Manager Management
Resume:
Re: Major Account and Direct Sales Position
May 31, 2012
Dear Sir/Madam:
This letter is to apply for the Major Account and Direct Sales position. This letter will outline how
m y work to date reflects the broad range of skills and experiences required for this position.
As Director, Business Solutions for the Corporate Information Services Department at the
Region of Durham I m anaged the department s budget of $13 million and the Business Solutions
division (three managers and 23 unionized staff) to provide support and development of the majority
of software application services for the Region. I was promoted to Director in 2007 after successfully
developing a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment at the Region as Manager of GIS
Services. I also have eight years private sector management experience as GIS manager for J.D.
Barnes Limited/First Base Solutions. This experience was very similar to the position posted as I
was responsible for the full range of duties: sales, client relationship management, marketing, budget
and financial management, consulting/Strategic Planning, RFP responses and finally data conversion
and field inventory operations of 40 GIS professionals and software developers in a fast-paced and
competitive environment.
Strategic Planning has been an integral part of my career for the last 11 years, focused on ways to
improve quality and cost-effectiveness of service, but also to provide new services. In my tenure at
Durham Region, I have implemented a peer review process for change management, as well as
introduced primary and secondary levels of accountability, security reviews and documentation on all
service functions. To address IT project management and client relationship issues, I introduced a
Project Management Office (PMO) in the department. The PMO had three responsibilities: provide
expertise on project management to IT staff in the department, track and monitor the progress of
projects, and act as a liaison between the business units and the IT department.
To address issues with data replication and to identify the single authoritative source for data in
Planning, Works, and CIS, I strategically planned and developed three initiatives: a centralized GIS
data warehouse for editing and publishing, a land development tracking software system and a GIS
Governance and Best Practices Guide, which identified the data steward for all geomatics data in the
Region.
My database experience is extensive as I was directly involved in the configuration and build of the
centralized data warehouse for Durham, which included production and read-only environments
with fail-over capabilities. This environment allowed GIS staff from all departments to centralize their
data and utilize ESRI s versioning to manage editing. As Director I also was responsible for two
Database Administrators who supported both Oracle and Microsoft SQL Server. One of my first
priorities as Director was to undertake a security assessment of both database environments and
implement changes to improve our security posture.
The Land Development Tracking initiative evolved as part of my regular dialogue with Planning
and Works. In discussions regarding geomatics business requirements, it became apparent that
staff in these departments had started creating their own personal versions of data to support
Regional Official Plan and Master Plans, causing much confusion regarding the accuracy and source
of information as well as a duplication of effort. This provided the initial justification to propose a
James Silburn page 2
Land Development Tracking software that would assist with not only managing Planning data, but
also managing the land development process and analysis of the data. After I secured non-
departmental funding for the software, I released a Request for Proposal and ultimately ESRI was
awarded the contract. I continued as Project Sponsor, overseeing implementation.
The GIS Governance and Best Practices Guide was introduced to establish roles and
responsibilities for each GIS group, identify the data stewards, provide a communications matrix,
define practices and processes for data creation and editing, develop m etadata standards, naming
conventions, software and cartography.
My technical knowledge of geomatics is extensive and relatively unique as a result of my
experiences in both the private and public sector. In the private sector, as a GIS technician/analyst
I had first-hand experience with surveying, mapping, remote sensing, GPS, data modeling and
varying geographic information systems. As my career progressed so did my knowledge on how to
utilize these varied disciplines in the context of creating data and creating the infrastructure for
m unicipal and utility GIS environments. My knowledge of global positioning systems is extensive as
the collection of hydro pole locations was an important part of many of the GIS projects undertaken
for utilities in Ontario. I oversaw the collection of Hamilton Hydro, Sarnia Hydro, W hitby Hydro, Sault
Ste. Marie PUC and Ottawa Hydro pole inventories, a total of 300,000 poles. My knowledge of
databases and modeling developed as GIS matured. I facilitated many data-modeling workshops on
behalf of clients and my expertise with data conversion/migration strategies heightened my hands-on
knowledge with database management. As GIS Manager for J.D. Barnes Limited, I was responsible
for leading User Needs Studies and Strategic Plans for municipalities and utilities across Canada,
providing a strong foundation for business requirements gathering and determining return on
investment. I was also required to convert and deliver data on a variety of GIS/CAD platforms
whether this be for parcel mapping such as Teranet or ArcFM data model for electrical clients.
My public sector experience enabled me to dialogue with both middle and senior management in all
departments concerning the needs and benefits of geomatics for their respective areas. This allowed
geom atics to grow significantly over my tenure at Durham, from a decentralized GIS environment of
15 licenses to 240 licenses across all regional departments, not including users of the intranet web-
mapping applications. As Director, Business Solutions I also saw the need to promote the use of
geomatics in software applications, providing an additional channel on which to view, search or
analyze data. An example of this is the development of a web map interface for Durham Region s
DineSafe web application.
