Rod Gerlach 847-***-****

**** ******** **** ******, ****** Grove, IL 60081

ac3lqs@r.postjobfree.com

linkedin.com/in/rodgerlach

Digital Content Development Lead

Bring 17 years of corporate writing experience, creative digital content development strategies, and enthusiastic energy to drive business results. Passionate champion of user experience (UX), who has usability insight to understand what users want. Have niche to transform complicated topics into easy-to-understand content for mass audiences.

Experience

Aon Hewitt, Lincolnshire, Illinois 2000–2017

Dynamic UX content development lead and manager for premier employee benefits outsourcing company to Fortune 500 firms worldwide.

User Experience Writer

Change complex benefit topics into clear, easy-to-understand web content read by more than 20 million client employees globally. (health, 401(k), pension)

Drove change for better self-service by rewriting complicated “benefits-speak” terms so they’re instantly understood, reducing calls to the service center.

Persuasively consult with clients when they customize base benefit web pages based on proven, usability-tested content strategies for best user experience.

Write influential stories to successfully drive sales of new products and offers.

Manager

Direct UX benefits writing team (up to 12 writers) on content strategy that provides benefits information on hundreds of web pages for client employees.

Manage, mentor, and coach writers toward excellence and professional growth. About one-third of them were promoted to higher positions.

Critical force in launching 2017 Intelligent Virtual Agent project, resulting in increased company revenue.

Content Management

Expanded writing guidelines as a result of a new website and documented style for email, mobile devices, text messaging, print, search, and video.

Transfer guidelines to SharePoint platform for easy access by writers and other colleagues firmwide.

Rod Gerlach Page 2

Prior Employment

Daily Herald, Arlington Heights, Illinois 1995–2000

Editor at suburban Chicago daily newspaper with a circulation of 150,000.

Promoted to assistant city editor to manage writers, assign coverage, coach on writing strategies, and edit stories.

Copy editor for award-winning business section, designing newspaper pages, writing headlines, and editing stories on tight, hourly deadlines.

Lutheran Magazine, Chicago, Illinois 1994–1995

Copy editor and designer for national monthly magazine of ELCA Lutheran churches.

Accomplishments

Sole UX writer for spending accounts business, which has grown to over 300 satisfied clients and earns $75 million in annual revenue since its inception.

Aon Star Awards recipient for excellence:

oIntelligent Virtual Agent project performance

oInitiative taken to research and replace troublesome health terms

oWrote 10 new financial investing web pages for a 401(k) project

A featured speaker at a 2007 national web writing conference in Chicago.

Recognized for project management skills, improving UX teams on deadlines.

Won numerous individual and team newspaper writing and reporting awards.

Degree

Bachelor of Science in Journalism, South Dakota State University

Community Service

Habitat for Humanity

Mission trips in U.S. and Mexico to build and rebuild homes

American Corporate Partners to mentor U.S. war veterans into workplace

Special Olympics

Feed My Starving Children

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