2 Contract Performance Business Analysts

Client is a well established and rapidly growing financial firm in Boston.

2 contract positions open.


This is a seasoned BA who has specialized knowledge of investment performance and analysis including experience in the areas of asset allocation; asset classes; absolute return strategies; and performance measurement, attribution, and evaluation.

2 contractors needed for the development of the new Global Performance Reporting System. New system development is currently in the early, early stages of requirements gathering/documentation.

Primary Responsibilities:
* Work with business users to develop and document business rules and requirements for performing investment performance analysis
* Elicit requirements using interviews, document analysis, requirements workshops, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, business analysis, task and workflow analysis.
* Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguish user requests from the underlying true business needs.
* Utilize a broad-based knowledge of enterprise-wide requirements definition processes and methodologies to analyze information needs, business objectives, and requirements to document all project artifacts (such as Functional requirements, Business Rules, Use Cases, and Interface designs)
* Be the liaison between the business units, technology teams and support teams and serve as the conduit between the customer community (internal and external customers) and the software development team through which requirements flow.
* Collaborate with developers and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyze tradeoffs that may be required to meet business needs.

Mandatory Requirements:
* Minimum of five years of investment-related experience in the financial services industry
* Specialized knowledge of investment performance and analysis including experience in the areas of asset allocation; asset classes; absolute return strategies; and performance measurement, attribution, and evaluation
* Strong analytical and product management skills required, including a thorough understanding of how to interpret customer business needs and translate them into application and operational requirements.

Desirable Requirements:
* Professional certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or progress towards that certification is highly desirable
* A Certificate Investment in Investment Performance Management (CIPM) is very highly desirable

Skills and Competencies:
* Extremely strong interpersonal, interviewing, and listening skills
* Proven ability to work directly with the business community, handle demanding user groups, and communicate with internal clients at all enterprise levels
* Writing skills, capability to communicate information effectively and provide quality documentation of processes, UML preferred
* Organizational skills, strong attention to detail, ability to prioritize multiple tasks, handle diverse situations, set goals, and meet deadlines
* Attention to process and procedures to comply with internal/external audits


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

SQL Server Developer

Boston based investment management firm.

This is a full time, permanent position.


PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage the database security models, both in-house developed as well as Windows Auth (AD) based security. Also develop policies to restrict over-privileging and enforce it
- Understanding of the database development lifecycle, including database creation, table design, etc.
- Familiar with ETL tools, primarily with SSIS 2005 however Informatica, DTS, Ab Initio is a plus
- Experience supporting the development and deployment of complex SSIS packages
- Experience with architecting and implementing reports within SQL Server Reporting Services 2000/2005 / 2008
- Understanding of Front-End Applications and Middle-Tier Systems (.NET, COM+, etc)
- Experience with VLDB’s - 100+ GB databases, hundreds of DB’s in a highly transactional environment
- Expertise with query performance analysis, improvements and troubleshooting performance degradation
- Familiar with the new facets of SQL Server 2005 / 2008 (e.g. table partitioning, mirroring, full-text management, indexed views, security management, etc)
- Experience with resolving complex blocking and deadlocking issues and automated ways of doing so
- Experience with security as it pertains to databases (permissions, users, roles, policies, etc)
- Experience writing comprehensive and descriptive documentation
- Solid grasp of primarily T-SQL, however experience in .NET (C#/VB) will not be discounted
- Develop custom scripts to automate various database management processes (e.g. programmatically searching for non-indexed tables)
- Leverage 3rd party tools (e.g. Red-Gate) or in-house developed tools to troubleshoot
- Assist in the migration of SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005 and SQL Server 2005 to SQL Server 2008
- Assist in the database release management process, be the “gate-keeper” and ensure only QUALITY code is released into production
- Help troubleshoot performance problems using a variety of methods (tracing, query optimization review, error logs, etc)
- Resolve blocking and deadlocking issues, high CPU / memory, analyze job timeouts, ETL loader performance problems, etc
- Enforce our database standards, best practices, methodologies, processes and procedures, etc
- Assist in the build out of our SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 (SSAS) OLAP databases
- Provide development and production support for complex SSIS packages
- Research new technologies to enhance performance, heighten security, ensure uptime, automate common/redundant administrative duties
- Define and maintain critical documentation including: Database Standards, Naming Conventions, Administrative Techniques, Troubleshooting Techniques, Processes, Rules and Regulations, Change Management, Best Practices, etc.
- Knowledgeable about operating systems (e.g. Windows 2003 and 2008)

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
- An average of 10+ years total IT experience
- An average of 8-10+ years SQL Development experience
- Knowledge of the financial industry is preferred

CANDIDATE CHARACTERISTICS
- Impeccable verbal and written communication skills
- Highly ambitious individuals with the desire to go above and beyond
- Detail-oriented with very strong organizational skills
- Ability to work effectively and efficiently with little or no supervision
- Strategic, structured, and focused thinker who has strong analytical and problem solving skills
- Highly motivated, positive and passionate about the work they do
- Extremely strong interpersonal skills
- Strong accountability and results orientation
- Highly professional demeanor with well rounded business acumen
- Ability to work and quickly react in a fast paced environment
- Ability to effectively translate technical jargon into business terms during face to face customer interactions
- Ability to make powerful split second decisions
- Ability to perform self and team project management (prior technical leadership roles)
- Ability to scope projects, create project plans, and manage deliverables & deadlines
- Ability to productively multi-task


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Release Engineer, Release Management

Boston based investment management firm.

This is a full time, permanent position.

POSITION PROFILE
The Release Engineer works under the guidance of the Release Manager. Release Engineer is responsible for software builds, installation procedures, and releases standards. Release Engineer is responsible for source code control and change tracking systems and works closely with a quality assurance team to ensure final version is up to organizational standards while relying on experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. This position may lead and direct the work of others.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Implement and maintain the Change Management infrastructure including license management, tool/environment troubleshooting, upgrades, migrations, and disaster recovery
• Design and implement improvements to Change Management practices such as automation (e.g. triggers for code review), integration with other development tools such as defect tracking or IDE software
• Perform and troubleshoot software builds. Improve and streamline build and build processes using change and build management tools and edits to related XML and parameters files
• Track and package all components of the software release that comprise a full working system as the end product. These items may include build deliverables (code), data, data structure, content, software configuration files and instructions, etc. And work with a BA or Project Manager to collate this information to create a comprehensive set of Release Notes (AKA Roll-out Plan / Back-out Plan)
• Deploy the release to pre-release and staging environments using the preliminary release notes. Refine and test the deployment continuously through the promotion and roll-back of environments as needed
• Create and maintain documentation on processes, procedures, and policies related to above tasks. Ensure that documentation is current and comprehensive
• Work collaboratively with Developers and advise the Manager of Release Management on improvements and efficiencies

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
• Requires a bachelor's degree in a related area and 5-8+ years of experience in the field
• Familiar with a variety of the Release Management concepts, practices, and procedures
• Knowledge of the financial industry (capital markets) is required
• Experience with SQL Server 2000/2005, TSQL, DTS, SSIS, and stored procedures
• Experience with scripting languages
• Experience with automation techniques
• Experience with automated build and delivery tools
• Solid understanding of operating systems ( Windows 2003, Linux)

PREFERRED REQUIREMENTS
• 8-10+ years of total IT experience
• Certification in Change Management practices (ITIL, etc)
• Team Foundation Server and Visual Source Safe experience
• ANT / NANT, MSBuild, and TFSBuild experience
• .NET and JAVA experience
• Experience with off-shore resources
• Experience in development
• Experience writing comprehensive and descriptive documentation
• Experience with user management /security administration systems such as Active Directory



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Senior Network & Voice Engineer

Full time position.
Financial services experience a big plus.
No sponsorship. Candidates must be local and available for an in person interview.

