Project Management Manager

Leon Wiffen

Mobile: +447***-******

Email: ****.******@*****.***

Professional Profile

Results oriented, commercially astute, innovative, adaptive, self-motivated and well qualified senior IT professional with over 20 years’ experience of managing IT projects/programmes and driving business value (project budgets ranged from £50K to £50 million). Excellent communicator delivering IT expertise, alongside business and financial management skills as well as project management and coordination expertise. Highly analytical with a strong commercial awareness. Able to identify and manage risks and opportunities and implement strategies that provide notable improvements. Has a consistent and demonstrable track record of achieving over and above targets. Experienced at operations management. Skilled at building strong relationships with key stakeholders.

Key Skills

Project / Programme Management: Prince2 Practitioner and AgilePM certified with extensive experience managing full life cycle large scale projects/programmes with a consistent record of delivering successful conclusions. Expertise includes: business cases; budget calculation; third party management and coordination; financial / commercial control; procurement; project schedules (MS Project and Project Manager’s Workbench); Well versed in Waterfall and Agile methodologies; highly accurate and professional documentation.

Change Management: Highly adept at managing changes to projects and programmes.

Stakeholder Management: Highly adept at utilising strong interpersonal skills to build and manage relationships at all levels. Possesses a strong understanding of the positive impact stakeholder engagement can have on project work.

Business Continuity Management and Disaster Recovery: Expertise and experience in the creation of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans and strategies as well as Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery testing.

Business Management: Possesses a business management diploma and experience as working as Operations Manager. Has strong business acumen with exceptional organizational, leadership and management abilities.

IT: 25 years of experience in IT and IT based project management roles with a superb range of technical expertise that includes: systems development, testing, migration, release management and migrations. COBIT expert and ITIL V2 Certified. Expert in the use MS Office365, MS Project, Teams, SharePoint; Smartsheet, WebEx, Confluence, Jira Hubspot.

IT Strategy: Highly adept at IT Strategy with a diploma in Strategic management from UNISA school of Business leadership.

Application Development / Integration: Highly adept at .NET (C# in particular) and SQL/TSQL expert. API expert (REST and SOAP). HL7 Expert. TCP Sockets Expert.

Management Skills

-Excellent communicator

-Budgeting, Financial Planning and Control (P & L Management), Procurement

-Business case creation

-Forecasting, Estimating, Scheduling, Critical Path Analysis

-Scope definition and management

-Change management and change control.

-Governance and Reporting (project, financial, operational, KPI)

-Stakeholder and Vendor management

-Risk, Assumption, Issue and Dependency management (RAID)

-Resource Planning and management including RACI matrices, resource allocation and tracking

Technical Expertise

-EUC desktop/laptop/tablet/printer deployments/refreshes/migrations/transformations (Windows 7, Windows 10)

-IT networks (LAN, VLAN, WAN, Broadband, WIFI, SD-WAN, SCADA).

-Active Directory, IAM and MS Exchange Implementations / Migrations / Upgrades

-Systems Development (C#, VB, PHP, JS, CSS, HTML, COBOL, Clarion)

-Database migrations (SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle, DB2, PostgreSQL), scripting,

-Unified Communications (Telephony, VoIP, Video Conferencing) + Contact Centre Implementations

-Office fitouts, builds and relocations.

-Audio Video (AV) implementations and replacements

-Systems Integration (XML, JSON, EDI, HL7, API)

-Office 365 Deployments and Migrations

-Server (Unix and Windows) implementation / migration / virtualization / migration to Cloud (AWS + Azure)

-Expert in the use of MS Project Planning tool, MS Office suite of products, Jira, ServiceNow and much more

-Cyber Security (Firewall, Intrusion prevention, Network Access Control Implementations)

