Open to opportunities

Steven O'Connell

@stevenoconnell

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Technology leader with over 10 years of experience in IT.

South Africa

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What I'm looking for

I'm looking for a role that allows me to lead technical teams, implement best practices, and drive operational excellence in a dynamic environment.

I'm a seasoned technology leader with over a decade of experience in both on-premises and cloud environments. My journey has taken me through various roles, from Site Reliability Lead at Lula, where I established a Site Reliability team, to managing EUC and Infrastructure at Acora. My expertise lies in implementing ITIL methodologies and driving operational excellence in technical departments.

Throughout my career, I've demonstrated a strong ability to bridge the gap between technical operations and business needs. At Acora, I successfully opened South African operations, enhancing service delivery and team performance. My role as Major Incident Manager at Sanlam further honed my skills in incident management and cross-functional collaboration, ensuring uptime and availability across multiple platforms.

I'm passionate about leadership and dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous improvement. I aim to design and own a technical operational department that leverages best practices and innovative methodologies to meet evolving business challenges.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Site Reliability Lead

Current

Lula

Jan 2023 - Present (2 years 5 months)

Started up the Site Reliability team, bridging a gap between Technical Operations and Engineering. Designed and implemented ITIL methodology to Lula, acting as escalation for Technical cases, Major Incidents, Change Approval and owning the training & development of Technical Operations Department.

Site Reliability ITIL Technical Operations Engineering Incident Management Change Management Training Development Observability Azure Jira

EUC & Infrastructure Manager

Acora

Jan 2022 - Jan 2023 (1 year)

Opened Acora’s South African Operations, starting up a South African counterpart to existing UK services including End User Support, Infrastructure and NOC services. Took sole accountability for these teams, active in the North American Timezone.

Infrastructure Management Team Leadership Operations Management Microsoft Azure ServiceNow Grafana

Incident Manager

Sanlam

Jan 2022 - Jan 2022 (0 months)

Acted as the dedicated Major Incident Manager for the entirety of the Sanlam company, working Monday - Friday, 8-5 as well as being on standby on a 24/7 basis. Provided immediate emergency response and incident management.

Incident Management PCI DSS GDPR Azure AWS ServiceNow

Assistant Team Lead & Incident Manager

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group

Jan 2021 - Jan 2022 (1 year)

Designed and streamlined BAU Processes, acting as both a Technical and Leadership presence in the EMEA Service desk team. Coordinated weekly meetings for internal and external groups, developed process improvements and offered actionable solutions to correct recurring issues.

Process Improvement Technical Leadership Incident Management Service Desk Reporting Mentoring Microsoft Azure ServiceNow Exchange

Systems Engineer, Promoted to Senior Systems Engineer

Cognizant Microsoft Business Group

Jan 2019 - Jan 2021 (2 years)

Provided First & Second Line telephonic and email communicative support to users, maintaining KPIs, QA scores, and SLA compliance. Assisted with designing and streamlining BAU processes and continual service and CSAT improvements.

Systems Engineering Technical Support KPIs SLA Process Management Knowledge Management Azure ServiceNow Exchange

IT Support Engineer

Teclogix

Jan 2017 - Jan 2019 (2 years)

Provided primarily on-premise IT server, desktop and network support, including Office 365 accounting hosting and management. Acted as vendor and supplier liaison, and performed CCTV installations.

IT Support Office 365 Vendor Management

Incident Manager

Edgetech

Jan 2016 - Jan 2017 (1 year)

Provided IT Support against predefined SLAs on Microsoft & Apple products, including network installations and Wibre hosting. Managed antiviruses and provided cloud & on-premise support.

IT Support Incident Management SLA Management Microsoft Products apple Exchange Cloud Support

Technical Support Representative

Matrix Warehouse

Jan 2015 - Jan 2016 (1 year)

Provided retail technical support, including pre- & after-sales technical support. Acted as an in-house IT guru, focusing on office and gaming hardware.

Technical Support Technical Pre Sales Customer Service

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

President High School

Matric, General Studies

Grade: Class of 2015

Completed my matriculation at President High School in 2015. This foundational education provided me with essential academic skills and knowledge.

Unknown

Professional Diploma, Leadership & Management

Obtained a Professional Diploma in Leadership & Management, enhancing my capabilities in leading teams and managing projects effectively. This diploma focused on strategic leadership and operational excellence.

Unknown

Professional Diploma, Project Management

Completed a Professional Diploma in Project Management, which equipped me with the skills to plan, execute, and close projects successfully. The curriculum covered various project management methodologies and tools.