Duane Edward Spears
Syracuse
Summary
Dynamic IT leader with over 20 years of proven success in optimizing business processes, managing cross-functional teams, and ensuring IT service excellence. Demonstrated expertise in program and project management, quality assurance, ITIL frameworks, and large-scale systems implementations. Track record of delivering exceptional results while managing multimillion-dollar budgets, mitigating risks, and enhancing operational efficiency.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Technical Program Manager – Grants Solutions
Guidehouse Digital
McLean
01.2023 - Current
- Managed cross-functional software development teams, overseeing project risks, costs, and schedules for two major Grants Solutions initiatives, ensuring 100% on-time delivery.
- Developed and maintained project roadmaps and schedules, increasing efficiency by 15%, and reducing project delays by 20%.
- Delivered comprehensive weekly status reports to senior management, providing critical updates on risks, milestones, and project forecasts.
- Coordinated with the Grants Solutions Federal Team and external partners, improving collaboration and communication between stakeholders by 25%.
- Led financial forecasting and reporting for focus projects, ensuring that projects were within 5% of budget projections.
Managing Consultant – ES&I Public Sector & NGOs
Guidehouse
McLean
03.2022 - 01.2023
- Directed the second phase of the Case Management System replacement project for the United States Postal Inspection Service, successfully completing it 10% ahead of schedule.
- Streamlined project documentation and communication by developing an Action Item Tracking System, increasing task completion rates by 30%.
- Standardized project repository structures across Guidehouse and client teams, improving onboarding efficiency by 40%.
- Enhanced risk management practices, leading to a 20% reduction in identified project risks.
- Delivered industry best practices for Data Management/Governance teams, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and reducing compliance issues by 10%.
Corporate Manager, Quality Assurance and Program Execution
Dovel Technologies
McLean
09.2020 - 03.2022
- Led corporate-wide quality and mission assurance objectives, improving company-wide ISO and CMMI certification processes, contributing to a 30% increase in successful project outcomes.
- Implemented a Program Execution Risk Review process, which resulted in a 15% improvement in risk mitigation for Dovel's largest revenue-generating programs.
- Served as Deputy Project Manager for the successful ISO 27001, ISO 9001:2015, and ISO 20000:2018 certifications, ensuring compliance across all company divisions.
- Introduced the Independent Customer Evaluation (ICE) program, leading to a 25% increase in customer satisfaction scores.
- Assisted in the preparation for CMMC certification, positioning the company to achieve compliance ahead of schedule.
Senior Manager, Program Execution and Process Engineering
LEIDOS CORPORATION
Reston
02.2016 - 09.2020
- Led quality initiatives, successfully executing return-to-green plans for underperforming projects, resulting in a 20% increase in project efficiency.
- Managed program and project integration efforts for the Veterans Relationship Management (VRM) program, delivering projects worth over $50 million on time and under budget.
- Drove the successful integration of multiple IT solutions, including internal SharePoint systems and Help Desk solutions, improving team collaboration and response times by 25%.
- Coordinated efforts to achieve ISO and CMMI certifications across the business unit, contributing to a 15% improvement in organizational performance.
- Mentored and developed high-performing teams, leading to a 10% increase in employee retention and satisfaction.
Sr Director, Corporate Initiatives
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
Syracuse
09.2010 - 08.2016
- Directed Quality Assurance and Performance Excellence Group, overseeing quality management, service management systems, and internal application development/support.
- Provided executive leadership and strategic direction as part of SMS executive management.
- Led project management efforts for process improvement initiatives, managing scope, planning, milestones, and deliveries.
- Managed the Internal Application Development Team, including SharePoint services and a two-tier Help Desk solution supporting 1,000+ employees and external partners.
- Chaired the Engineering Process Group and the Integrated Process Group, along with other related committees.
- Hired, coached, and led a high-performing team of IT professionals, conducting performance evaluations and training.
- Developed and implemented the Customer Deliverables Quality Review Process, reducing unacceptable artifacts from 54.5% to 10.7% in just five months.
Director, Corporate Initiatives
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
Syracuse
08.2014 - 06.2015
- Led project planning, management, and support for SharePoint services, application development, learning services, and quality management services.
- Oversaw a broad range of projects, ensuring timely and accurate delivery.
- Managed strategic business operations, including staffing, budgeting, deployment, planning, and reporting.
- Developed, implemented, and maintained Quality Management and Service Management Systems based on CMMI, ISO, and ITIL methodologies.
- Supervised Internal Applications Development Team, Internal Applications Help Desk Services Team, and Quality Management Team.
- Awarded SMS Outstanding Performance Award for contributions to ISO 9001 and ISO 20000 certification projects.
Manager, Process & Quality Assurance
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
Syracuse
02.2014 - 08.2014
- Managed the implementation and maintenance of CMMI and ISO processes across the organization.
- Led key process improvement initiatives and internal audit programs.
- Served as Project Manager for ISO 9001 Certification, ISO 20000 Certification, and ITIL Certification projects.
