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Project Manager Engineer

Location:
Orlando, FL
Posted:
May 27, 2014

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Resume:

RICHARD W. CRUZ-FRANQUI

Tel. 787-***-**** Mobile ● Email: acea4t@r.postjobfree.com ● Page 1 of 5

SUMMARY

Technically sophisticated attorney with background in engineering and project management. 9 years’ legal experience with various

state government agencies, 2 years’ as general counsel for a utility company in addition to 8 years' providing bar exam review

courses. Familiar with nuances and differences between common law & civil law systems. Skilled communicator that can synthesize

and deliver complex information. Interactive work style that encourages participation. Author of training materials for the PR Bar

Exam. Strong academic background (top third of class & top 5% bar exam percentile).

SKILLS

Fluent professional-level written and spoken English and Spanish. Effective decision making. Ability to work under pressure.

Resourceful in meeting deadlines. Experience working in both private and public sectors. Resourceful research through Lexis-Nexis,

Micro-Juris, Lex-Juris, JTS.

Operating Systems: Windows 7, Vista, XP, 2000, NT, Oracle On-Demand, Pick/OS, & Novell

Software Packages: AS/400, AutoCAD, PeopleSoft, MS Office, MS Exchange, MS Visio, MS Project, Pick-Basic, Lexis-Nexis,

MicroJuris, Lex Juris, JTS On-line

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

PR Electric Power Authority (AEE), San Juan PR - 9/2011 to Present

Legal Counsel

Advise executive staff and Board of Directors on complicated legal matters. Oversee legal aspects of real estate

procurement, business transactions, and contracts. Serve as primary attorney for litigation of commercial, financial, and

liability cases. Manage litigation for suits brought onto the company. Direct entire legal department with full responsibility

for internal lawyers and external attorneys. Interpret laws, rules and regulations related to financial transactions and advise

management on policy and procedural modifications. Evaluate potential trials and advise board of directors on making

settlements in major cases. Oversee efforts to proactively identify and mitigate legal exposure and litigation costs. Analyze

court decisions and newly enacted state and federal regulation laws to determine impact and change requirements.

Conduct legal research on matters associated with operations.

Achievements: Implemented business-intelligence and workflows for administrative adjudication procedures of

government-owned public utility corporation. Lead efforts to recover $50MM in power theft through process re-

engineering and partnerships with the PR Dept. of Justice and internal stakeholders.

Government & Judiciary Employees Retirement Administration, San Juan PR - 4/2011 to 9/2011

(Appointed Official)

Deputy Administrator

Structured and lead teams to deliver exceptional work in a short period of time. Identified best practices and improved

internal systems, while viewing future needs and budget realities.

Achievements: transfer Teacher’s Pension System data center with minimum notice and time allotment. Implement

provisions of Puerto Rico Title 3 §2133 to waive legal requirements for Agency regulation implementation by drafting

Governor’s certification regarding pensions and loans. Provide leadership for the Agency’s annual operating budget;

timely complete negotiations with labor unions.

Department of Education, San Juan PR - 11/2009 to 4/2011

(Appointed Official)

Chief Information Officer / Legal & Technology Compliance Officer

Key member of Governor appointed task force. Monitored and reported to the U.S. Dept. of Ed. results of local

compliance efforts. Provided guidance to the Secretary of Ed. and senior management on federal compliance matters.

Responded to alleged violations of rules, regulations, policies, procedures, and MOC.

Achievements: executed 100% compliance with US Department of Education MOA during 14 consecutive months of

tenure; established IT governance committee; implemented business intelligence dashboards to oversee vital statistics of

approximately 1500 schools; assisted the PRDE to become one of the first jurisdictions to establish school demographics

dashboards for public use over the Internet as required by the US Department of Education; recognized by US Department

of Education during annual IT meeting in Austin Tx.

