Mike Jansen, Project Manager in Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
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Mike Jansen

Verified Expert  in Project Management

Project Manager

Location
Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa
Toptal Member Since
April 9, 2019

Mike has more than 25 years' experience managing large software programs and technology projects for multi-nationals like SAP, GTech, and Standard Bank. In addition, he's managed PMOs, numerous smaller software projects and rollouts. He's fluent in both traditional (Waterfall, SDLC) and modern (Agile, Scrum, Kanban) project methodologies and favors freelancing for the variety of projects and the personal freedom it gives him.

Project Highlights

Establishment of COVID-19 Laboratories
Managed in- and outbound logistics of dozens of PCRs, RNA extractors, and thousands of testing kits for 15 new labs.
iXerv PMO in a Box
Delivered a complete virtual project management Office-in-a-Box for an SAP implementation partner firm.
Sasol IM Operational Assessment
Managed and conducted operational assessment of all Sasol's applications.

Expertise

Work Experience

Senior Project Manager (Freelance)

2020 - 2021
Bradian Logistics Limited
  • Managed the office re-fit and warehouse refurbishment worth USD $3 million, including re-purposing the cold chain facility into an ambient storage space.
  • Handled the secure move of 3,500 pallets with high-value electronic goods into new 15,000 pallet locations.
  • Managed multiple suppliers, contractors and sub-contractors, and the internal team.

Lead Project Manager

2020 - 2021
Toptal Client
  • Coordinated software development with an external contracted organization.
  • Managed contractors for new laboratories and refurbed existing laboratories for processing COVID-19 tests.
  • Delivered plans for lab proof of concepts for three pilot labs across the USA.
  • Liaised with the software development organization on requirements and compliance with HIPAA.

Senior Project Manager

2020 - 2020
Anglo American
  • Led regional transport and logistics optimization.
  • Managed a data scientist and the acquisition and use of master data for spend patterns and load patterns.
  • Managed inbound and outbound logistics for the establishment of 14 new COVID-19 testing laboratories, which helped ensure RTO and that their mining operations were able to resume, whilst keeping workers safe and healthy.

PMO Consultant

2018 - 2018
iXerv
  • Created a virtual "PMO in a Box" and all artifacts therein, which enabled the rollout of standards and a consistent way to manage projects across the globe.
  • Validated concepts of PMO with the global COO, obtained buy-in and proceeded with the establishment of PMO.
  • Socialized concepts and benefits of the PMO with regional managers.
  • Obtained sign-off and approval for all artifacts created.
  • Rolled out the PMO to all global offices for implementing SAP on-premises and cloud.

Lead Project Manager

2017 - 2018
Loinette Leasing
  • Managed the greenfields SAP B1 and FleetPro integration projects.
  • Managed the conversion of data from legacy platforms.
  • Kept stakeholders informed and managed the communications to shareholders and expectations to both groups.
  • Managed the data take-on and parallel runs between systems to prove balances.
  • Agreed on criteria for go/no-go decisions and acceptable deviations when balancing accounting components.

Lead Technology Partner

2014 - 2017
Absa
  • Managed the roll-out of Salesforce into Absa Corporate and an investment bank division as a single reference view of customers.
  • Managed Deloitte resources on a Salesforce project and coordinated all configuration and testing.
  • Spearheaded remediation projects to comply with SA Reserve Bank instructions.
  • Managed a re-platforming program for all messaging platforms, including email, SMS, and in-app notifications.
  • Managed a team of project managers delivering the BOC, ESP, and RCD projects.

Senior Project Manager BR7

2014 - 2014
Standard Bank South Africa
  • Owned project management responsibilities for CIB’s components within the SAP Core Banking Transformation Programme.
  • Managed CIB's interactions and progress within the Core Banking Transformation Programme.
  • Liaised with SAP for confirmation of functionality.
  • Participated in the program steering committee and divisional ownership group.
  • Managed business stakeholders both within CIB and the larger program.
  • Managed a team of six direct reports, including the lead business analyst, lead process analyst, lead systems analyst, subject matter experts, architect and administrator, and their respective analysts.

Senior Project Manager

2013 - 2013
Gordon Institute of Business Science
  • Managed the implementation of MS Dynamics CRM as a GIBS's back-office system for their student administration purposes.
  • Managed director and senior executive heads and stakeholders' expectations.
  • Jointly managed a third-party service provider's team of analysts and developers.

Bid Director

2013 - 2013
Igwija Gaming (Pty) Ltd
  • Managed the response to the Department of Trade and Industry’s third request for proposal for the 7-year National Lottery license.
  • Created a response timeline and project plan to ensure adherence to the date to submit.
  • Interviewed and hired bid writers for various sections of the bid.
  • Managed technology partners' efforts on the technology sections and shipping of lottery terminals to accompany bid submission.
  • Managed the efforts of the financial modeling team from Grant Thornton and how the various mandatory scenarios matched all the written submissions, including the game launch timetable and product launch timetable.
  • Hired and led a team of eight writers for a detailed written response to the Bid, and managed the external game design consultants.

Senior Project Manager

2012 - 2012
Sasol
  • Assessed all enterprise software applications' maturity.
  • Managed senior executive stakeholders' participation and communication.
  • Managed the analysis of all operational applications in conjunction with Deloitte and conducted the gap analysis and skill analysis.

