Manager Technical Support

CHRISTIE L. WARD

*** ***** **** ****** ***** **650 512-***-**** *******@*******.***

OBJECTIVE: Growing within my employment at Northrup Grumman Information Technology by utilizing my spectrum of skills in technical communications, training, and web design to serve internal and external customers, promoting NGIT’s growth and success.

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONSTechnical Writing. User documentation, manuals, training guides. Internal documentation of processes, policies and procedures. Help authoring, using Robohelp HTML, WebWorks Publisher, WinHelp, HTMLHelp, and web-based documents. Technical editing. Indexing. Research, interviewing, and authoring for whitepapers and presentations.Training/Course Design. Design and presentation of a wide variety of classes, including WinNT/2000, Win95/98, Lotus Notes, Internet Explorer; Basic thru Advanced classes for Corel WordPerfect, Word, Visio, ChemDraw, Adobe PhotoShop and Framemaker, Corel PhotoPaint, Macromedia Fireworks, Excel, Powerpoint, and Quadralay WebWorks Publisher. Also skilled in providing 1-on-1 training at a variety of skill levels. Support. FrameMaker, WordPerfect, Word, WebWorks Publisher, WinHelp, HTMLHelp, Photoshop, Corel Draw, PhotoPaint, Visio, Macromedia Fireworks, Eudora, Lotus Notes 4.5.2, Netscape, Internet Explorer, Excel, PowerPoint. C+, PL/1, JavaScript.Web Page Design. Design and implementation of web pages, HTML coding, JavaScript. Extremely proficient in designing original graphics for webpage use using Macromedia Fireworks, Corel Photopaint, Adobe Photoshop, Visio and other graphics applications. Webpages for which I created all content, including HTML and graphics:

http://www.quickshift.com/

http://www.displaysearch.com

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

05/07 – Present – Veteran’s Benefits Administration - Austin, Texas (contractor via Northrop Grumman IT)

Business Process Analyst 3. In addition to continuing the job duties I performed as a subcontractor, I am facilitating team efforts to create useful Functional User Requirements Documents (FURDs), the tools used to communicate between the Business Process SMEs and the development team the requirements for requested changes, upgrades, and additional functionality. Reviewing FURDs, evaluating the impact on development and existing systems, and preparing Documentation Responses articulating the effects of proposed changes. Participating in triage and evaluation of defects and spearheading efforts to completely document such changes.

01/07 – 05/07 – Veteran’s Benefits Administration - Austin, Texas (subcontractor via TEKSystems)

Technical Writer. Documenting the existing functionality of a front-end program connected to several databases for diverse audiences, including developers, QA testers, and business sponsors. Researching and documenting database variable parameters, forms, services, user permissions, process flows, etc. through SME interviews, Visual Basic and COBOL sourcecode, and project plan documents. Tracking defects and upcoming enhancements and revising documentation accordingly. Creation of process flow diagrams in Microsoft Visio. Creation and maintenance of complex documents in Adobe Framemaker.

01/06 – 04/06 – Surgient - Austin, Texas (contractor via Synergy Services)

Technical Writer/Illustrator. In this position, I was responsible for the design, research, interviews, writing and editing of the Surgient Management Console in-product help system for the company's version 5.0 release, produced using Robohelp HTML. Surgient's product line comprises a highly technical virtualization management system which may be hosted by Surgient or by client companies. Additionally, I pioneered the help "skin" and CSS design for the help systems for Surgient's whole spectrum of 5.0 products, creating a look and feel harmonious with the color scheme and graphics used in the products.

05/04 – 01/06 – Quickshift. Inc. - Austin, Texas (contractor via Synergy Services)

Webmaster. Spearheaded the complete redesign and rewriting of the corporate website at http://www.quickshift.com/. Responsibilities included site design and forward planning for site expansion and improvements, usability planning and testing, HTML hand-coding and validation, image creation with Macromedia Fireworks and Adobe Creative Suite, as well as creation of tools using JavaScript and some PHP. Created HTML emails for the marketing team and associated dedicated landing pages.

