Matthew James Booker

• Direct the strategic roadmap and lead a Product Team of three in translating it into product backlog items (PBIs)
• Collaborate with both Business and Technology teams and use Agile methodologies to continuously evaluate projects and ensure deliveries are on time and within budget
• Investigate new product directions and offerings and utilise Competitive Intelligence
• Monitor and control Capital Expenditure including submitting monthly reports with KPI progress and calculations for future spend projections.
• Research and create Product Governance and associated Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulatory documentation.
• Attend and contribute to the Executive Committee, Risk & Compliance Committee and Leadership meetings.
• Lead on collating both the Business Continuity Plan and the Business Continuity Management Readiness Assessment.

Key Achievements

• Drove efficiencies leading to a 450% improvement in the number of development releases achieved compared to before I took over the Platform Manager role in July 2021.
• Led on the successful release of a large-scale payment matching automation project, thus securing £1.5m of increased pension revenue as renegotiated with our banking partner.
• Closed out Group internal Audit actions.

• Became the Functional Design Authority for system look and behaviour whilst directing and supporting design, build, and test spheres.
• Drove delivery of the Development Roadmap whilst being responsible for Sprint capacity, prioritisation and content decisions, backlog population and management.
• Led the definition and adoption of processes, roles and responsibilities for EQ Pay product development
• Established a Small Change management process
• Supported IT development in an Agile Product Owner role
• Improved the collaboration between teams and SMEs in the design phase by instigating more timely involvement of Development leads.
• Fostered closer interaction between Krakow and Chennai technology teams to introduce synergies and improve mutual support.
• Mentored and supported new team members

• Designed the presentation layer for Dynamic Linking to provide unique Strong Customer Authentication of every transaction in line with the EU Payment Services Directive (PSD2).
• Created password policy documentation following NIST guidelines.
• Created the Virtual Card Accounts (VCA) specification and design of new VCA Payment Upload file formats.
• Designed both the Inflight Screening and Transaction Monitoring modules to submit transactions to (separate) partner providers for assessment and response.
• Oversaw the implementation of Faster Payments as a new payment delivery method
• Facilitated the integrated of SWIFT Payment Plus reference data to optimise payment instruction validation
• Applied BPMN flowcharting methodology to create interactive artefacts for payment processes
• Designed the functionality to set differing operating hours and currency holidays dependent on the global operating location of the business.
• Attending meetings with banking partners

• Researched industry standards for Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) constructing a cost vs offering matrix of recommended supplier partners. Detailed artefact creation for the usage of QR and Microsoft Authenticator app verification to enhance platform access security.
• Analysed banking partner MT940 and CAMT.053 XML statement formats to map the received data into our system database fields.
• Designed a brand new MT103 bank file format layout to meet banking partner requirements
• Designed application GUI pages to implement new functionality for Virtual Bank Accounts
• Supported client bids by white labelling our payment application using the exact palette and house style of the client's corporate branding.
• Scoped the system rebrand following our company name change to EQ Global.
• Analysed industry data anonymisation rules to specify obfuscation requirements for data in lower system environments.
• Analysed and designed multiple currency-specific data requirements and validations to ensure every payment met the expectations of the receiving national Central Bank of the recipient.
• Scoped and designed system mapping and pipe-delimited file syntax design for Compliance Report output.
• Scoped and designed artefacts to support implementation of Sanctions Screening Automation.
• Created system User Guides and client release notes.

• Investigated architectural methodologies such as TOGAF v9 and created a Master Architectural diagram based on ICOM / IGOE and IDEF0 frameworks, which became the example template for other company systems.
• Created operating model artefacts of system input / output architecture detailing connectivity and communication with BACS / HMRC and other tax regimes. Group IT used this as a reference for both scheme and systems maintenance and disaster recovery planning.
• Designed and developed a Mortality Screening and Tracing service to create a strategic client sales offering, including implementation planning and costing.
• Used Agile principles to design and then work alongside developers to create an online client sign-up configuration tool. With its release to Production, platform configuration of client take-on data was reduced from 1.5 days per client (when done manually) to just 2.5 minutes.
• Mapped the current and future system architecture for the Bank of England administration contract.
• Responsible for ensuring the successful design and implementation of every client-specific Auto Enrolment configuration. Input into hardware, server usage and specification changes, interface and web configuration, letters and emails plus client, management and admin support.
• Performed role of Lead Analyst to run multiple workshops with the Civil Service to capture requirements for then write specifications for 60+ system reports. Co-ordinated SQL developers in their development and provided the external client and internal management with progress data and MI.
• Design, formatting, development, configuration and testing of client facing interfaces.
• Development of QA and Management Information wireframe dashboards
• Chair of Annuities Regulatory Forum