Senior Project Manager

2010 - 2012
DStv
  • Concurrently managed projects implementing 3G streaming for several mobile operators in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • Managed internal and external vendors and resources.
  • Spearheaded the outsourced agile development team through frequent interactions with product owners and developers.

Senior Project Manager and Interim Manager

2008 - 2010
SA Taxi
  • Managed a range of projects and programs of work across various divisions within the company.
  • Contributed to projects including implementing a new collections system, IP telephony, and loan management system replacement.
  • Interim-managed the establishment of a new department of functional processing.
  • Managed executive stakeholders and kept them timeously informed.

Deputy Bid Manager

2005 - 2008
Uthingo Management (Pty) Ltd
  • Co-managed the entire response to the DTI’s RFP for the second 7-year National Lottery license.
  • Advised on strategy during judicial review of the RFP process and license award.
  • Acted as a sounding board to the CEO during the uncertain times of license suspension.

ITM

2002 - 2004
Standard Bank South Africa
  • Held global P&L responsibility for the IT delivery of all systems for the business online, HR division, and three other business units within the Standard Bank (wholesale).
  • Managed stakeholders across all the business units for whom I was the technology partner.
  • Participated in the bank's global steering committee for wholesale IT.
  • Led a team of four direct reports, including the production, architecture, development, and web managers, who in turn, respectively managed 55 developers, engineers, architects, and designers.

Telco Services Director

2001 - 2001
Protek Flagship (Pty) Ltd
  • Held P&L responsibility for the technical implementation of billing and customer care programs and projects in Africa.
  • Managed budget, personnel, and customer satisfaction in the Africa region.
  • Acted as the country general manager during the prolonged absence of the GM.

Regional Software Director

1998 - 2000
IGT
  • Held joint P&L responsibility for the technical implementation of the entire lotto program startup.
  • Managed 45,000 man-hours of software deliverables in the African region.
  • Oversaw regional budgets, staff, and customer satisfaction.

Business Systems Manager, Previously HR Projects Manager

1996 - 1998
SAP Southern Africa
  • Managed business systems for the organization for it to become an information-based company.
  • Achieved ISO9002 accreditation, including implementation time and expenses.
  • Managed the team of HR application consultants, acquired HR projects, and liaisoned with business partners,.
  • Led the country-specific HR development for SAP Southern Africa's areas of responsibility.

Senior HR Product Manager

1988 - 1996
Zarab | CRS | MCS
  • Created the opportunity, then successfully won the business and jointly executed for CRS, the installation of payroll and HR systems at Mediclinic group of hospitals for more than 10,000 employees.
  • Managed the development of the "HU-The Human Resource Manager" HRIS for Zarab and the configuration and implementation of the software at more than five clients and 20 sites.
  • Co-ordinated user requests, proposed and managed the formation of a user group to ensure that the new developments met or exceeded the user population's expectations.
  • Managed the development and operations teams at MCS for the provision of out-sourced HRMS, basic employee records, and payroll to the base of around 15 user companies.

Establishment of COVID-19 Laboratories

Managed in- and outbound logistics of dozens of PCRs, RNA extractors, and thousands of testing kits for 15 new labs.

Anglo American proactively decided to create their own laboratories (15) to enable them to continuously test and retest ~50,000 employees at their mining operations, in order to ensure a safe and healthy workforce

iXerv PMO in a Box

Delivered a complete virtual project management Office-in-a-Box for an SAP implementation partner firm.

Created end-to-end process flows, templates, plans, presentations, and all other documentation to enable consistent implementations of SAP SuccessFactors and other software across the globe and in all of their offices.

Legacy Messaging Re-platforming (Absa)

Acted as both product manager and owner for re-platforming of five legacy messaging platforms, including SMS and emails.

Worked closely with the scrum masters (and dev teams) to deliver a new enterprise messaging platform, using Amazon Web Services short message services and cloud storage.
Annual savings of $3 million run-costs for development costs of $1 million.

Mobile Streaming TV

Led the introduction of mobile streaming TV (on 3G networks) in three countries.

Liaised with mobile network operators and in-country regulators to coordinate the first-to-market live streaming of TV to subscribers in three sub-Saharan countries.

Managed remote Agile teams of developers and testers working on both front- and back-end components, and integration across the networks.

Loinette Business Management System

Implemented new front-end (Fleetpro) and back-end (SAP B1) systems to replace legacy accounting and fleet systems.

Managed two remote teams of engineers implementing their respective systems initially.

Conducted customer creation and take-on of all existing deals and customer balances.

Accounted for any variations between the legacy and new systems, whilst the customer reviewed and agreed with the results and processes followed.

SA National Lottery Gaming Software Development Project

Delivered $4 million gaming software development, ahead of schedule and with additional functionality.

Managed 35 developers and test engineers co-located across Europe, the US and South Africa to develop 35 000 man-hours effort of fully-tested customized gaming software, for the launch of the new SA National Lottery.

The software was additionally certified by the regulator, as producing the correct results in-line with the independent verification system, to prevent any fraud or ability to post-draw inject dummy winning combinations into the results file.

Sasol IM Operational Assessment

Managed and conducted operational assessment of all Sasol's applications.

• Assessed all enterprise software applications' maturity.
• Managed senior executive stakeholders' participation and communication.
• Managed the analysis of all operational applications in conjunction with Deloitte and conducted the gap and skill analysis.
OCTOBER 2014 - PRESENT

Agile Bootcamp

IQ Business School

JANUARY 2005 - PRESENT

Coaching

UCT

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