Technical Operations Manager
Data Consult Saudi
Total years of experience :17 years, 2 Months
Highlights:
• Provided leadership for technology functions and managed the entire project life cycle, right from project initiation/proposals, project delivery, business liaison/stakeholder management, post implementation review till project close out/handover.
• Have actively played the role of Bid Manager. Managed the bid and proposal process for new and existing customers.
• Played a pivotal role in developing, maintaining and improving relationships with key vendors such as Cisco, HP, Blue Coat, Fortinet, Riverbed and F5. Handled Cisco Partnership Certification audits.
• Prepared Support Contracts and SLAs, supervised customer support system and ticket distribution.
• Managed Data Consult Saudi Technical Team (Pre-sales and Post-sales Engineers).
• Continued to play the role of the Project Manager for all Data Consult Saudi projects.
Key Responsibilities:
• Responsible for coordinating the production of an offer in all its commercial and technical aspects to produce winning solutions and answers.
• Technical business development to the sales team through technical contacts with the customer including product presentation, workshops and technical updates.
• Defended the proposals in front of customers to support the sales team.
• Working in close coordination with sales team, to ensure that the offer strategy for particular bid is in line with the competitors offering.
• Leading the presales team to find the best product offering, which fits customer requirements, which is cost effective and which can generate higher profit margins.
• Liaising with suppliers and subcontractors to ensure the project is implemented to plan and quality as well as ensuring effective continuity of business delivery throughout the project.
• Overseeing the project, scope, delivery and implementation plans including business change management, costs, quality, risk mitigation and issue resolution.
• Ensuring correct business functionality requirements and industry standards are addressed, using combinations of strong technology skills and business acumen to provide analysis, definition and direction to network and ICT related development as per client requirements.
• Cultivating professional relationships with vendors to entail a smooth flow of resources to meet technological growth needs, mediating with other team members to streamline the IT operations based on customer needs.
• Monitoring project implementation timescales and resources to ensure the project is achieving milestones and remains within budget, and keeping IT strategy aligned with the changing business needs in alignment with business/user requirements.
• Coordinating communication with customer and Data Consult as well as all areas of the business that impact the scope, budget, risk and resources of the work effort being managed.
• Providing vital inputs to project budgets, maintaining forecasts and monitoring expenditure; maintaining accurate administrative records of expenditure, accounting, costing and billing.
• Keeping abreast of latest technological advancements and using the potentials of the same to respond to the distinctive and special needs of the clients.
• Planned and devised ways of optimizing existent resources to improve throughputs thus enhancing system performance parameters and providing corporate customers support.
• Integrating and implementing corporate systems employing robust planning techniques, supporting processes to ensure high standards of execution and reporting to project stakeholders and the management.
• Evaluated employee performance on a monthly basis and coached and trained accordingly increasing quality of work and employee motivation.
• Conduct interviews for prospective employees.
Highlights:
• Managed the project life cycle, right from project initiation/proposals, project delivery, business liaison/stakeholder management, post implementation review till project close out/handover.
• Managed Data Consult Saudi Portfolio of projects.
Key Responsibilities:
• Liaising with suppliers and subcontractors to ensure the project is implemented to plan and quality as well as ensuring effective continuity of business delivery throughout the project.
• Overseeing the project, scope, delivery and implementation plans including business change management, costs, quality, risk mitigation and issue resolution.
• Classifying, evaluating, and monitoring projects’ risk. Implement strategies to minimize the exposure to any risk. Advising senior managers on the potential risks of a project.
• Ensuring correct business functionality requirements and industry standards are addressed, using combinations of strong technology skills and business acumen to provide analysis, definition and direction to network and ICT related development as per client requirements.
• Tracking key project milestones and adjusting project plans and/or resources to meet the project time schedule and deadlines with clients.
• Monitoring project implementation timescales and resources to ensure the project is achieving milestones and remains within budget, and keeping IT strategy aligned with the changing business needs in alignment with business/user requirements.
• Coordinating communication with customer and Data Consult as well as all areas of the business that impact the scope, budget, risk and resources of the work effort being managed.
• Effectively collaborating with other functions through the customer lifecycle to meet business objectives and functional competencies.
• Maintaining an issue log for each project to document and monitor all issues.
• Providing vital inputs to project budgets, maintaining forecasts and monitoring expenditure; maintaining accurate administrative records of expenditure, accounting, costing and billing.
• Ensuring alignment with projects to PMI methodology and required standards; ascertaining quality control processes are in place to monitor deliverables produced.
Highlights:
• In addition to my responsibilities as a Senior Unified Communications Consultant Engineer, I supervised and managed the work of other Voice team members. I coordinated both project based tasks and customer support cases.
• Acted as a project coordinator for Unified Communications projects.
• Providing technology vision and leadership for Technology and Projects Division of the Business to formulate, evaluate, and implement IT solutions, policies and initiatives, leading to enhancement of quality and effectiveness of projects as well as operational efficiency.
Key Responsibilities:
• I had to ensure efficient and effective distribution of tasks among team members based on their skills set and experience level. Prioritized important and urgent tasks and ensured that they are handled first.
