James Galdes
Verified Expert in Project Management
Project Manager
Prospect, South Australia, Australia
Toptal member since July 18, 2022
James is a senior technical project manager with a first-class honours degree in engineering and a decade of experience in Agile product development. He has held senior engineering, management, and executive positions at organizations like SingTel, Raytheon, and the Government of South Australia. Projects that James has overseen have touched millions of lives across nations, increased revenue for multi-billion-dollar enterprises, and transformed customer experiences with digital technology.
Project Highlights
Expertise
Work Experience
Chief Digital Officer
Government of South Australia
- Spearheaded the establishment of the new office for the digital government division as the chief digital officer growing the team to 92 FTE, including designers, engineers, and project managers.
- Delivered a comprehensive design system, improving collaboration between the design and engineering teams and ensuring a modern and minimalist UX that meets accessibility guidelines.
- Deployed the Home Quarantine app automating quarantine arrangements during the pandemic. The app replaced spot checks by frontline officers with automated check-ins using facial scans and geolocation.
Enterprise Architect
Singtel Optus
- Led the design and integration of solutions in response to market opportunities in South Australia.
- Engineered POCs to validate complex solutions before submitting proposals to customers.
- Trained Optus' sales team to cross-sell security products and services from Trustwave to increase revenue.
IT DevOps Manager
Raytheon
- Introduced Agile concepts into the sustainment phase of cyber-physical defense programs.
- Managed cross-functional agile teams across Australia that developed corporate systems and defense products.
- Led the technical delivery of the Air Warfare Destroyer IT Reform program divesting shipbuilding systems from an alliance partner into a greenfield environment.
- Introduced a national information repository with a standard taxonomy and policy-based access controls to support collaboration across programs and corporate functions.
Lead Consultant
Kloud
- Provided principal-level oversight across the project portfolio.
- Delivered a significant Office 365 deployment for a financial services customer with relevant automation while maintaining APRA compliance.
- Developed cloud strategies and project roadmaps for multiple customers across local and state government, manufacturing, and defense.
- Created statements of work and proposals that significantly uplift the branch's utilization and growth.
Enterprise Architect
Singtel Optus
- Led the technical stream of a global cloud-based CRM implementation for a major travel organization.
- Bid and won a major technology outsourcing opportunity with an iconic entertainment company.
- Managed the data center and cloud practice for South Australia with P&L responsibility.
Senior Systems Engineer
Internode
- Designed and implemented a POC of a multi-tenant customer email system.
- Designed and implemented a multi-site VMware clustering solution.
- Supported mission-critical services underpinning Internode's global IP network, including billing and provisioning.
Project History
Home Quarantine Mobile Application
https://www.innovationaus.com/south-australia-to-expand-use-of-facial-recognition-home-quarantine-app/Delivered a home quarantine mobile app in South Australia.
The cross-platform solution developed with Microsoft Xamarin leveraged biometrics and location services to ensure the quarantine subject remained in the designated location throughout the quarantine period. The app monitored their symptoms and provided helpful self-care advice. Integration with pathology labs automatically released the subject from quarantine pending a negative test result on the final day of the mandatory period.
Over 20,000 people successfully completed their quarantine requirements in the comfort of their own home using the app.
QR Check-in
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-01/centralised-qr-check-in-system-launched-in-south-australia/12933424Delivered an official contact tracing app in South Australia in four weeks.
A unique QR code was issued to 108,000 businesses across SA which a patron could conveniently scan with the mySA GOV mobile app to check in on entry to the venue. The project required significant collaboration between multiple government agencies, software vendors, and the business community within a 4-week release window. The simple and intuitive interface combined with exceptional security and privacy controls made the app an overwhelming success. There have been over 648 million check-ins recorded through the system as of August 2022.
AWD IT Reform Program
Migrated shipbuilding systems from the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) alliance to new data centers for the AWD Reform program.
I led the significant refactoring and testing of systems interfaces that was required to support the resulting multi-vendor environment.
Configuration Baseline Specification
Successfully delivered the Configuration Baseline Specification dataset for the Air Warfare Destroyers to the customer.
