SHARON R. STEELE, PMP

931 S. Humphrey Avenue, Oak Park, IL 60304

srs931@comcast.net 708-738-7771 www.linkedin.com/in/sharonrsteele

SENIOR OPERATIONS PROFESSIONALIntegrate Technology Solutions That Improve Operational Efficiencies and the Customer Experience

In a Multi-Channel Environment

Recognized as an operations professional with a strong technical aptitude and the ability to bring the business perspective to the IT professional. Adeptly comfortable in the IT space, able to bridge the technical with the ultimate customer experience, while optimizing overall operational efficiency, quality and compliance.

Consistent, demonstrated success in managing the project lifecycle, with cross-functional teams, across multiple channels, i.e., call center, web, direct mail, email. Experience includes:

Continuous Process Improvement| Project Management| Expense Reduction & Management| Client Services| Data Management| Customer Experience Improvement| Vendor Management| Situational Leadership|

Resource Optimization| Product Management| IT Service Management| Regulatory Compliance| Gap Analysis| Risk Management| Lean Six Sigma| Agile Methodology| Change Management| Program Management|

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

THE NORTHRIDGE GROUP, Rosemont, IL 2015-PresentA leading management consulting firm, working with Fortune 200 companies and market leaders, specializing in customer experience solutions and business transformation initiatives, utilizing data analytics and business process redesign to deliver results.

Senior Consultant Customer Experience and Web Development and Design, management consultative services Assess the quality of the client’s overall customer experience identifying customer pain points and process

gaps to enhance, streamline and improve processes, build strategic relationships and improve the customer experience

Assess website usability and design to identify opportunities for SEO, user experience, improve Net Promoter Score and profitability

SEARS HOLDINGS CORPORATION, Hoffman Estates, IL 2002-2015 A leading integrated retailer focused on seamlessly connecting the digital and physical shopping experiences for its customers, the $31B corporation is the #1 Appliance Retailer in the US.Senior National Operations & Data Quality Manager - PartsDirect (2011-2015) Managed operations of $300M+ parts and accessory business. The multi-faceted role included omnichannel leadership across call center, web and direct mail, delivering consistent year-over-year profitability post-merger and in the midst of an industry downturn 4M annual orders| Inbound Sales| Customer Support| Offshore Chat Support| Online Sales and Care|

Consumer and Commercial clients Managed business relationship with diverse, cross-functional IT teams, and offshore developers, delivering

improved customer experience and operational efficiencies Defined business requirements across major projects – delivered process, software and hardware solutions Managed cross-functional business relationships – Member Services, Marketing, Retail Store Process, Channel

Management, Logistics, Supply Chain, Product Engineering, Sourcing – to drive business results Authored and implemented policies and procedures supporting profitability, and operational efficiencies

SHARON R STEELE srs931@comcast.net Page2

Implemented program to measure and analyze customer satisfaction ratings, and to drive targeted customer service improvements

Delivered operational excellence through expense management and continuous process improvements Created project charters, defined business requirements, conducted root-cause analysis Coordinated and managed project lifecycle phases: Initiation, Planning, Execution and Closure Improved overall data quality by 85% and customer satisfaction ratings by 39% through implementation of

data management program, which included data validation, cleansing and standardization Implemented, managed subscription automatic reorder program, 460K+ enrollees, less than 5% cancellations Defined business requirements for the remediation, development and ongoing maintenance of website Leveraged Agile methodology for website development-scrums, iterations (sprints), retrospectives Communicated business results and updates to senior leadership, via reports and oral presentations Led multiple projects and motivated teams to exceed project deliverables; on time, in scope completion Managed, mentored and led remote operations team, consistently exceeded performance objectives Skilled at conflict and issue resolution, engendering an environment of cooperation and productivity

Sales and Operations Manager – PartsDirect (2004-2011) Conceived, designed and implemented innovative infrastructure projects that modernized and strategically

transformed call center operations from manual to fully digitized Improved customer retention by 23% and reduced post-order call volume by 34% with the development and

implementation of transactional email order status communication program, and account management email communication process

Call Center Vendor Operations – Home Services (2002-2004) Developed and managed outsourcing/insourcing strategy for call center operations, support and technology Managed RFP process end-to-end including vendor invitation, proposal review, vendor selection, contract

reward and project oversight Negotiated contracts and Statements of Work, securing the best rates and maximum services for the business Managed vendor relationship through the duration of the pilot and contract period; delivered on objectives Hired and managed team of auditors; oversaw vendor operational reviews and audits

GE FINANCIAL ASSURANCE PARTNERSHIP MARKETING GROUP (formerly The Signature Group), Schaumburg, IL 1990-2002 A leading provider of value-driven consumer products and services through direct response marketing.

Program Vice President –Customer Delivery Compliance (1999-2002)Mitigated risk to the business by ensuring compliance with all regulatory, statutory and internal policies and procedures, interfacing with Chief General Counsel, Chief Compliance Officer and Risk Management, with oversight of 28 call centers and multiple onshore and offshore third-party vendors. Oversaw compliance audits and examinations of internal/external sites, taking appropriate corrective action based on established protocols.

Client Services & Planning Manager (1998-1999) | Telemarketing Program Administrator (1995-1998) |Telemarketing Training Coordinator (1992-1999) | Unit Supervisor (1990-1992)

EDUCATION

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, B.S. ManagementUniversity of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana, IL, Retail Clothing, Business Administration

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

ESI – Contracting for Project Managers, Risk Management for Project Managers, Negotiating for Project Managers| Management Skills for Leaders| Finance for Non-Financials| Compliance Awareness| Training Facilitation| Lean Six Sigma| Agile| Customer Advisory Board-SAS/DataFlux 2010-2013|CERTIFICATIONS: PMP – Project Management Professional| ITIL FOUNDATION – IT SERVICE MANAGEMENT

SHARON R STEELE sharon.r.steele@comcast.net Page 3 SKILLS: MS Project| MS Office Suite| Visio| Tableau| Hadoop| Teradata| DataFlux| MySQL| SharePoint| JIRA| Softeon| WorkLenz| Site Catalyst Omniture