Rory Cullen, Kaizen Software Developer

I touch on a lot of topics here:  My blog focuses on finding passion in your work, personal branding, job search advice and learnings, and occasionally some technical stuff around my interests (Java, Web Apps, etc.)

Contact me at:
WillWorkForFree@gmail.com

Summary: Sun Certified Java Associate (SCJA).  Eight years as the lead SAS developer in a detail-oriented department with client-impacting deadlines.  Experience with refactoring code, library design, code encapsulation, and project management.  Twelve years as a proven leader in continuous improvement of process and coding practices.

Java/Web: J2SE 5.0; Eclipse; Servlets; JSP; iBATIS; Struts; UML; Swing; Apache Tomcat; HTML; XML; MySQL; JUnit

OS: Windows XP; IBM MVS; OS/390; z/OS with TSO and ISPF; DOS

Other Apps: SAS; JCL; MS FrontPage, Access, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Visio; Minitab; Rumba; FTP; Brio; ProSupport; GIMP

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Galactic Village Games, Inc. – Chelmsford, MA        April 2009–Present
Java Web Application Developer
·    Building player/user interface featuring Struts2 with validation, Servlets, JSP, AJAX, Dojo, JavaScript, CSS and MySQL

Fidelity Investments – Marlborough, MA        1999–2008
Senior Manager, Six Sigma Black Belt (2007–2008)
·    Co-Led Software Release process enhancement yielding $650,000 in annual savings and increasing customer satisfaction
·    Led Unit Testing process improvement project, standardizing communication and testing methods
·    Analyzed loopholes in the defect tracking system and managed the resulting software enhancement, increasing the accuracy of tracking data
·    Mentored two Green Belt candidates toward Six Sigma certification

Consultant Software Engineer/Developer (2006–2007)
·    Designed and conducted successful training program for 16 Bangalore-based associates
·    Reduced code base by 20% by encapsulating duplicate code, and implementing archive procedures

Principal Software Engineer/Developer (2003–2006)
·    Technical mentor to 15 Software Engineers for all SAS design and analysis issues
·    Restructured reusable code libraries to allow easier customization while protecting Unit Test code from tampering, leading to faster conversions and more consistency across programmers
·    Formalized code release and change management across business units
·    Supervised over 20 code enhancement projects per year with a 100% success rate

Senior Software Engineer/Developer (2001–2003)
·    Maintained all updates to common code libraries totaling over 235,000 lines

Software Engineer/Developer (1999–2001)
·    Accurately converted assets in excess of $300 million per client utilizing SAS, SQL, JCL and DB2

Trustar Retirement Services – Boston, MA        1995–1999
Operations Manager (1995-1999)
·    Proposed, designed, implemented, and led software help desk services available to 3500 clients nationwide
·    Identified and reported over 20 software defects, reducing repetitive help desk calls
·    Installed software at client locations, and trained clients in usage leading to greater client satisfaction and reduced support issues
·    Promoted to supervise a team of seven employees within 12 months

EDUCATION
Harvard University Extension School, Cambridge, MA       Certificate of Applied Science: C++, Java, Perl, HTML     2004

Boston College, Carroll School of Management, Chestnut Hill, MA      Bachelor of Science in Management     1995