Gordon Bottner
Toronto,Canada
Summary
An accomplished, senior client-oriented project management professional with comprehensive expertise in Lean/Six Sigma methodologies, change management, shared services, business process consulting, service management, and client relationship management. With over 20 years of global information technology and large project and solution delivery experience, leads teams through HCM and ERP projects with aggressive and competing timelines. Expertise in both onsite/remote client and senior cross-functional teams; enablement and multi-stakeholder. Achieves essential business results with technology by assuming a consultative approach to drive the ongoing development of both custom and packaged solutions.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Technology Engagement/Project Manager
ALIGHT SOLUTIONS
Toronto, ON
01.2012 - 05.2023
- Served as IT account lead focused on multiple aspects of technology delivery in support of clients with larger application and service footprints and / or heightened technology governance and engagement expectations
- Engaged with client stakeholders and vendor contacts as well as internal leaders and teams to ensure quality delivery of technology services within expected governance and interaction frameworks
- I was accountable for client satisfaction, relationship and resources for five clients
- Fostered client-centric focus regarding support discovery, development, and delivery activities related to technology change introduced as part of implementations, projects, and ongoing service delivery
- Partnered with aligned leaders and teams to collaborate on identifying and executing strategies and tactical opportunities to optimize service delivery and provide high-value solutions best aligned with client needs to exceed core expectations
- Established and maintained robust project governance frameworks, overseeing entire project lifecycle to guarantee timely, budget-compliant, and quality outcomes, resulting in 95% on-time project delivery rate and 10% cost savings
- Supported integrated and collaborative technology delivery model across product, technology, development, delivery, and infrastructure ops teams to ensure quality execution and presentation of 'One Alight' to client
- Fostered cross-domain awareness and impact assessment
- Supported resource allocation and prioritization for client-or company-funded (i.e., investment) changes
- Fostered change management through development life cycle, including escalation support as needed
- Provided escalation-problem resolution management, maintained communication, and drove corrective action plans to closure
- Oversaw coordination and escalation support as necessary for cross-domain projects requiring technical components (e.g., SSO, API Calls, real-time data integrations, and other data exchanges)
- Supported adoption and adherence by service delivery teams to operating system principles and guidelines
- Championed continuous improvement efforts, leveraging industry best practices and innovative technologies to drive service excellence and operational agility, resulting in 15% increase in operational efficiency and 10% reduction in service downtime
- Drove development and deployment of incident and problem management routines, including engagement of client-application teams, support teams, and vendor resources in problem identification, stakeholder notification, engagement of resolver groups, service restoration, root cause analysis, remediation and corrective actions, and service incident reporting
- Functioned as subject matter expert for aligned content area (i.e., security and cloud) and provided knowledge support to client teams in need of assistance and / or leadership for strategic initiatives
- Assumed role of IT SDM/IT Project Manager for Prudential Financial, maintaining ownership of several key projects neglected by previous IT SDM
- Smoothly transitioned client from outdated and costly Citrix B-to-B connection to Amazon AWS Cloud with zero interruption in critical payroll application services as well as migrating client to new CRM solution
- These initiatives led to 30% reduction in process lead time and 40% improvement in system efficiency metrics
- Also, there were significant cost savings for their organization
- Managed day-to-day technology for 270,000 global PepsiCo employees accessing SAPs Employee Central HCM and ERP applications via Alight Solution front-end Cloud Portal
- Led internal team of 40 remotely located operations resources including Developers, Business Analysts, QA Testers aligned with PepsiCo
- Oversaw first-line response and on-going communications related to incident management
- Responsible for managing incident details until ‘go to green’ resolution; including preparing and distributing Root Cause Analysis (RCA) to client stakeholders
- Coordinated and project managed five SAP scheduled yearly software releases, including pre- and post-verbal and written communications of release content and successful deployment
- Managed Monthly Maintenance activities, including posting blackout pages, and reporting to client following conclusion of maintenance activity
- Superior knowledge of Agile and Waterfall Project Management frameworks and principals
- Successfully managed diverse set of projects for PepsiCo’s Global Workforce of 270k employees across 90 countries which included implementing SAPs Employee Central HCM and ERP software solution successfully as well as transitioning to Amazons AWS Managed Services infrastructure
- Managed all project stages, including scope, timeline, and costs so to achieve project objectives in accordance with business needs/expectations.
- Successfully managed multiple projects simultaneously by prioritizing tasks according to urgency, resource availability, and alignment with organizational goals.
- Planned, designed, and scheduled phases for large projects.
- Met project deadlines without sacrificing build quality or workplace safety.
- Established effective communication among team members for enhanced collaboration and successful project completion.
- Developed comprehensive project plans with clear timelines, milestones, and budget requirements, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.
- Delivered exceptional customer satisfaction by proactively addressing client concerns and meeting or exceeding expectations throughout the engagement process.
- Monitored progress against established goals, adjusting schedules and resources as needed to keep projects on track.
- Developed strong relationships with stakeholders through regular communication updates, fostering trust and confidence in the team''s ability to deliver results.
- Identified plans and resources required to meet project goals and objectives.
- Collaborated closely with senior management to align project objectives with strategic company initiatives, ensuring that efforts contributed to overall business growth.
- Coordinated with cross-functional teams to resolve project issues and mitigate risks.
- Monitored project performance to identify areas of improvement and make adjustments.
- Coordinated cross-functional teams and resolved conflicts, maintaining positive work environment throughout the project lifecycle.
- Developed and initiated projects, managed costs, and monitored performance.
