Experience/Accomplishments

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Successfully transformed overall Total Rewards which resulted in maintaining a retention rate of 95% +:

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Cradle-to-Grave Talent Management

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Provided oversight and leadership of the Human Capital team and have burned the candle at both ends, metaphorically speaking, as a resource for recruitment and onboarding, training and development, performance management, retention and engagement, transition and succession planning, and offboarding and alumni management.

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At Solutions by Design II, LLC, competed and ranked #13 in the Corporate Diversity Index for midsize businesses in 2021 by the Washington Business Journal.

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Pioneered the transformation of a comprehensive Cradle to Grave Talent Management process and delivered effective and efficient services to both internal and external customers.

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• Successfully transformed HR records into electronic format maximizing departmental efficiency and minimizing paper process delays by 95%.

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• Provided oversight and leadership to the recruiting team in delivering training and awareness to hiring managers for conducting quality, compliant interviews. Topics typically presented:​

  • Preparing for the Interview, Illegal Topics and Questions, Conducting the Phone Interview, Conducting the In-Person/Video Interview, Behavioral Interview Questions, Completing the Interview Scorecard, whom to contact with questions, Q&A.

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• Overhauled the new hire onboarding and orientation process:

  • Developed and implemented a more positive onboarding experience for new hires and simplified communication and resources that ensured employees had access to pertinent information any time, from anywhere.

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• Implemented processes to ensure Corporate Resumes, job descriptions, and standards of performance were managed and maintained consistently. This was a value add for the Business Development team in ensuring an expedient response to data calls, RFP, and RFQ deliverables.

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• Streamlined the recruiting process by realigning team responsibilities resulting in a faster response time collaborating with selected candidates. This ultimately decreased average days to Date of Offer Acceptance from Date of Job Posting significantly.

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• Collaborated with team and implemented multiple Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS’s); e.g. Berkshire, Applicant Pro.

  • Aligned background and drug screening process with the ATS by utilizing an ApplicantPro partner, Proscreening, which successfully simplified the initial onboarding process and provided an all-in-one solution.

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• Updated, managed, and continuously reviewed for improvement our new hire orientation and transformed a manual PDF provided at hire to a comprehensive half day orientation with expert speakers presenting for each subject matter. This allowed new hires to familiarize themselves with the organization, its culture, policies, procedures, and job responsibilities. Topics typically presented:

  • Intro – Company History, Mission, Vision, and Core Values, and an Organizational Overview.

    • HR Management Overview – Meet the Team, Contacts and Resources, Recognition and engagement tools available to the workforce, Key Corporate Policy review, Employee Benefits, Training & Development, Performance Management, Workforce Surveys, Things to remember…

    • Corporate Operations/Finance & Accounting – Timesheets, Expense Reporting, and Payroll.

    • Corporate IT Services – Getting Started, IT Support, New IT Requirements, Ongoing Security Requirements.

    • QA & PMO Introduction – Process Overview, Certs & Timelines, Quality, SMS & ISMS Policies, PMO, XIM, Governance, QA/PMO Resources, Policy Acknowledgement.

    • Strategic Capture, Opportunity Research, and Engagement (SCORE) Team – Overview, Organization, Integrated Support, Proposal Development, Acquisition Programs, Mentor Protégé Program, Capture and Intelligence.

    • Marketing & Communications – Overview, Integrated Support, Resources.

    • Client Delivery Services – Vision, Services We Delivered, Clients Served, Project Portfolio, Client Delivery Services Organization, Business Sectors Overview & Highlights, Contact Information.

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• Overhauled the offboarding process and added an offboarding checklist, exit interviews, and a more comprehensive exit survey designed to provide valuable feedback to the company on perceived strengths and weaknesses.

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• Successfully navigated through multiple types of terminations, such as termination with or without cause, layoffs due to contract close, layoffs due to position elimination, layoffs due to a company acquisition, and more…

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• Also, remained with acquiring company for a transitional period to ensure a softer landing for our workforce. Successfully transitioned both Talent Acquisition and Talent Management responsibilities to the acquiring company teams.

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• Championed cross-training within the team to ensure no single point of failure.  

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Workforce Planning

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• Strategically aligned Human Capital needs with the overall business objectives of the company by successfully analyzing and forecasting the current and future workforce requirements based on business goals, industry trends, technological advancements, and demographic shifts.

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• Spearheaded evaluation, implementation, and close-out of multiple Professional Employment Organization (PEO) partnerships, such as Insperity and ADP TotalSource. Also, collaborated with an acquiring company and championed the process of close-out of a PEO model and migration to a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) model. Both resulted in streamlined processes for onboarding new hires, offboarding, payroll, and benefits administration and with minimal interruption to employees and business operations, as well, each transition resulted in significant cost savings to the Company.