Qualifications

-AgilePM Foundation Certification (2021) APMG

-Prince 2 Practitioner Certification (2015) APMG

-ITIL Foundation Certification (2006) Foster Melliar

-Business Management Diploma (1994) Damelin Business School

-Certificate in Strategic Management (1992) Unisa School of Business Leadership

-Bachelor of Science (BSc) Degree (1988) University of Port Elizabeth

Career History

July 2022 to Present

Project Manager (Office Moves / Migrations) - Contract

Shell – Netherlands

Management of all IT / AV aspects of office moves to greenfield sites, upgrade of brownfield sites and decommissioning of sites including office fit-outs, EUC (laptops, desktops and printers, workstations), Servers (Windows / UNIX), WAN (SD-WAN, MPLS, circuits and routers), LAN (switches and cabling), WIFI (controllers and access points), Active Directory migrations, Voice (SIP), Unified Communications (MS Teams), Contact Centres, Security (CCTV + Access Control), Audio Visual (AV) for meeting rooms / board rooms / open spaces, Disaster Recovery, IT Equipment rooms specification and builds including racks, fire suppression, cooling. Stakeholder management / change management 3rd party vendor management, procurement, finance / budget management, project governance are key aspects of these projects.

July 2021 to July 2022

Project Manager (mobile networks) - Contract

British Telecom – United Kingdom

Management of various mobile telecommunications / network capacity uplift and data migration projects including:

VoLTE Roaming implementation

IoT upgrade from 4G to 5G

5G Roaming implementation

March 2020 to July 2021

Chief Technology Officer (CTO) - Contract

WIPPI (Mexican Food-Tech start-up) – Remote

Managed all technology and commercial aspects including budget, procurement, financial control, reporting, 3rd party vendor management, developing the IT and support strategy, data gathering, data migration, governance, disaster recovery planning and testing, integration, security (firewalls, encryption keys, IPSEC, multi-factor authentication, intrusion prevention, etc.), development and testing of iOS and Android e-Commerce mobile applications, Developed the backend of 40 REST API endpoints using C# with a MySQL DB as well as the website, monitoring (Uptime), control panel and dashboard (PHP/JS/CSS, MySQL), setting up an offshore contact centre.

During this time, also developed an Integration Platform As a Service (IPAAS) which was used for WIPPI but also for other projects / applications. Applications integrated included: Hubspot, Xero, Pipedrive, Hubstaff, Chargeover, SAP Workflow API’s, Oracle Netsuite, Salesforce, ServiceNow, Zoom, Active Campaign, Miro, Dynamics 365, Zendesk, WhatsApp, Twilio, Google Firebase Messaging, Paypal Payments API, Stripe Payments API, Vonage API.

September 2019 to January 2020

Project Manager / Business Analyst: Office builds and relocations (Demerger and Merger) - Contract.

Aveva Software – United Kingdom / Malaysia

Discovery (site discovery, requirements gathering, data gathering and requirements analysis / catalogue), project initiation (PID) and other documentation, scoping, detailed planning, costing, procurement, logistics and RAID management of the separation of a company division and its merger and integration with another company within an agile framework. This programme included the separation of people, systems, data and infrastructure and merging them into the new company. Due to the acquiring company’s offices not being large enough to accommodate the new structure, the project included builds of and relocations to new greenfield offices as well as decommissioning old offices. The work included a comprehensive stakeholder analysis and engagement (stakeholders included CXO level and external stakeholders) as well as customer workshops, change management strategy, UAT strategy and plan, service transition plan, 3rd party vendor management/delivery strategy, executive and KPI reporting, technical documentation and presentations.

Key Technologies

Office builds, fit outs. and relocations, AV implementation

Network (CISCO Meraki SD-WAN, LAN, Cabling, WIFI)

Data Centre build and move

Unified Communications (MS Teams + Ring Central + Number Porting)

EUC (desktop and laptop) rollout (approx. 6K) + Windows 10 upgrade + Printer Deployment

Office 365 implementation + Exchange Migration + Active Directory migration

Board / meeting / presentation room builds, Audio-Visual implementations + Server room builds.

Data Cleansing, Data Migration (including migration of data to Cloud)

HP Server Migrations / Moves / Virtualization (VMWare, EXSI clusters) and Database Consolidation (MS SQL, Oracle, MySQL)

Systems integration and the management of various 3rd party vendors in the implementation of their SaaS applications for the merged organization including Salesforce, ServiceNow, SAP.

