Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Education And Certifications
Volunteer Experience
Hobbies and Interests
Languages
Certification
Timeline
Generic
Jim Duffield

Jim Duffield

Guelph,Ontario

Summary

Talented professional considered knowledgeable leader and dedicated problem solver. Brings 30 years of valuable expertise to forward company objectives. Attentive to detail with experience in project, program and improvement leadership.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Manager, Cloud Portfolio and Delivery

Sun Life Financial
07.2022 - Current
  • Cloud Centre of Excellence (CCOE) relationship manager and point of escalation for Asia and Canada business units to drive workloads to cloud as quickly as possible
  • Finalized portfolio prioritization matrix and process to manage work priorities openly and proactively
  • Established team priorities, maintained schedules and monitored performance.
  • Maximized performance by monitoring daily activities and mentoring team members.
  • Consulted for CTO to develop and improve their prioritization matrix
  • Doubled team efficiency by driving changes to CCOE tools and processes
  • Oversaw dozens of successful workload migrations from on-premises to cloud
  • Reduced escalations by over 50% through effective communication and team problem solving.
  • Developed strong company culture focused on employee engagement, collaboration, and continuous learning opportunities.
  • Developed strong company culture focused on employee engagement, collaboration, and continuous learning opportunities.

President and CEO

Royal City Studios
11.2018 - 10.2023
  • Built first full service music development facility in region with 7 rehearsal studios, recording studio, and licensed performance hall.
  • Hosted dozens of musical acts, including Juno and East Cost award winners
  • Directed technological improvements, reducing waste and business bottlenecks.
  • Reduced operational costs by 80% through strategic cost management initiatives.
  • Formulated and executed strategic initiatives to improve offerings in all 7 lines of business.
  • Hired and managed employees and leaders to maximize productivity while training staff on best practices and protocols.
  • Built diverse workforce through targeted recruiting efforts focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion principles.
  • Inspired innovation by creating environment that encouraged creative thinking and problem-solving capabilities.
  • Analyzed industry trends and tracked competitor activities to inform decision making.
  • Managed financial, operational and human resources to optimize business performance.

Senior IT PM, Service Delivery Manager

Sun Life Financial
03.2019 - 06.2022
  • Manage complex Business and IT projects in Insurance, Finance, and Actuarial
  • Kicked off SLFD's first Digital Enterprise Hub as Service Delivery Manager Delivered MVP for Sun Life One Plan service
  • Successfully integrated 5 squads, building relationships with business, vendor, and various IT teams for common purpose under tight timelines
  • Acted as Technical Director
  • Managed "SunRise Operational Readiness Change Management and Education projects to enable all business areas to be ready for IFRS 17 and modernize all key components
  • Conducted detailed project reviews to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes for future success.
  • Led RFQ process for internal training
  • Promoted effective program management, delivered business readiness site, directed communications releases to leaders and staff
  • Worked with sponsors to identify best approach for enabling change
  • Drove new agile approaches and increased speed of delivery for ISS IFRS 17 releases
  • Delivered Illustrations Core Update and enhancements, coordinated release of 2 new insurance products along with enhanced capabilities
  • Enhanced project management portal for ease of use and efficiency gains
  • Mentored project management co-op, improved their performance and dedication
  • Created PM Skills Matrix to manage work assignments, updated to include Digital Enterprise components.

Strategic Program Manager

Economical Insurance
03.2018 - 12.2018
  • Structured Enterprise-wide 6-Pillar change initiative to lower cost and risk
  • Worked with CIO and executives to define program structure, roles, processes, and approach to deliver $1M in annual savings in each of following five years
  • Oversaw 3 Pillar managers and over 180 projects, delivering desired results.
  • Optimized program performance with thorough analysis of key performance indicators, identifying areas for improvement.
  • Successfully managed budgets and allocated resources to maximize productivity and profitability.

Telematics Project Manager

Subaru Canada Inc.
01.2017 - 01.2018
  • Delivered Connected Car IT and business capability for entire Subaru Canada car line, by executing digital transformation in operations and customer engagement, all 7 company departments
  • Engaged all areas of company to gather requirements and discover how to turn new Connected Car services / data into business value, while driving exceptional customer experience
  • Facilitated workshops to collect project requirements and user feedback.
  • Advised CEO and Executive on approach, regularly reporting on implementation status
  • Achieved company-wide support using Organizational Change methodologies
  • Built and managed international relationships with 10 vendors, several contractors, US sister company, and parent company (Japan)
  • Negotiated agreements to deliver on several key requirements initially deemed impossible to meet.
  • Developed comprehensive project plans with clear timelines, milestones, and budget requirements, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality results.

Principal IT Program Manager

OpenText Corporation
01.2015 - 01.2017
  • Managed teams of 5-100
  • Helped develop and implement PMO tools and processes
  • Achieved OpenText CORE Leadership Certification
  • Delivered on strategic initiatives, including: Readiness for ISO 27001 Security Certification in 15 months, securing $30M in business
  • Updated business and operational processes, including HR, Finance, IT, Legal and Sales
  • Information Security including Endpoint Protection, SIEM, SOC1/2/3, HIPAA, SHA2 Migration
  • Digital transformation of customer support to improve customer self-service and support tools
  • Combined Agile and Waterfall methodologies to optimize delivery of different program components.

