I enjoy playing music I play guitar, bass guitar and sing, having played in many bands in the past
I love to travel and am going on a 10- day cruise in November and December with my partner
I have a son and a daughter, 28 and 26 respectively
John Forster
Rothesay Bay,AUK
Summary
Highly skilled software architect, team leader, Scrum Master, and developer with over 30 years of experience in the ICT sector. Expertise spans diverse industries, including ICT consulting, commodities trading, funds management, investment banking, and insurance. Proficient in Microsoft Azure and Microsoft development technologies, complemented by a strong foundation in various development methodologies with a focus on structured agile techniques. Seeking a development team leader role to leverage leadership abilities and extensive knowledge of software development processes and technologies to drive client success.
Overview
36
36
years of professional experience
1
1
Certificate
Work History
Senior Azure Architect
Fusion5 Limited
09.2021 - Current
- Responsible for the design and implementation of cloud solutions focusing on the modernisation of an online financial systems integrated package
- Lead cloud architecture design to provide secure solution
- Azure PaaS, IaaS hosted platform
- C# development in Azure Functions
- C# development of OpenAPIs
- Development of complex DevOps release pipeline to provide turnkey deployment of a complex solution
- Development of migration DevOps release pipeline to migrate customer environments to new, secure hosting platform
- Creation of DevOps build pipelines
- Implementation of Scrum development methodology
- Lead improvement of requirements and development standards
- Software Development and Consultancy - Microsoft Certified Partner
- Certifications: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Consulting Manager
Fusion5 Limited
11.2017 - 09.2021
- Responsible for implementation and maintenance of CRM product installations in government and education sectors. Responsible for a team of between 8 and 10 members that made up a software development and implementation team for building customisations and completing customer implementations.
- Consulting management
- Customer liaison
- Team Management
- Team Leadership
- Mentoring/coaching team members
- Proposal documentation and estimation
- Lead definition of SDLC standards using the Scrum methodology
- Lead introduction of test automation processes
- Full SDLC involvement
Development Manager
Fusion5 Limited
09.2012 - 11.2017
- Responsible for implementation and maintenance of CRM product installations in government and education sectors. Responsible for a team of 10 and 13 members that made up a software development team for CRM customisation.
- Development lead
- Team Leadership
- Mentoring/coaching team members
- Lead definition of SDLC standards using the Scrum methodology
- Development tooling standards
- Full SDLC involvement
- Web Development
- CRM Customisation
Technical Lead, Technical Project Manager, Scrum Master
CodeHQ Limited (formerly Augen Software Group Limited)
01.2011 - 09.2012
- Technical project management, Scrum master and technical leadership on a $2.5M project which is to create a SaaS project management solution, primarily for the construction sector.
- Played an instrumental role in overseeing the development of this complex suite of software components.
- Implementation of Agile development methodologies during the project
- Lead the implementation of development standards and processes
- Scrum master for team of up to 14 people spit between NZ and Asia.
- Architecture and technical leadership for development of multi-tenanted web based SaaS solution.
- Architecture and technical leadership for development of fat client application providing enhanced features based on the web functionality.
- Mentoring team and developing skills through training and extension of responsibilities
- Software Development and Consultancy - Microsoft Certified Partner
- Certifications: Scrum Master
- Enhanced system performance with thorough code reviews, debugging, and optimization techniques.
- Improved systems with addition of new features and infrastructure.
- Maintained close communication with clients throughout project life cycles for accurate progress reporting and prompt issue resolution.
Technical Project Manager
OnePath (NZ) Limited (formerly ING NZ Limited)
05.2010 - 01.2011
- Project management of OnePath’s “Client Communications” project. This project was executed to deliver high quality periodic and daily communications to OnePath’s investment clients via a mail house. This required tight coordination between OnePath’s internal development team and the mail house to create a reliable automated delivery system. This role required coordination of key users and stakeholders, external vendors and consultants, reporting to the project office.
- Management of “Bullet proof SQL” project, to improve the stability of a SQL reporting database, which is replicated from a proprietary Revelation database.
- This role grew to encompass the daily management (scrum) of the development team (5+ members) which was used for the above projects.
- Funds Management and Insurance
- Skills: Technical Project Management, Agile (Scrum)
Developer/Technical Project Manager
CodeHQ Limited (formerly Augen Software Group Limited)
03.2010 - 04.2010
- Assist with development and coordination of a small project for the development of an HTML to PowerPoint translator for one of Augen’s clients. My main role in this project was to translate HTML into an intermediary format so that this intermediary format could be converted into a PowerPoint presentation
- Enhancements and maintenance of copyright agency intranet application (For more details see the front page of this CV.
