Interaction Designer…

Whiting Consulting is looking for an interaction designer to join our customer’s organization. Our client is a leading unique word-of-mouth in-home marketing platform that organizes nation-wide events in partnership with Fortune 500 companies around TV shows, products and services.

As an Interaction Designer, you will be responsible for Web site and application designs adhering to a user-centered design approach. Our client’s interaction designers translate business, user requirements, and Web strategies into functional, engaging, and usable online experiences using techniques such as wireframing, prototyping and storyboarding. As part of creating an online experience, interaction designers collaborate with strategists, graphic designers, and copywriters.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Participate in feature ideation and selection. Participate in cross-functional brainstorming sessions to determine Web site features and functionality based on the business needs and objectives and user research findings.

Create compelling user experiences. Translate business requirements into concept scenarios, use cases, functional design concepts, workflows, storyboards, wireframes and prototypes. Understand business needs and weigh various approaches and tradeoffs in search of best-fit solutions.

Effectively communicate ideas. Present, clearly explain and defend interaction design deliverables and concepts to project sponsors and team members.

Document site functionality. Facilitate transfer of information to stakeholders and development team via written design documentation (e.g. functional specification documents).

Innovate. Consistently push the envelope of what’s been done on the Web before.

Obsess about the user. Partner with strategist and information architects to define user research parameters and assist in usability testing.

Facilitate collaboration. Participate in a highly collaborative relationship and help bridge would be gaps between design and development.

Education & Experience Requirements:

BA or BS degree or equivalent combination of relevant education and experience.

1 – 2 years experience working in Web site or software information or interface design (preferrably a social application or community site).

Proven success designing sites and applications using Web 2.0 technologies such as AJAX, Flex and Flash (interaction design, not the actual coding/scripting).

Portfolio demonstrating experience in wireframing/prototyping, storyboarding or workflow design.

Familiarity with user centered design (UCD) methodologies (e.g. user research, usability testing, etc).

Required Skills:

Strong desire to work as a key contributor to a fun, cross-functional and growing team.

Passion for solving client and user problems in new and interesting ways

Eagerness to learn, share and apply new skills and trends.

Insatiable thirst for staying on top of Web trends and emerging technology.

Information design, information architecture and problem solving skills.

Thoroughness and an eye for detail.

Good written and verbal communication skills.

Ability to analyze, define and complete tasks with minimal direction/supervision.

Working knowledge of the following software tools: HTML and CSS for protoypting; Adobe Software (Photoshop, Illustrator, Fireworks, Dreamweaver) for design and illustration; Visio, OmniGraffle or alternative for interface specifications. (This is not a programming position, so basic HTML/CSS is a plus)

Desired Skills:

Ability to translate words and concepts into compelling graphics or illustrations. Experience working within an agile process.

Zest for social media marketing.

Visual creativity and expertise in Web visual design.

Sense of humor.

Product Manager (New York City)

Whiting Consulting is searching for an experienced, highly-motivated, dedicated individual to join our client as a Product Manager. As a product manager, this individual will build products from existing ideas and help develop new ideas based on industry experience and contact with customers and prospects. You must possess a unique blend of business and technical savvy, a big-picture vision, and the drive to make that vision a reality. You must enjoy spending time in the field to understand customers’ problems and find innovative solutions for broader markets. You must be able to communicate with all areas of the company. You will work with engineering counterparts to define product release requirements. You will work with marketing helping them with product positioning, key benefits, and target customers. You will also serve as the internal and external evangelist for your product offering, occasionally working with sales and key customers.

Responsibilities

Manage core aspects of the product life-cycle from strategic planning to tactical activities.

Specify market requirements for current and future products by conducting market research.

Drive a solution set across development teams (primarily Engineering, Marketing and Sales) through market requirements.

Review engineering deliverables; represent PM in product design reviews.

Plan the product’s roadmap, execute product launch activities, and follow up on existing product releases with the field.

Experience and Educational Requirements

Minimum of 7 plus years experience as a Product Manager.

Demonstrated success defining and launching excellent products.

3+ years of enterprise software marketing/product management experience is required.

Knowledgeable in technology. Domain expertise should include enterprise architecture, application servers, Web servers, message buses and databases.

Bachelors degree in Computer Science / Engineering or equivalent work experience. MBA – a plus.

This position requires travel to locations in North America, Europe, and Israel.

Do you know the Future?

