Saul Zarrate

Experience

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  Various Companies

  Jul 1998 - Nov 2004

  Analyst Programmer and System Analyst

  Various roles within the IT arena ranging from Java and Oracle to Lead Systems Analyst.

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  NHS

  Apr 2005 - Jun 2007

  BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST

  • Streamlined data flow processes by identifying bottlenecks and implementing improvements.-> Organised workshops and focus groups to gather and define user requirements.-> Acted as a liaison between IT and medical staff, ensuring clear communication and alignment on requirements.• Conducted process modeling and analysis to optimise data flow and system efficiency.

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  Student Loans Company

  Jun 2007 - Sept 2013

  • Managed projects worth £50K to £3M, delivering on time, within budget, and with high quality, achieving ROI of £2-4M annually.• Delivered key functionalities, including HEI Bursaries, Payments & Attendance, and Fee Waivers, reducing operational and financial risk across systems.-> Led delivery across the full SDLC, managing cross-functional teams of BAs, developers, and testers to execute complex back-end, middle-office, and front-end changes.-> Oversaw project prioritisation, scope, and coordination to align with strategic goals. Show less

  • IT Project Manager

    Aug 2008 - Sept 2013

  • BUSINESS SYSTEMS ANALYST

    Jun 2007 - Aug 2008
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  Barclays Wealth and Investment Management

  Sept 2013 - Jul 2015

  Scrum Master / IT Project Manager

  Scrum master and Project Manager within the Enterprise Data Warehouse team for Barclays Wealth and Investment.• Transitioned a globally distributed, waterfall-oriented team to SCRUM, delivering projects with budgets up to £1.5M.• Delivered regulatory compliance solutions (FATCA), reducing tax evasion and detecting market abuse (£700K; 21-member team).• Turned around the Wealth Direct portfolio, enhancing wealth management services for self-directed clients (£1.5M; 25-member team).• Implemented SOA for Wealth Card, enabling online access to credit card data (£450K; 15-member team)-> Led agile ceremonies (sprint planning, stand-ups, retrospectives) across global teams (UK, USA, Asia). -> Managed project scope, risks, issues, dependencies, budgets, and stakeholder communications. -> Established governance standards for tracking budgets, reporting, and improving team productivity and quality. Show less

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  The Home Office

  Sept 2015 - Aug 2016

  Senior Project Manager

  Delivered virtualised Case Management & MI systems on AWS in a high-pressure anti-terrorism setting to prevent Radio Nuclear material entry into the UK.• Led a technology team to conceptualize and deliver a Case Management & MI system, securing programme Board approval.• Utilised SCRUM methodology to integrate new vendors with existing core legacy systems and radio nuclear detection infrastructure.-> Managed a team of 10, overseeing the commercial process and vendor selection with a £3M budget-> Accountable for technical feasibility, scope, timescale, cost, Board approval, and e2e delivery. Show less

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  Motability Operations

  Aug 2016 - Aug 2018

  Programme Manager

  Delivered a Business Intelligence (BI) virtualised solution on AWS for a complex leasing system, enabling +300 users to perform BI/MI for informed decision-making and financial reporting.• Implemented agile practices across 5 new scrums (team of 40+), optimizing efficiency in requirements management, release processes (improved by 80%), performance testing, and technical debt reduction.• Enabled business to access critical data in AWS increasing availability by 60%.-> Responsible for a technical team of 40 (SCs, POs, BAs, Dev, Testers). Accountable to board. Show less

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  HM Revenue & Customs

  Dec 2018 - Nov 2019

  Agile DevOps Transformation Manager (Management Consultant)

  Led strategy, team formation, and delivery of a transformation to maximise DevOps adoption (4K staff).• Achieved £2M+ in savings, standardising CI/CD pipelines across software teams and elevating agility.• Improved SLAs across the organisation for several projects by 60%.-> Held full decision-making authority and accountability for directing the DevOps service. -> Recruited and built a team of 20 Cloud Specialists, DevOps Engineers and PMs.

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  Altamira

  Dec 2019 - Dec 2021

  Head of Software Delivery

  As Head of Software Delivery at Altamira, I led the rapid growth of a US-based start-up by driving AWS Cloud and DevOps adoption. This included successfully migrating custom-built legacy systems to AWS and securing £10M in funding for ML/AI projects. -> Program managed a cross-functional team of 25, delivering end-to-end technical solutions to support business growth.

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  HSBC

  Dec 2021 - now

  Controls Simplification Delivery Lead

  Spearheaded global transformation of compliance reporting for software development & cyber controls across 9K+ applications in 70+ countries, streamlining processes for faster and safer software delivery.• Scaled up a global compliance engine to automate control submissions, expand controls coverage, and simplify compliance processes for engineers.• Led engineering & cyber teams to enhance controls, improve risk posture, and foster adoption of an agile mindset.-> Delivery managed a diverse team of 10 (BAs, Developers, QAs), based in UK, Poland and China, while leading Scrum ceremonies (stand-ups, planning, retrospectives, and S&Ts).-> Oversaw project requirements, risks, and dependencies, ensuring adherence to functional requirements while facilitating knowledge sharing and training across teams. Show less