April 2018 to September 2019

Senior Engagement Manager – Europe, Africa and Middle East

Verizon (Telecommunications + Professional Services) – United Kingdom

A customer facing contract role managing a portfolio of concurrent Unified Communications, Networking and Security projects from project initiation to transition to BAU. Management of project managers, high level stakeholder management, RAID, 3rd party management, logistics, procurement, compliance, customer billing (invoicing), creating service requests (ServiceNow), documentation (project and technical), UAT planning and execution, KPI reporting and Financial Control/Forecasting were key aspects of this role.

Key Achievements:

Managed Unified Communications migrations from legacy systems (mainly Avaya) to Cisco IPT for Johnson & Johnson

Managed the migration and integration of Cisco Unified Communications (16 sites) to Johnson & Johnson Call Manager cluster as part of a company acquisition including Cisco Meraki SD-WAN and LAN as well as voice VLAN implementations

Managed the migration of 10 contact centres from legacy Avaya to Cisco integrated with Interactive Intelligence for Johnson & Johnson.

Managed Cisco call manager and UCCE upgrades for a large German manufacturing concern.

Managed the migration from desk phones to Cisco Jabber.

Managed the migration to Cisco Telepresence Video Conferencing devices.

Managed a proof-of-concept project for Tesco implementing Forescout Network Access Control technology at 4 stores.

Managed an IP re-addressing consulting project for a Tesco.

Worked on a large number SIP migration / number porting project for a large multi-national bank.

January 2018 – March 2018

Project Manager

Cornwall Council (Government) – United Kingdom

A contract role managing an EUC transformation project within an agile framework which included the refresh of all client devices (13000 Dell desktops, Laptops and Tablets) and migration / upgrade to Windows 10 from Windows 7. Project initiation (PID), planning, RAID management, financial control, management reporting, deployment, UAT and handover to BAU.

July 2017 – Nov 2017 Customer Project Manager

Vodafone (Telecommunications / Utilities + Professional Services) – United Kingdom

A contract role managing a portfolio of concurrent projects implementing telecommunications infrastructure for new and existing windfarms, power stations and substations for Scottish Power including RAID management, regulatory compliance, reporting, project initiation and documentation (PID), site planning, resource allocation, deployment, UAT, transition to BAU.

Key Technologies

SCADA networks, IP networks

Fibre implementations, pilot cables

Civil works

Oct 2016 – March2017 IT Readiness Programme Manager – Contact Centres

Innovation Group (Financial Services) – United Kingdom / South Africa

A contract role managing the implementation of infrastructure, systems and integration for 2 large (800 and 1000 seats) greenfield offshore contact centres within an agile framework for a global organization. This was a greenfield deployment and included scrutinizing and updating the business case, setting up of all ICT infrastructure and applications in new offices, disaster recovery planning, managing and coordination of both 3rd party vendors and internal workstream leads.

Key Achievements:

Successfully managed the Request for Proposal (RFP) process.

Managed the discovery, planning, costing, design, configuration and installation of all ICT infrastructure.

Created the Contact Centre Disaster Recovery (DR) plan and co-ordinated DR testing.

Managed the RAID, documentation (project and technical), reporting and budget of the programme.

Key Technologies implemented:

Office fitout including board room, Audio-Visual (AV) implementation and server room builds.

WAN design and implementation (Meraki SD-WAN, VPN, MPLS)

Data Centre implementation

EUC Deployment – Dell Desktops, Laptops (1800 Windows 10) and printers

Server Deployment (6 x Dell servers), migration of confidential data

Office 365 and Exchange online implementation.

Telephony (Avaya and Cisco) + Call Recording (Verint)

LAN Implementation (Cisco Core + Access switches + DMZ + Firewalls + Cabling + WIFI)

Implementation of Office 365 + Azure Active Directory, IAM

Integration of various customer CRM systems

March 2016 – October 2016 Infrastructure Portfolio Delivery Manager

Lloyds Bank (Financial Services) – United Kingdom

Key achievements:

Successfully managed the upgrade of AIX (IBM Unix) Servers, Connect Direct, MQ to current version.

