Peter Rizk's CV
Solution Architect and Technology Specialist based in Naperville, IL
Email / Website / LinkedIn / GitHub
Technology Strategist: Head of innovation for $20M funded Series B startup for all future PAAS and SAAS offerings.
Solution Architect: Chief of onshore technology for 500+ employee company that manages application development offshore in India.
Application Architect: Automated annual review process for an internal division with a workforce of 5500, reducing the annual effort by two-thirds.
Test Architect: Charged with strategic planning, execution, and support of testing for three-year, $12m project for cloud migration and ICD-10 conversion.
Best Practice Champion: Conducted dozens of one-on-one, group, whiteboard, and lunch and learn sessions for the benefit of enhancing teams and enterprise knowledge in company-specific innovation and cutting-edge trends.
Design and develop data analytics solutions for multiple clients, including large healthcare payers, automating data sources and insight based on years of historical data. Manage presale forecasting of cost-saving models based on Teradata and Azure data mining techniques leveraging machine learning.
Key Achievements:
Defined key architecture and application solutions necessary to integrate specific requirements for multiple client projects. Acted as company liaise between corporate senior management and client business and technical leads. Continually improve the quality of our work, the way we deliver it, and the process we employ to attain it.
Key Projects:
Federal Financials for US Government Client
As application manager, oversaw design and delivery of all project components, liaising with government personnel to determine financial solutions (such as end-of-month closing and general ledger reconciliation). Developed and implemented digital signature solution cutting processing time from days to hours.
Internal Project: Annual Review Process
Automated annual review process for approximately 5500 international employees, slashing costs by 90% by creating scalable employee-comparison database; reduced employees needed from ten to three.
Global Technology Leader
Created Oracle application to improve sales representative productivity; used Mercury and Rational tools to create, assign, prioritize, and resolve issues.
Global Nuclear Energy Company
Developed kiosk system with Java interface and bar code scanner capabilities for use in all Midwest plants, increasing daily productivity by more than 25%. Coordinated post-merger system integrations.
Main software developer for the digital print department. In charge of a junior developer, innovating with the team to deliver cutting-edge variable digital print technology with Apple development and FaceSpan.
Data Analytics • Visual Insight • Object-oriented Development • DevOps • Procedural Programming • Data Modeling • Test Automation • Project Management • Large-scale Data Analysis • Robotic Process Automation (RPA) • Artificial Intelligence
Languages: Java • JavaScript • VB • VBA • R • Python • C • C++ •.NET • SQL • HTML
Master of Business Administration (MBA) DePaul University Kellstatadt Graduate School of Business, Chicago, IL
Bachelor of Science, Computer Engineering University of Illinois at Chicago
Technical Certifications and Training`
Microsoft Excel Guru, LinkedIn Skills Badge, 2023
Accenture Technology Architecture Certification, 2018
Leading SAFe Certified (Scaled Agile Framework), 2018
Tricentis Tosca Automation Specialist I Certification, 2017
I have a 25-year career in technology solutions, delivery, and consulting. With my undergrad from UIC in computer engineering in 1996, I began my career developing in Visual Basic for RR Donnelley as we pioneered the variable digital print frontier. I sought out consulting a year after graduation for the challenge of expanding my technical knowledge at the dawn of our biggest technical advancements. I thrived with Accenture for over 20 years, starting as a Java developer then into lead strategist focused mainly in the health care industry.
Once promoted to consultant in early 2002, I sought my MBA from DePaul university on the weekends and evenings while maintaining full utilization with my client and business operations with Accenture. When I achieved my MBA, I sought out technical project management and became PMP certified. A key strength became the ability to provide technical insight and innovation to management, and client leadership / steering. I moved into machine learning and analytics to apply insights to client strategy. I spent 10 years consulting in the health care industry, mostly with HCSC in Chicago, where I was instrumental in claims adjudication modernization as well as client analytics and client insights.
After 21 years of consulting for a well-oiled machine, I moved to a small company that supports health care payers to define and grow their technology group, based in India, to center of excellence. Some of my high impact initiatives include Scaled Agile Transformation, Test driven development adoption, Data analytics framework, API Studio inception, and application scalability strategies.
Throughout my career I have been thought of as the ‘main problem solver’ or the ‘go to guy’ for complex technical issues. I claim to automate any repetitive process and I have proven to streamline and maximize efficiency of any process. A previous boss described me as ‘a genius’ for providing a digital signature solution for a government agency that required a third-party application. My most utilized, under-promoted skill is MS Office and VBA, especially working with excel formulas and macros. I have always been a passionate problem solver and I especially love riddles. I’m always looking for the next riddle that will stump me.
I have grown accustomed to tech ‘to do’ lists assigned to me, ready whenever I visit family and friends, mostly on the IoT or iPhone and android. In most cases, I will get onto a device I have never used before and within minutes have a solution or reference to solve the problem.
I was born in Chicago, IL, in 1973. I have one older sister. I am the son of both immigrant parents who were married in the United States shortly after coming to the US from Egypt. My father was engaged to my mother when he first came. He had only $200 in his pocket and one friend connection, a fellow Coptic Orthodox Christian. After nearly exhausting his funds, he finally got a job as an accountant for a small bank. He was able to send for my mother and they were married shortly thereafter, with barely any friends or family in attendance. My mother, who still does not speak English well, has mostly had minimum wage or part time jobs.
My family spent most of its time with the Coptic Egyptian community, I especially liked meeting with the boys my age to play basketball. We knew each other and spent time together in the Coptic Orthodox Church in Burr Ridge, IL. Christians are the minority in Egypt, roughly 10% of the population. First generation, like-minded, Egyptian boys had an easy time bonding. In fact, most are still my closest friends. It is nice to say I know and have a very close relationship of over 40 years with about ten upstanding gentlemen.
We lived in the city on Belmont Avenue till I was 2 years old. We then moved to Bartlett, IL, where we lived till I was Freshman in High school. Since Bartlett did not yet have an elementary or high school, we had very long bus rides to Wayne elementary school and Elgin High school. We moved to Downers Grove for sophomore year, I graduated from Downers Grove South high school a semester early.
I started college at UIC in 1991 and graduated in 1996 with a Bachelor in computer engineering. During my Senior year I was able to get an internship with R.R. Donnelley & Sons Company where I developed code for their digital print division. After graduation, I continued to work with R.R. Donnelley in the same division to innovate on the variable digital print solution.
In ‘98, after graduation, I moved to Chicago on Lake Shore Drive and Irving Park Road. I always loved being on the lake, though I did not have much of a view of it from my window, I could always walk or bike there anytime. I also lived on Belmont and Halsted for a rich experience of the north side of Chicago. Married in 2006 and 2 kids by 2009, we moved to the suburbs of Chicago, Naperville, in 2010. My son is 16 and daughter is 14. In our free time we like playing basketball, hiking, swimming, and escape rooms.