Project Manager Quality Assurance

George B. Ballester

**** ********** ***

Manchester, MD 21102, USA

Cell: 410-***-****

Email: abmyzb@r.postjobfree.com

OBJECTIVE: A Challenging, Senior Business Analyst/Project Manager Position

that employs my Business Analyst Experience, Global Custody Operations

Experience, SWIFT Message Knowledge and SWIFT STP Skills, and Trade

Processing System Development Experience.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS

Experienced SWIFT Product/Project Manager

Experienced Global Custody Operations Manager

Detailed SWIFT Message Knowledge, both ISO 7775 and ISO 15022, Generic

Requirements, Market Practice Requirements and Subcustodian Specific

Requirements

Proven SWIFT STP Improvement Techniques for Investment Managers and Global

Custodians that result in High 90's STP Rates

Significant Trade Processing System Development Experience

Effective Writer, Speaker and Teacher

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Senior Business Systems Analyst, T. Rowe Price, Baltimore, MD (January 2007

to May 2009): Supported the STI product - COAC (Corporate Actions

Processing) - for the Corporate Actions Department. From SWIFT message,

Bloomberg and FT/IDC feeds, COAC created mandatory and voluntary, CA events

for further processing. COAC runs in a UNIX, Sybase environment.

Documented database table usage to develop functional specs for Business

Objects reports. Installed and tested major COAC releases and minor COAC

SWIFT releases. Member of committee to find replacement for COAC.

Consultant Business Analyst, JP Morgan Chase Private Bank, NYC, three

month assignment (August thru October 2006): Did Business Analysis to

convert Rockefeller Family Office investment feed from ISO 7775 Pseudo-

SWIFT to ISO 15022 SWIFT.

Senior Business Analyst, Xcitek Solutionsplus (February 14, 2005 to April

2006): Did Product Management, Product Analysis, Quality Assurance and

Client Support Tasks for Corporate Actions SWIFT in XSP- a Global Custody

Corporate Actions Software Product. Developed ISO 15022 CA SWIFT

Requirements for Generic CA SWIFT, Published Market Practices, Unpublished

Market Practices, Custodian Practices, Euroclear, Clearstream and Fidelity

Data Xchange.

Assistant Vice-President and STP Project Manager in Communications

Management, Mellon GSS (January 2003 to December 2004): Analyzed Monthly,

Subcustodian SWIFT STP Reports. Identified STP Problems. Worked on their

resolution through Software Changes, Improved Cross Reference File

Maintenance, Better Trade Entry Training and Presentations to Investment

Managers about STP Problems with their Automated Trade Feeds (SWIFT, MINT,

Mercator, ISITC, Proprietary, etc.). Wrote Business Requirements, wrote

Functional Requirements, wrote Test Plans, conducted both Internal and

External Software Testing and Signed-off on Production Installation

Approval for Software Changes. Used Microsoft Project, Visio, Excel and

Word to manage the work. This work increased both SWIFT STP and SWIFT

Processing Automation, significantly decreasing the number of manual

operations staff required. Created and maintained STP Statistics - (1)

Subcustodian SWIFT STP Rates by Highest Volume Markets, (2) Subcustodian

STP Rates by World Region, (3) Subcustodian STP Problem Tracking, (4)

Monthly SWIFT STP Improvement Summary Report, and (5) Investment Manager

SWIFT STP Errors by Operations Group. Worked to automate this process as

much as possible with Mellon Standard STP Reporting Formats for

Subcustodians from which software tools could extract STP Error data. These

STP Tracking Tools became part of a Performance Metric for Trade Processing

Efficiency. Helped with installation testing of SWIFT Alliance. Learned to

use SWIFT Alliance. Prior to the decision to switch to SWIFT Alliance from

ST400, attended meetings in NYC at IBM NY and Abn Amro NY to evaluate the

possibility of switching to the IBM SWIFT Interface and MQ Series.

Assistant Vice-President and Project Manager in Global Custody Network

Management, Mellon GSS (September 1999 to January 2003): Managed Risk

Management Team. This three-person team wrote, edited and distributed for

Global News Updates to Clients, Market Profiles and Depository Risk

Analyses. Publication was by Email, CD-ROM and Internet Posting. Involved

in Web Content and Format Design. Gathered materials and participated in

Federal Reserve, Banking, KPMG and Mellon audits. As part of Mellon-wide

Risk Team, identified and documented Network Management Risks and their

Mitigation. Managed the SWIFT ISO 15022 Conversion between Mellon and

Subcustodians for Network Management. Directly managed the MT54n

Conversion. Identified and documented Generic, Market Practice and

Subcustodian-Specific, MT54n Requirements. Arranged for Software

Development, conducted Internal and External Testing and Approved

Production Installs. Coordinated the same process between Subcustodians

and the Security Recon (MT535, MT536) and Corporate Action (MT564, MT565,

MT566, MT567, MT568) Teams. Wrote and distributed detailed surveys of

SWIFT issues to all subcustodians and compiled the results in a spreadsheet

format. Organized numerous conference calls with Subcustodians to reach

mutual agreement on the correct interpretation of SWIFT, Generic

Requirements and to better understand differences in Market Practice.

Attended SWIFT NY Meetings to coordinate the ISO 15022 Conversion. Mellon

had a very successful, problem-free conversion to ISO 15022.

