Philip Pizza
Lakeville
Summary
Results-oriented IT professional with over 10 years of experience leading high-performing teams and delivering innovative IT solutions. Proven track record of aligning IT strategies with organizational goals to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and drive business growth. Adept at managing complex projects, budgets, and vendor relationships while ensuring the security and integrity of IT systems. Recognized for strong leadership, technical expertise, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Seeking an opportunity to leverage my skills and experience to drive IT excellence for a forward-thinking organization.
Overview
10
10
years of professional experience
Work History
Network and Telecom Manager
Metropolitan Council
11.2022 - Current
- Demonstrated leadership in financial management by overseeing a 5+ million-dollar operating budget, efficiently allocating resources across diverse teams
- Orchestrated the allocation of personnel resources to support projects and tasks spanning 2000+ nodes, encompassing 7 counties, and over 50+ locations
- Exercised oversight of critical functions, including recruitment, time management, and budget management for Network and Telecom Teams, leading a team of 14 FTEs and 3 contracted FTEs
- Facilitated both group and one-on-one meetings to provide strategic guidance, fostering enhanced team cohesion and alignment
- Cultivated a culture of collaboration among multiple business units, strategically identifying and aligning on shared objectives to drive organizational success
- Coordinated high-impact project initiatives that significantly contributed to the enhancement of transportation services across the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area
- Developed new departmental procedures through a continuous improvement approach, optimizing operational efficiency
- Devised strategic roadmap framework to advance process maturity across all owned functions, ensuring sustained growth and optimization
- Acted as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, offering valuable insights and recommendations to inform strategic decision-making.
IT Consultant - Contracted
AV Daily
02.2017 - Current
- Supervised third-party support arrangements and cultivated strategic relationships
- Created process improvements and scalable enhancements to logistics operations
- Directed procurement efforts for new IT equipment acquisitions while adhering to budget constraints
- Maintained ongoing communication with senior management to ensure the prompt resolution of issues
- Delivered insightful security and enhancement recommendations to enhance operational effectiveness
- Facilitated office relocation of network and Telecom services seamlessly.
IT Systems Engineer IV
Metropolitan Council
06.2022 - 11.2022
- Served as lead worker of assigned colleagues, giving direction on day-to-day work and planning short- term tasks
- Lead problem identification, resolution, IT security, proactive problem management, and root cause analysis of system failure
- Coordinated appropriate service outage and recovery communications through the IS Service Desk
- Worked with the change management function and reviews as required
- Provided guidance and training to less experienced engineers and administrators.
IT Systems Engineer IV
SRF Consulting Group
08.2018 - 06.2022
- Managed vendor, staff, and third-party consultant coordination to execute technical solutions effectively (4 FTEs indirect reports and 1 Contractor)
- Strategically planned and forecasted future requirements and identified opportunities for cost savings
- Led the transition from legacy systems to VoIP technology, delivering cost-effective and remote capabilities to all staff
- Facilitated seamless relocations of both headquarters (350+ employees) and data centers
- Enhanced IT productivity through strategic process enhancements and transformations
- Conducted comprehensive cost-benefit analyses, incorporating present value and risk assessments, for proposed projects.
Network Engineer
Securian Financial
10.2013 - 08.2018
- Supported company LAN/WAN and cloud infrastructure including routers/switchers, load balancers and firewalls
- Executed network analysis and monitoring to maintain network performance
- Performed network design and system integration
- Facilitated the implementation of enterprise-wide infrastructure by communicating objectives across vendors, teams, and departments, assigning multi-phase activities to appropriate personnel and coordinating timelines to ensure successful development
- Supported, developed, and maintained written standards and policies, network diagrams, firewall documentation, technology lifecycle from beginning to end.
Education
BA - Information Systems and Finance (Double Major)
UW Eau Claire
Skills
- Supervision and leadership
- Change Management
- Training and mentoring
- Infrastructure Planning
- Software-Defined Networking
- Disaster Recovery Planning
- ITIL Framework Understanding
- System Upgrades
- Local Area Network
- Remote Access Solutions
- Load Balancing
- Network Firewall Management
- Vendor Relationship Management
- Network architecture design
- Script Writing
- VoIP Systems
- Network Troubleshooting
- Incident Management
- Network Security
- Capacity Planning
- IP Addressing and Subnetting
- SOP Writing
- Resource Allocation
- Project Management
- Circuit management
- Video Conferencing
- SolarWinds support
- OSPF routing
- Root Cause Analysis
- Virtual private networks
- Firewall Management
- Switches and routers
Community
- HOST FOR UKRAINIAN REFUGEE FAMILY, 2022-PRESENT
- UW EAU CLAIRE PROGRAMMING TUTOR, 2012-2013
Timeline
Network and Telecom Manager
Metropolitan Council
11.2022 - Current
IT Systems Engineer IV
Metropolitan Council
06.2022 - 11.2022
IT Systems Engineer IV
SRF Consulting Group
08.2018 - 06.2022
IT Consultant - Contracted
AV Daily
02.2017 - Current
Network Engineer
Securian Financial
10.2013 - 08.2018
BA - Information Systems and Finance (Double Major)
UW Eau Claire
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