One Saturday a couple of weeks ago, my kids and I were driving to an event where community members were being honored for years of volunteering in the community where I grew up, which is located next to the college town where I now live. My parents were some of the people honored, so it was a special time for my family.
While we were driving, out of the blue my son asked, “Mom, let’s talk about the future.” I said sure and asked him what he wanted to know. He asked me if I knew what the future will bring. It was ironic because on the day he asked me these questions, it was graduation day for my town’s college. All of the college students were walking around in their caps and gowns. They all looked so happy, and family pictures were being taken with proud parents grinning from ear to ear.
It made me think about my college graduation day and how little we do know about our future and where our careers and lives will take us.
In my opinion, most of today’s college graduates are unsure about what they really want to do next; they are nervous about the job market and economy, and how they will find a job.
My career in recruiting fell into my lap so to speak; I saw a posting at our school’s career center and applied. I really didn’t know much about recruiting and really wanted to get into sales at the time. This was a co-operative position, which ended up turning into full-time position with the college after I graduated. With that said, I knew, though, that this was not going to be a long-term career for me, and I was really unsure what I truly wanted to do. Then, one of my friends helped me gain a different point of view about recruiting… it is sales. That opened my eyes to a career that I love and a rewarding position where I get to help companies and candidates make the right connections.
What college graduates need to know is that it is okay to not know what the future will hold because no one really does. You mold your future by different choices you make, but you need to be able to handle the ride.
While attending the event honoring people within the area that I live, I listened to stories about all their amazing accomplishments. One person had been a foster parent to over 150 children in over 10 years; another person had driven over 5000 people to area doctor appointments; the true stories went on and on. I don’t think any of these people had any idea that they would do all these great things in their lives; it just happens that these were all unplanned, very wonderful things.
Embrace your future, even if it is unknown. It is yours to create.

Sales Account Executive (NYC Area)

Whiting Consulting is looking for a sales account executive responsible for selling into the Financial Services. This individual will be responsible for learning the Company’s comprehensive product line in a brief period of time. This is an excellent opportunity for a sales professional with a great background in selling enterprise software.

 Required Experience:

• Solid, 10+ year track record in enterprise software sales and related services in both venture-backed, start-ups, and established companies.
• State of the art infrastructure and / or application software; relevant background includes TIBCO, Oracle, BEA, etc.
• Proven campaign execution process in complex selling environments that can include multiple partners (i.e., e.g. ISV’s, SI’s).
• Financial services vertical and broad commercial sales acumen.
• Solid understanding of relevant applications / platforms that drive infrastructure solutions.
• Self-starter with strong business acumen personal brand with target clients.
• A demonstrable track record of opening new accounts and driving long-term, multi-million dollar customer relationships through account planning and strategy.

 Preferred Experience:

• Experience in software sales for infrastructure / grid computing / distributed computing.

 Education Requirements:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Sales, Marketing, or Business Administration.

Accountant (NYC Area)

Whiting Consulting is looking for an Account for our client, a growing International Software Company in downtown Manhattan. They are seeking a talented Accountant with 1-2 years of experience to join their professional team. The ideal candidate will have a degree in Accounting, strong computer skills and communications skills. This is a ground floor opportunity that affords you the skills needed to build your foundation in accounting and assist you in the development of your career. In this progressive organization you can contribute to the company’s vision and goals and be appreciated and rewarded for your hard work and ability to drive results.

  Responsibilities:

• Manage and maintain Accounts Receivables including reporting
• Accounts Payable and Expense Reports
• General Ledger
• Reconciliation of monthly accounts, balance sheet, monthly journal entries and accrual entries
• Payroll and Payroll reporting using a third party vendor
• Assist in intercompany accounting
• Special projects as directed

 Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting
• Willingness to learn and grow with technology
• Strong computer skills
• General Ledger experience
• Self motivated, strong communicator and works well with both clients and peers
• Detail oriented and the ability to work within deadlines
• Knowledge of IFRS is helpful but not required

Selling In The Current Economy

 

My guess is that the title of this blog is one of the most searched strings on Google as of late. Everyone responsible for generating revenue or increasing profits for their business is looking for the answer to this question. You will not find it here, I am sorry to say. I wanted to share with you some of my thoughts on the subject, and what I have seen recently.

There has been, without a doubt, a real shift in how businesses look at the investments they make. Long gone are the days of large budgets with little oversight. Gone are the days of “As long as you get the results, we’re not concerned with how much it costs.” We are operating in a time of intense scrutiny and evaluation when it comes to what we buy, both from a company and personal perspective. I can see the wheels turning in my clients’ heads as I speak to them, and I know they are thinking, “How do I justify the expense for this?” “How am I going to get budget for this?”