RICHARD W. CRUZ-FRANQUI

Tel. 787-***-**** Mobile ● Email: acea4t@r.postjobfree.com ● Page 2 of 5

Honeywell Aerospace, Aguadilla PR & Phoenix AZ - 5/2007 to 2008

Financial Operations Manager

Member of the Global Operations team within the Integrated Supply Chain working with Aerospace Engineering to

formulate and execute the budget programs for commercial and military avionic products. Supported various

manufacturing sites in the U.S., Canada, and Singapore to prepare Annual Operating Plans (AOP) in order to accomplish

goals and objects defined in the Business Strategic Plan. Provided leadership for the budget and forecasting process,

including project performance review, budget variance analysis, corrective action planning, and root cause analysis.

Provided guidance in the preparation of budget management directives and software tools.

Responsibilities included financial roll-up integration, resource planning, and financial affordability for Aerospace

avionics strategic projects ascending to $45MM. Coordinated site Program Management Reviews, and prepared/published

site PM metrics and reports as necessary. Provided leadership, staffing, team-building, and maintained high team morale.

Built and maintained customer confidence. Advised and influenced senior leaders regarding on-going avionics projects.

Internal Revenue Service, San Juan PR - 10/2005 to 5/2007 (Seasonal / Part-time)

Customer Services Representative

Resolved issues and obtained information concerning tax administration matters from English and Spanish speaking

customers. Involved in a wide range of tax processing regulatory requirements and procedures, as administered by the

Internal Revenue Service. Interpreted and applied tax law regulations and collection techniques, and enforced actions in

order to advise, inform, assess and collect taxes and associated liabilities. Provided administrative and technical assistance

involving a wide range of tax processing regulatory requirements and procedures. Researched and analyzed available

information, applicable to collection issues and took corrective actions needed to close accounts. Explained customers of

actions taken and verified their understanding. Responded to customer contacts regarding delinquency situations. Provided

explanations to specific inquiries initiated by customers, generated by notices, or internally generated assignments.

Advised taxpayers of enforcement actions that may be taken if they failed to meet commitments to file returns and/or pay

tax liabilities, and encouraged voluntary compliance with tax laws. Appropriately identified situations meeting taxpayer

advocate criteria and made referrals. Performed research on telephone, IDRS, and other database sources for information

to locate taxpayers and their assets. Exercised judgment to make determinations related to individual situations. Exercised

judgment and resourcefulness in determining facts.

Government Consulting Engagements - 2/1996 to 12/2008

(Department of Family Affairs, Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, Institute of Puerto Rican Culture, Pretrial Services Office,

Department of Corrections, City of Cataño, City of Bayamón, City of Caguas)

Legal Counsel & IT Project Manager

Offered recommendations and preliminary-drafts of contracts involving IT matters. Reviewed policies and procedures to

assure compliance with local and federal laws. Provided contract administration services. Presented independent advice

and opinions on municipal legal matters or policy issues. Pursued municipal interests concerning appeals of bid awards

through legal research, writings, and oral presentations. Assisted colleagues in writing and arguing appellate briefs.

Provided information technology project management services, including: project implementation, operational budget and

expenditures control, computer information resources development, backup management, security/user help systems, data

security/control, strategic computing and disaster recovery, among others. Assessed computing needs and system

requirements. Directed daily operations, analyzed workflow, established priorities, developed standards and set deadlines.

Evaluated technological use and needs, and recommended improvements, such as hardware and software upgrades.

Prepared strategic planning initiatives for information technology projects including budget reports, contract preparation

and administration, efficiency analysis, and outcome effectiveness. Conducted re-engineering efforts in order to achieve

maximum benefits of new-technology implementations.

Directed, planned and oversaw IT Infrastructure Implementation Projects: local area networks, wide area networks,

telecommunications hardware (wiring, router, switches, etc.), MS Windows Servers (Exchange, Web, and clusters), voice

over Internet protocol (VoIP), telephony hardware & software, network security & policy, disaster recovery, accounting

system and gasoline dispensing system for the municipal fleet. Planned, directed and managed re-engineering initiatives

for new technology implementation projects. Adapted high-end assistive technology systems for people with disabilities.

