Richard David Jonas
Hertingfordbury, Hertford, Herts.
07801 272940
richard@richardjonas.com
British
Full clean driving license
Summary
I have 16 years technical experience specialising in the range of Microsoft Technologies (I am from a development background with Visual C++ and more recently Visual C#), I also have used SQL Server extensively (mostly working on SQL Server 2005) to develop and manage business-critical production databases containing details of hundreds of thousands of transactions.
I have extensive business experience in a variety of industry sectors, most recently in retail but also in pharmaceuticals and banking.
Most of my recent experience has been in agile environments and I have developed these, introducing tools and procedures to support efficient working in the projects I have worked on.
I have a 1st class degree in Computer Systems Engineering from the University of Warwick. As my role started to require a greater knowledge of business I studied part-time and completed an MBA over 2 years. I am currently studying for an MSc in Business Intelligence on a part-time basis.
Employment History
November 2010 – Present
I was responsible for development and architecture of web sites working closely with clients who are speciailist international traders,
integrating payment service providers and stremlining their internal operations. Technical development has used ASP.NET with SQL Server.
Technical Architect / Lead Developer at Wiggle Ltd (Sporting goods retail)
May 2010 – October 2010
I was responsible for the system architecture, which involved understanding a large legacy code base and bringing this together with a view to rearchitecting this so future development could use consistent techniques and loosely-coupled components in a service oriented architecture, making it easier and less risky. Most of the code was written on the .NET platforms using a combination of C# and VB. As part of this I introduced continuous integration with NUnit and Selenium tests and introduced these concepts to a development team not used to working in this way.
I led a project to update Wiggle's web site and related internal systems to support a new payment provider that allowed payments and partial payments to be taken at the point an order was dispatched without storing customers' credit card details. Most of this was written in ASP.NET using C# (3.5) using SQL Server 2005. An agile approach using elements of both Scrum and Kanban was used. This will turn over £80m p.a.
I introduced load testing, creating standard procedures for this to identify performance bottlenecks.
I introduced a programme of presentations where team members could exchange ideas about technologies they had worked on or researched.
Technical Architect / Lead Developer at Jack Wills Ltd (Fashion retail)
February 2008 – March 2010
I was responsible for architecture, design, development and project management of the Jack Wills and Aubin and Wills e-commerce web sites. As well as the front end seen by customers, these include an order processing system used by customer service representatives and a reporting system used by managers. The web sites turned over £20m p.a.
I managed a team of 8 developers and testers, bringing in people as necessary and ensuring that work was spread around the team in a way that allowed timescales on the project roadmap to be achieved and was aligned with the needs of the team members.
I specified the System Architecture, how the system was divided into components, how the components were written and how they interacted with one another, consulting with developers as appropriate. Most development was ASP.NET (3.5) web applications written in C#, but some WinForms applications were used to support the running of the site. I was also responsible for database design and development and administration (SQL Server 2005/2008). This included setting up and maintaining both transactional and analytical databases and reporting on a cube using SSAS. and pulling in data from a range of sources using SSIS and reporting on it to deliver business intelligence. The web sites communicated with 3rd party services such as payment providers using XML.
I specified development practices. I adopted an agile methodology for delivering the web sites choosing this approach as change is inevitable in a fast moving retail business and a process that anticipates change will happen is a better approach to minimise risk than comprehensive planning in advance. This was based around scrum with fortnightly release cycles. I ensured regular refactoring, continuous integration (CruiseControl) and unit testing (NUnit) were adopted. I introduced methods (both release processes and a custom built CMS) to separate the graphical part of the web site from the business logic allowing new graphical front ends to be released independently. As not all team members were familiar with an agile approach and the associated tools I had to explain the approach and teach them the benefits of it.
I specified server infrastructure. Load balanced web servers and a mirrored database server were used. This had to have high uptime and be secure and compliant with standards such as PCI-DSS.
I worked with all areas of the business to understand their needs and ensure development work was aligned to these.
I tried to be as hands-on as possible and get involved with development work on the web sites when the above priorities permitted.
Head of Web Development at Diddly-Doo Ltd (Design agency)
July 2007 – February 2008
I developed web sites for various clients, primarily in the retail sector and using Microsoft technologies. Following the illness of the owner and with the agreement of all parties I went to work permanently for Jack Wills, one of their largest clients.
July 1999 – June 2007
I designed and implemented clinical audit and decision support applications for a client in the pharmaceutical industry, designed and developed of a web portal to support physicians, and undertook various projects to improve operational efficiency and develop more effective marketing campaigns.
I used Visual C#.net, ASP.net, Excel Automation, Java (Servlets and JSP), Web Services, SQL Server 2000/2005 and Oracle. Some work used the Interwoven CMS system.
I worked in a range of teams in marketing, medical, sales and financial departments, each with different needs and ways of working. I analysed the success of projects, suggesting further developments where appropriate to improve effectiveness and save ongoing costs.
I introduced iterative development techniques and methodologies such as Test Driven Development and supporting tools such as NUnit and NMock to speed up development and improve quality.
September 1998 – June 1999
I designed and implemented parts of a Windows client to a personal loans sanctioning system, speeding up the time taken to process loan applications and a personalised information delivery system, primarily using Visual C++.
August 1994 - September 1998
I designed and implemented parts of the Cyberquery client-server report writer application and CTerm Terminal Emulator, primarily using Visual C++.
Education
Masters of Business Administration (Executive), University of Hertfordshire. (studied part-time from 2000-2002).
B.Eng. (1st Class Hons), Computer Systems Engineering, University of Warwick.
A Levels: Mathematics (A), Physics (A), Chemistry(A), Further Maths (C), General Studies(A)
AS Levels: Pure Maths and Theoretical Mechanics (A), Psychology (A)
Currently studying part-time for an M.Sc. in Business Intelligence at the University of Dundee
Professional Qualifications
Sun Certifications (SCJP, SCWCD):
Sun Certified Programmer for the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition 1.4 (CX-310-035)
Sun Certified Web Component Developer for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition 1.4 (CX-310-081)
Microsoft Certifications (MCSD):
Designing and Implementing Databases with Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition (70-229).
Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (70-315).
Analyzing Requirements and Defining Microsoft .NET Solution Architectures (70-300).
Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Visual C# .NET and the .NET Framework (70-320).
Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET (70-316).
Hobbies and Interests
I hold a Private Pilots License.
I keep fit through running and cycling regularly.
I am a member of an acting group.