- Software Development and Consultancy - Microsoft Certified Partner
- Skills: Microsoft .net 3.5; Project Management
Senior Developer
2talk Limited
05.2009 - 02.2010
- Day-to-day maintenance of core system databases, backups, tuning etc.
- Maintenance and enhancement of call rating system and billing system
- Refactor portions of existing system to gain performance improvements
- VoIP service provider
- Skills: Microsoft .net 3.5; ASP .net; VB.net; C#; SQL 2005 development and administration
Technical Project Manager
CodeHQ Limited (formerly Augen Software Group Limited)
11.2006 - 04.2009
- The initial engagement was as a Senior A/P and PM, which changed to a pure PM role in conjunction with a move to a permanent role.
- Successful project management of various projects for HR/remuneration and legal sectors
- Strengthening internal development processes and assisted in development of a tailored Prince II project process specific to Augen’s style of client engagement.
- Coordination of Augen’s Vietnam development team for project deliverables
- Initial engagement with clients for defining project scope, high level requirements and high level estimates to assist in provision of proposals.
- Full SDLC of copyright administration intranet application for New Zealand authored works copyright authority. This is now the client’s core business system.
- Account management and software development for a Fund Management client
- Mentoring and assisting other developers on various development practices
- Software Development and Consultancy - Microsoft Certified Partner
- Certifications: Certified Prince II Practitioner
Senior A/P
Credit Suisse (previously Credit Suisse First Boston)
07.2005 - 11.2006
- Systems architecture and development of prototype to replace existing reconciliation and P&L tools to improve maintainability and extensibility
- Technical lead to implement aforementioned architectural changes realising significant improvements in application stability, maintainability and extensibility.
- Analysis of functional requirements and design for front office to back office reconciliation for a number of internal systems.
- Analysis of functional requirements and design for P&L calculations for the conduit loans group.
- Integration of systems to provide front office to back office reconciliation functionality.
- Performed last 6 months of contract remotely from New Zealand. The contract was extended for the third time while operating this way
- Investment Banking
- Skills: C# .net; VB .net; SQL Server 2000; analysis; architecture
Senior A/P
EDF Trading
05.2004 - 06.2005
- Co architect on EAI project to integrate broker and exchange trading systems with internal position keeping and risk management systems. This would become the architecture for a communication between several mission critical applications.
- Technical analysis and development of integration services to connect multiple internal applications
- Developed web service to provide trader profile data for Trade Blotter application.
- A/P for application to calculate rebates due to EDFT for their market making activity on the Powernext electricity futures exchange.
- Enhanced UI components, and created supporting services for software to automatically trade electricity futures.
- Leading energy commodities trading organisation
- Skills: VB .net; analysis; architecture; Oracle 8i; EAI; MS DTC; XML; SOAP; design patterns; web services/remoting; component services; front/middle office
- Courses: Advanced VB .net development
Software Development Manager
BT Financial Group (subsidiary of Westpac Bank)
01.2001 - 02.2004
- Managed in-house development team and external consultants for various projects.
- Was commended many times by department managers as being instrumental to the smooth operation of BT’s application suite and software dependant processes.
- Project management for software development projects
- Extended design of architecture to integrate physically and functionally separate databases, creating a single view of data and business logic to client applications.
- Analysis, design and construction and team lead to create applications supported by the above architecture, written in VB6 and ASP
- Participated actively in the corporate software architecture team for BT Australasia
- Funds Management provider in Australia and New Zealand
- Skills: Team and project management; architecture; analysis; VB 6; SQL 6.5, 7, 2000; COM+; DTS; OLAP; ClearCase; UML; C# .net; technical documentation
- Courses: Kepner-Tregoe Project Management Seminar; Presentation Skills; Leadership
Contract Analyst/Programmer
Enron Capital Trading Limited
09.1998 - 11.2000
- Worked with internal clients to determine functional requirements, finalise designs and obtain testing feedback. Received very positive feedback on project outcomes.
- Requirements gathering, analysis, design and development for project to build “Socrates”, a system to value highly complex structured financial products. Phase I of Socrates processed and stored 5 million data points nightly. Completion of Socrates Phase I improved accuracy of risk by USD $20m.
- Joined a team of 12 developers maintaining and enhancing a suite of applications known as EnPower. Projects included trade entry; exchange interfaces; futures margin calculations; futures contract cascading.
- Technical mentor for Delphi programming, application design and database design.
- Project management of second phase of Socrates development lasting 6 months
- Commodities Trading
- Skills: VB 6; COM+; SQL 6.5, 7; systems architect; Delphi 4.5; OO/UML design (Rational Rose); design patterns; Tibco; Oracle 7.3, 8; XML, Front, Middle and Back office
- Courses: Derivatives I & II. In-house Enron course in commodity trading and risk management, covering P&L & VaR, hedging, for swaps, forwards, futures and options
Senior Analyst/Programmer
Adis International
08.1997 - 08.1998
- Scripting using Omnimark for manipulation of SGML (a precursor to XML).