Technical Writer/Illustrator. This position initially involved technical writing for the preparation of patent applications, whitepapers, user manuals, support documents, PowerPoint presentations etc. Over time this component shifted to involve maintenance and update of existing materials, with most emphasis being placed on web content creation. Used Visio to create flowcharts and technical diagrams, as well as using SnagIt, Macromedia Fireworks, Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop to create illustrations and screenshots for use in manuals and other documentation.

01/01 - 05/03 - DisplaySearch - Austin, Texas

Senior Production Manager. In addition to my prior duties, this position added additional responsibilities, including: supervision of Production Staff members; obtaining quotes for offset printing, graphics contractors, film production, photocopying and other printing and production-related items; coordination of inputs from multiple authors for newsletters and reports; distribution of electronic copies of our publications to the corporate website subscription system; software license purchase and maintenance for a variety of software tools used by the Production Staff; and a variety of other duties as needed.

Production Manager. This position involved all aspects of layout, editing, and producing a variety of monthly, quarterly and annual reports for a rapidly growing, flat panel display market research firm. These duties included printer liaison and highly technical editing of industry data collected and compiled by an international team of analysts. In addition, included responsibilities in web design, content design, and general maintenance of the DisplaySearch website. Tools utilized include MS Word, Adobe Framemaker, PhotoShop, Exchange, Acrobat; Visio; Macromedia Dreamweaver and Fireworks.

07/99 – 01/01 - Agillion.com - Austin, Texas

Technical Support Engineer. Included a wide variety of duties and roles in a fast-paced start-up environment, such as 3rd tier support on the Agillion service, troubleshooting complex issues such as synchronization; consulting on HTML and scripting for customer webpages; and 3rd tier escalations. Responsible for training and mentoring of 1st and 2nd tier support staff members. Continuing involvement and responsibility for development of dept. policies and knowledgebase. Served as the Agillion intranet webmaster, with full responsibility for site design, content and maintenance. Other duties included graphics development with Adobe Illustrator, Macromedia Fireworks, Visio and other tools; in-house support on Agillion and 3rd party software, including Microsoft Windows OS's and MS Office, Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, and Visio.

07/98 - 07/99 - Quadralay Corporation - Austin, Texas

Director of Technical Support Services. Management of the 3-person support department, including all phone, email and web-based support. Trained support and sales staff in-house, including developing training documentation and computer-based instruction. Responsible for development and maintenance of all product documentation and user manuals. Responsible for trade show planning, scheduling and set-up, providing technical support staff, and developing whitepapers and accompanying slides for presentation at trade shows.

Technical Support Specialist. Provided phone, email and web-based 1st and 2nd tier support, and customer on-site training/support for WebWorks Publisher 3.5, 4.0, and 2000. Required extensive knowledge of web design, HTML, DHTML, JavaScript, CSS, as well as authoring of WinHelp, HTMLHelp, and Sun JavaHelp. Authored, edited and published 750-page user manual for the WebWorks Publisher 2000.

EDUCATION

1/87-5/91 TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY - College Station, Texas

6/80-5/82 TRINITY UNIVERSITY - San Antonio, Texas

8/78-5/79 TEXAS CHRISTIAN UNIVERSITY - Fort Worth, Texas

HONORS AND AWARDS

President's Scholarship, Trinity University, 1980-1981

National Merit Scholar, 1980

National Honor Society, 1978-1980

Altrusa Achievement Award, 1980

References and work samples are available.

Brainbench Certifications

Offical Brainbench transcript available at http://www.brainbench.com/transcript.jsp?pid=4720383Technical Writer - JOB ROLE CERTIFICATIONEditor - JOB ROLE CERTIFICATIONEditing & Proofing - Chicago Manual of StyleTyping Speed & Accuracy - 65WPMMicrosoft Word 2000HTML 3.2Computer Fundamentals (Win 95/98) - MASTERPharmaceutical Terminology (U.S.) - MASTER

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