The Senior Network Engineer will be reporting to the manager of the Network & Security team which is responsible for the day to day operations and architecture of the global network. Responsibilities include troubleshooting issues with routing, protocols, all LAN / WAN based activities, vendors, Cisco & IPC voice systems, market data connectivity, remote access systems, RSA authentication, Anti-Virus, DHCP, DNS, 3rd party VPNs, Firewalls.

Client this year has doubled the size of its metro network, with two new data centers now in production and a fully-converged voice network.

Overview:
We are looking for a skilled senior network & voice professional with experience of network design and deployment, working on a highly available network. You must enjoy working as part of a team and be prepared to work outside of usual business hours. The candidate must have strong troubleshooting skills, be able to balance creative solutions with the ability to work within a change-management maintenance environment. The ideal candidate will have experience in deploying and maintaining a Cisco VoIP converged network and will be energetic, flexible and committed to excellence. Financial services experience a plus.


Primary Responsibilities:
- Responsible for maintaining the enterprise network including wide area and local area networks as well as IP convergence.
- Install and maintain routers and switches in various network configurations supporting VLANs, Qos, VoIP, and advanced access-lists.
- Manage the global voice system - Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0 & 3rd party applications / systems. Including IPC trader voice systems, Unified Presence, Mobility.
- Plan, monitor, evaluate, and manage performance of network systems and makes recommendations for improvement/upgrades.
- Ensure that network issues arising on a day-to-day operation are identified, reported, and technically resolved.
- Provide support for remote access systems
- Provide support for all dual-factor authentication systems & security measures
- Create firewall rules & modifications as needed – troubleshoot anything that may arise.
- Monitor infrastructure security systems, IPS, Log correlation, Anti-Virus.

Job Requirements:
- 5-7 years experience with switching and routing in wide and local area networks
- 10+ years supporting enterprise networks
- Cisco Unified Communications Deployment & Support experience Vital.
- Experience in Configuration & Change Management processes
- Excellence in testing and documentation of procedures
- Strong grasp of networking concepts and design
- Knowledge of trusted credentials (e.g., tokens, 802.1x)
- Experience in implementing and monitoring audit and event logging and analysis
- Knowledge at the expert level of TCP/IP networks, connections, wiring and cabling, and network management
- Solid knowledge of Spanning Tree Protocol
- Solid knowledge of EIGRP / RIP2 / OSPF / BGP
- Solid knowledge of Stacking Protocols. VSS experience very advantageous
- Solid experience of Checkpoint on a Nokia IPSO Platform
- Experience with Extreme would be helpful but not required
- Experience with IPC Trader Turrets advantageous
- Exposure to VOIP, primarily Cisco Unified Communications Manager
- Advanced level networking certifications such as CCVP/CCNP (Cisco) & CCSA/CCSE (Checkpoint) an advantage
- Experience with EIGRP/OSPF/RIP2, STP/RSTP, Etherchannel, VLAN tagging/trunking, VRRP/HSRP, ACL and policy enforcement, SNMP1/2/3 and monitoring platforms, packet capture and interpretation.
- Experience with: BGP, QoS implementations, multicast protocols, VoIP, SONET/WAN transport, WAN switching and routing, Juniper SSL VPN, Cisco MDS SAN storage
- Experience with NAM, WAAS, GSS, ACE, WLC, MARS, 6500’s (all Cisco) – very advantageous



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Portfolio - Fund Accounting consultant

Financial client in Waltham, MA
Contract position

Candidates must be able to pass a background check including financial (no bankruptcys or bad debt), criminal, employment and education.


3-6 month contracts

1. Security Master cleanup, data maintenance, downloading data and loading up data into Product Master, creating spreadsheet tools to help spot data discrepancies and cleanup

2. Accounting expert ideally in the fund accounting area. Reconciling accounts and cleaning up transactions.

3. Performance calculation and corporate action experts

Aside from this regular BA skills, good communications, technical and project management skills will all be considered in making a decision.


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Systems Analyst with .NET

Client is a Boston based asset management firm.

3-6 month Systems Analyst contract position. The SA will work with our CRM development team on a major system upgrade. The responsibility of the SA is to document current system functionality and deliver a set of functional specifications for the new system development.

Skills and Competencies:

-Ability to reverse engineer System functionality to create Use cases, and Activity diagram
-Strong UML Knowledge
-.NET platform background a must to reverse engineer the Code if required
-Strong Analytical skills, System Analysis exposure
-Strong requirement gathering and Documentation skill
-Exposure to quality processes, writing test cases etc would be a plus

Characteristics:

-Integrity, flexibility, strong work ethic, reliability
-Enthusiasm, motivation, professionalism, maturity
-Consistently follows standardized processes
-Delivers completed work on schedule
-Effectively communicates with team members and managers
-Produces high quality products

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

SQL Server Architect / Developer

Client is a growing asset management firm in Boston.

Looking for contract or contract to hire candidates. Candidates with financial services experience preferred. Candidates must be local or be able to get themselves to Boston for an interview.


Description: Candidates must be able to do database architecture as well as develop code loaders, and stored procedures while considering performance and scalability issues. The work includes restructuring, re-architecting and enhancing of databases used for quantitative research and portfolio management (mainly market pricing and fundamentals). The consultant will be responsible for developing a database from scratch (design, development, and implementation).

-10+ years experience developing database applications.
-Heavy experience tuning DB's for performance and reliability
-Experience designing and building database systems.
-Experience developing applications with Microsoft SQL Server as a backend.
-Must have deep experience with SQL Server Database Internals.
-Experience with multidimensional databases/OLAP.
-Experience with .NET (VB or C#) and MatLab would be a plus.
-Experience with Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services, Reporting Services or Analysis Services.
-Previous experience building databases for an investment management firm is highly preferred.

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Financial Reporting Verification Specialist

6+ month contract
Must be able to attend an in person interview.
Location: Waltham, MA

The group is currently building a financial reporting application. They are looking for a candidate that can start testing the data on the reports coming out of the system to ensure that all the numbers are accurate.

Candidate must have financial reporting experience and knowledge calculating yields and dividend rates.

Candidate can interview and start immediately.

Preference given to local candidates.


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

SQL Server Developer - Financial

Mid sized and growing asset management firm in Boston.
Contract candidates will be considered, contract to hire is ideal.

Our clients Research Systems Group provides development and support to various Investment Divisions in all areas of the investment process, including research, portfolio construction and optimization, pre and post trade analytics, trading, middle and back office.