Program Manager

University of Waterloo
01.2014 - 01.2015
  • Delivered IT Service Management, Enterprise Business Intelligence, Project and Portfolio Management, PeopleSoft Upgrade and Change Advisory Board implementations
  • Managed performance of up to 6 project managers, 3 programs/projects and 15 faculty/department customers simultaneously
  • Delivered first year of ITIL Program and contributed to formal PMO templates
  • Drove creation and public issue of Request for Proposal after only 12 days on job for IT Asset Management solution to purchase software before budget expired.

Program Director

BlackBerry
01.2009 - 01.2013
  • Defined and managed complex programs with budgets ranging from $3M to $20M
  • Combined Waterfall and Agile methodologies
  • Managed up to 14 project managers, 3 programs and 2 vendors and 5 customers simultaneously
  • Delivered PCI and Visa certified Trusted Service Manager infrastructure significantly faster than any established provider in history, enabling mobile payments for NFC devices, driving new first-to-market revenue stream
  • Delivered security program, including firewall policy and architecture, SSL Certificate solution (PKI), intrusion detection and leak tracking, file integrity control, identity and access management, and more
  • Updated PM process to start projects quickly, provide value 50% faster, with end-to-end ownership
  • Received 90% customer satisfaction rating by shifting between Waterfall and Agile methodologies to deal with changes to and aspects of projects and programs, driving faster and more effective delivery while handling interdependencies, mitigating risks, and resolving issues.

Project Manager

Hydro One Networks Incorporated
01.2008 - 01.2009
  • Led Voice / Data Field Maintenance Contract Request for Proposal project, provided strategic direction
  • Gained consensus and buy-in from supporters and detractors through effective mediation and flexible management style
  • Rated 5 out of 5 by hiring manager.

Education

Bachelor of Applied Science And Engineering - Civil And Transportation Engineering

University of Toronto
Toronto, ON

Skills

  • Staff Management

  • Negotiation

  • Strategic Planning

  • Decision-Making

  • Customer Service

  • Project Management

  • Performance Tracking and Evaluation

  • Information Technology Management

  • Systems Installation, Configuration, and Upgrading

  • Agile Methodologies

  • Productivity Improvement

  • Relationship Building

Education And Certifications

Bachelor of Applied Science, Civil Engineering, University of Toronto, PMP Certified, PMP #1210559, ITIL v3 Certified, Certificate #5938193.20636564, CSM Certified, ID: 001227047, AKP Certified

Volunteer Experience

CEO - Wholly aMUSed

  • Created an organization that provides accessible music education and development - wellness through music
  • Built and board of directors
  • Acquired volunteer Executive Director and other staff
  • Initiated key programs to support the musician and music-loving community


IT Manager, Sunrise Therapeutic Riding and Learning Centre, Guelph, ON, 2013-2018

  • Maintained currency of the IT environment and enabled the organization to deliver its mission by introducing low-cost, high-value technologies.
  • Eliminated Microsoft Office software expenses by obtaining and implementing free non-profit licensing for Office 365, also enabling the organization to communicate more effectively through Exchange Server and Lync.
  • Reduced network expenses by 35% while increasing bandwidth 40x, also providing Wi-Fi.
  • Implemented high availability and disaster recovery under tight budget constraints.


Organizer, Waterloo Mastermind Meetup Group, 2018

  • Created a Meetup group to work with diverse individuals seeking to help each other progress in work and life.
  • Organized bi-weekly meetings.

Hobbies and Interests

  • Musician, playing saxophone and several other instruments
  • Cottaging and camping
  • Small business owner
  • Snowboarding, Cycling

Languages

English
Native or Bilingual
French
Limited Working

Certification

  • PMP - Project Management Professional
  • CASM - Certified Agile Scrum Master
  • KMP - Kanban Management Professional
  • ITIL - Information Technology Infrastructure Library

Timeline

Manager, Cloud Portfolio and Delivery

Sun Life Financial
07.2022 - Current

Senior IT PM, Service Delivery Manager

Sun Life Financial
03.2019 - 06.2022

President and CEO

Royal City Studios
11.2018 - 10.2023

Strategic Program Manager

Economical Insurance
03.2018 - 12.2018

Telematics Project Manager

Subaru Canada Inc.
01.2017 - 01.2018

Principal IT Program Manager

OpenText Corporation
01.2015 - 01.2017

Program Manager

University of Waterloo
01.2014 - 01.2015

Program Director

BlackBerry
01.2009 - 01.2013

Project Manager

Hydro One Networks Incorporated
01.2008 - 01.2009

Bachelor of Applied Science And Engineering - Civil And Transportation Engineering

University of Toronto

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Jim Duffield