Managed MS SQL Server and Oracle database consolidations, migrations and upgrades.

Jul 2015 – Feb 2016 Africa Delivery Lead – EUC transformation

Barclays (Financial Services) – United Kingdom / South Africa

Key Achievements:

Successfully managed the refresh of over 25 000 Lenovo Windows XP laptops and desktop PC’s with new hardware running Windows 7 (including data migration and the testing, remediation of all applications plus the migration of devices to a new AD domain) in Africa including PID, Financial Control, management of 3rd party vendors and country leads, RAID management, procurement, logistics, UAT and executive reporting.

Jun 2014 – Jun 2015 Systems Development Manager

Bluespier International (Healthcare) – United Kingdom

Managed the Systems Development and data governance team (about 10 people) at Bluespier, a company focussed on the medical industry that develops and supports patient administration systems (PAS), clinical information systems, theatre management systems, EHR and practice management software for the healthcare sector (Private and NHS).

Key Achievements:

Managed the development of desktop, mobile and web-based medical / healthcare applications.

Successful deployment and integration (via Mulesoft HL7 interfaces) of the PAS and Theatre Management System with various other systems (at various hospitals)

Worked on SSIS, SSAS, SSRS for various customers for integration, reporting and analysis.

Successfully managed the implementation of private cloud-based software as a service (SaaS) for GP practices.

Successfully developed in C#.NET a HL7 / REST (JSON) / SOAP (XML) / ODBC API integration platform.

MS SQL Server Database consolidations / implementations / upgrades, SQL Scripting, VBA scripting.

Managed the migration of confidential data from legacy systems to Bluespier (MS SQL Server) at various hospitals.

May 2012 - May 2014 Senior Project Manager - Africa, Middle East and Turkey

British Telecom (Telecommunications + Professional Services) – South Africa

Customer facing role (in which customer stakeholder management was crucial), managing the delivery (including financial management and forecasting) of a portfolio of Unified Communications and telecommunications projects to AMET (Africa, Middle East and Turkey) region Enterprise Customers from the proposal / initiation stage through to operational handover including: customer billing, customer workshops and reporting, RAID management, managing 3rd party vendors, technical leads and project coordinators. There were between 15 and 20 concurrent projects in portfolio.

Key Achievements:

Managed the implementation of over 50 WAN links (MPLS and VPN) in Africa, Middle East and Turkey, implementing Fibre and Microwave for the last mile using Cisco CPE.

Migrated the Unilever South Africa contact centre from Nortel to Cisco UCCE + NICE Call recording.

Managed a large Unified Communications migration from legacy Nortel PABX to Cisco technology (4000 seats) from inception to completion (hand-over to operations) for Unilever’s South African Head Office.

Managed a large Unified Communications migration from legacy Avaya PABX to Cisco technology (3500 seats) from inception (bidding) to completion (hand-over to operations) for Unilever’s UAE Head Office.

Managed the upgrade / replacement of the corporate WIFI infrastructure for Unilever in their sites in Africa, Middle East and Turkey.

Managed the installation / configuration of Riverbed Application acceleration devices at every Unilever site in AMET region.

Managed the relocation of the Unilever Disaster Recovery (DR) datacentre.

Managed the custom integration of SAP CRM to Cisco UCCX.

Managed the installation and configuration of Checkpoint firewalls at all Unilever sites in the AMET region.

Nov 2002 - Apr 2012 Various (see below)

South African Breweries (Manufacturing / FMCG) – South Africa

Regional Service Delivery Manager - Africa (Mar 2008 - Apr 2012):

Delivered high quality and cost-effective IT services (including P&L management) and regional ICT projects end-to-end including business case, with the objective of maximising achievement of service levels (SLA’s) and KPI’s, quality and availability.

