Stephen Kennedy

I am a software engineering manager with over 20 years of experience in developing and maintaining a wide variety of web, desktop, and server applications. I am currently managing a large team of seasoned senior software engineers, focused on serving the top percentage of premier customers. What I do best is build, grow, and motivate high performance software development teams. I have spent most of my career in the insurance and financial industries. I am an honest, dependable, and energetic person looking to join an innovation-focused department to further expand on my experience in Information Technology.

Professional Employment

Q2 §  Software Engineering Manager  §  February 2020 – Present

• Lead multiple Agile teams to deliver banking software as a service to top 10 customers resulting in creating and maintaining nearly $30m of annual revenue.
• Actively manage development and QA engineers given constantly moving priorities. Provides direction for varying size and complexity in support of multiple programs.
• Created platforms for developing and sharing best practices across multiple development teams.
• Hired and cultivated seasoned, experienced developers into technical leadership positions.
• Influence and create strategy around scaling a premier, dedicated program that caters to top paying customers.
• Participated in helping to build out a supplemental global resources model, with contractor labor force, both near-shore and off-shore.
• Directly Managed up to 20 software developers, including Python, C#, and QA engineers, direct hires and contract developers.

Assurity §  Senior Software Developer Supervisor  §  March 2014 – February 2020

• Built internal web applications and web API to help manage insurance policy workflow processing, primarily using web technologies. Created a new electronic insurance enrollment system, mainly using C# based service libraries. Designed the structures, systems, and workflows of various projects & programs.
• Directly Supervised up to eleven software developers, including four interns and three remote developers. This role included performing reviews, recurring one-on-one meetings, approving timecards, career coaching, dealing with personnel issues, etc. Responsible for recruitment, interviewing, and hiring software developers. Responsible for developing an exit process for outgoing or transitioning interns. 
• Trained on best practices around software development, including single responsibility principle, dependency injection, unit testing, static code analysis, and source code management. Provided team technical training over specific software design patterns during team meetings. Provided team technical training over best source code check-in practices during team meetings.
• Participated in a series of supervisor training sessions regarding conflict resolution. Recommended budget items, signed off on code promotions, suggested personnel promotions, approved expense reports, and worked with several project vendors and talent recruitment agencies.

Ameritas Group§  Insurance  §  Business Analyst §  November 2010 – March 2014

• Primarily managed large-scale projects regarding HIPAA and Electronic Data Interchange files (X12 standards). 
• Responsible for managing complex HIPAA related business engagements involving technology, process & organizational change initiatives for IBM WebSphere implementations, specifically Transformation Extender and Partner Gateway.
• Expertise in managing business requirements and working with delivery teams for successful technology projects
• Worked with management to recommend appropriate communication and training as new functionality was deployed.
  
   

National Research Corporation §  Healthcare/Research § .NET Developer, Supervisor  §  March 2007-November 2010

I served as a developer who worked on numerous Windows and web projects. The Windows applications are used to manage large amounts of survey data that is entered and processed. The web applications are used to report that data to the customer. I also spend time serving as lead developer on a CRM development project (ASP.net web app). For nearly one year of my employment here, I spent supervising a small development team consisting of 3 individuals – one DBA, and two developers. 

• Provided analysis, design, object-oriented coding, and testing of the company’s internal suite of Windows applications primarily built on Visual Basic.NET, VB6, and some legacy code in Delphi and Java.
• Enhanced and maintained "My Solutions," a suite of web applications entirely built on ASP.NET (VB flavor).
• Championed the development and administration of SalesLogix, an ASP.NET web-based CRM. Lead continuous development on this CRM, parallel with other development responsibilities.
• Developed many SSRS (business intelligence) reports, including creating productivity metrics 
• Gathered and assessed needs from internal business units and create custom solutions to resolve those issues. 
• At times, I provided technical representation during sales calls and meetings with existing clients.

Olsson Associates  §  Engineering § Web Developer §  February 2006 - March 2007

I lead client-driven web projects in coordination with project managers, corporate communications department, and marketing. My responsibilities included web project management, web server administration, and web application development using HTML, classic ASP, and ASP.NET. I was also responsible for implementing web projects that used back-end database functionality. I frequently provided technical and progress reports to management.

• Created websites using ASP.NET.
• Met with large customers and prospects to discuss web projects.
• Coordinated with engineering and IT teams out of Kansas City, Minneapolis, and Phoenix.

Ameritas Life§  Insurance/Financial Services §  Programmer/Analyst III  §  March 2001 - February 2006

I helped develop, manage, and maintain the Ameritas corporate web site, along with over ten other high-traffic affiliated web sites. Responsibilities included gathering and analyzing business requirements, website design and programming, content maintenance, and management of the electronic reporting portal. I worked directly with the E-Business team and reported directly to the manager of Network Services. I was promoted from Analyst/Programmer II to Analyst/Programmer III in April 2003 based on merit. 

Key Responsibilities

• Primary developer in electronic reporting portal solution (“eReports”)
• Lead developer in the corporate Intranet re-development
• Identified and resolved web server issues (troubleshooting)
• Responsible for Disaster Recovery Planning (web)
• Responsible for RedDot Content Management System development
• Programming using Perl, HTML, JavaScript, ASP, ASP.NET, C#, and XML
• Expert level programming/developing web services for SOA projects

Ameritas Life§  Financial Services  §  Technical Support Specialist  §  January 1999 - March 2001

Morris Press  §  Publishing §  Computer Programmer Intern §  September 1996 - January 1999

Western Nebraska Community College (1996) § Scottsbluff, Nebraska § Engineering

University of Nebraska (1996-1999) § Kearney, Nebraska § Computer & Information Sciences

OnRamp InsurTech Conference, 2019

Leadership Resources Supervisor Training, 2018

Microsoft Build, May 2018 

Nebraska Code Conference, 2017

Microsoft Ignite, 2016

AIM Heartland Developer Conference 2015