We are looking for a Database Developer who would work closely with business users, developers and third parties to identify areas where technology could be leveraged to enhance the investment process. The candidate would design and implement database systems and software solutions used for research, analysis, and trading.

Primary Responsibilities:

* Propose and design financial data solutions and interfaces.
* Architect, build or expand existing database systems for research, trading and operations functions across the firm.
* Implement applications based on the solutions proposed and work closely with users to test and integrate the applications into the current production environment.
* Support the applications developed as well as legacy systems.


Mandatory requirements:
* Undergraduate degree in technology discipline.
* 2 years experience developing database applications.
* Experience designing and building database systems.
* Experience developing applications with Microsoft SQL Server as a backend.
* Experience with .NET (VB or C#) would be a plus.
* Experience with Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services, Reporting Services or Analysis Services.


Skills:


* Proven ability to deliver quality applications based on given time estimates.
* Ability to provide creative solutions and desire to keep up with advances in technology.
* Excellent communication skills - both written and oral.
* Mathematics or other analytical background would be a plus.
* Knowledge of Matlab preferred.

Character:

* Self-starter, able to work as part of a small team as well as independently, with minimal supervision.
* High energy, positive attitude, professional and mature.

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Windows / Intel Systems Administrator

Contract to hire position at financial firm in Boston.

This is a mid level position.

Priority placed on Windows Server/Intel systems knowledge.

Microsoft Exchange, RedHat Linux, Citrix, VMware ESX, NetApp San, Bladelogic knowledge would be a plus but not a requirement.


SUMMARY:
The Systems Administrator position will participate in the monitoring, capacity planning, performance analysis, administration, documentation, and best practice policies and procedures for servers and storage architecture. The Systems Administrator will be responsible for reviewing servers to improve performance and efficiency of operation, monitor day-to-day activities and provide solutions to complex system, storage, and database issues to support business operations. The incumbent will provide consultation and implementation on complex projects and is considered to be a high level technology resource. A wide degree of creativity and latitude is expected.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
· Oversee the daily activities associated with support of multiple servers
· Evaluates system performance and make recommendations for improvement
· Act as an advisor to IT support teams regarding projects, tasks, and operations
· Manages problem resolution and workflow through issue tracking system
· Escalation point for server and storage issues
· Server support activities:
o System analysis as required or requested
o System “Best Practices” execution
§ Monitoring & alerts
§ Capacity planning
§ Patch management
§ Documentation
§ Solutions architecture
· Investigate, review, and document server and application system access security
· Implement configuration changes
· Pre-Production system environment setup and testing
· Collaborate on and implement best practices, policies and procedures for team
· Collaborate with team to develop server and storage strategy
· Prepare reports for management as required
· Represent IT Operations at various community and/or business meetings


KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:
· Ability to review and evaluate Windows Operating System performance and requirements

· Knowledge of data storage architectures and space allocation

· Familiar with a variety of the IT operation and workflow concepts, practices, and procedures

· Skill in examining and re-engineering operations and procedures, formulating policy, and developing and implementing new strategies and procedures

· Extensive experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals

· Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community

· Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing

· Knowledge of business practices and procedures

· Ability to advance a cooperative work environment

· Ability to perform server analyses and convey in documentation.

SYSTEMS/APPLICATIONS SUPPORTED OR USED:

o Microsoft Operating systems from XP and 2000 to Vista and 2003

o Active Directory

o Standard Intel/AMD architecture from Dell and HP

o Microsoft enterprise applications ranging from IIS to Exchange and SQL

o Vmware – Server and ESX

o Disk Architecture and management from local attached to NAS and SAN

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Financial Application Development Manager

Client is an Asset Management firm in Boston.

This is a full time, permanent position. Contract to hire may be considered.

Prior experience managing the development of Performance applications will be considering a big plus.


Overview:

The Application Development Manager will plan, coordinate and supervise all activities related to the analysis, design, development and implementation of Investment Performance applications. Responsibilities also include maintaining, supporting and upgrading existing applications. The Application Development Manager is expected to continually evolve internal development processes/procedures, effectively manage a staff of approximately 15 members, conduct individual performance reviews, and manage career development for team members. The team is comprised of business analysts, project managers and developers who are responsible for constructing and maintaining applications in direct support of business objectives. This position is based in Boston, MA with team members located in both Boston and India.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Lead the team in all aspects of software analysis, development, maintenance and support
• Manage and coordinate project activities through all phases of the project lifecycle
• Responsible for ensuring projects are delivered on time; actively manage project risks to keep projects on track in order to meet business expectations
• Introduce and/or streamline existing SDLC processes to increase efficiency of offshore development and documentation teams
• Work with cross-functional leadership to identify, define and execute process improvements across the project lifecycle to increase SDLC efficiencies and improve code quality
• Work with the application architect and the data architect to define and implement best practices and agreed upon standards, inclusive of: coding conventions, unit testing strategies, architectural patterns, etc.
• Perform resource management, planning and performance reviews
• Mentor team members to ensure proper direction and personal development

Mandatory requirements:

• Undergraduate degree in technology discipline or equivalent experience
• 5+ years experience in an IT organization with application development experience, preferably in a web-based environment
• 3-5 years experience in a managerial capacity within IT
• 3+ years experience in the financial services industry

Skills and Competencies:

• Excellent interpersonal skills, organizational expertise and attention to detail
• Ability to communicate with internal clients at all enterprise levels
• Ability to learn new concepts, systems, and software independently and quickly
• Willingness to take initiative, seeing problems through to final completion.
• The ability handle diverse situations and rapidly changing priorities with deadlines
• Ability to provide quality documentation of processes
• Motivation to work effectively and efficiently with minimal supervision
Characteristics:
• Integrity, flexibility, strong work ethic, reliability.



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Senior Lead C# Developer

Top tier asset management firm in downtown Boston.

This is a full time, permanent position. No sponsorship available.


Investment Management experience required

Primary Responsibilities:

-Propose and design technical solutions
-Create new system components
-Enhance existing components
-Provide remediation for existing system issues
-Participate in peer reviews (both code and design reviews)
-Produce effective technical documentation where needed

Mandatory requirements:

Familiarity with .NET 3.5 + C# 3.0 nice to have but not required
Several years of .NET experience, including 1-2 years of working with .NET 2.0
· Strong object-oriented design and patterns in .NET

· Strong preference for experience with .NET 3.0 technologies: WPF, WCF, WF (WCF = Windows Communication Foundation, WF = Windows Workflow Foundation)

· Familiarity with distributed enterprise applications (systems that span several physical machines)

· Database proficiency in Microsoft SQL Server (2000 or preferably 2005)

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Head of IT Infrastructure

This is a full time position for the fastest growing asset management firm in Boston.

Overview:

The IT Infrastructure Team is responsible for the technology infrastructure and technical support globally. The team consists of approximately 50 technology professionals whose key functions include IT Operations, Telecommunications, Market Data, Database Management, Service Desk, and Risk & Strategic Services including Business Continuity Planning.