• Ensuring a clean, safe and friendly working environment.
• Giving prompt and accurate information on individual staff member performance.
• Supervise and participate in developing project documents, including HLD, LLD, UAT, SPG and HLD.
• Assisting the project manager in developing the time schedule and estimating the required resources and time for each task.
• Managing team performance and progress, and reporting to the Project Manager and the Operations Manager.
• Constantly looking for ways to improve processes and streamline workflow.
• Achieved network design and operational objectives by designing and engineering, evaluating, recommending, formulating testing and implementation plans for current and new technologies; contributing information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; designing cost effective Voice and Data networks.
• Supervised the development project documents, including HLD, LLD, UAT, SPG and PHD.
• Planned and designed the complex voice and data network infrastructures, procurement and implementation plans.
Highlights:
• Achieved network design and operational objectives by designing and engineering, evaluating, recommending, formulating testing and implementation plans for current and new technologies; contributing information and recommendations to strategic plans and reviews; preparing and completing action plans; designing cost effective Voice and Data networks.
Key Responsibilities:
• Planned and designed the complex voice and data network infrastructures, and implementation plans. Administered and supported the clients Voice and Data Systems in accordance with IT Incident and Change Management procedures.
• Maintained documentation of the voice & data networks. Ensured customer satisfaction and resolved customer concerns and responds to suggestions for improvements and enhancements. Developed project documents, including HLD, LLD, UAT, SPG and PHD.
• Provisioned with innovative solutions delivered using a proven architectural approach that aligns our customer’s technology investments with their business objectives.
• Recommended upgrades, patches, and new applications/ equipment, extended technical support/ guidance to users, to ensure smooth operation of communication networks in order to provide maximum performance and availability for users.
• Integrated Cisco Unified Communications system with third party PBXs and IP PBXs such as Avaya, Ericson and MS Lync.
• Evaluated and identified organizational requirements, to establish operating procedural standards, concurrently recommended IT infrastructure requirements for implementing Voice and Data networks.
• Implemented, tested and set up network monitoring systems. Ensured reporting on all networks and systems is being provided.
• Determined IT operations service requirements by analyzing needs of users/departments; prioritized modifications to core network; developed and implemented documentation requirements for the network.
• Provided comprehensive solutions to cover the complete telecom network life cycle, from network assessment, designing and strategizing, through deployment and on-going management.
Highlights:
• Served as an outsourced Customer Support Engineer at Cisco Technical Assistance Center (Cisco TAC) and supported Cisco Customers worldwide to configure and troubleshoot their Unified Communications systems.
Key Responsibilities:
• Provided support on a world-wide basis to all Cisco customers, offered systems/product training to peers and acted as a technical expert and proved as a key resource for the team.
• Handled Cisco TAC service requests submitted by Cisco customers for Unified Communications ranging from system down situations to configuration assistance through e-mail, telephone and hands-on remote access.
• Worked independently, receiving minimal supervision, with no instruction on routine work and general instruction on new assignments.
• Ascertained prompt attendance to customer inquiries, identified defects and bugs in Cisco Unified Communication applications and performed requisite action for their resolution through application of TAC collaboration tools.
• Proffered technical support for Cisco customer and catered to support requests in a timely manner to ensure service request closure to the satisfaction of the client.
• Managed issues/customers by setting expectations and meeting/exceeding those expectations to achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction.
• Proactively monitor and review the progress of all customer cases and engage as necessary, and build relationships with customer to understand in a better way their networks to provide quicker and more effective results to their requests.
Key Responsibilities:
• Provided an efficient and effective design, implementation, technical support, and consultation services in respect of major project work for Estarta’s clients in Cisco Network and IP Telephony Technologies. My key project was the implementation of Unified Communication System at the Ministry of Education in Muscat - Oman in the third and second quarter of 2007.
• Participated in the development of projects technical documents including LLD, SPG, NRFU and PHD.
• Provided knowledge transfer to customer’s IT operations team and helped them train their end-users on how to use the recently deployed systems and services.
• Supervised and supported two undergraduate intern engineers during their work to develop Cisco CallManager based XML Services. My role was to plan their project, supervise it and report it to my unit manager. I also provided the required technical assistance for integrating and testing the services with the CallManager. In addition to the XML services project, I also helped the two intern engineers to collect requirements, plan and set objectives for the development of Cisco CallManger Based Billing System. I left the company before the development phase but the project has been completed successfully.
• Provided technical support and operation for Estart’s local Voice and Data network.
• Maintained documentation of the voice & data networks, supported in leveraging IT Transformation through efficient and effective use of the new network and systems architecture.
• Monitored operational status of all networks, managed all local networking projects, maintained all operational status records and escalated any risks and issues to the seniors.
• Assisted in creating/ maintaining operational procedures and network documentation, to accomplish greater operational effectiveness/ efficiency.
Other Relevant Experience:
• July 2005 - October 2005: Trainee, Zain (Fastlink)
Academic Accolades: • Honors College Degree, ranked the 1st among in the 2006 batch.