Analyzed, configured and/or recommended adaptive equipment and alternative methods available for accessing equipment

RICHARD W. CRUZ-FRANQUI

Tel. 787-***-**** Mobile ● Email: acea4t@r.postjobfree.com ● Page 3 of 5

according to particular situations or disabilities, including: speech recognition to translate words into text, screen readers,

speech recognition for hands-free control of computer equipment, touch screen systems with sensors for finger-tip

activation of equipment, and other interfaces and adaptations.

Puerto Rico Department of Treasury, San Juan, PR - 1/1993 to 1/1996

(Appointed Official)

Chief Information Officer

Created and implemented the Department’s information management strategies. Directed information management

budget, strategic and tactical planning; business process re-engineering; and database system tactics. Prepared technical

studies for fiscal, financial and economic standing of government agencies. Participated and represented the Secretary in

executive committees and legislative hearings. Directed the planning and implementation processes of all information

systems, such as state revenue, human resources and state lottery systems, and internal communications.

Empresas Lausell, Bayamón, PR - 1990 to 1992

MIS Director

Directed and coordinated the development and production activities of computerized management information systems.

Consulted with management to analyze computer system needs for management information and functional operations, to

determine scope and priorities of projects and to discuss system capacity and equipment acquisitions. Recommended and

developed plans for systems development and operations, hardware and software purchases, budget, and staffing.

Negotiated with consultants, technical personnel, and vendors for services and products. Provided support to end users in

the selection, procurement, usage, and maintenance of software programs and hardware.

Successfully implemented the MRP System for four local manufacturing sites. Provided hardware & software

specifications, business analysis, re-engineering, documentation and training.

Intel Corp., Las Piedras, PR - 1988 to 1990

ASRS System Analyst / Quality & Reliability Engineer

Oversaw proper operation of the Automated Storage & Retrieval System (ASRS) and Computer Room activities. Provided

system integration of complex PC-based LAN workstations, minicomputers and mainframes for Human Resources, Sales

and Marketing departments. Analyzed engineering, business, and all other data processing problems for application to

electronic data processing systems. Analyzed user requirements, procedures, and problems to automate or improve

existing systems. Reviewed computer system capabilities, workflow, and scheduling limitations. Determined computer

software or hardware needed to set up or alter system. Trained staff and users to work with computer systems and

programs.

Perform analytical procedures to detect and inform failure modes and causes of semiconductor integrated circuit

components. Conduct electrical and environmental stress tests of CMOS VLSI memory and CPU integrated circuits.

Stanric Inc., Fajardo, PR - 1986 to 1988

MIS & QA Director

Responsible for quality assurance of after-market automobile components and manufacturing process. Implemented

statistical process control procedures for assembly lines. Transferred incoming inspection operations to Puerto Rico and

established its charter, policies, and procedures. Implemented cost of quality indicators and obtained cost reductions

through various quality improvement programs.

Accomplished successful start-up of MRP system. Installation, training and documentation fully completed in-house

within a year. Implemented various data collection systems for production, inventory, and quality control.

IBM Federal Systems Division, Houston TX - 1984 to 1986

Hardware Engineer

Researched, designed, and developed networked computer systems for the NASA Space Station Program. Provided

supervision and guidance to engineering associates in areas of LAN design and installation. Submitted planning inputs to

upper management, such as budgets, schedules and resources to implement prototype systems for evaluation. Took

RICHARD W. CRUZ-FRANQUI

Tel. 787-***-**** Mobile ● Email: acea4t@r.postjobfree.com ● Page 4 of 5

responsibility for the procurement and manufacturing of network interface units for 100 MB/sec fiber optic LANs.

Provided incoming inspection support, including specification interpretation, test equipment verification, and yield

indicators. Performed test equipment integration in support of incoming inspection operations. Prepared inspection

strategies for computer components. Designed digital test systems for military/space-grade computer components.