Program Manager / Information Security Officer / CMMI Appraiser
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
Syracuse
03.2012 - 04.2014
- Led the Veterans Affairs Time and Attendance System (VATAS) project, overseeing the development of a custom COT application for over 380,000 employees, achieving a 100% on-time deployment.
- Managed a 24/7 Help Desk solution for VA employees, maintaining 99.9% uptime, and reducing support ticket response times by 25%.
- Led CMMI ML-2 and ML-3 appraisals, resulting in organizational improvements in process maturity and customer satisfaction.
- Improved risk management strategies, reducing project risks by 15%, and ensuring the smooth integration of new technology systems.
- Awarded multiple Outstanding Performance Awards for leadership in project management and CMMI appraisals.
Quality Assurance Manager / Test Manager
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
Syracuse
09.2010 - 03.2012
- Led the QA efforts and managed the entire test team for the VA Time and Attendance System, as well as the VA Healthcare-Associated Infection and Influenza Surveillance System. Oversaw the full testing lifecycle, ensuring quality and compliance throughout the projects.
- Managed and developed SQA teams for multiple contracts, including hiring and onboarding.
- Authored comprehensive test plans, procedures, and ensured all verification tasks (functional, structural, regression, stress, stability, and system testing).
- Focused on improving processes and enhancing efficiency across various QA roles in technology and healthcare industries, where I worked on software testing, project management, and team leadership.
- Test Manager for the VA Time and Attendance project
- Focused on software quality, development process improvement, and testing methodologies across several industries.
Principal Oracle Consultant
XEROX
Webster, NY
03.2004 - 11.2011
- Senior platform engineer responsible for maintaining, optimizing, and upgrading the Enterprise Oracle Application Platform.
- Provided Subject Matter Expert (SME) guidance to the IT Security Review Board.
- Reduced platform upgrade downtime by 8 hours, improving system availability and operational efficiency.
Senior Quality Engineer /Senior Internal Auditor
SENSIS CORPORATION
Dewitt, NY
05.2005 - 08.2010
- Performed program quality assurance activities in ISO 9001:2008 and CMMI ML-3 (Dev) environments for the Federal Aviation Administration and International Air Traffic Systems.
- Led and facilitated customer acceptance test events, and served as a member of the Test Review Board.
- Conducted internal audits for CMMI ML-3 and ISO 9001, ensuring compliance, and continuous process improvement.
Program Manager, Database Technology & Services
CARRIER CORPORATION
Syracuse, NY
04.2000 - 02.2004
- Managed the Database and Storage Management team, overseeing the design, development, and implementation of the Enterprise Data Warehouse and Enterprise B2B Application Hosting Service.
- Served on the UTC Council for the Strategic Direction of Database and Storage solutions, providing expertise on long-term infrastructure strategy.
Education
Associate of Science - Computer Science
SUNY
Syracuse, NYAssociate of Science - Human Services/Behavioral Science
SUNY
Syracuse, NYSkills
- Project Management
- ISO Standards (9001, 14000, 20000, 27000)
- Performance Excellence
- Quality Assurance (QA) & Continuous Process Improvement
- Risk Management & Mitigation
- Business Process Management (BPM)
- Team Leadership & Development
- ITIL & CMMI Frameworks
- Strategic Planning & Execution
Certification
- Oracle Master Certification for Database Administration
- Cisco Certified Network Associate
- CMMI ML 2, 3, 4 & 5-Registered Appraiser
- ISO 9001 and ISO 20000 -Registered Auditor
- Certified CMMI Associate (02/2022)
- Project Management Institute, Syracuse University
TECHNICAL SKILLS
Oracle RDBMS | MS SQL Server | CMMI ML-2, ML-3, ML-4 & ML-5 | ITIL v3 | ISO 9001, 14000, 20000, 27000 | Sun Solaris | Oracle Applications | HP UNIX | Windows O/S | NIST-Rev 3&4 | Red Hat Linux
Timeline
Senior Technical Program Manager – Grants Solutions
Guidehouse Digital
01.2023 - Current
Managing Consultant – ES&I Public Sector & NGOs
Guidehouse
03.2022 - 01.2023
Corporate Manager, Quality Assurance and Program Execution
Dovel Technologies
09.2020 - 03.2022
Senior Manager, Program Execution and Process Engineering
LEIDOS CORPORATION
02.2016 - 09.2020
Director, Corporate Initiatives
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
08.2014 - 06.2015
Manager, Process & Quality Assurance
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
02.2014 - 08.2014
Program Manager / Information Security Officer / CMMI Appraiser
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
03.2012 - 04.2014
Quality Assurance Manager / Test Manager
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
09.2010 - 03.2012
Sr Director, Corporate Initiatives
SYSTEMS MADE SIMPLE, INC.
09.2010 - 08.2016
Senior Quality Engineer /Senior Internal Auditor
SENSIS CORPORATION
05.2005 - 08.2010
Principal Oracle Consultant
XEROX
03.2004 - 11.2011
Program Manager, Database Technology & Services
CARRIER CORPORATION
04.2000 - 02.2004
Associate of Science - Computer Science
SUNY
Associate of Science - Human Services/Behavioral Science
SUNY
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