Education
Honors Bachelor Degree in Computer Engineering
Flinders University - South Australia
Certifications
SAFe 5 Product Owner/Product Manager Certification
Scaled Agile
SAFe 5 Architect Certification
Scaled Agile
SAFe 5 Program Consultant Certification
Scaled Agile
SAFe 5 Lean Portfolio Manager Certification
Scaled Agile
SAFe 5 Agilist Certification
Scaled Agile
Certified Scrum Master
Scrum Alliance
Six Sigma Specialist
Raytheon Australia
TOGAF 9 Certified
The Open Group
TOGAF 9 Foundation
The Open Group
VMware Certified Design Expert
VMware
Skills
Tools
VMware, Jira, Confluence, Project Management & Work Tracking Tools, Microsoft Excel, Zoom, Miro, MURAL, Trello, Oracle Forms, ETL, SQL, Microsoft Dynamics, Xero Accounting
Paradigms
Scrum, Agile, Agile Project Management, Requirements Analysis, Agile Delivery, Implementation Project Management, Waterfall Delivery, Agile Leadership, Progressive Enhancement, Kanban, Agile Product Management, Servant Leadership, DevOps, Management, Hosting, UX Design, Design Thinking, Change Management, Organizational Change Management (OCM), B2B
Platforms
Amazon Web Services (AWS), Android, Azure, Oracle, iOS, SharePoint, Windows, Linux, Blockchain, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Docker, Firebase
Industry Expertise
Architecture
Other
Systems Engineering, Enterprise Architecture, Software System Architecture Development, Program Management, Systems Thinking, Solution Architecture, Project Management, Cloud, IT Projects, Business Transformation, Business Transformation Project Management, Business Transformation Program Management, Technical Project Management, Business Analysis, IT Program Management, IT Project Management, Agile Coaching, Client Management, Stakeholder Management, Software Implementation, Cross-functional Collaboration, APIs, Requirements & Specifications, Technical Leadership, Product Development, Cloud Infrastructure, Web App Development, Release Management, Estimation & Planning, Project Planning, Estimations, Project Scoping, Web Applications, Consulting, Data Migration, User Stories, Requirements, Security, Cross-functional Team Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement, System Implementation, Document Management Systems (DMS), Request for Proposal (RFP), Vendor Selection, RFPs, Mobile App Development, Backlog Management, Sprint Planning, React, System Integration, IT Infrastructure, Business Systems Analysis, Systems Analysis, Project Rescue, Planning, Assessment Development, Roadmaps, JavaScript, REST APIs, Full-stack, Web Project Management, Project Timelines, Technical Program Management, Agile Program Management, Cybersecurity, Software Development Management, Computer Science, Project Tracking, Mobile Apps, Sprint Ceremonies, Developer Relations, Communication Management, Technical Consulting, App Development, Network Administration, Coding, Sprints, Product Strategy, Project Reporting, Product Roadmaps, Discovery Workshops, Agile Transformation, Vendor Management, Agile Practices, Workshops, Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Databases, Creativity, Cost-benefit Analysis, Training, Technical Analysis, System Architecture, Interviewing, Technical Hiring, Project Budget Management, Agile DevOps, Software as a Service (SaaS), Mobile Applications, Teams, Engineering Design, Software Engineering, Scrum Master, Software Architecture, Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe), Product Management, Product Ownership, Leadership, Engineering, Digital, Sales, Relationship Management, Bid Management, Team Management, Biometrics, Java, .NET, People Management, Strategy, AWS Cloud Computing Services, Business Cases, IT Strategy, Coaching, Communications Management, Project Scheduling, Distributed Team Management, Data Centers, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Integration, API Integration, Networks, IP Networks, Quality Assurance (QA), User Interface (UI), User Experience (UX), Mobile UI, Web App Deployment, Process Improvement Project Management, Process Mapping, Remote Work, Data, Database Migration, Embedded Hardware, Hardware, Hardware Development, Risk & Compliance, Document Management, RFP Negotiation, Healthcare IT, QA Leadership, IT Service Management (ITSM), Configuration Management, Cost Estimation, Microsoft, MySQL, HTML5, PHP, Network Engineering, Startups, Strategyzer, CTO, IT Operations Management (ITOM), SSH, Command-line Interface (CLI), ITIL, Machine Learning, Lean Startups, Risk Management, CRM APIs, Scrum Coaching, Startup Consulting, SaaS, Advisory, Operations, Workflow Automation, Operations Tools, Organizational Structure, Process Flows, Manufacturing, Budgeting, Workflow, Cost Analysis, Node.js, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Code Review, Technical Reports, Consumer Applications, Discovery Management, Notion, Portfolio Management, Lean Portfolio Management, Design, Geolocation, Swift, PL/SQL, eCommerce, Automation, Email, Web Hosting, Dedicated Web Hosting, Billing, Billing Systems, Smart Contracts, Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Warehousing, Mobile App Testing, CSS, Freelancing, Non-governmental Organizations (NGOs), SFTP, FTP, Regex, Accounting
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