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• Successfully developed and implemented our Career Ladders & Competency Model designed to help professionals succeed in their current roles and develop a roadmap for career advancement. The company used the competency model to help structure the organization and teams to align what was needed for successful performance and organizational strategy. We also used the Career Ladders and Competency Model to build performance assessments for existing employees, create behavioral interviews for hiring new employees, determine selection criteria for succession planning, providing a foundational element for career management and growth, providing a means to apply HR standards using a fair and impartial approach, satisfying contract requirements or in conformity with industry standard, and providing a clearly defined set of responsibilities to be performed for a project or organizational function.

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• Developed, implemented, and managed Workforce Analytics using designated HR systems, employee surveys, and external data sources to identify key Performance Indicators (KPIs), such as turnover rate, attrition rate, retention rate, employee engagement metrics, recruitment metrics, performance metrics, and demographics designed to improve HR processes, enhance employee performance, and drive strategic business outcomes. 

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• Designed and implemented our Re-Entry into the Workplace Framework in response to the COVID-19 pandemic which through this cooperative effort we were able to establish and maintain the safety and health of our employees and workplaces without impact to business operations.

  • The impact of the framework resulted in our successfully transitioning 95% of the workforce to remote. The remaining 5% supported contracts that required minimal in-office interaction; therefore, individuals were reporting on a rotating schedule.

  • Developed and facilitated internal communications to the workforce through multiple means, such as:

    • Developed and designed a pandemic Resource Center in SharePoint available to employees anytime from anywhere, frequent email communications, Town Halls, and newsletters.

    • Spearheaded the implementation of our Vaccine Tracker Dashboard in SharePoint which resulted in 100% compliance with frequently changing pandemic regulations.

    • Successfully established and managed our Vaccination Exemption Interactive Review process to ensure consistency in the determination of Religious Accommodation and Medical Exemption requests.

    • Collaborated with key stakeholders to ensure compliance with Executive Order 14042 and Task Force guidance. 

    • Developed and launched executive virtual wellness checks which resulted in our success in connecting with 100% of the workforce and building relationships and rapport between executive management and the employees.

    • Provided regulatory and in-house training and awareness guidance.

    • Developed and implemented pandemic related policies, such as the infectious disease control policy, hybrid return to work policy, and updated office protocols in response to the pandemic.

    • Successfully completed a COVID-19 Hazard Assessment which identified the company’s risk level.

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Recruitment

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• Experience recruiting for technical type roles and operational roles.

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• Spearheaded the implementation of an HR recruiting process workflow of identifying hiring needs, job descriptions, sourcing candidates, marketing, screening, interviewing, selection & offer, and onboarding by leveraging current technology, enhancing candidate experience, attracting diverse candidates by leveraging technology and conducting targeted outreach, creating and maintaining talent pools, and continuous improvement.

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• Managed openings and conducted recruitment efforts for all exempt and non-exempt positions; to include requisition process, sourcing, screening, scheduling, background checks, drug screening (when applicable), E-Verify, and offers.

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• Fostered relationships with recruiting firms to ensure expedient support during surges.

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Performance Management

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• Transformed the performance management process and implemented incentives designed to encourage participation in the process.

  • In 2017, 31.58% of employees at the company indicated they rarely had interactions with their managers.

  • In response to these alarming numbers, in 2018, modernized the process by designing, developing, and implementing a Quarterly Performance-Check-in process to replace the formal annual performance review process. Our change in approach allowed for clear expectations and goals to be set between manager and employee, facilitated frequent feedback between manager and employee based on expectations, provided a disciplined framework for managers and employees to continuously share genuine feedback, allowed for flexibility so that individuals could tailor the feedback based on their style, managers were still accountable, however, employees were receiving real-time and more frequent feedback.

  • The success of the transformation led us to update the process again in 2019 at which time we eliminated perf. goals as a part of the Perf. Check-in process. We found that incl. perf. goals as part of the process through our PEO tool was counterproductive to our original vision and was becoming problematic, specifically for project personnel. As a result, goals were shifted to be managed at the individual project level and were tied to the contract deliverables, -or- managed within each Organizational unit.

  • In 2021 as a direct result of our successful transition, we updated our format to semi-annual performance check-ins. Results and feedback showed a steady increase in participation. Interaction between employee and manager increased significantly. These transformations ran concurrently with an employees’ day-to-day activities, therefore, reducing the time allocated to the review process.