I was also actively involved in the use of mobile GIS for Health s W est Nile Virus program and
supported the development of ArcPad tools, providing data modeling, mapping resources and
training to staff on an annual basis. I have also supported Transit with their bus stop inventory and
the Works Department Hydrant and Traffic Sign inventories.
Through my efforts to foster and promote geomatics in Durham Region, the usage is now extremely
varied. As an example, epidemiologists used GIS to create Health Neighbourhoods. This project is
available online at http://www.durham.ca/departments/health/health_statistics/neighbourhoodsAug09.pdf.
I am continuously improving upon my management competencies and have worked for six years in
a union environment, hiring staff in a variety of disciplines, initiating performance management and
improving training plans and budgets. I have also been involved in the grievance process and
provided letters of council on a few occasions. In addition, I participated in the Job Evaluation
Committee for management and exempt staff.
During my tenure at Durham, I had to deal with internal and external politics on such initiatives as
Teranet Parcel mapping and Orthophotography. In both of these cases I had to convince local
m unicipalities and utilities that by working together we not only could share in cost savings, but also
provide a consistent base from which to share data. In the case of the Teranet Parcel Mapping, we
James Silburn page 3
were the first municipality to sign with Teranet under the Ontario Parcel Alliance so considerable
negotiation, facilitation and mediation took place while creating the license agreements. I also had to
present the concept and convince a number of internal and external stakeholders financial, legal
and administrative staff who were not involved in geomatics to the benefits of the alliance. To date,
all Durham Region local municipalities, Police Services, School Boards, Conservation Authorities,
Enbridge Gas, and Veridian participate.
The many initiatives and projects I have developed and executed over the years have required use of
m y strong communication skills. For example, while at the Region, I regularly wrote Council
Reports for my CIO and attended Council and Committee meetings to address questions. As
indicated throughout this letter, I have also informed, persuaded and taught during my daily
interactions to achieve my GIS-driven objectives, whether acting independently or as part of a team.
I have a Bachelor of Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo in Geography. In
addition, I have taken numerous management courses throughout my career. In 2000, I became an
Ontario Land Surveyor with a Certificate of Registration in Geographic Information Management and
remain active in the association working towards Integrated Surveys. I also developed a new online
m unicipal GIS course for Ryerson University with a colleague and taught for the first two semesters it
was offered. A complete list of my software literacy is in my CV, including numerous GIS
applications as well as MS Office.
The Major Account and Direct Sales position would enable me to apply my previous experience while
offering exciting opportunities in Sales. The opportunity to contribute to the GIS community in a
positive way is also an important factor in my personal goals. I hope you will offer me the chance to
discuss our mutual interests in person.
Sincerely,
James Silburn, OLS, OLIP
abo8cl@r.postjobfree.com
JAMES L. SILBURN, OLS, OLIP
494 Black Street, Fergus ON N1M 0A2
519-***-**** abo8cl@r.postjobfree.com
Geomatics Professional with director management experience, has strong leadership, strategic
planning and management skills to execute geomatics vision.
Highlights:
Vision: Grew geomatics in Durham Region from 15 licenses to 240 licenses.
Strategic Planning: Proposed and implemented numerous enterprise GIS installations at municipality
and utilities across Canada.
Leadership: Led the Durham GIS Working Group; through this group initiated the data-sharing
initiatives for Teranet Parcel Mapping and Orthophotography.
Standards and best practices: Developed Durham GIS Governance and Best Practices Guide as well as
the 911 Single Line Road Network model, conversion and document guide.
Business Development: Secured $400,000+ funding grant for a Durham Region Immigration Portal,
which included a SharePoint deployment. Grew Geomatics at J.D. Barnes Ltd from 8 staff to
40+ staff with sales of over a million each year.
Budget Control: Acquired non-departmental funding for Land Development Tracking; Created cost-
sharing for Teranet Parcel Mapping and Orthophotography stakeholders; Reduced licensing
costs for all departments through the Enterprise License Agreement for ESRI software.
Communication: Prepared Council Reports on behalf of the Corporate Information Officer; presented
recommendations from the task force concerning development of integrated land surveys to
Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS) membership. Prepared and presented GIS
Strategic Plans for municipalities and utilities companies.
Professional Experience:
Co-Owner, Brew House on the Grand, Fergus ON
August 2011 to present
Purchased business with spouse
Executed business plan to improve atmosphere, menu, event planning and overhaul operations.
Increased gross sales by 45% each month over previous year since October 2011.
Oversee a staff of 22 servers and kitchen staff.
