Ireland Water

• Created the “Annual Information Return 2010” in collaboration with the Regulation and Business Improvement team. This involved coordinating data submissions with every department in Northern Ireland Water in order to double check data and to create an audit chain for more than 30 tables and over 1500 data points. The project was completed on time and to the utility regulators specifications.• Collated and filed regulatory correspondence between Northern Ireland Water, the utility regulator (NIAUR), the shareholder (DRD) and consumer council (CCNI).• Cleared large data entry backlogs of high value industrial purchase orders in other branches of the Finance and Regulation directorate. This involved entering the details of hundreds of different purchases.• Responsible for assessing office supply needs by querying everyone in the department, and ensuring that these needs were met as soon as possible. This involved submitting orders in excess of £100.