A Work in Progress
Canadian Forces: Oct 2009 - present
Section Finance Officer and Materiel Life Cycle Management Team Leader
During this time, my primary duties have been to lead a team which manages the following fleets of equipment:
- Air Traffic Control radios
- Portable, mobile, and base station FM radios (ie. fire, police, work crew communications)
- Strategic, fixed microwave data links
- Handheld tactical secure radios
- High Arctic Data Communication System (HADCS) on Ellesmere Island
Responsibilities include:
- Task assignment
- Personnel performance assessment
- Budget preparation and defense
My responsibilities now also include the overall management of section finances, with tasks including:
- Ensuring current and accurate financial reports are available for decision makers at all times
- Coordinate with sub-sections to ensure over 500 travel events occur in budget and in accordance with standing departmental policies
- Process and, essentially, steward the financial aspects of hundreds of procurements ranging in size up to five million dollars each.
- Troubleshoot procurement actions in jeopardy of failure by liaising with agencies like PWGSC and other departments.
University of Alberta: Sep 2005 - Apr 2009
Student, Electrical Engineering
Chosen to pursue leadership roles, I was sent to university by the Canadian Forces. Summers were spent building skills as a Signals Officer, undergoing training in leadership, combat, and communications.
Highlights:
- Earning A+ as leader of year-long final group project.
- Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers Award, 2006.
- Electrical Engineering Club leadership involvement.
- Exposure to a network of excellent professors, staff, and fellow students.
- Achieving all this while fathering four toddlers.
Headquarters and Signals Squadron, 1 CMBG: June 2000 - Aug 2005
Communications and Information Systems Technician
I excelled in this position. Its duties are best described at this linked website. Recognition for my performance came in the form of an Area Commander's Commendation for some ultra-high pressure work I did on some crucial security data links, allowing a G8 summit to proceed as planned. This was followed up some time later when I was chosen to represent the Army at the National War Memorial as the cenotaph sentry in Ottawa for Remembrance Day in 2003. Other highlights include:
- Wrote interface program allowing MS Windows programming of SB-3614 tactical switchboard.
- Acted as Brigade's SME on tactical Unix computers (SCO variant).
- Headed unit's Mountain Man Challenge team two years running.
- Serviced tactical HF, VHF, UHF, and SHF radios down to component level in many cases, using a full range of instruments, including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, power meters, VOM multimeters, and communication analyzers from both Marconi and IFR.