Conducted ISO 15002 Testing with New Subcustodians to ascertain that they

met Mellon SWIFT Requirements. .Did Analysis of Monthly Subcustodian SWIFT

STP Reports and Directed Efforts to Improve SWIFT STP. Assisted Mellon

Trust University in the development of internal SWIFT Training Courses .Did

a Detailed Study of Messaging Techniques - Telex, Fax, Email and Internet

Web Site - that could be used as an alternative, back-up method to SWIFT

Transmission. The study involved research trips to AT&T, MCI WorldCom and

Expedite, followed by presentation of a written recommendation.

Assisted Network Managers with RFPs, SLAs, and Service Reviews for

Subcustodians. Organized and chaired presentations by SWIFT, Euroclear,

Clearstream and Subcustodian representatives for Global Custody Teams.

Assistant Vice-President and Manager of Global Custody Network

Communications, Boston Safe Deposit and Trust, now Mellon GSS (June 1994 to

September 1999): Managed nine-person, Network Communication Room Team,

responsible for control, monitoring, receipt and delivery of inbound and

outbound SWIFT via ST400, Euclid PC, Cedcomm PC, Telex and Fax. This

included both automated and manual transmissions. The Communications Room

was the focal point of Trade, FX and Currency Movement Transmissions.

Developed the ability to work calmly and forcefully in a fast-paced,

stressful environment; Developed and documented Business

Resumption/Disaster Recovery Plans for the Network Communication Room. Used

them to address real business disasters; Developed Mellon SWIFT Message

Formats, addressed SWIFT Message Problems and did SWIFT STP Analysis;

Assisted Mellon Sales and Client Service in Marketing Presentations to both

current and prospective clients in the US and UK; Attended U.S. National

SWIFT Securities Subcommittee Meetings, SWIFT IUGM Meetings in Europe, and

some ISITC Meetings in the U.S. Wrote and presented Meeting Summaries

focusing on the impact to Mellon

System Consultant in CMS for External Interfaces (SWIFT, Euroclear, Cedel

and Telex) at Boston Safe Deposit and Trust, now Mellon GSS (July 1988 to

June 1994): As Project Leader, using SDLC Methodology, developed Global

Custody SWIFT and Euroclear Message Processing System in CICS Cobol, VSAM

and DB2; assisted in Development of ISITC SWIFT System to process trades

from investment managers; and assisted in Development of SWIFT Message

Processing System (CARP) for Harvard Management. These efforts became the

foundation of SWIFT Processing at Mellon GSS.

Senior Programmer Analyst for Brokerage Systems at Fidelity Investments

(1987 to 1988): Worked on Security Master Database, COBOL/IDMS CICS ISC

Project, and did CICS Technical Support, Command-Level and Macro-Level, for

Brokerage Systems.

Senior Programmer for Client Software Installation and Support for

Pegasystems (1985 to 1987):

Clients included Bank of America, First Chicago, Kemper and Citibank.

Received very good reviews from clients. Did PL/I Programming for the

Claims and Trace System. Wrote a PL/I Program that used templates and

parameter tables to create custom IBM JCL for the client.

CICS/IDMS Database Consultant for ETA International (1983 to 1984): Clients

included McCormack and Dodge, Wang and Gillette.

CICS Technical Support and Programmer at Stone and Webster Engineering

(1981 to 1983, 1984 to 1985): CICS Technical Support. COBOL/IMS Database

Programming.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

Writer: Numerous Published Articles on both the Financial Industry and

Computer Topics (See attached list).

Public Speaker: Frequent Conference Speaker (See attached list). Have

addressed conferences in Boston, New York, Copenhagen, Anchorage and

Toronto.

Part Time Teacher: Taught Macroeconomics and Microeconomics at Jefferson

State College, Birmingham, AL (Fall 2005 Spring 2006); Taught Securities

Processing and Mutual Funds courses at the New England Institute of Finance

(2000 -2001); Visual BASIC at Fisher College, Malden Campus (Early 1990's);

Introduction to Data Processing at Mass Bay Community College (Early

1990s); MIS Courses - BASIC, COBOL, Systems Analysis and Introduction to

Database - at Northeastern University (1980's);and History of Science and

Technology at the University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby, Papua New

Guinea, South Pacific Island Nation with History of Cannibalism and Tribal

War (1976).

Professional Qualifications: Certified Data Processor (1983).

Professional Organizations: IRMA, ACM where I was the Editor of the ACM/GBC

Newsletter, Life-Member of the Oxford Union Debating Society.

EDUCATION:

Computer Courses at Boston University in 1979-1980: Pascal, COBOL, IBM

Assembler.

MA, History and Philosophy of Science and Technology, Oxford University,

1973, supervised by Rom Harre. Incomplete D. Phil Thesis on "Early UK

Darwinian Theories of Animal Behaviors and Their Political Application,"

supervised by the late Wilma George (1974-1976).

Woodrow Wilson Fellow (1971-1972) at the London School of Economics

studying Logic and the Scientific Method under Imre Lakatos, the successor

to Sir Karl Popper. Lakatos was jailed by Stalin.

BA, Summa cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, Philosophy, University of New

Hampshire, 1971, where I was on the UNH Debating Team.

Contact this candidate