- Skills: VB 5; SQL 6.5; BA; design; project management; ASP; COM+; publishing
Contract Analyst/Programmer for Life product illustration project
Prudential (Previously NZI Life)
12.1996 - 07.1997
- Skills: Delphi 2; OLE; OOD/OOP; System Integration Analysis; life assurance
Contract Analyst/Programmer
Justin Craig Education
09.1995 - 10.1996
- Skills: BA; estimation; systems design; Delphi v1; account management, full SDLC, CRM
Contract Analyst/Programmer
Johnson Fry Holdings Limited
07.1995 - 08.1996
- Skills: FoxPro 2.6 Windows/DOS; FoxPro 2 for DOS; SQL 6.5; staff coordination and training
Various Contract and Permanent Roles
04.1990 - 07.1995
- Skills: Analysis and design, FoxPro development, Novell Netware installation and support
Education
Bachelors - Computer Science
Auckland University
Auckland01.1989
Skills
- Azure Architecture & Cloud Solution Design
- Scrum Mastery & Agile Delivery
- Application Architecture & Integration
- Business Analysis & Stakeholder Engagement
- Team Leadership & Mentoring
- DevOps Pipelines & CI/CD Automation
- RESTful API Development (ASPNET, Open API)
- NET Framework/Core/6/9 C#
- SQL Server (65–2022)
- CRM Customization & Web Development
- Experienced with NET Framework and NET Core
- C# software development
- Microsoft SQL Server (65 - 2022)
Accomplishments
- Technical project manager, team leader and Scrum Master for international development team tasked with building a SaaS Project Management solution. This is a significant and complex project servicing both the construction industry and insurance industry, in particular where the two industries meet for the reconstruction of properties as the result of the Christchurch earthquakes. This was a highly complex project with demanding requirements and high pressure development.
- Managed a development team and external suppliers to complete OnePath’s “Client Communications” project. The objective of this project was to replace the existing in-house print process with an outsourced model. The project was delivered during a time of significant change for OnePath as it was during their rebrand exercise. This project was challenging as there were many technical and non-technical difficulties that needed to be overcome. The successful delivery of the project was very satisfying.
- Analysis, architect and development of risk analysis system required to calculate financial risk management metrics for long term Gas/Power supply deals. The design of Socrates included a highly scalable processing engine to allow rapid completion of the complex valuation calculations. Socrates allowed pluggable P&L and Value at Risk models to provide maximum flexibility for future enhancements.
- As the primary goal of the Socrates project was to model the output of a gas fired electricity generator, the design included P&L and VaR calculators for both standard derivatives and exotics on which the model was based. Socrates also supported scenario risk testing, allowing risk managers to calculate the impact of large price fluctuations, catastrophic plant failures etc.
Interests
Work Availability
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
friday
saturday
sunday
morning
afternoon
evening
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Timeline
Senior Azure Architect
Fusion5 Limited
09.2021 - Current
Consulting Manager
Fusion5 Limited
11.2017 - 09.2021
Development Manager
Fusion5 Limited
09.2012 - 11.2017
Technical Lead, Technical Project Manager, Scrum Master
CodeHQ Limited (formerly Augen Software Group Limited)
01.2011 - 09.2012
Technical Project Manager
OnePath (NZ) Limited (formerly ING NZ Limited)
05.2010 - 01.2011
Developer/Technical Project Manager
CodeHQ Limited (formerly Augen Software Group Limited)
03.2010 - 04.2010
Senior Developer
2talk Limited
05.2009 - 02.2010
Technical Project Manager
CodeHQ Limited (formerly Augen Software Group Limited)
11.2006 - 04.2009
Senior A/P
Credit Suisse (previously Credit Suisse First Boston)
07.2005 - 11.2006
Senior A/P
EDF Trading
05.2004 - 06.2005
Software Development Manager
BT Financial Group (subsidiary of Westpac Bank)
01.2001 - 02.2004
Contract Analyst/Programmer
Enron Capital Trading Limited
09.1998 - 11.2000
Senior Analyst/Programmer
Adis International
08.1997 - 08.1998
Contract Analyst/Programmer for Life product illustration project
Prudential (Previously NZI Life)
12.1996 - 07.1997
Contract Analyst/Programmer
Justin Craig Education
09.1995 - 10.1996
Contract Analyst/Programmer
Johnson Fry Holdings Limited
07.1995 - 08.1996
Various Contract and Permanent Roles
04.1990 - 07.1995
Bachelors - Computer Science
Auckland University
Certification
- Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
- Scrum Master
- Prince II Practitioner