Key Achievements:

Managed the build of and relocation to a new regional office for Amalgamated Beverage Industries and decommissioning of the old office. This included all ICT infrastructure (LAN, WAN, Servers, desktops, laptops, printers, telephony) and audio visual / video conferencing implementations.

Successfully managed the regional migration from in-house terminal based ERP system to a centralized SAP system.

Managed the twice-yearly regional IT Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (DR) test.

Managed all IT operations (EUC, licensing, printers, network, applications, capacity management).

Service Delivery Manager (Nov 2006 - Mar 2008):

Key Achievements:

Managed the Service Desk function

Successfully managed migration of service desk and EUC (desktop, laptop and printer) support from an in-sourced model to a managed services model (9K devices).

Successfully managed migration to BMC Remedy ITSM Incident management / Service Desk / Problem management system including the migration of all relevant data.

Senior Infrastructure Project/ Programme Manager (Nov 2002 - Oct 2006):

Management of IT infrastructure projects from inception to completion with a typical portfolio of between 5 and 15 concurrent projects, managing the delivery of workstream leads (PM’s) and 3rd party vendors. For most of these projects, business case creation, procurement (RFI/RFP) change management, financial management RAID management and reporting were integral to their success. The project budgets were between £50,000 and £50,000,000.

Key Achievements:

Successfully managed the largest IT infrastructure refresh/transformation programme in the history of South African Breweries including mainframe, all servers (200), databases, Active Directory, upgrade of PC OS from Windows NT to Windows XP, replacement of all desktops, laptops and printers (12K devices), MS Office software, MS Exchange Messaging, Intranet, installation of new firewalls, upgrade of all LANs and the migration of the WAN from ATM to MPLS. This programme included substantial change management, RFI / RFP and HR workstreams.

Centralized and virtualized (VMWare) the server estate and implemented an EMC storage area network.

Successfully managed the corporate WIFI rollout which incorporated around 30 sites.

Successfully managed the implementation of Citrix Virtual Desktop environment.

Successfully managed the relocation of various offices and depots.

Successfully migrated SAP Master Data and implemented corporate multi factor authentication.

Successfully managed the transformation of the Business IT function into an IT service management focused organization using ITIL as a framework and BMC Remedy as the ITSM system.

Successfully managed the build and migration to the new SABMiller regional datacentre.

Successfully managed the relocation of the Disaster Recovery Datacentre to an outsourced provider.

Created the SAB Corporate IT Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery process and Plans.

Successfully managed and the planning and execution of the SAB twice yearly IT Disaster Recovery test.

Successfully managed the infrastructure preparation and rollout for the migration from a terminal based ERP system to a centralized SAP ERP system.

Early Career

May 2002 - Oct 2002 Senior Project Manager Anglo Platinum – South Africa

Managed the relocation of all ICT services including Telephony, EUC, Network, Datacentre, SAN and Contact Centre

Dec 2001 - Apr 2002 Project Manager Calltime Solutions – Australia

Managed RFP responses and Implementation of Interactive Intelligence solutions for customer Contact Centres

Apr 2001 - Nov 2001 Project Manager Accenture - Australia

Managed the development, implementation and integration of a Work Order Booking system for large telecommunications company.

Apr 1998 - Mar 2001 Systems Integration Manager TransUnion – South Africa

Managed the integration between customers and Transunion including Mainframe to Mainframe and Server to Mainframe integration. A large part of this role was the onboarding of new customers. Also managed the migration from a mainframe to server-based architecture.

Feb 1997 - Mar 1998 IT Manager – Manufacturing SBU (PTY) LTD – South Africa

Oct 1995 - Jan 1997 IT Manager – Large Law Firm Webber Wentzel Bowens – South Africa

Sep 1994 - Sep 1995 Senior Networking Specialist Mutual & Federal Insurance Company

Sep 1993 - Sep 1994 Systems Development Project Leader Mutual & Federal Insurance Company

May 1993 - Aug 1993 Travel UK and Europe

Jul 1990 - Apr 1993 Programmer Datavia – South Africa

Jan 1989 – Jun 1990 Lieutenant (Military conscription) South African Defence force – South Africa

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