Chris Walker

Experience

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  Compuware

  Sept 1998 - Feb 2002

  Software Developer/Consultant

  Worked on development projects, both internally and for major clients, using a range of technologies including Uniface v7.2.04 and Microsoft/web technologies.Key client projects:Increased the speed of the loan decision distribution process for a leading building society by deploying a Visual Basic 6 application to handle and distribute credit card and loan decisions to branches.Improved the customer experience for a UK-based packaging company through the development of an e-business solution using technologies including Visual Basic 6, MS SQL Server and XML.Worked on the development of a large air freight management application using Uniface 7.2.04. Carried out database maintenance and resolved technical issues by working closely with the designers. Show less

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  Carphone Warehouse

  Feb 2002 - Sept 2010

  Design of complex IT solutions for retail across multiple technologies including Uniface 7.2.04, PL/SQL and Oracle database modelling and design.Integrating solutions with third party suppliers via XML through TIBCO products.Authoring technical High Level Design documents to UML standards from business requirements.Acting as technical lead on key projects. Liasing with third parties, resolving technical issues and ensuring successful integration.Provision of high level design and development estimates and technical feasibility studies.Involvement at all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), from guiding Business Analysts to produce accurate requirements to integration and end-to-end testing.Regarded as a subject matter expert in key areas of CPW's IT systems, such as credit checking, mobile phone activations and inventory management.Key skills/achievements:Acted as technical lead on an Agile/RAD project to move key mobile networks onto a new 'dual bureau' credit checking infrastructure. Increased 'accept rates' by a significant amount, resulting in additional connections and commission uplift.Designed new solutions for all key integrations with a major UK mobile network. Introduced a reusable, service-based 'generic activations' system, driving down the effort, complexity and cost of future activations projects.Implemented an automated solution to return upgrade eligibility results for customers on a leading UK mobile network. This reduced customer decision waiting time from 30-45 minutes down to seconds. This enabled almost 3,000 upgrade eligibility requests to be successfully processed on the launch day of a key mobile handset.Implemented a new payment handling system across multiple channels. Show less Design and development of IT solutions for the retail and stock maintenance systems using Uniface 7.2.04. Development on both Windows (GUI) and VMS (character-based) platforms on an Oracle database.Responsibilities included analysis, design and development based on requirements produced by Business Analysts (BA’s).Delivered projects to strict deadlines using both Waterfall and RAD/Agile methodologies.Key skills/achievements:Developed a large and complex stock forecasting and auto-replenishment system. Improved stock availability and reduced stock holding, achieving over 95% customer satisfaction during project closedown.Developed and launched a Post Pay mobile proposition for a leading mobile network in the UK. Drove the project alone in the absence of the Project Manager and successfully delivered to extremely tight timescales (around seven weeks). Show less

  • Solution Architect

    Apr 2004 - Sept 2010

  • Analyst Programmer

    Feb 2002 - Apr 2004
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  Infosys

  Sept 2010 - Oct 2013

  Solution Architect

  Lead Solution Architect on the Carphone Warehouse account, delivering large-scale, cross-technology solutions.- Delivered integration to the UK's first 4G mobile network.- Delivered a cross-channel solution to integrate with a major UK mobile network's new platform.

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  Accenture

  Oct 2013 - Aug 2019

  Solution Architect

  Worked for Accenture as a lead Solution Architect on the Dixons Carphone account:• Responsible for technical analysis and creating complex functional designs.• Creation of Solution Blueprints, architecting end-to-end solutions across multiple technologies.• Presentation of solutions to both business and technical stakeholders.• Review and governance of technical solution designs.• Review of requirements documentation, and working with business stakeholders to help define new business processes and solutions.• Work alongside Business Analysts to document accurate requirements that meet the business case.• Provision of guidance to key stakeholders at a pre-planning stage, to help define the direction of a project and ensure the requirements remain both technically feasible and aligned to IT strategy.• Estimation of project delivery costs and timescales, and production of High Level Estimates.• Creation of Solution Options papers, identifying a range of project delivery options from tactical to strategic, and the associated high level cost to deliver.• Support and governance at all stages of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), including software development and testing.• Extensive experience in the retail and mobile telecommunications domains, with knowledge of a wide range of functional areas including;--- • Customer management--- • Omni-channel transaction handling--- • Credit checking--- • Payment handling/processing--- • Credit/finance--- • Inventory management Show less

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  Dixons Carphone

  Aug 2019 - Sept 2020

  Solution Architect

  • Focusing on the mobile telecoms connectivity domain of the Dixons Carphone business.• Lead Solution Architect on the Connectivity platform; responsible for the overall architecture and design of the solution enabling mobile network integrations.• Produced the overarching Solution Architecture for the Connectivity platform; incorporating application, integration, data, security and operational architecture.• Designed new data models for mobile connectivity sales.• Presentation of solution to head of architecture and Architecture Review Board, resulting in successful sign-off. Show less

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  IT Career Switch

  Sept 2020 - Apr 2022

  Web Developer

  • Training in web development and full-stack engineering.• Successfully completed the Coding Traineeship with IT Career Switch (https://itcareerswitch.co.uk)• Gained the 'Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) 98-383 - Introduction to Programming Using HTML and CSS' certification.• Built a portfolio by designing and developing a number of projects to demonstrate web development skills.• Designed and created a biography website to showcase the portfolio work at https://chrismwalker.co.uk• Deployed all portfolio work to GitHub repositories at https://github.com/chrismwalker-portfolio Show less

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  King Grizzly

  Apr 2022 - now

  Website Developer

  Helping brands grow by reaching and engaging their online audience:• Website builds• WordPress/Elementor development• Website hosting and platform maintenance• Client support