IT Lead - Technical

• Jan 2021 - Present

Business Systems Architect

• Dec 2018 - Jan 2021

Council Member (President)

• Nov 2000 - Present

Founder member and President of the Knights of Trinity, managing external relations, club policy and procedure and digital presence. Founder member and President of the Knights of Trinity, managing external relations, club policy and procedure and digital presence.

Book Reviewer

• Mar 2016 - Present

Reading novels that are due to be published, and providing an opinion on them. Critical to the role is the ability to read quickly whilst still fully comprehending the work; the ability to write a coherent and accessible review, and to carry out all the work relating to a particular review within the publishing timetable as laid down by the Reviews Editor. Reading novels that are due to be published, and providing an opinion on them. Critical to the role is the ability to read quickly whilst still fully comprehending the work; the ability to write a coherent and accessible review, and to carry out all the work relating to a particular review within the publishing timetable as laid down by the Reviews Editor.

Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein (Contributor)

• May 2009 - Present

Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein is a product line conceived by Iain Lowson and published by Cubicle 7. It describes an alternative history for Romania through the late 19th and early 20th century. It's a dark, Gothic work of horror that fuses the world of Mary Shelley's creation with the notion "what if Frankenstein survived to create a nation state where science was allowed to thrive without boundaries?"The first book - "Dark Harvest: Legacy of Frankenstein" - was released in March 2011, and the second book, "Resistance" is due for release in May 2012.As half of the Rules team, it has been my role to adapt the "Heresy" game engine to fit Iain's vision, and maintain them as new material is introduced. I have also provided other material for publication including an introductory scenario, and other additional material. I have also acted as part of the Demo Team, travelling to conventions and introducing prospective players to the product by running games and chatting to convention-goers. Show less

Proof Reader / Playtester / Contributor

• Jan 2009 - Dec 2011

Assisting various hobbygame companies with bringing products to market, by testing the product to ensure that it is functional, proof reading the material to ensure consistency and clarity.Playtesting Credits:Duty & Honour / Beat to Quarters (Omnihedron Games)Doctor Who: Adventures in Time & Space / The One Ring (Cubicle 7)Peer Review Credits:Cthulhu Britannica: Shadows Over Scotland (Cubicle 7)

Business Systems Architect

• Jan 2018 - Dec 2018

Senior Systems Analyst

• Mar 2013 - Jan 2018

The role at Sparrows involves acting as the technical focus for line-of-business applications and information management in the newly formed Information Systems team, acting on the strategy developed with the Information Systems Manager. There is a need to supply third-line support of existing applications, and to confer with other IT team disciplines on tasks which may affect the Business Solutions strategy; but primarily, the initial remit is to assess the existing business systems, and ensure that they are fit for purpose, and provide value to the business as it moves forward with its plans for growth. Introducing best practice Change Control, Data Governance and Systems Documentation strategies have been key initial steps in establishing a firm foundation for moving these key projects forward. We have also brought in a new Systems Analyst, and it has been my privilege to mentor him through his time with the company in his new career. Show less

Application Support Team Lead

• Sep 2011 - Mar 2013

The primary responsibilities of my role have involved maintaining the viability of BIS Salamis' hardware and software platforms, while transferring knowledge of those systems to the Amor Assist first-line team, allowing for improved service provision. I also assisted with mentoring other members of Amor's staff, to allow them to be more productive when visiting the site. I have also carried out project work, both for BIS Salamis, as well as for other clients, covering numerous disciplines such as data backup & recovery, MS Exchange deployment and migration, information security management, data governance and Windows 7 deployment. Show less

IT Manager

• Sep 2010 - Aug 2011

In the IT Manager role at BIS Salamis, it was necessary to look after the budget for the department, as well as seeing to the welfare, training and operational efficiency of the IT team.The goal of the work carried out was to align the team's processes and procedures with IT best practice, update the department's facilities and tools, and to focus their efforts by moving some services to external providers, where there was no cost benefit in keeping that service management in-house.In August 2011, I successfully co-ordinated the transfer of BIS Salamis' IT team to an outsource provider, ensuring a seamless transfer of service provision. Show less

Group Business Solutions Lead

• Sep 2007 - Sep 2010

This position built on the Business Systems Developer role, including managing a small development team. It also required me to adopt the company's infrastructure maintenance and management tasks, and as a result, I re-developed my skills and knowledge surrounding virtualisation, networking, data storage, mail services and software deployment, specifically using VMWare vSphere, NetApp, Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft Deployment technologies.I also fulfillled the operational lead role in the Service Desk, managing the efforts of the team and ensuring effective service delivery, mentoring them in new skills and concepts as necessary. Show less

Business Systems Developer

• Jan 2000 - Aug 2007

The primary responsibilities of this role were based around providing IT-based support for business activities, often within tight time and financial constraints. This included working with .Net and MS Office technologies, acting as the company database administrator, and providing second- and third-line support to the IT service desk, which handled a number of remote locations around the UK. I also acted as a project focus for two successful ERP system implementations, as well as numerous smaller, but no less business critical projects. Show less

Organised Play Manager

• 2000 - 2007

Convention Organiser

• Feb 2004 - Oct 2006

As an organisation set up as a part-time venture by enthusiasts, Converzion Events ran three conventions between 2004 and 2006 catering to the hobbygames industry. Taking a leadership role within the team, my role required managing our relationship with external suppliers and sponsors, seeking the best commercial deals for the convention, working to publicise the events, and managing the operational side of the events, including the convention team on the day. It also includes taking a strategic view of the market, and assessing commercial risk - currently a convention of this type held in Aberdeen would not be financially viable, so the events group is currently on an extended hiatus, awaiting an improvement in the market. Show less

System Analyst/Developer

• Mar 1997 - Dec 1999

I was employed to carry out a variety of functions: to act as the company database administrator, and manage the company’s UNIX servers; to act as a second-line support analyst for their MAXIMO, Business Objects and financial systems, and to develop new software as required by the company, using a combination of Visual Basic, and Microsoft Office technologies. I was employed to carry out a variety of functions: to act as the company database administrator, and manage the company’s UNIX servers; to act as a second-line support analyst for their MAXIMO, Business Objects and financial systems, and to develop new software as required by the company, using a combination of Visual Basic, and Microsoft Office technologies.

Dialogue Engineer

• Oct 1995 - Nov 1996

My role was to be the technical focus for the "Dialogues 2000" project, which was involved in the creation of standards for automated telephone systems in partnership with BT and the DTI. It involved a lot of exposure to the public, who were invited to act as experimental subjects. My role was to be the technical focus for the "Dialogues 2000" project, which was involved in the creation of standards for automated telephone systems in partnership with BT and the DTI. It involved a lot of exposure to the public, who were invited to act as experimental subjects.