  • Continuous employee engagement, review, and improvement of this process led to a 59.97% increase in manager / employee interaction with a total satisfaction rate in 2021 of 91.55%. Our Net Promoter Score (ENP) in 2023 remained strong at 77 (ranges from -100 – 100).

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Rewards & Recognition

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• Successfully developed and implemented a highly used 3-tier Employee Spot Award Program which provided a means for the company to foster a corporate culture that encouraged growth to maximize efficiency of our greatest asset; our employees and to provide immediate, short-term, and visible recognition of employee contributions.

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• Successfully developed and implemented an Employee Referral Bonus Program that provided an incentive award to employees, contractors, and subcontractors who helped bring new talent to the company.

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• Sourced and implemented Employee recognition platforms to promote employee engagement and help celebrate internal achievements, boost morale, and improve your company culture.

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• Collaborated with General Counsel and Principals in implementing and maintaining additional incentive programs, such as shared success and sales bonus plans.

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Training & Development

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• Developed and implemented a comprehensive formal Training & Development program resulting in increased employee retention, customer satisfaction, and limited redundancies in compliance training by offering a variety of training sources, such as virtual, online instructor led courses, virtual events, in-person events, and more…

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• The program provided three (3) learning tracks designed to support organizational and project level technical and soft skills training requirements/needs; (1) Corporate Growth & Compliance, (2) Individual Development (IDP), and (3) Leadership Development (SLDP).

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• The program included:

  • Educational Reimbursement Program

  • Skillsoft Percipio; Learning Management System (LMS)

  • Management & Leadership development programs (organic, LMS, and Vistage)

  • External training

  • Training in compliance with contract requirements, specific regulations, and Federal Contractor cleared personnel training obligations aligned with the NISPOM.

  • T&D opportunities through our PEO partner (scholarships, learning platform within HRIS, and educational discounts.

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• Effectively created training videos and presentations related to key initiatives and conducted training sessions, such as onboarding/orientation, management training, performance management, developmental, and more...

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Leadership Development

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• Developed, implemented, and managed a Mentorship Program which successfully improved the company’s core workforce capabilities and fostered leadership development for high potential and emerging leaders.

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• Developed, implemented, and managed an in-house Management Development Program which provided a managed learning experience for emerging leaders.

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• Successfully transitioned from our in-house training solution to the Skillsoft Leadership Development Program (SLDP) powered by MIT SMR. The SLDP was a self-led program and addressed the fluid way in which organizations need to develop leaders by offering a wide range of learning tools to address all levels, meeting learners wherever they are on their career path. This allowed us to reach more individuals early in their careers with the necessary foundational knowledge, providing the company a solid, active base of leaders at all levels. The program contained over 20 channels mapped to core competencies across popular topics such as:

  • Building and Leading Teams

  • Developing People

  • Leading through Change

  • Managing Conflict

  • Problem Solving & Decision Making

  • Thinking Strategically

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Succession Planning

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• Collaborated with colleagues of executive leadership in the strategic planning of management succession that corresponded to the strategy and objectives of the company.

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• Our succession planning process included identifying key positions; determining which roles were critical to the company’s success, defining competencies; establishing the skills, experience, and attributes required for each key position, assessing  current talent; evaluating the current workforce to identify potential candidates for key roles, creating development plans; developing individualized training and development plans for potential successors, leveraging leadership development programs, monitoring and evaluating progress; communicating the plan; ensuring transparency in the succession planning process.

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Mergers & Acquisitions

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• Successfully contributed to the Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) due diligence process as the key stakeholder for Human Capital information management and valuation.

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• Partnered with the Senior VP, HR of the acquiring company to close out the relationship with our PEO and transition/migrate to a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) model.

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• Collaborated with key leaders in assessing potential synergies between the acquiring company and the target company, such as operational efficiencies.

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• Collaborated with key leaders to finalize a communications plan and integration plan.

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• Collaborated successfully with key leaders to ensure a seamless transition for the workforce that aligned with business objectives.

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• Championed the following initiatives along with key leaders of the acquiring company:​

  • Benefits negotiations, transition to a new carrier, and roll-out

  • Transitioned PTO to a CTO process, compensation and performance review processes, talent acquisition/recruiting activities, and more.l

  • Transferred all institutional knowledge and records for both talent management and talent acquisition and provided SME feedback.

  • Transferred all vendor information to the acquiring company for both talent management and talent acquisition.

 

• Effectively created and disbursed training videos to the HR Team of the acquiring company, as well as key guidance and walk-throughs of electronic records, systems, and sites. 

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Employee Relations

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• Extensive experience in developing and implementing employee relations strategies designed to minimize and mediate workplace disputes, and to foster a positive and productive work environment.

