Senior Director, Web Development - Financialaid.com − 26 April, 2004
Financialaid.com was very much a dotcom when I started. Lead by Mike O'Brien, it was a small-to-medium-sized company, providing student loan solutions through online methods. Things were pretty loosey goosey culture-wise, and the IT team worked very hard to keep pace and provide the systems for Mike's vision.
One of the best things about working at Financialaid.com for the first few years was working for James S. James had a very smart, very driven approach which truly affected the way I look at work and IT's role in serving "the business". It's funny to say, but if you've seen Band of Brothers, I would liken working for James to reporting to Dick Winters. He's just one of those inspiring guys that has his stuff together and gets results.
I did a number of different things earlier on, eventually settling into a more formal management role. Financialaid.com was eventually purchased by longtime partner Education Lending Group, which was in turn purchased by Fortune 500 company CIT as part of their specialty lending division.
Day to day, I work with executives and department heads to define and develop solutions that fulfill aggressive business goals. I manage the Web Development group on projects including web-based call center systems, lead generation and application sites, and marketing-driven online destinations. My duties include defining the overall goals, processes and practices for the department, maintaining a high level of developer productivity, project management and staffing, and human resource management; with less frequency, I still get to contribute to application development, querying/reporting, and user interface design and direction.
Financialaid.com sites of note include http://campusdirt.com, http://mylenderlist.com, http://financialaid.com
I unequivocally love this job. The group we've developed over time has some very smart, creative people that really help the company get the job done. It's been a great opportunity for me to use and improve on technical and management skills acquired in previous career experiences.
One of the best things about working at Financialaid.com for the first few years was working for James S. James had a very smart, very driven approach which truly affected the way I look at work and IT's role in serving "the business". It's funny to say, but if you've seen Band of Brothers, I would liken working for James to reporting to Dick Winters. He's just one of those inspiring guys that has his stuff together and gets results.
I did a number of different things earlier on, eventually settling into a more formal management role. Financialaid.com was eventually purchased by longtime partner Education Lending Group, which was in turn purchased by Fortune 500 company CIT as part of their specialty lending division.
Day to day, I work with executives and department heads to define and develop solutions that fulfill aggressive business goals. I manage the Web Development group on projects including web-based call center systems, lead generation and application sites, and marketing-driven online destinations. My duties include defining the overall goals, processes and practices for the department, maintaining a high level of developer productivity, project management and staffing, and human resource management; with less frequency, I still get to contribute to application development, querying/reporting, and user interface design and direction.
Financialaid.com sites of note include http://campusdirt.com, http://mylenderlist.com, http://financialaid.com
I unequivocally love this job. The group we've developed over time has some very smart, creative people that really help the company get the job done. It's been a great opportunity for me to use and improve on technical and management skills acquired in previous career experiences.
Comments:
vision024 (January 30, 2007. 06:36pm)
I work in IT as well (for a cultural education business), my title is Web Development Manager but my duties are mostly in the areas of art direction, design, and team building and management. I work closely with marketing.