Darren Dowdell

** ***** ****** ********, ** ***** 347-***-**** (c) adhfuj@r.postjobfree.com

Summary

Darren has 20+ years of experience in FORTUNE 500 finance and consulting roles. He specializes in project management supporting initiatives that impact the business using both Agile and Waterfall methodologies. Darren takes a hands-on leadership approach to his work and balances multiple responsibilities simultaneously for his clients. As an accomplished professional, Mr. Dowdell can quickly understand his clients’ needs and provide value immediately.

Education

MBA, Finance, Penn State University, University Park, PA

-International Study Abroad Program, Singapore and India

BS, Finance, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY

Skills & Technology Expertise

●Developed a project planning template that merges two distinct lifecycles for a corporate enterprise

●Developed training to facilitate on-boarding of new finance managers and project managers

●Able to capture requirements from senior leaders and translate it for IT documentation and artifacts

●Projects consistently are kept in scope, on schedule, and under budget

●Built out a decomposed value chain that captures all process steps in the business unit

●Managing Transformation Project Risks/Changes

●Budgeting and Scheduling Projects

●Initiating and Planning Project Portfolios

●SAP FI/CO

●Great Plains Dynamics

●Business Process Improvement/Re-engineering

●System Implementations

●Financial Management (OTC, P2P, QTC)

●Vendor Management/Negotiation

●Developing and Implementing Project Scorecards

●Effective Sponsor Communications

●Business Readiness/Change Management

●Oracle BI Suite Enterprise Edition

●PeopleSoft Financial Management

Professional Experience

Nassau Re Insurance Company, Hartford, CT Jan 2020 – Present

Project/Program Manager ($2M budget; Contractor)

●Spearheading a Finance project w/ two different vendors and three different workstreams. Critical vendor relationship working with a 3rd party on financial and tax transformation initiatives using both Agile and Waterfall project approaches. Finance functions impacted include Accounting, Treasury, Tax, and Audit. Extensive use of SharePoint, Jira, MS Project, Visio, Excel, PowerPoint, Office 365, Automation, Data Provisioning, TIBCO, SSO, Active Directory (rules-based access), Security (Okta). This project is also expected to seamlessly integrate a recent acquisition.

●This initiative is part of a comprehensive Tax Transformation, which will be closely coordinated with the broader NSRE Finance Transformation and development of the Program Management Office (PMO). Critical component of the Tax Transformation includes Direct/ Indirect and Sales/Use Tax preparation and reporting.

●Managing the tactical project lifecycle process with strong documentation and audit traceability.

●Remotely managing, motivating, and driving project team execution with credibility and professionalism.

Otis Elevator Company, Farmington, CT June 2019 – Dec 2019

Infrastructure Project/Program Manager ($23M budget; Contractor)

●Project manager supporting a PMO build-out using strong financial experience and broad technology project management experience.

●Program manager supporting application build backs, business unit entanglement, and technology services agreement.

●Overseeing offshore resources as part of the divestiture project activities.

●Provides presentations and reports for senior leadership using data manipulation to report on CapX, OpX, ROI, etc.

●Tech: DevOps, CI/CD, Microservices, Application Rationalization experience, API’s

Voya Financial Services, Windsor, CT Sept 2018 – June 2019

Sr. Project Manager ($31M budget; Contractor)

●Managed multiple projects with multiple dependencies and integration points; projects had higher level of scope complexity. Projects included application service provider migrations, tax reporting, and loan tracking rules.

●Performed cost/benefit analysis of actions and initiatives; determined project costs and controlled/ensured delivery on time and within budgetary guidelines.

●Developed, clarified, and managed scope of project; achieved planned outcomes and targeted return on investment.

●Assembled project team, identified needed resources, assigned responsibilities, and developed timeframes to facilitate successful completion of all project activities and deliverables.

●Advised on solutions to dealing with issues and risks; provided peer review to project deliverables.

Stanley Black and Decker, Farmington, CT Feb 2018 – Feb 2019

IT Portfolio Manager ($27M budget; Contractor)

●Drove all aspects of IT Project activity, including collaborating and coordinating across all IT and business segments. Defined project value proposition, scope, work plan, resource needs, timeline and budget for IT projects related to Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A). Managed resources (i.e., capital requirements and human capital, etc.) to complete project/program on time and within budget.

●Managed international and domestic acquisitions as lead for both Infrastructure and Application Services in US, UK, and Canada. Responsible for Citrix/VDI and Active Directory migrations/implementations in all three countries.

●Implemented SAP (P10) for financial reporting at M&A target companies.

●Drove the development and execution of project plan by working with project team to define, sequence, and estimate duration of activities and determined schedules to meet project objectives.

●Managed all aspects of project execution including: chartering, scope definition, requirements gathering, project planning, change control, risk management and reporting. Used Clarity PPM for reporting.

●Facilitated and managed resource planning, cost estimation, budget development, and cost control.

●Managed the identification, resolution and escalation of project risks and issues.

●Planned and executed project communications ensuring timely and accurate distribution of information, documentation, and issue resolution to all appropriate sponsors and team members.

Eversource, Berlin, CT Nov 2015 – Jan 2018

IT Project Manager ($150M budget; Contractor)

●Delivered back office technology solutions to improve efficiency and standardize processes helping to lower operating costs. Demonstrated experience in major system implementations having implemented an integrated Supply Chain solution delivery including Maximo, SAP Ariba, and Oracle. I also have experience in change management, process improvement, and strategy development. Eversource Energy is the leading energy provider in the Northeast US.