  • Navigated successfully through multiple employee & labor relations challenges with little risk for the organization, such as safety concerns, conflict resolution, employee misconduct, wage and incentive disputes, workplace harassment and bullying, negligence, gross negligence, attendance issues, ethics violations, and more:

    • Successfully developed and implemented a Workplace Gender Transition & Communications plan, policies, and successfully carried out training & awareness and communications to the workforce.

    • Developed and implemented policies and programs to support employees with substance abuse.

    • Navigated through intimate relations between a company employee and a high-ranking government official.

    • Successfully mediated through a perceived indiscretion between executives.

    • Successfully mediated through an executive indulging in inappropriate activities with subordinates.

    • Successfully navigated through a perceived indiscretion between executives.

    • Irate employees with little to no emotional intelligence.

    • Bullying of employees by government employees/officials.

    • Weapons being carried onto government property by an employee.

    • Self-destructive employee departures.

    • Sexual harassment in the workplace, and

    • more…

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• Effectively navigated through EEO claims filed by former employees handled by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Promptly and thoroughly investigated allegations of discrimination and prepared to expediently take appropriate action. All claims were dismissed by the EEOC.

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• Effectively supported EEO claims filed by former employees, submitted to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) against two (2) federal agencies. By fostering an inclusive workplace, providing regular training, and promptly addressing any allegations, we successfully maintained an equitable work environment.

  • Company policies and documentation were in place to proactively prevent discrimination, we conducted training regularly, and continuously fostered an inclusive workplace culture.

  • Types of claims; alleged allegations of termination due to a serious health condition. In this case, the former employee had threatened a government official which led to his termination. The company had not previously been notified of a health condition. Also, alleged allegations of termination due to sexual harassment.

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• Continuously monitored subcontractors supporting the company to ensure there was minimal risk of a “joint employer” classification per the new rule, in short, by ensuring the company did not possess the authority to control (whether directly, indirectly or both) one or more of the employees’ essential terms and conditions of employment.

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Compensation & Benefits

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• Continuously reviewed, developed, and implemented competitive and cost-effective compensation, benefits, performance appraisal, and employee incentive programs.

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• Spearheaded the update and implementation of the Compensation Review Process ensuring the company maintained a competitive advantage in the workplace.

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• Successfully developed and implemented a Management By Objective (MBO) program which promoted interaction between manager and employee and navigated and encouraged employees covered by the bonus program to increase performance standards.

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• Successfully partnered with our PEO to provide a robust benefits package for the workforce and negotiated benefit premiums which resulted in an average of less than a 5% increase annually over the past 3 years and ensured a smooth, seamless year-over-year open enrollment process, as well provided training & guidance to the workforce. 

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• Successfully developed and implemented a Leave Bank Program which allowed employees additional paid time off in the event the employee had exhausted their leave and had a family medical emergency or was affected by a major disaster.

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• Organized an independent compensation study through Helios to strategically review an objective evaluation of the company’s compensation structure and ensure that our compensation practices were competitive, equitable, and aligned with industry standards and organizational goals.

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• Conducted market surveys to understand the market environment, customer preferences, and competitive dynamics. This allowed the company to align with the industry, administer competitive recruiting practices, and gain valuable insights that drove strategic decision-making and improved overall performance.  

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• Analyzed studies and market surveys and ensured fair practices for the workforce. Made compensatory adjustments as needed.

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HR Policies & Compliance

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• Implemented an annual electronic process for the update, approval, and acceptance of all policies & procedures, including the Employee Handbook, Employment Agreements, NDA’s, etc. This strategy invoked greater employee awareness and kept the workforce up-to-date and knowledgeable of regulations and policy requirements.

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• Successfully owned the HR process for our quality and security management systems, such as ISO and CMMI. Through continuous review and improvement, our success resulted in passing internal and external audits with ease and without corrective actions.

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• Successfully developed and maintained corporate policies & procedures, including the Employee Handbook and additional corporate policies that were mandated, such as contract compliance, the pandemic, and other corporate initiatives. Liaised with legal counsel to ensure the annual update of the corporate NDA and Employment agreements.

  • Through continuous improvement implemented policies that outlined compliance and offered additional incentives to the workforce, such as paid maternity leave, hybrid/remote work, educational reimbursement, and more…

  • Congruent to development of core policies & procedures, communicated processes through multiple outlets and implemented an annual, electronic recognition process whereas employees were required to acknowledge/provide electronic signature for annual updates to ensure employees were up-to-date and knowledgeable of current policies and procedures. This resulted in improved employee awareness, boosting employee retention, and the workforce meeting milestones more frequently for compliance requirements.