• Devised and led the off-shoring of accounting work to Europe through the implementation of the Navision v4.0 accountancy software package to successfully meet management cost-saving targets in line with business objectives. This was achieved through a close and understanding relationship with key stakeholders and the accounts teams; in both the UK and Poland; to draw out and accurately document their true business requirements to the agreed standard.
• Acted as the bridge between the business and both internal and external IT teams to manage and improve development, resolve issues and ensure a smooth implementation within the agreed timescales
• Managed resources and produced artefacts including training material, Visio flowcharts and documentation of re-engineered Pensions Finance and Accounts processes to satisfy United States Audit Remediation Committee requirements that robust, compliant and efficient procedures were in place and being followed across the department
• Enabled the automated transfer of member record details with improved data security and reduced processing times
• Lead a Cash Analysis and Bank Reconciliation exercise to investigate potential liabilities from any non-invested monies
• Designed and constructed security for the implementation of the HSBCnet Cash Management system to introduce tight, stratified access rights and pin-card access readers for users cleared to execute financial transactions with the bank
• Facilitated workshops with Cash Management leaders and IT to gather requirements and constraints and then demonstrate prototype solutions
• Developed multitude of tools for the business including Management Information and Metrics Logs plus Resource and Data Modellers. These removed the need for manual data compilation every month whilst enabling Senior Leadership to quickly obtain accurate information; of a consistent standard; as required
• Wrote Excel formulae for successful comparison and analysis of differences in data between systems prior to coordinating the efforts of admin and technical teams to rectify discrepancies.

• Market leading supplier of software and services for pensions administration, payroll and actuarial valuation supporting nearly ten million pension scheme members
• Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme Team
• Daily interaction with the Cabinet Office
• Provided support and advice across the Civil Service departments, fostering contacts to develop a good understanding of their varying requirements and enable swift query resolution
• Successfully designed, developed and delivered Workflow code which generated and subsequently stored the returned Pension Option choices from over 600,000 Civil Servants via 400 administrators
• Developed software processes for the Pension Reform Scheme
• Assessed and provided time / cost analysis for numerous other specific product enhancements and estimated the resource requirements for Change Requests
• Delivered tailored Systems Manager and User training for clients on the operation of custom developed, site-delivered software.

• Progressed forward to concentrate on the scope, design, code, delivery and support of Workflows.

• Implemented a £200 million bespoke Pensions system called Future Product Framework (FPF)
• Conducted interviews with key business users to collect information on processes and user requirements.
• Collaborated throughout systems development lifecycles, from requirements gathering to production releases.
• Liaised with stakeholders including process owners, technical and business management to verify technology alignment, recommending solutions against project specifications.
• Identified areas for improvement, devising and implementing cost-effective solutions to improve results. Examples included ensuring the infrastructure and hardware; such as £80k Kodak barcode machines; was defined, purchased and installed correctly and in a timely manner.
• Provided support to project team peers and administration users on the Workflow and Image scanning and work management system.

• Led ten members of staff who reported directly to me and achieved the daily, weekly and monthly reconciliations of outstanding monies on policies and schemes across the full Legal & General Corporate portfolio
• Successfully delivered tight mid-year financial targets whilst continuing to develop automated improvements where possible

• Completed percentage increases on pension schemes, within a high pressure, self-managed environment, working to tight deadline dates for completion
• Held the positions of Chairman of the Premium Collection Quality Team, Chairman of the Premium Collection Social Committee and Stationery Representative for the department
• Streamlined, simplified and improved business standards utilising Lotus Approach, Lotus 1-2-3, Visio and Freelance Graphics to design and build databases, spreadsheets and updated processes as requested by colleagues throughout Premium Collection.