Reporting to the Head of Information Technologies (CIO), the Head of IT Infrastructure provides global technology vision and leadership for formulating, evaluating, and implementing information technology solutions, policies and initiatives that improve the quality and effectiveness of the strategic goals and the efficiency of its business operations.

Primary Responsibilities:

. Management of IT Operations, Telecommunications, Market Data, Database Management, Service Desk, and Risk & Strategic Services teams

. Acts as a liaison with the Investment Systems, Client Systems and Research Systems application development teams and the Quality Assurance team to ensure full understanding of data flow, data integrity, and system security

. Assesses information technology control elements to mitigate IT risks regarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of business information

. Management of the IT Operations team for 7x24 operations and technical support

. Responsible for enterprise management of desktop systems, servers and data storage comprised primarily of Windows/Intel platform

. Responsible for the global network supporting all data, voice and video services including remote access and VoIP implementation

. Responsible for Data Center and Disaster Recovery Center operations

. Management of core firm-wide applications for messaging and data storage including Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server

. Planning and implementation of technical security including firewalls, anti-virus, spyware, spam, active directory and logical access

. Oversight of the business continuity planning and disaster recovery implementation and testing

. Manage relationships with the technology vendors and market data providers including Microsoft, Dell, Bloomberg, Reuters, Factset

. Work closely with the Facilities group for physical construction, moves, and support of the facilities applications including building access authorization

. Oversight of the IT audit for SAS70 certification



Mandatory requirements:

. 10+ years experience managing technical organizations

. 10+ years experience managing telecommunications

. 10+ years experience in the financial services industry

. 5+ years experience with offshore vendors

. 5+ years experience with Citrix, VMWare

Skills:

. Strong technical and management skills extremely important

. Self-directed and motivated

. Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

. Solid communication skills

Character:

. High energy, positive attitude, professional and mature

. Leadership qualities

. Ability to prioritize multiple tasks, set goals and meet deadlines



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Equity Trading Systems Developer

Primary Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, test, and enhance components of a service-oriented solution for a quantitative equity trading platform.
• Work closely with the project team to understand requirements and ensure that requirements are satisfied. The team consists of technical, trading, research and portfolio management professionals.
• Develop deep expertise in the equity trading platform, workflows, and data.
• This role is 20 to 30% analysis (gathering requirements, working directly with the Equity team) and the remainder is implementation.


Minimum Requirements:

• Subject matter expertise in equity trading.
• Minimum 5 years of technical experience developing/supporting any or all of the following:
o Execution management systems, third-party or in-house.
o Trade cost analysis tools, applications, or reports.
o Market data platforms, specifically tick data direct from exchange feeds or via third-party aggregators.
o Financial modeling (cost, risk, liquidity, etc)

Desired Skills and Experience:

• Technical (any combination of):
o Development languages: C#, Java, C++
o Execution Management Systems: InfoReach, FlexTrade, Athena Trader, ITG Triton
o Market data feeds: CQS, CTS, UQDF, UTDF, OMDF
o Messaging/middleware: TIBCO, 29West, MQ Series
o Time series databases: kdb+, Vhayu Velocity, FastTick
o CEP: Apama, Streambase
o Feed handler suites: Activ Financial, Wombat

• Business (any combination of):
o Equity trading
o Trade cost analysis
o Trade optimization

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Java / Matlab Financial Applications Developer

This position is for a top tier asset management firm in Boston.

Client will take either a permanent employee or a contractor.

Position Overview:

We are looking for a Software Developer to create innovative solutions for our investment divisions. You will be working with data and research departments, implementing a wide variety of applications, from research to trade resolution. This can be a contract or permanent position.

Responsibilities:

• Work closely with business users, research analysts and portfolio managers to identify areas where technology could be leveraged to enhance the investment process and achieve superior results.
• Propose and design technical solutions.
• Implement applications based on the solutions proposed and work closely with users to test and integrate the applications into the current production environment.
• Support the applications developed

Skills:

• College degree required.
• Over 4 years of experience developing with Java.
• Over 1 year working and developing with Matlab.
• Self-starter, able to work as part of a small team as well as independently, with minimal supervision.
• Excellent communication skills – both written and oral.
• Must be detail-oriented and able to prioritize work and effectively manage multiple tasks.
• Mathematics or other analytical background would be a plus.

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Information Architect

Investment management firm in Boston

Contract or contract to hire position.

Candidate will work in layout/design of web for internal and external users



· Responsible for the information architecture, user interface design, end-user usability, and GUI standards.

· Establish the GUI standards and authored design style guides, labeling standards

· Perform requirements gathering, analysis, research, layout and design for all projects .

· Produce clickable Visio prototypes usability tests, heuristic reviews, and concept walkthroughs.

· Lead design working sessions, created storyboards and a Visio wireframe library for all project elements.

· Author screen specifications & vision documents, use cases, stories and scenarios, design and test cases.

· Strong understanding of UI/UX


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Omni Conversion Program Manager

6-12 month contract
Candidate must be able to travel between Quincy and Windsor CT.

OmniPlus experience will be viewed favorably.



Objective: Manage the overall project execution and 10 sub teams to convert an existing book of Retirement Plans from one recordkeeping platform to another.

• Both platforms have OmniPlus as the core recordkeeping engine, with different surrounding peripheral applications.

• Each sub-team will include business SMEs, Project Management and Business Analyst resources.

• Engagement: Immediately through 12/31/09


Responsible for the management of the following tasks:
o Pilot client strategy
o Customer upgrade timing
- Define global considerations / business rules
- Consider all interested parties (including commission recipients)
o New features to be offered (or takeaways) in the new environment
o Document / service agreement update
o Product level defaults

• Execution
o Coordinate and deliver external communication
o Coordinate and track new plan doc execution (if required)
o ID all SuperOmni parameters and corresponding legacy location
o Develop strategy to automate setup where cost effective
o Document manual process to establish non-automated parameters
o Build and test programs to build set-up parameters on an automated basis
o ID all SuperOmni data points and corresponding legacy location
o Develop strategy to convert where possible, and application impact if not possible
o Document manual process to establish non-automated parameters
o Define pre- and post-conversion data


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

SQL Server Database Administrator - Permanent

Top tier investment firm in the financial district of Boston.

This is a full time, permanent position.

Department Profile:

The Database Administration and architecture team is responsible for supporting and architecture of a global SQL environment. Responsibilities would encompass day-to-day administration, daily maintenance and optimization tasks and assisting developers in the creation of new databases. The team also provides support to all vendor and packaged applications which use SQL server as a backend.

