Ben Janowski

Experience

• 

  Journal Community Publishing Group

  Jan 2001 - Jan 2004

  Graphic Designer

  Creative Designer in Advertising | Production Designer in Classifieds (Dual Role)• Worked almost full-time while also attending College for my BA in Graphic Design• Collaborated with Sales Representatives to generate advertisements for clients• Flowed Classified Ads via pagination system & did paste-up for weekly RPA newspaper editions• Worked with production managers to ensure layouts were efficient and each week’s print required the fewest number of pages possible• Offered teammates new ways of utilizing software features to design ads quickly and efficiently Show less

• 

  Kohl's Department Stores

  Oct 2004 - Jan 2008

  Support person for users on Macintosh Computers• Provided front-line hardware/software support for Macintosh Users in the Marketing Department• Maintained a high level of customer satisfaction in regards to the support of specialized applications and tools (e.g. Adobe Applications)• Fostered relationships with members of the greater IT team (as this role reported up through Marketing)• Maintained and updated the monolithic base image for Macintosh Workstations• Managed the tool for Font Administration ensuring the service was highly available and backed up• Helped to evaluate new models of hardware prior to refreshing the rest of the fleet Show less Production Designer• Took direction from the Creative team & Photo Studio to generate digital design files for our printed media (Tabs, Mailers and Inserts)• Contributed to several process improvements and software or OS upgrade validations (UAT)• Maintained a status webpage to help other designers see when their work was finished rendering as a PDF• Held a status of ‘highly accurate’ with the QA team who were responsible for proofreading Design work• Participated in a Proof of Concept committee for the adoption of a potentially new Digital Asset Management platform Show less

  • Macintosh Support Technician

    Jan 2006 - Jan 2008

  • Production Designer

    Oct 2004 - Jan 2006
• 

  Kohl's

  Sept 2008 - now

  • Responsible for a team of 12-15 REMOTE/HYBRID EUC Engineers• Built strong relationships with stakeholders through effective communication and active listening skills.• Collaborated with cross-functional teams to drive innovation and efficiency in operations.• Fostered positive work environment that encouraged collaboration, creativity, and continuous improvement.• Developed and implemented strategic plans to achieve business objectives.• Mentored and coached team members for professional growth and improved performance.• Managed budgets, resources, and timelines for multiple projects simultaneously.• Negotiated contracts with vendors, suppliers, and partners to secure favorable terms for organization.• Managed daily workloads by organizing schedules and delegating tasks.• Championed new policies and regulations to minimize production errors and incidents Show less • Responsible for a team of 12-15 local EUC Engineers who transitioned to HYBRID/REMOTE• Accountable for Disaster Recovery plans for EUC systems as well as supporting the annual Silver-Tier DR test• Developed cohesive presentations customized for technical and nontechnical audiences.• Collaborated with project teams to verify solution capacity to deliver positive user experiences.• Managed multiple projects concurrently, ensuring timely delivery and meeting client expectations.• Developed strong relationships with vendors, negotiating favorable pricing and support agreements.• Championed and implemented best practices and delivery standards. Show less • Advised other System Engineers with their projects and implementations • Evaluated existing systems and recommended upgrades or enhancements to improve performance.• Conducted Interviews for Contractors as well as new EUC Engineering roles• Provided annual evidence for external PCI as well as internal Enterprise Risk Service audits• Leveraged knowledge of emerging technologies to implement improved tools for system enhancements.• Trained end-users on proper operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting procedures for deployed systems.• Ensured compliance with relevant industry standards, regulations, and best practices throughout engineering process.• Facilitated continuous improvement initiatives by identifying opportunities to optimize efficiency or reduce complexity within organization's engineering practices.• Analyzed customer requirements and translated them into functional specifications.• Participated in meetings to report progress and developments.• Prepared technical documentation, including system design documents and test procedures.• Consulted with engineering teams, management and users to help guidecontinuous improvement initiatives• Managed relationships with vendors by serving as primary point of contact for technical discussions or issue resolution Show less • Integrated a new Level 2, Offshore, support team to aid in the front-line support duties for Mac Users• Performed L3 system-level troubleshooting, diagnosed issues andimplemented corrective actions.• Implemented Lean Management principles.• Conducted research on industry trends for Mac Management, competitor strategies, and market dynamics to inform decision-making processes• Participated in user acceptance testing UAT activities for newly developed applications or system updates prior to production release.• Assessed feasibility of new technologies by conducting proof-of-concept evaluations and pilot programs.• Maintained current knowledge of relevant regulations governing data privacy, cybersecurity practices, accessibility standards, etc., ensuring compliance throughout organizational processes.• Led weekly cross-functional team meetings as part of continuous process improvement of business operations.• Acted as liaison between IT departments and business units during technology-related projects or initiatives.• Communicated technical information to non-technical users with clarity. Show less

  • Senior Manager, Platform Engineering

    Aug 2024 - now

  • Senior Manager, End User Compute Engineering

    May 2022 - Aug 2024

  • Technology Manager

    Aug 2019 - May 2022

  • Senior System Engineer

    Dec 2017 - Aug 2019

  • Senior Technology Analyst - Mac Support

    Apr 2015 - Dec 2017

  • Technology Analyst - Mac Support

    Sept 2012 - Apr 2015

  • Lead IS Specialist - Mac Support

    Feb 2012 - Sept 2012

  • Senior Macintosh Support Technician

    Sept 2008 - Feb 2012
• 

  Parenthood

  Mar 2016 - now

  Father

  I became a Dad! While it's not professional experience, it's relevant to me as a person, as a whole. • Diaper Changing• Bottle warming• Swaddling