- Managed risk assessments and implemented mitigation strategies to minimize potential issues during project execution.
- Provided detailed technical and operational direction in project challenges, consistently meeting deliverables according to deadlines.
- Prepared detailed reports on project status for stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with objectives.
- Streamlined project processes by implementing Agile methodologies, resulting in increased efficiency and reduced costs.
- Reported regularly to managers on project budget, progress, and technical problems.
- Maintained open communication by presenting regular updates on project status to customers.
Senior Project Manager
MERCER
Toronto, ON
01.2011 - 01.2012
- -Drove creation and execution of project plans for benefit and pension clients, with portfolio of mid-sized to large client projects, including Shell Canada (benefits and pension, $2 million), Jazz Aviation (pension administration and self-service, $750,000), UAP (pension administration and self-service, $500,000), and GDLS (change request, $125,000)
- Led numerous re-enrollment projects to successfully implement plans and rate changes on time and within budget
- Ensured enrollment windows opened successfully
- Maintained high percentage for re-enrollment
- Completed all projects assigned on time and within budget while meeting stakeholders’ objectives for measuring success
- Remained accountable for managing day-to-day operational aspects of project and scope, including project budget (profitability) across various lines of business
- Led monthly financial tracking
- Applied risk mitigation strategies, including conducting thorough audit of potential missteps
- Created array of standard tools (i.e., project plans, agendas, and issue logs) later serving as essential part of standard toolkit used by all project managers within PMO
- Facilitated and developed project-friendly environment, including dealing with team conflict and performance issues as well as mentoring and coaching team members
- Maintained regular client and team communication via meetings while providing materials required for delivering comprehensive view of project (i.e., development of meeting agenda, meeting notes, issue-tracking logs, and status reports)
- Conducted post-implementation “lessons learned” meetings with internal and external resources to review success of project, client satisfaction, communication, team, and transition.
Project Manager
ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS (CANADA)
Toronto, ON
01.2010 - 01.2011
- Served as project manager on enterprise systems team to deliver projects for identity and access management program
- Ensured delivery of projects related to role-based access, user directories, authentication, authorization, and user certification
- Supervised cross-functional team of 30 (IT and HR as well as vendors) to successfully deploy secure directory structure for Rogers Dealers, built on role-based access
- Drove establishment and maintenance of project governance and adherence to project management standards and best practices
- Led rollout of secure database supporting and updating vital corporate financial and customer information.
- Established effective communication among team members for enhanced collaboration and successful project completion.
- Developed comprehensive project plans with clear timelines, milestones, and budget requirements, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.
- Mentored junior team members in project management best practices to enhance their skills and contribute to better overall performance.
- Prepared detailed reports on project status for stakeholders, ensuring transparency and alignment with objectives.
- Delivered exceptional customer satisfaction by proactively addressing client concerns and meeting or exceeding expectations throughout the engagement process.
- Developed strong relationships with stakeholders through regular communication updates, fostering trust and confidence in the team''s ability to deliver results.
Senior Project Manager, Service Delivery Manager
AON HEWITT (CANADA)
Toronto, ON
01.2005 - 01.2010
- Managed $3.5 million in project management and change request services for Bank of Montreal and Air Canada
- Partnered effectively with key client contacts through regular, proactive contact and reporting to ensure change requests delivered on timely basis without incurring penalties while maintaining company’s profitability
- Developed project plans for key HR aspects of client re-organization and acquisitions impacting 2,000 employees within short timeframes
- Partnered effectively with clients’ VP of human resources to ensure requirements accurately scoped and timelines achieved
- Identified and networked with existing accounts, resulting in sale of additional $250,000 in project management services
- Functioned as year-end central coordinator, responsible for ensuring teams supporting Canadian clients met federal and provincial compliance requirements, including T4 preparation and production and year-end balancing, by required deadlines
- Oversaw and managed account to budget, including building service delivery model, and successfully negotiated client payment as required for out-of-scope items
- Developed dashboards to proactively manage service delivery and create greater efficiency for tracking results
- Coordinated and monitored service delivery group to resolve client problems
- Facilitated staffing, coaching, and mentoring for 15 HR specialists.
Education
Diploma - Computer Programming and Analysis
B.A. - Political Science
Skills
- MS Project
- SAP Employee Central HRIS
- Workday
- JIRA
- Visio
- IDM
- ServiceNow
- Citrix Networks
- Agile & Waterfall Project Methodologies
- Client Relationship Management
- Cross-Functional Communication
- Training and mentoring
- Cost Control/KPI Tracking
- Team Leadership
Certification
- Payroll Compliance Practitioner Certification, 2005
- Six Sigma Yellow Belt, 2021
Professional Development
- Project Management Designation (PMP AON University), 2020
- Project Management Designation (PMP Mercer Campus), 2012
- Project Management Fundamentals, 2010
- Building Effective Management, 2008
- Project Management Fundamentals, 2005
- Project Management Methodologies SDLC, 2004
- Project Management Courses (Geac), 2003
Languages
English
Elementary
Timeline
Senior Technology Engagement/Project Manager - ALIGHT SOLUTIONS
01.2012 - 05.2023
Senior Project Manager - MERCER
01.2011 - 01.2012
Project Manager - ROGERS COMMUNICATIONS (CANADA)
01.2010 - 01.2011
Senior Project Manager, Service Delivery Manager - AON HEWITT (CANADA)
01.2005 - 01.2010
SENECA COLLEGE - Diploma, Computer Programming and Analysis
YORK UNIVERSITY - B.A., Political Science