Overview:

Reporting to the Manager of Database and Architect, this senior level DBA would assist in providing world class support and leadership to our developers, application support and business teams.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES
- Manage a production environment consisting of 300+ databases, and 30 production SQL Server’s, most of which are read-intensive databases with a large data load cycle while some are OLTP-based mission critical trading systems
- Spearhead the restructuring and management of the production level backup and restore processes
- Manage HA solutions such as MS Cluster Server, XOSoft, PolyServe, SQL Replication, etc
- Manage DR solutions such as Database Mirroring, Log Shipping, Double-Take GeoCluster, SQL Replication
- Assist in the development of a GDOC (Global Database Operations Center) where our systems will be continuously monitored via 3rd party products, in-house scripts and a operational dashboard
- Manage the database security models, both in-house developed as well as Windows Auth (AD) based security. Also develop policies to restrict over-privileging and enforce it
- Provide 24x7 support to all mission critical production level systems
- Develop custom scripts to automate various database management processes (e.g. programmatically searching for non-indexed tables)
- Leverage 3rd party tools (e.g. Red-Gate) or in-house developed tools to troubleshoot
- Safeguard our production systems by implementing the right security policies as well as managing the MS service pack/hotfix deployment process
- Assist in the migration of SQL Server 2000 to SQL Server 2005 and/or 2008
- Assist in the database release management process, be the “gate-keeper” and ensure only QUALITY code is released into production
- Help troubleshoot performance problems using a variety of methods (tracing, query optimization review, error logs, etc)
- Assist in the build out of our SQL Server Analysis Services 2005 (SSAS) OLAP databases
- Provide development and production support for complex SSIS packages
- Architect and implement reports within SQL Server Reporting Services 2000/2005
- Define and maintain critical documentation including: Database Standards, Naming Conventions, Administrative Techniques, Troubleshooting Techniques, Processes, Rules and Regulations, Change Management, Best Practices, etc.

MANDATORY REQUIREMENTS
- An average of 5-6+ years total IT experience
- An average of 4-5+ years Database Administration (Includes Development, QA experience)
- An average of 1-2+ years Systems / Network / Application Administration
- Knowledge of the financial industry is preferred



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Enterprise Architect

Client is a $110 billion investment management firm in Boston.

Reporting to the Infrastructure Leader, the Enterprise Architecture ensures the viability, interoperability and reliability of technology by translating business requirements and business strategy into effective Enterprise solutions. This individual is also responsible for articulating the architectural vision, conceptualizing and experimenting with alternative architectural approaches, validating the architecture against business requirements, guide and support IT solutions, design and mentor development teams on methodologies, processes and guidelines.


Primary Responsibilities:

• Demonstrated application of architecture strategies, standards, processes, and tools in their solution designs
• Design of high quality application architectures that meet their customers requirements and are consistent with enterprise architectural standards
• Increased re-use and reduced redundancy in applications and technology designs
• Supports the development of strategy, frameworks, best practices and patterns for the application architects.
• Ensures compliance with all architecture directions and standards through cross organization consulting in development efforts.
• Works with constituents and the architectures to gain consensus and establish application architecture standards, policies and directions.
• Support the definition and selection of enterprise tools, technologies and processes
• Ensure representation from the all stakeholders in the design of application solutions
• Act as an expert in application design and development
• Monitor adherence to company standards in application design, development, and testing
• Assist in aligning business strategy to IT strategy. Actively seek opportunities to leverage current IT solutions for new business offerings and services. Align IT solutions with business functions to improve flexibility, facilitate large scale reuse, and improve comprehensibility and visibility of IT’s value to the business.
• Assess, formulate, and communicate go forward information architecture and technology direction for company, collaborating with IT development teams and business sponsors.
• Review and approve project deliverables to ensure that they are architecturally sound and achieve as great a degree of fit with the desired architectures as possible.
• Aggressively identify enterprise IT solution/technology initiatives that are of value. Collaborate with other architects and teams in execution of the initiatives
• Facilitate the availability of relevant technologies and tools to development teams in a timely manner, subject to technology availability
• Facilitate cross team collaboration.

Must have the ability to contribute to future vision and strategy by conducting research and proof of concepts, maintaining a broad knowledge of new technical tools and trends, and envisioning how those tools could be used in improving the business processes

Mandatory requirements:
• 10+ years in an IT Solutions Architecture role with heavy emphasis in .Net / Java (ideally in Financial sector)
• 10+ years in IT, application design, development and maintenance (ideally in the Financial sector)
• 10+ years experience managing technical organizations
• 3+ years experience with offshore vendors

Skills:
• Translate business strategy into technical vision and strategy
• Excellent communication skills, written and verbal
• Understand what the teams want and need from architecture
• Help teams see the value of the architecture and understand how to use it successfully
• Strong understanding of architecture principles and frameworks
• Experience with application and Integration design methodologies, standards and best practices
• Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) and business integration
• TIBCO, NetApps, or IBM MQ integration environments
• Experience with BI, EDWs, and DB environment
• Experience with security architecture
• Application Design, Development, and Testing – Software Life Cycle
• Management techniques and Tools for managing requirements, processes, and object versioning


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

2 SQL DBAs - Contract to hire or Permanent

Client is a world leading Private Equity firm headquartered in Boston.

There are two roles. Candidate be hired direct permanent or in a contract to hire role.

DESCRIPTION:
The Database Administrator will be part of the Information Technology department. Under the guidance of the Infrastructure Manager you will operate and maintain back office technologies.

TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE:
• 5+ years experience with SQL Server. Knowledge of versions 2000/2005/2008
• SQL server installation, database upgrades, performance tuning, profiler, named instances, backup/restore
• Experience with Data Warehouse Technology including ETL Process (Configure and Troubleshooting)
• Understanding of Storage requirements as they relate to Database Servers (SAN,Raid Types and Configurations)


RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Provide consistent SQL Server installations for Dev/QA/UAT/Prod including related components and version upgrades. Adhere to company security policies and standards to provide db access to groups of users and to administrators
• Work with Production and Development Teams on all designs, build and architectures for newly formed environments
• Set up of standard backup, re-indexing, consistency checking jobs. Administer security for users and applications. Set up Database Mail, log shipping, Replication, Linked Servers, monitoring and adjusting available drive space, SQL jobs
• Work with Production and Development to troubleshoot all Database related issues
• Work with Production and Development to report against and optimize all Database activity to provide reliable and efficient environments
• Work with Infrastructure group and other DBA’s to help design, implement and test Disaster Recovery for all production Tier One Database Servers
• Work with Infrastructure Team to design, implement and build scalable, reliable and efficient hardware (Including Clustering) into production environments
• Work with Worldwide Teams to help monitor, troubleshoot and optimize international Databases.
• Adhere to company change control polity and processes by providing release of changes to production databases. Ensure that changes to database security adhere to company security policy
• Work with all teams on production rollouts of applications and system builds
• Maintaining patch levels and applying service packs
• Provide after hours support on roll outs, upgrades and Tier One Incidents
• Monitor production hardware utilization and make recommendations as needed to ensure systems are working optimally. Make hardware recommendations for new database servers
• Provide Production Backup and restore of files for UAT/QA/Dev

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

CRM Business Analyst - Pivotal preferred

$105 billion asset management firm in Boston
Full time position

This is an experienced BA who is familiar with the web (internet,intranet) and CRM systems, preferably Pivotal.