It is the job of the sales professional, now more than ever, to ensure your client has a crystal clear picture of the ROI you are providing. Your client must be able to not only understand the value you are bringing, but convey that value to their leaders so that the investment in you or your business is seen as a necessity. As sales professionals, we need to not only convince our clients of the value or ROI of the solution, but we need to teach and coach our clients on how to present that message to their leadership.

In addition to teaching and coaching them on speaking to the value/ROI, we need to be constantly thinking about what we can give them over and above our contracted services. Think about what expertise you have and could share that would be valuable to them. What have you recently learned, or read, that would help them better do their job? You probably meet with many other companies in their industry. Clients are always looking to hear about best practices, and how other business might be addressing the same issues. Sharing this knowledge with your client increases your value and importance in their eyes.

Never miss a chance to impact a client in a positive way. It is these things that they will remember when the current climate shifts.

Senior Business Consultant – NYC

Whiting Consulting is looking for a high-calibre Senior Business Consultant for our client who sells, develops, implements, and maintains a software product for the asset management industry. The Senior Business Consultant will work on projects in the U.S. or Canada implementing the software with asset managers, fund managers, and pension plans. Consultants will mainly work with the processes in the back office where the software manages the position keeping, fund administration, settlement, and accounting. The middle office functions (including performance measurement and attribution and risk management) may also form part of the projects. Due to the broad asset class coverage in the software, consultants will be exposed to everything from straight forward equity and fixed income securities, to more complex derivatives, credit and OTC instruments. Our client’s internal education program will give consultants a unique opportunity for personal development and enable them to gain in-depth knowledge over a broad range of areas within the investment management industry. Additionally, consultants will gain ‘hands-on’ technical experience with a world class asset management system. Consultants may wish to become an expert in a particular field or tailor their career (i.e., toward project management in the future).

Roles & Responsibilities:
Consultants will participate in all aspects of the software implementations, including analysis, design, configuration, data conversion, integration, testing and training.
In the analysis and design phase of a project, the consultants gather and map client requirements to the software’s function and processes.
Consultants will support the client in test activities, training, and preparation for the software while it is in production, in addition to other important elements of the project work.
Depending on areas of expertise, consultants are responsible for one or more streams in the project.
Consultants will assist clients to model their business processes within the software.
Consultants will advise on process improvements through better use of the software.
Consultants will perform the role of mentor to less experienced colleagues.
Consultants will contribute to improving and documenting best practices for implementations in North America.
Consultants will participate in internal training programs.
Consultants are traditionally assigned to a project 100 percent, which means that they will be working “full-time.” This is normally onsite at client locations Monday to Thursday and in the company’s office on Fridays.
Knowledge, Experience, and Skills:
2–5 years experience working on implementation projects in the financial industry.
Degree within Physics/Maths/Science/Engineering/Economics or Finance.
A number of years of experience in one of the following fields: Asset Management – Middle or Back Office. Consulting or Professional Services within the Asset Management sector. An implementation role for a software vendor specialising in Asset Management software.
A proven track record in demonstrating: An interest in the Finance industry and an aptitude to learn more. Great empathy and strength in working with both clients and internal and external partners. Strong presentation and communication skills. Excellent problem solving skills and a solution focused attitude. Methodical, hardworking, enthusiastic, and an ability to work well under pressure. Strong Project Management skills. Interest and enthusiasm to use and learn new software packages.
Detailed knowledge of two or more of the following areas: Performance Measurement and Attribution. Settlement. Investment Accounting. Fund Accounting. Fixed Income. Equity based products. Derivatives. Knowledge of data providers proprietary software. Relational databases. Crystal Reports.

Online Customer Acquisition Manager (New York City)

Whiting Consulting is looking for an exceptional Online Customer Acquisition Manager for our client, a pioneering word-of-mouth marketing company. This individual will grow our client’s overall database, as well as create media plans for specific events. As the Online Customer Acquisition Manager, you would be responsible for developing a media buying/customer acquisition strategy to grow the customer database in the general market, as well as specific target categories.