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• Developed, implemented, and maintained processes to ensure accurate, up-to-date position descriptions and corporate resumes were in place for active employees.

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• Successfully developed and implemented a Mobile Device Stipend Plan which provided the company with a means to reimburse employees for business-related costs incurred when using their personally owned mobile device.

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Regulatory Compliance

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• Effectively ensured compliance with regulatory and government contractor requirements, such as, VETS-4212, AAP, OFCCP AAP, OSHA, EEO-1, 1094-C, 1095-C, I-9, FLSA, Drug Free Workplace, training, etc. resulting in 0 triggered external audits.

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• Sourced a third-party and partnered with Berkshire for Affirmative Action reporting.

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• Regularly performed internal audits to ensure compliance with FLSA.

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Technology Management

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Up to date on current trends, best practices, regulatory changes, and new technologies in talent management, Talent Acquisition, and employment law.

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Effectively administered Human Resources related sites and systems that drove employee engagement and recognition, career development, streamlined processes, supported development and publication of valuable human resource metrics, and achieved alignment and collaboration in support of organizational goals and objectives.

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• Designed, developed, and implemented an HR Center in SharePoint which allowed the company to communicate and publish policies, procedures, benefits resources, frequently used forms and templates, compliance, current news and more to the workforce which employees could access any time, from anywhere.

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• Designed, developed, and implemented dynamic Dashboards in SharePoint and Power BI to assist managers in identifying employee status of compliance requirements, such as compliance training required as a Federal Contractor, Performance Check-ins, and compliance schedules to assist employee’s in identifying key milestones resulting in an increase in employee / manager participation from 79% in 2021 to 90% in 2023 for performance management. This measure also resulted in a significant reduction in resource allocation and an average of 100% compliance within 4 days of deadlines for acting participants.

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• Successfully developed and/or implemented multiple applications, such as DocuSign, PolicyTech (policy management system), Skillsoft (LMS); Skillport and Percipio, Costpoint HR module, Costpoint Enterprise Reporting (now BI), Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS); Berkshire and ApplicantPro, ProScreening, Sterling Talent Solutions, PEO specific; Insperity and ADP TotalSource, HRIS’s, CompAnalyst, PowerBI Dashboards & Analytics, SharePoint Dashboards, and more…

  • SharePoint Site Owner responsible for managing and maintaining sites, sub-sites, and libraries with responsibilities ranging from user permissions, site administration, site actions, changing the Look and Feel to site navigation and web parts.

  • Managed the administration and profile management of all corporate HR affiliated websites.

  • Many of these tools provided a more robust total rewards package for employees by offering additional incentives designed to remain competitive in the market and continue to build a culture of inclusion in the workplace.

  • Successfully transitioned the organization’s records into electronic format and transformed the signature process to accommodate electronic signatures and acknowledgements.

  • Easy access to HR analytics and electronic document management for the workforce.

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• Successfully managed and executed the HR upgrade from Deltek GCS to Deltek Costpoint 7.1 in 2017 and again to Costpoint 8 when published.

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Deputy Facility Security Officer

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Successfully carried out the responsibility of Deputy Facility Security Officer (FSO) to the FSO and supported corporate security requirements, system requirements (JPAS now DISS), Visit Authorization Requests, and other agency/customer security office compliance requirements.

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• Managed the organization’s security program to protect classified and sensitive information.

• Ensured compliance with the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) and other relevant regulations.

• Assisted with the personnel security clearance process, including background checks, clearance applications, and maintaining records.

• Conducted security briefings, debriefings, and customized training for cleared personnel.

• Monitored and reported any adverse information or changes in personnel status that could affect security clearances.

• Assisted with maintaining physical security measures to safeguard classified information and restricted areas.

• Participated in regular security inspections and audits of facilities to ensure compliance with security protocols.

• Managed access control systems, including issuing and revoking access badges.

• Ensured the protection of classified information in both physical and electronic forms.

• Investigated security incidents and violations, determined the cause, and implemented corrective actions.

• Reported security breaches, violations, and suspicious activities to the appropriate authorities and agencies.

• Provided ongoing security education and awareness training to all employees and ensured cleared personnel compliance in conjunction with the NISPOM.

• Assisted in ensuring compliance with all relevant federal, state, and local security regulations and requirements.

• Prepare for and participated in security audits and inspections by government agencies and other external entities.

• Maintained accurate and up-to-date security documentation and records.

• Served as the primary point of contact for security-related matters with an outsourcing partner, government agencies, contractors, and other stakeholders.