Samer Meqdad

Providing product implementation services, focusing mainly on Microsoft Project Server (EPM), where my responsibilities included:
 Gathering client requirements
 Managing delivery team
 Product installation, configuration and training
 Business development activities, including, client demos, PoCs and proposals development.

Providing consultation and training services to a number of clients, covering areas such as:
(1) Development process improvement
(2) Application lifecycle management using Visual Studio Team System (VSTS)
(3) Reports authoring using Microsoft SSRS.

I've also engaged in a number of Microsoft Project Server 2010 (EPM) implementation projects where my responsibilities included users’ requirements gathering, product installation and configuration, training and the supervision of development teams responsible for product customization.

As a development manager, I had a team of ~100 developers and technical team leaders. My responsibilities included:
(1) Building capacity within the organization on different technologies such as Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Surface, iOS Development to cater for business demands.
(2) Developing a framework for technical team's competencies.
(3) Interviewing and hiring of technical staff.
(4) Training of newly hired employees.
(4) Participating in the performance appraisal process
(5) Defining technical staff objectives along with their direct supervisors
(6) Providing mentoring and coaching
(7) Introducing initiatives that aim at motivating the team and enhancing their technical capabilities.
(8) Supporting the PMO in the resource management exercise.
(9) Maintaining a database of the technical team members skills.

I was responsible for managing the efforts targeted towards defining, piloting, institutionalizing and optimizing a formal software development process within the organization which is based on Microsoft Solutions Framework (MSF) and covers the full software development lifecycle (SDLC) from project initiation to closure. I have also participated in building process guidance, templates, checklists and marketing material.

I have worked as a project manager on a number of projects for building enterprise solutions. In these projects, I was responsible for managing the requirements gathering process, managing projects scope, managing the development team, planning and ensuring on-time delivery, managing stakeholders’ expectations, managing risks and reporting to upper management.

Led a development team of 3-4 developers for building the award winning websites of Dubai Financial Market (DFM) and Muscat Securities Market (MSM), and others. As a technical team leader, I was responsible for:
(1) Coordinating and communicating with the client.
(2) Planning the daily, weekly and monthly development related activities during the projects.
(3) Assigning tasks to team members based on the tasks breakdown and following up on their progress.
(4) Ensuring quality & reliability of code from the development team by conducting smoke testing and code reviews for their deliverables.
(5) Participating in the solution architecture defining exercise and assuming responsibility for on-going architecture of the solution.
(6) Deploying applications on staging and production environments.

I have also been assigned on a project for designing and implementing components for integrating an existing order management system with the trading engine of the Dubai Financial Market to provide real-time data feed and integrated order management capabilities, in addition to designing and implementing a web-based online trading interface.

Led a development team of 5-6 developers for building a business process automation system for the Ministry of Economy and Commerce of Qatar based on .NET technology and Microsoft Commerce Server. As a Lead Developer, I was responsible for:
(1) Preparing implementation schedules and coordination with different feature teams.
(2) Assigning tasks to team members based on the tasks breakdown and following up on their progress.
(3) Ensuring quality & reliability of code from the development team by conducting smoke testing and code reviews for their deliverables.
(4) Participating in the solution architecture defining exercise and assuming responsibility for on-going architecture of the solution.

Responsibilities included the design and implementation of an online content production system for Al-Jazeera news network website based on Microsoft Content Management Server 2002, in addition to the implementation and customization of Microsoft Content Management Server.

Based on my performance during the project, I have been granted the Distinguished Achievements Award of the year 2003.

Responsibilities included the design and implementation of different sub-systems of a multi-tier e-Commerce platform based on the Microsoft .NET suite of servers, including Microsoft Commerce Server 2000. In addition, I was responsible for building components for integration with 3rd party systems including electronic payment gateways, using XML and Microsoft BizTalk Server 2000 technologies.

I've also been engaged in an outsourcing project as a Technical Lead for a company in the UAE called, iHilal Financial Services LLC. During this project, I led the development of an online portfolio management system upgrade based on Microsoft Content Management Server 2001. During this period, I was responsible for tracking resources utilization and reporting to top management, preparing development plans with project managers, analyzing system requirements and proposing sound design approaches. I was also responsible for designing and implementing a content acquisition system based on Microsoft BizTalk Server 2002.