Primary Responsibilities:
• Elicit the business community’s requirements for enhancing existing systems and creating new applications
• Work with the project manager to document the product’s vision and the project’s scope, analyzing systems and processes to identify gaps and opportunities
• Create detailed requirements documentation, including text, examples, workflows, and other diagrams where appropriate to facilitate understanding of the requirements
• Write requirements specifications according to standard templates, using natural language simply, clearly, unambiguously, and concisely
• Manage the requirements specifications, working as part of a team of in-house staff and outside consultants to confirm and implement the required changes
• Ensure that Quality Assurance test plans are executed before releasing product enhancements for User Acceptance Testing
• Facilitate the production release of new functionality and provide assistance in support of production issues
• Provide project managers with timely updates on the progress of assigned tasks
• Participate in high-level aspects of project budgeting

Mandatory Requirements:
• Undergraduate degree in technology discipline or equivalent experience
• 5+ years experience in an IT organization
• 3-5 years experience in a business analyst role, including experience writing business requirements documents and QA test plans
• 3+ years experience in the financial services industry, preferably in the asset management sector
• 2-3 years experience with database applications, software development, and implementation projects

Skills and Competencies:
• Extremely strong interpersonal, interviewing, and listening skills
• Proven ability to work directly with the business community, handle demanding user groups, and communicate with internal clients at all enterprise levels
• Analytical skills, including the ability to critically evaluate the information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a more general understanding, and distinguish requests and solution ideas from requirements
• Writing skills, capability to communicate information effectively and provide quality documentation of processes, UML preferred
• Attention to process and procedures to comply with internal/external audits


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Performance Business Systems Analyst

$105 billion asset management firm in Boston
Full time position

This is a seasoned BA who has specialized knowledge of investment performance and analysis including experience in the areas of asset allocation; asset classes; absolute return strategies; and performance measurement, attribution, and evaluation.

This person will be the Subject Matter Expert for the new Global Performance Reporting System. New system development is currently in the early, early stages of requirements gathering/documentation.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Work with business users to develop and document business rules and requirements for performing investment performance analysis
• Elicit requirements using interviews, document analysis, requirements workshops, surveys, site visits, business process descriptions, use cases, scenarios, business analysis, task and workflow analysis.
• Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding, and distinguish user requests from the underlying true business needs.
• Utilize a broad-based knowledge of enterprise-wide requirements definition processes and methodologies to analyze information needs, business objectives, and requirements to document all project artifacts (such as Functional requirements, Business Rules, Use Cases, and Interface designs)
• Be the liaison between the business units, technology teams and support teams and serve as the conduit between the customer community (internal and external customers) and the software development team through which requirements flow.
• Collaborate with developers and subject matter experts to establish the technical vision and analyze tradeoffs that may be required to meet business needs.

Mandatory Requirements:
• Minimum of five years of investment-related experience in the financial services industry
• Specialized knowledge of investment performance and analysis including experience in the areas of asset allocation; asset classes; absolute return strategies; and performance measurement, attribution, and evaluation
• Strong analytical and product management skills required, including a thorough understanding of how to interpret customer business needs and translate them into application and operational requirements.

Desirable Requirements:
• Professional certification as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) or progress towards that certification is highly desirable
• A Certificate Investment in Investment Performance Management (CIPM) is very highly desirable

Skills and Competencies:
• Extremely strong interpersonal, interviewing, and listening skills
• Proven ability to work directly with the business community, handle demanding user groups, and communicate with internal clients at all enterprise levels
• Writing skills, capability to communicate information effectively and provide quality documentation of processes, UML preferred
• Organizational skills, strong attention to detail, ability to prioritize multiple tasks, handle diverse situations, set goals, and meet deadlines
• Attention to process and procedures to comply with internal/external audits



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Financial Programmer

$105 billion asset management firm in Boston
Full time position - no sponsorship

We are looking for a skilled programmer to help in the development and evolution of our research, portfolio management, and trading platforms. We are looking for someone who is more interested in tackling tough problems than in developing software. An interest in finance is a definite plus, but more importantly we are looking for people with a quantitative orientation and an ability to be self-sufficient. While you would be working as part of a larger team and will initially be assigned very specific tasks, you will eventually only be given general direction and be expected to follow up on your own ideas and take ownership of the process.

Specifically, we are looking for demonstrated experience using a variety of technologies to design and code solutions to difficult problems. Knowledge of specific languages (Java and SQL in particular) and platforms (Linux and Windows) is a plus, but more important is an understanding of the basic frameworks (object-oriented programming, relational databases, networking, file systems, etc.). In addition, experience dealing with challenges involving any or all of the following would be helpful: real-time data processing, multi-threaded programming, socket programming, string parsing. An ideal candidate will also have a strong mathematics background and in particular be familiar with the basic concepts from linear algebra. Finally, it is essential to be able to work productively and independently with a variety of technologies and platforms, using the best tool for each job.

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Senior Network & Voice Engineer

Full time position.
Financial services experience a big plus.
No sponsorship. Candidates must be local and available for an in person interview.

The Senior Network Engineer will be reporting to the manager of the Network & Security team which is responsible for the day to day operations and architecture of the global network. Responsibilities include troubleshooting issues with routing, protocols, all LAN / WAN based activities, vendors, Cisco & IPC voice systems, market data connectivity, remote access systems, RSA authentication, Anti-Virus, DHCP, DNS, 3rd party VPNs, Firewalls.

Client this year has doubled the size of its metro network, with two new data centers now in production and a fully-converged voice network.

Overview:
We are looking for a skilled senior network & voice professional with experience of network design and deployment, working on a highly available network. You must enjoy working as part of a team and be prepared to work outside of usual business hours. The candidate must have strong troubleshooting skills, be able to balance creative solutions with the ability to work within a change-management maintenance environment. The ideal candidate will have experience in deploying and maintaining a Cisco VoIP converged network and will be energetic, flexible and committed to excellence. Financial services experience a plus.


Primary Responsibilities:
- Responsible for maintaining the enterprise network including wide area and local area networks as well as IP convergence.
- Install and maintain routers and switches in various network configurations supporting VLANs, Qos, VoIP, and advanced access-lists.
- Manage the global voice system - Cisco Unified Communications Manager 6.0 & 3rd party applications / systems. Including IPC trader voice systems, Unified Presence, Mobility.
- Plan, monitor, evaluate, and manage performance of network systems and makes recommendations for improvement/upgrades.
- Ensure that network issues arising on a day-to-day operation are identified, reported, and technically resolved.
- Provide support for remote access systems
- Provide support for all dual-factor authentication systems & security measures
- Create firewall rules & modifications as needed – troubleshoot anything that may arise.
- Monitor infrastructure security systems, IPS, Log correlation, Anti-Virus.