Responsibilities
We’re looking for someone who can…

Screen and analyze potential partners and vendors.
Negotiate fee structures and contracts with media vendors.
Identify new on-line media vendors.
Be a liaison and build relationships with clients and media sales companies.
Develop appropriate business partnerships that would grow the database.
Buy on-line media, such as co-registration, banners, Web site placements, and e-mail lists.
Structure analyses to determine ROI from various on-line acquisition marketing programs, including affiliate, paid search, display banners, and e-mail campaigns.
Set up internal systems to be able to track results.
Work in a fast-paced environment while simultaneously juggling multiple projects.
Develop, implement, analyze, and optimize traffic-building strategies across multiple on-line channels.
Work with Web-based production and Web 2.0 concepts, social networking, and blogs.
Work independently while thriving in a dynamic group setting. Skills
Minimum of five (5) plus years of experience working in on-line media acquisition environment.
Prior media buying, media planning, and on-line media analysis.
Working knowledge of co-registration programs.
Working knowledge about on-line marketing types, including SEO and SEM.
Working knowledge of CPM, CPA, and IAB standards.
ROI analysis, calculation, and reporting.
Excellent project management skills.
Flexibility to work in a fast-paced environment.

Director Product Management – NYC area

Whiting Consulting is looking for a Director Product Management for our client that is pioneering experiential marketing company. This person will be responsible for the product planning and execution throughout the product lifecycle, including: gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, defining the product vision, and working closely with engineering, sales, marketing and support to ensure revenue and customer satisfaction goals are met. The Director Product Manager’s job also includes ensuring that the product supports the company’s overall strategy and goals.

Responsibilities:
1. Define the product strategy and roadmap
2. Define new service offerings
3. Ensure projects stay to plan
4. Manage cross functional teams
5. Determine project scope and timelines
6. Act as a leader within the company
Required experience and knowledge
1. Minimum of 7 plus years experience as a Product Manager
2. Demonstrated success defining and launching excellent products
3. Excellent project management skills
4. Ability to handle problem resolution
5. Excellent written and verbal communication skills
6. Bachelor’s degree (MBA preferred)
7. Understanding of the development process
8. Excellent teamwork skills
9. Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without formal authority

Kyle James Uses Social Media to Find a Home at HubSpot

I have been reading HubSpot’s blog www.hubspot.com for about a year now. They share some great information on how to blog, develop an Inbound Marketing Strategy and increase your overall web presence. One of their posts by Kyle James caught my eye. In his blog, he shared how he leveraged social media and his own blog to help land his current role as an Inbound Marketing Consultant at HubSpot. I was excited to hear about someone who was able to leverage their social network and technology to further their career. I reached out to Kyle’s boss to see if I could speak with Kyle and have him further share his story.

Kyle was so generous to take time out of his Friday morning to speak with me about his experience. Currently, as a HubSpot Inbound Marketing Consultant, Kyle helps companies improve their inbound marketing plan through leveraging various tools on the internet. Prior to working at HubSpot, Kyle was a Webmaster for a liberal arts college in South Carolina and also founder of the blog: www.doteduguru.com which is now a leading forum regarding internet marketing in the Education space.

The first thing I wanted to know was how Kyle landed his new job at HubSpot. He stated that back in 2008 one of his New Year’s Resolutions was to start blogging and building his personal network. It was through this aspiration that .eduguru was born and over time has grown to over 1000 readers. So, one day in April 2008, while having a bad day at work (we have all had those, right?) Kyle came across a blog by HubSpot highlighting their tools. He had been using a free HubSpot solution at the college called Website Grader and read about an opening on a job board at HubSpot so he applied. After doing a little research on the web about Kyle the CIO of HubSpot gave him a call and they began having regular conversations. Kyle started performing some part-time consulting for them and the first of this year moved to Boston for a full-time position with the company. Kyle chronicles his own journey from South Carolina to Cambridge, MA at http://www.hubspot.com/blog/bid/4497/Real-Example-Yes-Your-Next-Job-Can-Be-Found-Through-Social-Media

I asked Kyle what social networking tool he liked best. He stated “all of them.” What he learned moving to HubSpot is how important it is to have a presence throughout the web in multiple locations. He talked about the importance of using all the available tools like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Flicker, etc to get the proper exposure.

Kyle and I also discussed starting a blog. He mentioned you first have to find the subject that you are passionate about. Once you have that, you need to start reading everything that is out there regarding that subject. Then, start engaging in the conversation by commenting and responding to blogs or twitter. Think about what you know, and how that information might be unique and also useful to someone else. Once you have that, start writing a blog or two on that.

Just remember, so much can come from having a bad day at work and checking out a simple blog. It brought one man all the way from South Carolina to Massachusetts! Leverage all the tools available to you to increase your visibility as this will have an impact on finding your next position.