●Vendor contract negotiations included utilizing fixed price, time and materials, or performance-based holdbacks. Negotiated with large scale consulting firms (e.g. Infosys, PWC, E&Y) to finalize SOW terms and conditions.

●Scheduled and prepared documentation for myriad kick-off meetings, working steering committee, monthly executive steering committee, quarterly project sponsor meetings, and road shows.

●Member of the IT Program Management Office (PMO) as the schedule and budget PM. Provided primary scheduling, budget analysis and reporting for a large Work & Asset Management system. This includes Gas & Electric, Mobile Workforce Electric, Mobile Gas Meters, Mobile Gas and delivery of a new enterprise Supply Chain solution.

●Developed schedules by working directly with all team leaders and SME’s. Detailed schedules include all predecessor and successor relationships and are fully resource loaded. Monitor/Maintain resource schedules, time, and expense.

●Acted as a champion to foster a positive project work environment, identify and resolve project related problems, and successfully work with the team to accomplish all the project objectives in the allotted time and budget constraints.

●Project sponsors: Finance/Accounting, Procurement, and Operations

MassMutual, Enfield, CT May 2015 – Oct 2015

Project Manager (Contractor)

●Managed three Retirement Services projects end-to-end in an Agile environment for multiple business sponsors using BPLM, SDLC, and PDLC. Developed a project plan and charter for each launch. Scheduled all necessary resources.

●Upon project completion, published a savings plan to realize resource cost savings of nearly $9K a day.

●Coordinate, plan, develop and implement moderate to complex business projects as well as readiness initiatives and recommend appropriate strategies, actions, and/or alternatives for business decisions relative to those projects

●Developed a value chain that tied elevated level business areas to their ‘ground floor’ business processes.

●Met with various business stakeholders to establish scope, come to consensus, and oversee gate meetings.

Berkshire Bank, Hartford, CT Nov 2014 – Feb 2015

Capital Markets Project Consultant

●Reviewed for possible unauthorized share issuances at transfer agency. This was a unique type of account, with lots of customer ignorance and dormancy. Reconciled independent CEDE reports to the transfer agent’s reports.

●Reviewed dividends for uncashed check activity to determine balances and if it was being adequately monitored and if the escheatment was being done properly. Determined the volume of lost and replacement shares issued.

●Reconciled the tax reports that were issued for shares related to transfer agent activity.

●Compiled a rollforward/reconciliation for all six of their recent mergers/exchanges.

●Reconciled both dividend reinvestment purchases and certificate balances. Also reviewed both for unusual activity.

Cigna, Hartford, CT Oct 2013 – Oct 2014

Business Project Manager (Contractor)

●Converted Waterfall design requirements into Agile epics and features for all Finance senior stakeholders.

●Determined impacts to business processes and systems of Cigna Healthcare projects. Projects were complex, large in scope, cross-functional and technically difficult to solve, often involving combinations of platforms and technology.

●Planned and executed organizational Change Management for the Accounting and Finance areas.

●Developed and revised complex enterprise project plans and budgets, worked with users to understand complex problems, and focused on bringing issues to resolution. Escalated as necessary to meet timelines.

●Created and delivered presentations to senior management on project goals and plans, including progress reports.

●Oversaw the execution of IT system changes in support of a Cigna marketing initiative

●Served as subject matter expert for accounting and provided consultative support to IT management and staff on all phases of the project development cycle. Used both Planview and Clarity for tracking purposes.

●Reviewed test evidence for accuracy and completeness; ensured that all business requirements were included.

●Developed training and communication materials and delivered timely training to impacted Accounting business units.

Manzanita Services, Inc., Houston, TX Sep 2007 – Jan 2013

CFO

●Delivers data management, technical, creative and consulting services to leading oil and gas companies.

●Helped develop our own software in-house from soup to nuts. We used an iterative process as well as prototyping to build and test throughout the software development life cycle (application development using the SDLC).

●Managed vendor relationship to assist with software development.

●Responsibility for all accounting and finance functions for parent and holding companies in compliance with GAAP.

●Prepared monthly, quarterly and annual financial forecasts and analyzed results. Identified operational opportunities to drive revenue, reduce expenses, create efficiencies, and establish strategic partnerships.

●Enforced internal controls to protect company assets and ensure safe handling of cash.

●Directed all bank negotiations including establishing and negotiating an expansion of credit lines by 30%.

●Financed the acquisition with debt after reviewing return on investment, interest rates, and scenario analysis.

●Increased revenue by 100% within 24 months. Negotiated leveraged buyout to obtain controlling interest.

●Shepherded patent and minority certification through legal and bureaucratic processes.

Hartford Financial Services Group, Simsbury, CT Feb 2005 – Aug 2007

Assistant Director. Corporate Finance, Hartford Life Inc.

●Leading provider of insurance and wealth management services for consumers and businesses worldwide.

●Partnered with President and CFO on all investor relationship initiatives, competitive analysis, and President's Monthly Management Letter. Conducted presentations to the Board of Directors, President, and Executive Team.

●Created competitive financial models and briefed senior management on benchmark performance.

●Designed an advanced formula workbook that saved the company over $700K during litigation.

●Duties included monthly analysis and reporting for all LTD and Life claims, escheat and the allocated loss expenses.

●Coordinated the development of press releases, presentations, President’s earnings script, 10K’s and 10Q’s.

●Developed Investor Day presentations for delivery to investor community.

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