Darren Clark
Senior Manager Information Technology
darren@advisetek.com
(626) 665-5088

PROFILE
Senior Technology manager with 9 years of progressive experience and a track record of solution development, technology management, as well as delivery and operation of large, multi-million dollar, global, complex technology infrastructures. Proven ability demonstrated in highly respected companies: Ernst & Young LLP, Sprint; as well as several start-ups: paymybills.com, Overture Services (formerly goto.com); along with independent consulting at Deloitte & Touche LLP and EMC.

KEY AREAS OF EXPERTISE: Senior Technology Management - Complex Technology Solutions - Information Technology Strategy - Organizational Development - Project/Program Management - Enterprise Architecture Planning


EMPLOYMENT BACKGROUND / TRANSFERABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Senior Director, Production Operations 2002 – Present
Director, Enterprise Systems 2001- 2002
Overture Services (formerly Goto.com) - Pasadena, California

Directed the design, deployment, and operation of a global production infrastructure that generated multi-million dollar revenues via targeted search marketing. Responsible for developing information technology capabilities and strategy, as well as leading company-wide, business-critical initiatives. Including: technology related product solutions, global program / project management, information technology strategy, organizational development (team building), system architecture, career development programs and global system implementations. Managed an organization of 35 technology professionals with 5 direct reports.

Accomplishments:
April 2002 to Present

• Managed the production infrastructure through all technical aspects of the product lifecycle: design, build, test and support. Managed the production operations organization consisting of: database administration and architecture, system engineering and administration, and data storage management (100+ TB).

• Reduced monthly recurring costs for the productions systems by over 40% (7-figure savings) by performing in depth analysis and renegotiation on all infrastructure costs and vendor agreements: Sprint, C&W, Qwest, Quest, Cisco, Sun, Oracle, EMC, HP.

• Reduced capital expenditures for new products by leading the design and implementation of low cost Intel/Linux based serving solution, saving several million dollars.

• Provided assistance to the product development organization in the form of technology consultation and financial analysis of technology related costs.

• Managed numerous, large-scale data center migrations and product deployments within budget and on time.

• Led the development and implementation of standard procedures for support and integration activities for product related infrastructure deployments.

• Introduced Enterprise Architecture Planning and worked with executive management (COO, CIO, CFO, CTO) to establish improved product design criteria for translating business strategy into right-sized technology solutions (product design, solution architecture, deployment, quality assurance, and production operations).

May 2001 to April 2002

• Senior Manager focused on implementing and supporting the systems required for the operation of the company's databases, as well as the associated applications and reporting systems. The Enterprise Systems organization consisted of database administration and system administration resources that handled the engineering and operation of very large, business critical databases (5 TB+) and CRM / business automation systems.

• Increased system performance and up-time metrics to above 99.9% by re-engineering and migrating the back-end systems to a new architecture consisting of enterprise class servers and advanced SAN technologies, couple with clustering and improved archival technology.

• Managed through a three-fold increase in data storage and processing requirements due to large rise in the volume and scale of the business.

• Managed several cross-functional projects across the Technology organization, including: development of a project management framework, technical product development guidelines, and capacity planning.

• Provided executive management with regular briefings covering the state of operations, emerging technologies, and process improvement.
  

Consultant 2000 – 2001
Independent - Los Angeles, California

• Provided project planning and integration services focused on networking, storage and security technologies. Including: system architecture, project management, and global system implementations.

• Deloitte & Touche LLP - Managed the assessment, design, and deployment of VPN solution in order to allow mobile workers to access and share corporate resource from engagement sites or remote offices. Developed the business and technical requirements, as well as the associated budgets and project plans.

• EMC - Supported sales and technical management in developing business justification for data storage migrations and implementations. Provided financial analysis and program management expertise for sales opportunities across several industries. Developed proposals and business justifications (ROI/TCO analysis).
  

Director, Technology Operations 2000
Idealab (paymybills.com) - Pasadena, California

Responsible for managing the production technology operations throughout the organization for an online bill payment start-up, including: networking, system and database administration, and security. Managed a staff of 18 people with 3 direct reports.

Accomplishments:

• Managed the design and deployment of a $5.8 million production, next-generation web infrastructure to provide maximum uptime and security for business critical financial applications.

• Worked closely with the product and business development teams on several investment and partnership opportunities.

• Implemented capacity planning processes in order to minimize the expense associated with providing capacity to accommodate the needs of the business.

• Developed standard operating procedures for engineering and system administration efforts.

• Managed the development and implementation of Service Operations Center that handled all tier 1 issues with partners, affiliates, and vendors.

• After acquisition by Paytrust Inc., served as the Technology Integration manager for Paymybills.

Service Delivery Manager 1998 – 2000
Sprint E-Solutions - Universal City, California

Managed the professional services organization for the Los Angeles branch of Sprint E-Solutions. Responsibilities included P&L accountability for the branch and all consulting engagements, as well staffing and budgeting. Managed a staff of 26 people with 4 direct reports.

Accomplishments:

• Managed a staff of consultants on various technology projects ranging from system support and integration, to network and Internet technology deployments for several Fortune 500 companies and Internet start-ups.

• Managed numerous, large scale technology integration projects focused on integrating network, server, and database technologies.

• Performed extensive financial analysis in order to justify capital expenditures for technology initiatives.

• Provided business development support in the form of technical presentations to executive level clients, development of account sales strategy, and the creation of proposals.

• Conducted several process and capability assessments for clients based on the Capability Maturity Model.

• Grew the branch from 5 employees and $150K in monthly revenue to 26 employees and over $500K in monthly revenue.

Network Engineer 1996 – 1998
Ernst and Young LLP - Los Angeles, California

Supported a multi-protocol enterprise that consisted of Novell, Microsoft, Compaq, Sun and Cisco components. Supported the LAN and WAN infrastructure that supported over 5,000 end users across 9 offices and numerous client engagements.

Accomplishments:

• Served as a liaison to various departments to determine technology requirements. Coordinated and managed the projects to completion.

• Played key role in several technology deployments and upgrades, including lead engineer and project manager.

• Managed the installation of private line connectivity to client sites to allow for real-time collaboration and information exchange.

• Worked on several consulting engagements providing technical integration expertise for network and Internet technology deployments.

• Designed and implemented redundant remote access infrastructure to minimize downtime and ensure consultant productivity.