Director Business Solutions, Corporate Information Services, Region of Durham
August 2007 to February 2011
Developed and executed strategic plans concerning IT policies, tools, and processes designed to
maintain compliance with corporate and regulatory requirements, operational excellence
through best practices, and lifecycle management, as well as strong security practices focused
on risk and education.
provided consulting, strategic planning and problem resolution as liaison with senior
management group; identified problems, analyzed possible solutions and determined best
course of action to meet their objectives.
James Silburn page 2 of 3
Acted as Budget Administrator for the Corporate Information Services department, tasks
included managing $13 million departmental budget, preparing annual budget submissions,
approving expenditures, reviewing business development and funding opportunities.
Oversaw the development of IT Requests for Proposals on behalf of all departments.
Led the GIS and Applications Services teams, which included the Manager of Application
Services, GIS Manager, Project Manager Coordinator, Business Analysts, System Analysts,
GIS Software Developers, GIS Analysts and Database Administrators.
Oversaw Project Management processes for the department and initiated standards and best
practices for GIS and Applications Services teams.
Integrated software systems such as Customer Relationship Management and GIS.
Managed all regional websites and 28 critical software applications, including the Long Term
Care client health registry and systems for Water Billing, Customer Relationship Management
and Land Development Tracking.
Online Professor, Ryerson University
2007
Developed online municipal GIS course in collaboration with colleague
Taught course for two semesters
Manager, GIS Services, Region of Durham
2004 to 2007
Fostered and promoted GIS throughout Durham Region.
Managed a staff of six GIS professionals.
Provided GIS infrastructure for all departments, which included a centralized data warehouse
with three ArcSDE servers, two internet/intranet mapping servers, training/development
environment and deployment of 240 desktop licenses; managed data warehouse supporting 650
datasets, versioning for 18 full-time GIS staff in a production and read-only environment.
Developed and organized training programs for regional staff.
Acquired, developed and maintained key GIS datasets such as parcels, orthophotography,
addresses, single line road network, business data, postal codes, etc.
Provided custom GIS applications and tools for all departments.
Led Durham GIS Working group (representatives from local government agencies and utilities)
whose mandate was to share data and knowledge.
Led the Durham Internal GIS Working group (all GIS technical staff and users). This group
identified client needs and requirements, shared and educated each other regarding data
holdings, and gathered expertise.
GIS Manager, J.D. Barnes Limited/First Base Solutions Inc.
1999 to 2004
Provided GIS consulting services, including development of User Needs Studies and Strategic
Plans with cost benefit analysis for municipalities and utilities across Canada. This work
included client staff interviews to determine user needs, data analysis, data
conversion/migration, process reviews, interface to legacy systems, data models, staffing, and
development of hardware/software requirements.
Managed 40+ GIS technicians and programmers during the conversion, migration and/or
collection of field inventories on behalf of clients.
James Silburn page 3 of 3
Spearheaded sales and marketing of the department, including development of promotional
material, sales calls, organizing and working at conference booths, presentations, unsolicited
proposals and responses to requests for proposals.
Managed financials o f the GIS department, including budget forecasts, progress reports, cost
estimates, invoicing, and salaries.
GIS Supervisor, J.D. Barnes Limited
1997 to 1999
Assisted in the development of User Needs Studies and Strategic Plans for municipalities and
utilities.
Supervised a staff of eight GIS technicians at Toronto Hydro converting electrical system
diagrams, five electrical field inventory staff and 12 GIS technicians and programmers at J.D.
Barnes head office, converting paper engineering documents and/or migrating data on behalf of
clients.
GIS Analyst/Technician, J.D. Barnes Limited
1988 to 1997
GIS data modeling and conversion specialist for municipal and utility data.
Education
1988 Bachelor of Environmental Studies, University of Waterloo
Major: Geography
ArcInfo, Durham College
1990
Ontario Management Development Program Certificate, Seneca College
1992
1999-2004 Seminars and Workshops, Schulich School of Business, York University
Leadership
Negotiations
Marketing and Successful Performance Management
Introduction to Programming ArcObjects, ESRI
2005
Business of Geographic Information Management, AOLS
2006
Open Architecture Communication, AOLS
Writing a Business Case, The Ontario Municipal Management Institute
2007
2004-2010 Internal management courses (various), Region of Durham
Professional Qualification & Affiliations
Ontario Land Surveyor (OLS), Ontario Land Information Professional (OLIP) with a certificate
of registration as a Geographic Information Manager
Active member of the Association of Ontario Land Surveyors (AOLS), Integrated Surveys
Committee, Integrated Surveys Taskforce and Certificate of Registration Integration Committee
Member of Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) for last10 years
Past member of RISWG
James Silburn page 4 of 3
Software Experience
ESRI ArcGIS suite, Integraph G/Technology, Integraph FRAMME, Enghouse CableCad,
Microstation Geographics and AutoCad Maps
Proficient in Microsoft Office products
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