TM1 Forum

Well why not - I've tried everywhere else

Senior TM1 Systems Developer 30k - 34k Preston, Lancashire

One of the worlds leading defence organisastions are looking to bring on board a Senior Developer to enhance the capabilites of the TM1 development team. TM1 development training will be supplied to the successful candidate if required as you will be responsible for the development of reporting solutions using TM1. TMI is a business critical system used for reporting Financial, Management and IBP information. You will also be responsible for taking a key role in the project to automate CSR's throughout Military Air Solutions using TM1. As part of this role, you will also be expected to provide deputy leadership to a small team of developers. You will be expected to develop complex financial reporting solutions based on technical specifications to tight deadlines. There will also be a focus on improving and streamlining the current models in production along with developing the production environment to deliver first class service to the business. As part of this role you will also be involved in driving specification requirement gathering from senior management and will need to be comfortable dealing with and giving presentations to the senior management teams. The successful candidate should posses the following skills/ experience: " Proven experience in a systems development/deployment role (preferably TM1, SAP, Oracle and/or Cognos). " Strong MS Excel skills required with VBA knowledge a distinct advantage. " A good grasp of financial modelling and/or experience working within a Finance environment. " A logical mindset and innovation with regards to logical problem solving. " The ability to manage own workload and work alone or as part of a project team. " Any history of systems development and/or administration within an OLAP environment will be a distinct advantage. This role would be well suited to a driven candidate who is ready to take on deputy management responsibilities within a systems development environment.

Feel free to contact me to discuss.

Good Luck Gary. I would be interested if a) the salary was a bit higher and b) I have the feeling BAe wouldn't welcome me back with open arms.

Good luck with that Gary. I can't believe you haven't found anyone yet. I've actually contemplated it a few times but the salary differential isn't quite there for me and my role at Burtons is about to change for the better soon.

I just had an approach from an agency with a listing that looks suspiciously like this one. It was advertising 36k, so Garry's managed to find a bit more if that changes anyone's mind...

Martin

Could that be an agency telling a porky? Can't see that happening as they are all honest as the day is long in the arctic during the winter!!

Well, let's be honest, 34 or 36k doesn't make a huge diff - I have managed to wangle a couple of extra k's into the offer plus a relocation package but let's face it, there just isn't enough experienced Tm1 developers out there willing to move company or (perhaps more importantly) to the North West of Engurland.

Will probably fill the role with someone from Essbase / Hyperion background and train 'em up so they can leave after two years to get a better paid job as a Tm1 developer in a different company and start the cycle again. The job with Dunlop in Coventry will probably still be available at the current rate so they'll probably go there

Such is life. Now for my rant.

/rant on

I'd be interested to know just how many Tm1 developers actually exist in the UK. Most people I talk to at conferences, etc in order to tap them up for a role seem to fall into three camps -

A) I actively develop TM1 models to a good standard but am payed very well for it and am considered indispensable - I am happy where I am because of this.

B) I have a vague idea about TM1 development but would require some serious training and have vastly over-inflated salary expectations because I look at London based salaries. I know what TI stands for but struggle to write a TI doing anything even vaguely complicated.

C) Consultants came and built a model ages ago and nobody else wanted to touch it with a barge pole so I got lumbered with it. I think I develop it but don't know what a rule is. I have an even more over-inflated salary expectation than group B.


All three types tend to fall into one group as well - the "I just care how much you're paying and don't really care about the oppurtunity that would present itself to gain managerial experience working with a dedicated team of 4 other developers for a company hugely reliant on TM1 with at least a dozen live projects at any one time."

All of these groups are useless to me in terms of recruitment. Maybe I have a view of the world that clashes with the economic reality but my heart felt opinion is that it's not. Where's group D - "I'm looking to develop my skills in a supportive environment and gain management experience, I'm hard working, reliable, professional and positive and think that mid 30k's is a good salary for a TM1 developer in the North West."?

Hopefully the IBM purchase of TM1 will mean it's better marketted which in turn will increase the available number of TM1 developers to widen the pool of available resources. A few years back, a huge number of people wanted to train up as SAP BW developers as there was a real niche in the market place which presented an oppurtunity. The main reason behind this (as I see it) is that so many companies use SAP that it was a highly visible oppurtunity. This is not currently the case with TM1 given Applix's cack handed attempts at marketting in the past. Hopefully the TM1 situation will swing round if IBCoglix don't price it out the market place.

Three years ago when I moved down to Preston for this job, I looked for 9 months before I found a suitable TM1 job outside of London. I've never found a TM1 developer job in Scotland. Currently though, there are 4 jobs I'm aware of in the North East looking for Tm1 resource. The demand for the skill sets are rising but there doesn't seem to be the same scramble to become a Tm1 developer as the SAP BW example above. Considering how easy TM1 is to pick up (compared to other OLAP systems) I really don't understand that.

/rant over

Hi Garry,

You are right sort of. Most of the best people out there (There aren't that many) are highly paid due to the lack of a resource pool. I also understand your frustration. The simple fact is that if people want to change job they are going to do it for one of two reasons:

1) They are looking for pastures new.

2) They want to improve.

In both cases people will look to improve their salary at the very least. Some may sacrifice pay if they are looking for a complete carrer change.

This is human nature. We all have bills to pay.

In my case I am paid a good salary by an employer in the North West. I wouldn't say I am loyal (If I'm honest). The job fits my need to be home every night (Young kids). The key here is Shop Direct are willing to pay the market rate to get the best people. Knowing BAe well (Been there done that.) they don't. They have got better but they are still lagging behind. Location aside, if the resource pool is small you have to pay the market rate to get the right people.

Thats my slant anyway,

Jim.

Yep, the problem is BAE have pay rates that relate to a graded job, not skill level. Everyone must fit in to that scheme, so where you get a TM1 opportunity it pays via a grade which probably doesn't fit the expectations of the applicant. That said, the main reason i left Garry's team wasn't cash (am on the same in this role) but desire to further my skill set and get involved in different data entirely, so not everyone is just looking for more money

People do need to look beyond the immediate cash aspect tho, it's a VERY active team with a massive amount of work on, you'll certainly not get bored and with TM1 expanding rapidly throughout BAE, there will be plenty of opportunity to move along the chain.

ps. and before Garry gets there, their relocation to Preston (20 mins by car from my place) from Warton ( 2 mins walk from my place) wasn't the reason for leaving, just a catalyst!

I get what you mean Steve. When I left Aerospace I was given the opportunity to stay via a counter offer. This offer was still way below what I was being offered. I could have lived with that to be honest, but the company making the offer in London were Applix and I couldn't see a better place to be to expand my TM1 knowledge base.

The position I am in now I feel comfortable with the level of my TM1 skill. The improvements I want to make are more based around the API and MDX. I don't count myself as an expert, but I do feel I am experienced enough to justify the salary level I am on now.

I do agree with Garry on the point about lower skilled level peeps wanting the same salary level. They think as soon as TM1 is on their CV they have a right to a mega salary which I feel is poor. I guess this happen niche market spaces. In the long term anybody selling themselves fits in to one of 2 categories: 1) They end up out of depth. 2) Manage to BS their way through for so long and get out. (They normally move on to another highly paid position as well.)

Jim.

Garry,

Did you have any luck finding anybody?

Jim.

PS. Just a thought (Not sure if I have said this before. Age and all that), if I had stayed at Aerospace you could now be working for me! How frightening is that!!!!