Job Requirements:
- 5-7 years experience with switching and routing in wide and local area networks
- 10+ years supporting enterprise networks
- Cisco Unified Communications Deployment & Support experience Vital.
- Experience in Configuration & Change Management processes
- Excellence in testing and documentation of procedures
- Strong grasp of networking concepts and design
- Knowledge of trusted credentials (e.g., tokens, 802.1x)
- Experience in implementing and monitoring audit and event logging and analysis
- Knowledge at the expert level of TCP/IP networks, connections, wiring and cabling, and network management
- Solid knowledge of Spanning Tree Protocol
- Solid knowledge of EIGRP / RIP2 / OSPF / BGP
- Solid knowledge of Stacking Protocols. VSS experience very advantageous
- Solid experience of Checkpoint on a Nokia IPSO Platform
- Experience with Extreme would be helpful but not required
- Experience with IPC Trader Turrets advantageous
- Exposure to VOIP, primarily Cisco Unified Communications Manager
- Advanced level networking certifications such as CCVP/CCNP (Cisco) & CCSA/CCSE (Checkpoint) an advantage
- Experience with EIGRP/OSPF/RIP2, STP/RSTP, Etherchannel, VLAN tagging/trunking, VRRP/HSRP, ACL and policy enforcement, SNMP1/2/3 and monitoring platforms, packet capture and interpretation.
- Experience with: BGP, QoS implementations, multicast protocols, VoIP, SONET/WAN transport, WAN switching and routing, Juniper SSL VPN, Cisco MDS SAN storage
- Experience with NAM, WAAS, GSS, ACE, WLC, MARS, 6500’s (all Cisco) – very advantageous



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Defined Contributions Business Analyst

6 month contract, five roles currently open

Senior Business Analyst Job Description

Reporting into a senior Project manager, the business analyst will be responsible for writing business requirements for changes to legacy systems. The analyst will work with the business groups and the IT groups to define the changes needed to support new functionality for the systems. The requirements documents will contain business reasons, objectives, and define all user scenarios.

Experience/Qualifications:

· Defined Contributions Retirement Services experience a must
· Requirements Definition
· User Acceptance Testing (defined as business testing)
· Process and Workflow development
· Detailed processing procedures development
· Previous lead BA experience, must be able to work independently and lead business users through decision making process
· Sungard Omni experience a plus

Project responsibilities:

· Review requirements previously documented to identify potential gaps/issues; supplement requirements documentation and/or developed new documentation from newly identified requirements
· Lead business user through issue resolution and future state process definition
· Document future state process flows
· Partner with IT BA during Systems Testing to approve strategy and conditions, identify and prioritize defects, understand potential workaround, accept/reject defects
· Conduct and/or oversee Business Users in User Acceptance Test phase (UAT).
· Work with technical writer to develop detailed processing procedures
· May be asked to contribute to business communication and training plans

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Project Manager

Client is one of the nation's top private managers of both fixed income and credit instruments.

Candidates needs to be able to manage Agile processes and Scrum processes – needs financial services - and good PM experience

DESCRIPTION:

This position will be working directly with one of the business units. The person will participate as the project manager across all technology related initiatives from inception to implementation. This position will monitor and document progress, report on milestone deliverables, risks and costs across ongoing technology initiatives.


RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Monitor and document project task list and progress for assigned projects
• Attend project status meetings and works closely with the development team lead and business analyst to document project status
• Develop reports/dashboard for project on milestones, deliverables, risks and budget
• Maintains burn rate by project, provides budgeted vs. actual cost analysis
• Maintains overall project task list that includes tasks/issues/risks across all technology initiatives
• Maintains overall project calendar that includes mid level plans across all technology initiatives
• Responsible for overall status reporting to Technology Steering Committee
• Facilitates inter project communication and is the Contact point for the Steering committee; Responsible for coordinating / maintaining task list and initiatives for Steering committee
• Works closely with business analysts/development managers to document inter-project risks
• Responsible for project coordination toolset and project reporting standards
• Responsible for implementation PLC process across all technology initiatives


TECHNOLOGY AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE:
• Experience with a large, functionally diverse, and informed user base that demands high quality applications.
• Experience with reporting status, milestones, deliverables across multiple technology initiatives
• Experience with project management reporting tools
• Exposure to investment concepts / terminology and systems related to fixed income investments
• Exposure to financial application implementation related to fixed income investments
• Familiarity with multiple architectures: n-tier, .NET, client-server, etc. and multi-system application integration
• Fundamental understanding of software development lifecycle



QUALIFICATIONS:

• PMP certification required
• 2-3 years experience in the project management and reporting
• 5-6 years experience in software development and technology implementation
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Chief Architect

Client is a world leading Private Equity firm headquartered in Boston.

This is a full time, permanent role.

DESCRIPTION:

This position will be spearheading the formation of an Enterprise Architecture team. The person will report to a Sr. VP in the Information Technology team and will drive enterprise-wide architecture decisions related to software development and application standards across all lines of business.


QUALIFICATIONS:

• The ability to syndicate, influence and achieve results in a matrixed environment.
• Expert communication skills (verbal and written) with the ability to communicate complex issues to technical and non-technical audiences that include peers, partners, and IT and Business management
• Experience in financial services or collaboration platforms as used in management consulting, legal, investment banking, and private equity firms.
• Expertise in designing and building Data Warehouse, Business Intelligence and Collaboration applications
• Advanced degree / certification (e.g., MB.A. or Advanced Technology Degree) preferred
• 8-10 years experience in software development and technology implementation
• Outstanding interpersonal and communication skills


RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Serves as the overall design and engineering lead for the enterprise, responsible for leading architecture strategy, vision, systems integration and technology selection processes
- Owns Enterprise Framework
- Drive software governance
• Has business and technical expertise as the incumbent will work with users and application development teams to understand and jointly craft technology strategy, application architectures and engineering solutions as required
• Works with all application development managers and project teams to create solutions architectures and system designs that align business needs with target state architectures
• Sets the overall guidelines, standards and architectural principles for architecting solutions across the application portfolio
- Manages the governance of these standards at the program and project level
- Drives analysis regarding emerging technologies and translate implications of the new technology into an effective IT vision and assesses design decisions impacts lines of business, and is an integral part of the decision making process along with senior management.
• Owns and operates the Architecture/Design Review process, evaluating all significant application, data and infrastructure projects and production systems
- Design recommendations are made to project and application development teams.
- Design issues are resolved via coordinated interaction with the AD teams.
• Drives technology selection process and manages the software and tech stack
• Works in conjunction with the Production Services team to ensure hardware/software compatibility
• Provides oversight and direction of technology & vendor solution BUY/HOLD/SELL list
• Drives concepts/architectures over long time horizons. (18-24 month planning horizons)
• Identifies risks associated with the enterprise architecture and various technologies
• Provides guidance in industry trends and vendor practice
• Establishes and maintains a profile as a technology leader both inside and outside of the firm



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Java Websphere developer

Mutual fund firm in Boston

This is a full time, permanent position.

BASIC PURPOSE:

The Web Engineer II is a technical resource in the Web support team and is responsible for the implementation and effective and efficient maintenance of related technologies. In addition, this individual has broader knowledge of Information Technology at large, with an understanding of related disciplines and how they interoperate. The Web Engineer II will be an active participant and contributor for leading implementation and troubleshooting efforts and aiding in design efforts.

PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

Serves as senior subject matter expert in the field of Web technologies, maintaining a strong understanding of the field and its related technologies.
Provides technical support to ensure the ongoing efficient and reliable operations of related information systems.
Proactively develops and maintains strong knowledge of information systems and their related components, and makes recommendations to improve the reliability, scalability, performance, or security of these systems as appropriate. This includes proactive performance tuning and capacity analysis to ensure company is maximizing its technology investment.
Leverages technology to automate manual tasks, and seeks to improve efficiency wherever practicable and appropriate.
Enforces and maintains company Information Security controls, procedures, and standards. Aids in the development of controls, procedures and standards as required.
Receives broad goals and overall objectives from Management and assists in establishing and implementing the methods to attain them.
Accountable for meeting assigned project objectives including timelines and budgeting.
Serve as technical mentor other members of the team.
Implements/administers Web technologies using web application servers (IBM Websphere and Portal, Apache, IIS, ColdFusion).
Good knowledge of operating systems (UNIX, Linux, NT) and application hardening experience.
A solid understanding of Java classes, foundations and framework strongly preferred.


JOB REQUIREMENTS:

Strong subject matter expertise in the field, with familiarity with other related Information Technologies.
Solid understanding of Systems Development Life Cycle models
Demonstrated ability to interact and communicate well with members of senior management.
Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
Strong interpersonal, communication, and negotiation skills.
Strong organizational and financial skills.
Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in a related technical field.
Four or more (4+) years of related Information Technology experience.


Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Performance Measurement Business Systems Analyst

Client is a leading investment management firm located in the financial district of Boston

The IT Client Systems Team is responsible for the development and support of Corporate Business applications. This team consists of approximately 35 technology professionals whose key functions include application development, system integration, application support, and production support. The supported business areas are Client Services, Performance Analytics, Business Development, Renewable Resources, Finance, and Human Resources.

Overview:
Reporting to the BA Group Manager, the Business Analyst will work within our Client Systems Development Group on projects related to performance measurement and reporting. client utilizes a proprietary shareholder services and performance measurement system (GPRS) that is continually being enhanced. This system is in the process of being upgraded to a new development platform. The individual will collaborate with the business community to document the existing GPRS system and create comprehensive business requirements documents for ongoing enhancements and the upgrade of the product. The person in this role will work with the software development group to convey, clarify, and improve the stated requirements and solutions. This individual will translate business needs into functional specifications to ensure that the business partners’ functional requirements are fulfilled, and that the enhancements as well as the newly upgraded GPRS system conform to the specifications. In addition, the Business Analyst will work with business users and/or Quality Assurance to ensure that test plans are executed and that the final deliverables are accepted in a timely fashion. This individual will work very closely with the GPRS project manager and will keep her apprised of the status of assigned tasks. In this role, the Business Analyst will interact with the Performance Analytics group as well as other business areas of the organization. This position is based in Boston, MA.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Document current functionality in the system at increasing levels of detail, including all mathematical formulas and business rules
• Elicit the business community’s requirements for enhancing the existing GPRS system and shaping the architecture for the upgraded performance measurement application
• Work with the project manager to document the product’s vision and the project’s scope, analyzing systems and processes to identify gaps and opportunities
• Create detailed requirements documentation, including text, examples, workflows, and other diagrams where appropriate to facilitate understanding of the requirements
• Write requirements specifications according to standard templates, using natural language simply, clearly, unambiguously, and concisely
• Manage the requirements specifications, working as part of a team of in-house staff and outside consultants to confirm and implement the required changes
• Ensure that Quality Assurance test plans are executed before releasing product enhancements for User Acceptance Testing
• Contribute knowledge and support to QA and UAT teams throughout the process of testing the application’s workflow and functionality
• Facilitate the production release of new functionality and provide assistance in support of production issues
• Acquire and impart business knowledge to the development team regarding the functionality of the application and workflow processes
• Create end-user, operational and ‘as-built’ documentation to accompany each release of the product
• Provide managers with timely updates on the progress of assigned tasks
• Participate in high-level aspects of project budgeting
• Perform miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned

Mandatory Requirements:
• Undergraduate degree in technology discipline or equivalent experience
• 5+ years experience in an IT organization
• 3-5 years experience in a business analyst role, including experience writing business requirements documents and QA test plans
• 3+ years experience in the financial services industry, preferably in the asset management sector
• 2-3 years experience developing or supporting performance measurement or attribution systems
• 2-3 years experience with database applications, software development, and implementation projects
• Strong technical and analytical skills particularly related to financial analysis and investments

Skills and Competencies:
• Extremely strong interpersonal, interviewing, and listening skills
• Proven ability to work directly with the business community, handle demanding user groups, and communicate with internal clients at all enterprise levels
• Analytical skills, including the ability to critically evaluate the information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, abstract up from low-level information to a more general understanding, and distinguish requests and solution ideas from requirements
• Writing skills, capability to communicate information effectively and provide quality documentation of processes
• Organizational skills, strong attention to detail, ability to prioritize multiple tasks, handle diverse situations, set goals, and meet deadlines
• Motivation to work efficiently with minimal supervision, willingness to take initiative and employ good follow-through skills
• Ability to learn new concepts, systems, and software independently and quickly
• Attention to process and procedures to comply with internal/external audits

Characteristics:
• Integrity, flexibility, strong work ethic, reliability
• Enthusiasm, motivation, professionalism, maturity

Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.

Senior Technical Project Manager - CRM and Reporting Systems

Full time position at top performing asset management firm in Boston.

Senior Technical Project Manager to lead cross-functional project teams through all phases of the project lifecycle. The person filling this role must be well versed in iterative development practices and have a proven track record of delivering projects within planned limits of schedule, scope and resources, all the while meeting business expectations. This position’s primary responsibilities are to manage the mid to large scale internet projects and to provide leadership and mentoring to junior staff. Leadership, Mentoring, Team building, Scope, Risk and Schedule Management are all vitally important skills in this position.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

No direct reports

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Manage and coordinate project activities through all phases of the project lifecycle
• Develop detailed project plans to effectively communicate deliverables, schedules and responsibilities
• Work with functional managers to acquire needed resources
• Prepare, manage and report on overall project schedule and budget
• Coordinate day-to-day activities required to meet project milestones and to deliver a quality product on time
• Evaluate, track and actively manage project risks to keep projects on track
• Facilitate effective communication between project team members
• Develop productive working relationships with colleagues and stakeholders including, but not limited to Marketing and Client Services, HR/Finance, IT and third party service providers/vendors that are integral to the project delivery
• Provide post-release analysis to contribute to continuous improvement
• Conducts project reviews at each phase gate of the SDLC
• Serve as mentor and coach to junior project managers


QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5+ years of Project Management experience in a high performing IT environment, within Financial Services preferred
• Must be well versed in iterative development practices and familiar with .NET technologies
• Proven track record of delivering projects on time and within budget
• Well versed in Microsoft Project: task creation, resource allocation and management, baselining schedule, tracking dependencies, impact analysis, identifying critical path, etc
• Strong leadership, interpersonal, team building and motivational skills
• Effective time management, self starter, proactive and responsive to changes in priorities
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with a strong ability to communicate across all levels in the organization ( technical, business, executive)
• PMI Certification a plus
• Knowledge of systems and processes relating the Financial Services industry also a plus
• Bachelor's Degree in a related discipline is required.



Please contact Albert Barsoumian with qualified resumes via email at albert@collabstaff.com or via phone at 508-872-7402.