Senior Manager, Platform & Application Support - IIBA
(2025-09)
- Lead cross-functional enterprise platform operations and end-user support teams. Provide coaching, performance management, and workload planning for operational peaks and major releases. Foster high-performance, service-oriented culture with emphasis on collaboration, shared ownership, and structured problem-solving.
- Oversee daily operations of enterprise platforms (Salesforce, Microsoft 365, Azure, SaaS) ensuring secure, stable, scalable environments. Manage monitoring, backup/restore, and technical escalations with root-cause analysis. Manage identity and access lifecycle (provisioning, de-provisioning, role-based controls) across systems.
- Develop ITSM practices aligned with ITIL (incident, request, problem, change management). Use service metrics, trend analysis, and user feedback to reduce recurring issues and enhance user experience. Improve knowledge management and self-service capabilities to streamline support and onboarding/offboarding workflows.
- Partner with infrastructure, security, and architecture teams to maintain compliance with privacy, audit, and security standards.
- Manage vendor/service-provider relationships to ensure SLAs and service quality. Oversee licensing, subscriptions, and entitlements for cost-effective, compliant technology use. Evaluate vendor performance and negotiate improvements.
- Collaborate with development, QA, security, and business teams on seamless service delivery. Lead operational readiness for releases and enterprise initiatives. Translate technical issues for non-technical stakeholders. Evaluate emerging cloud capabilities for responsible adoption.
IT Product Manager - BestBuy Canada
(2021-12 - 2025-05)
Responsible for overseeing the entire product lifecycle of the e-commerce platform from conception, planning, and execution of the product roadmap, prioritizing features and identifying new opportunities. Led and managed a diverse portfolio of products at Best Buy, including a next-generation POS system rollout, privacy compliance implementation and the Accounts and Membership System for universal customer profiles and order management. Oversaw the Returns Management System, handling various return types, warranty items, parts management, and inventory processing.
Additionally, he was responsible for content management on www.bestbuy.ca, focusing on strategic product merchandising and targeted ad placement to enhance user experience and drive sales. Samuel also launched and grew Best Buy Ads, developing cost-per-click advertising products to complement the company's offerings.
- Led development teams through Agile methodologies, providing coaching and mentorship. He partnered closely with software developers and UX designers to ensure seamless integration of functionality and user experience.
- Implemented product development policies, engaged with stakeholders to gather feedback, and managed the product budget. Additionally, he defined and tracked key metrics to inform decisions on product features and functionality, ensuring data-driven product development and optimal platform performance.
IT Manager | Project/Product Manager - Takealot
(2021-01 - 2021-09)
- End-to-end product roadmap execution – Defined requirements, conducted user engagements, built prototypes, ran design sprints, prioritized backlogs
- Strategic vision & roadmap development – Built Group Customer Service portfolio roadmap aligned with business strategy and customer experience goals
- Translated business owner strategies and priorities into actionable projects for cross-functional teams
- Led implementation and public pilot of innovative hybrid-advisory customer-facing web platform
- Conducted stakeholder engagement to identify needs and inform roadmap prioritization
- Partnered with engineering, design, operations, and executives to deploy features and enhance products
- Data-driven decisions – Defined and tracked metrics to inform all product feature and functionality decisions
IT Project Manager / IT Manager - Campari International
(2016-11 - 2021-12)
- Translated business strategies into IT goals with performance tracking.
- Executed projects aligning IT with business objectives
- Evaluated technologies for ROI, cost optimization, and cybersecurity
- Led cross-functional teams in multi-stage, large-scale enterprise project upgrades & implementations
- Orchestrated software audits in complex IT environments, leveraging asset management tools to analyze licensing compliance and optimize costs
- Conducted data-driven analyses of software licensing statuses, identifying discrepancies and recommending corrective actions
- Responsible for leading the standardization of global processes
- Oversaw asset life cycle management, ensuring optimal utilization and compliance
IT Manager, Commercial Systems - Phillip Morris International
(2010-06 - 2016-10)
- Led IS Commercial Processes for Sub-Saharan Africa, managing $1M projects and $250k budget
- Led cross-functional teams in multi-stage, large-scale enterprise project upgrades and/or implementations
- Implemented business intelligence, reporting, and project management processes
- Designed Information Systems solutions and promoted global application portfolio, optimized IS/IT services costs, and managed service providers/vendors
- Developed Disaster Recovery and Systems Continuity Plans
- Led incident response and breach investigations
- Implemented data protection strategies aligned with international standards
- Provided security training and enhanced organizational security culture
- Managed software license compliance and vendor contract negotiations
- Oversaw asset life cycle management for optimal utilization and compliance
- Partnered with legal teams for matters related to security breaches and implemented risk management strategies.
Senior Support Specialist - Kaplan IT Learning
(2009-03 - 2010-06)
Senior IT Systems Engineer - Spar Western Cape
(2007-09 - 2009-03)
Systems Administrator - South African Revenue Authority
(2006-09 - 2007-08)
I.T Technician / Tutor (Part Time) - Intuition College
(2006-04 - 2008-09)
IT Support Administrator - Meikles Group
(2000-01 - 2005-12)