Digital Equipment Corp, San Germán, PR - 1982 to 1984

(Coop Intern)

Component Engineer

Provided incoming inspection support, including specification interpretation, test equipment verification and yield

indicators. Performed VAX and test equipment integration to support incoming inspection operations. Prepared inspection

strategy of purchased computer components. Designed various digital test systems for computer-grade electronic

components.

Puerto Rico Bar Exam Review

(Repaso para Aspirantes al Ejercicio de la Abogacía) 2003 to Present

Since 2003, I have prepared law students for the Puerto Rico Bar Exam. The Review is offered twice yearly, covering the

following subject matters:

Penal (Penal Code) Derecho Registral Hipotecario (Mortgage)

Reales (Real Property) Procedimiento Criminal (Criminal Procedure)

Familia (Family Law) Obligaciones y Contratos (Contracts)

Sucesiones (Estates) Procedimiento Civil (Civil Procedure)

Constitucional (Constitutional Law) Ética y Responsabilidad Profesional (Ethics)

Administrativo (Administrative Law) Responsabilidad Civil Extracontractual (Torts)

Derecho Probatorio (Evidence)

RICHARD W. CRUZ-FRANQUI

Tel. 787-***-**** Mobile ● Email: acea4t@r.postjobfree.com ● Page 5 of 5

Noticeable Projects

Transition to a World Class Data Center

Provided support to over 1,500 Treasury Department mainframe users connected to an island-wide network of over 100

branch offices and 20 lottery ticket centers. The center employed over 200 employees, worked 24/7, and provided data

processing services for tax revenue, income tax administration, excise tax administration, and payroll of over 230,000

government employees, government accounting, and the Puerto Rico Lottery.

Puerto Rico Lottery Ticket Printing

Implemented new lottery ticket printing system to eliminate scams and other fraudulent schemes related with the

production of 300,000 weekly tickets. Employee involvement teams were setup to address issues concerning print quality

and employee security. Bar-coding was incorporated into the lottery tickets for authentication. Packaging was automated

to facilitate distribution to more than 15,000 lottery agents.

Treasury Department Main Office Network

The Intendente Ramírez Building, main office of the Puerto Rico Treasury Department, was the first government facility

to implement a fiber optic network capable of hosting 1,000 personal computers and printers. The 100 MBps FDDI system

spread throughout 9 floors, and integrated PC’s, IBM mainframes and UNISYS mainframes.

Tele-Collect Automated Collection System

Teaming with the Internal Revenue Service, an automated tax collection system was implemented for the Puerto Rico

Treasury Department. The system was modeled on the IRS ACS, requiring travel to their federal facilities in the U.S. Lead

efforts to determine technology needs and solutions, program planning, and project management. Project budget was

$2.0M, actual cost was $1.8M, and ROI was less than 4 weeks. The system was implemented in approximately 8 months,

from conception to live production. The ACS was capable of identifying delinquent tax payers, generated automated

telephone calls and written notices. This project received recognition from the Asociación de Directores de Sistemas

Electrónicos de Información and the Unisys’ Latin-American Users’ Group.

Taxpayer Database Address Standardization

Over 600,000 taxpayer addresses were processed with intelligent-recognition software to comply with new federal

government standards. This project was successfully completed with in-house resources only. Internal mail operations

were re-engineered to improve processing speed and quality service. This project won recognition from the United Stated

Postal Service for the Puerto Rico Treasury Department, competing with other government and private entities.

Island-wide Communications

Over 40 local and federal agencies were connected to the Puerto Rico Treasury Network. This included the Bankruptcy

Court for the District of Puerto Rico, Police Department, Office of Management and Budget, Justice Department, Child

Support Administration, among others. Overall, the Treasury Network served 40 external agencies, 100 branch offices, 20

lottery pay centers, 1,500 terminals, 200 personal computers, 50 printers, 2 mainframes and 1 super server.



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