Candidates About

Mark Simons

IT Project Leader & Senior Systems Analyst

Dynamic, innovative project manager with 30 years of experience leading systems maintenance, support, transition, and upgrade projects within the logistics industry. Analytical strategist credited with implementing systems that have substantially reduced costs and improved efficiency, as well as with managing the project life cycle through all phases, including RFP development and vendor selection. Outstanding leader, capable of successfully solidifying contracts, directing cross-functional teams, communicating across business lines, and training individuals to fulfill key roles.

Strategic Technical Planning ● Logistics Interface Management ● Vendor Selection & Negotiations

System Maintenance & Upgrades ● RFP Development & Selection ● Cost Reductions

System Design & Implementation ● Schedule & Budget Management ● US Customs Compliance

Warehouse Management System Expert ● Data Migration ● Team Leadership & Training

EPSON AMERICA, INC., Long Beach, CA

Project Manager, 1999 – Present

Spearheaded crucial system updates and upgrades, interacting with consultants to determine strategic plans and directing project teams through all phases, from planning, vendor selection, and User Acceptance Testing, to integration, implementation, and maintenance, throughout transition from a 500,000 sq. ft. warehouse to a 750,000 sq. ft. facility. Ensured clear and consistent communication with management, various business units, and vendors throughout project life cycles.

Key Accomplishments:

§  Led and supported a manifest interface project resulting in annual freight cost reductions of $300,000 by implementing a new release of FedEx Ship Manager Server, ensuring project success by leading integration across development, QA, and production areas, coordinating collaboration with technical services and data communications teams, and recognizing and resolving JSOX shortcomings, in addition to increasing shipping accuracy, improving transportation times, and reducing customs clearance fees by implementing an additional manifest interface project with a new carrier in Canada.

§  Cultivated extensive knowledge in order to develop internal training programs, based on a train the trainer concept, by collaborating with vendors to develop customized materials from vendor manuals and delivering Super User training at the warehouse, for new business liaison members, and for IS staff.

§  Directed the implementation of a new Warehouse Management System (WMS)/Transportation Management System (TMS) resulting in the long-term replacement of a paper-based shipping application and manually maintained inventory tool, by participating in key project phases, including RFP development and reviews, software vendor selection, site surveys, and contract development, in addition to leading the multi-phase process of successfully completing the project within timeline and budgetary constraints.

§  Ensured WMS/TMS project success by managing contracts, design documentation, system flow conceptualization, the preparation and configuration of the WMS environment, system change and requirements communications, and interface testing and problem resolution.

§  Drove successful integration of the new SAP Enterprise Resource Planning Tool alongside other crucial systems as the subject matter expert regarding the WMS/TMS systems, serving as a key technical contact throughout early planning and communication, as well as integration.

§  Authored over 100 test cases, including a test case repository, in collaboration with internal Lotus Notes Developers, to allow for multiple iterations of testing.

§  Facilitated long-term system success and improved accuracy of customer freight charges by coordinating upgrades, including version release upgrades and the development of an automated freight expense validation and electronic audit, as well as Oracle 7, 9i, and 12c transitions, operational optimizations, implementation of JSOX compliant procedures, and customer compliance data pass through.

§  Improved interface efficacy and positioned Epson as an industry leader by directing blue printing, integration, configuration, and implementation teams in transitioning the organization from an isolated, legacy Customs Clearance and Security Tool to an integrated SAP Global Trade Service

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application, and subsequent system upgrades from GTS 10.0 to GTS 10.1, allowing direct import processing with U.S. Customs and ensuring successful fulfillment of U.S. Customs import requirements.

§  Strengthened the transition to the SAP GTS by implementing new systems and procedures to communicate with internal and external partners, extracting legacy import system data for integration into the new system (through data cleansing, data migrations support, systems modifications support, testing, legacy data disposition, and more), and validating data mapping between new host data conversions and data extracted in flat file, fixed position formats.

§  Minimized impact on other business areas and sales by collaborating with other teams to develop strategic implementation schedules that rolled project components out in 3 phases.

§  Collaborated with internal and external auditors to provide an overview of how the legacy system and SAP interfaced with WMS by analyzing data using SQL-Plus, as well as with the security team to respond to inquiries regarding external audit questions.

§  Improved logistics operational efficiency by stewarding the implementation of project tracking software, including Alchemist, Clarity, and BMC Footprint, to create current projects while maintaining project efforts and providing JSOX Documentation, all in compliance with JSOX, PCI, and IT audits.

§  Managed technical contact with vendors, such as Dematic, Novatran, and FedEx, to troubleshoot issues and ensure optimal code maintenance, in addition to participating in vendor selection when technical expertise was required for software selection.

§  Contributed to internal documentation maintenance throughout organizational transition to a publicly held company, enforcing Japanese Sarbanes-Oxley requirements.

CONSOLIDATED STORES INC., Dominguez, CA 

Project Manager, 1997 – 1999

Led efforts to support, upgrade, and maintain buying and store ordering systems for 325 stores, managing all aspects of merchandising systems life cycles. Ensured liability insurance eligibility by designing and implementing revisions to the existing merchandising system, allowing identification of Hazardous Materials from purchasing through distribution, across multiple operating platforms.

Key Accomplishments:

§  Led project that resulted in $500,000 in annual savings on communications and transaction fees, as well as advanced internal sales audit capabilities, by enhancing an existing POS system to centrally process credit card settlements.

§  Redesigned and implemented changes to chain-wide store ordering system resulting in an annual saving of $150,000 in transportation costs, an extra day for stores to assess inventories, and automated features that balanced daily warehouse workloads.

§  Saved $50,000 in consulting fees by directing the successful transition of corporate merchandising data from an in-house designed mainframe environment to the Consolidated Stores Intrepid merchandising environment.

KIDS MART INC., Project Manager, City of Industry, CA, 1995 – 1997

RALPH’S GROCERY COMPANY INC., Senior System Analyst, Compton, CA, 1987 – 1995

S.E. RYKOFF & CO., Programmer Analyst, Los Angeles, CA, 1986 – 1987

CROWN INC., Senior Programmer, Cerritos, CA, 1984 – 1986

Coleman College, La Mesa, CA, Associate in Science, Computer Science

Applaud & Recognition Award (Epson) • Kaizen Award for Continuous Improvement (Epson)

Languages: PL/SQL, COBOL II, RPG ILE, MS Access Basic, DYL280, SAS, JCL, CL, Basic Assembler
Hardware: IBM ES2003-126, 3090-400J, 4361, 5331, AS/400 models 400 & 510, PC and clones
Software: Oracle 7i, 9i and 12c, OS/390, OS/MVS, OS/400, CICS/VS, VSAM, DB2, IDCAMS, TSO, ANSI X12, ROSCOE, ICCF, SDF, BMS, MS Access 2.0 & 7.0, MS/DOS, SQL-Plus, FOX PRO 2.5, IBM JCL, SAP R/3,

SAP GTS, Control M
Applications: iristaWarehouse (Dematic), iristaShip (Novotran Solutions), FedEx Ship Manager Server, UPS Host Access, SAP GTS