DEBRA A SIMPSON

**** *********** **. *******, ***** 77083 Email: ad160x@r.postjobfree.com C: 281-***-****

Professional Summary

Dynamic, motivated, and accomplished professional with a strong background in project and materials management, adept at driving team performance, business strategies, and making data supported recommendations. Skilled in building and leading cross-functional teams, executing team leadership and development while exceeding expectations under the most challenging circumstances.

CenterPoint Energy - Materials Management Specialist (Gas Operations Purchasing & Logistics)

04/2021 – Current Houston, Texas

●Responsible for supporting internal and external customers through material planning, accurate receiving, stocking, and charge-out of material. Correct receiving discrepancies.

●Maintain records/spreadsheets for future requirements based on orders, production schedules and forecasts.

●Balance supply with demand and communicate risks and opportunities to facilitate business decision making while minimizing waste.

●Create planning schedules, oversee timelines of reports and data entry for material movement, purchasing, receiving, shipping, and return transactions.

●Collaborate with internal stake holders, engineering, and finance, forecast material usage to create Minimum and maximum for high usage materials and create Purchase Orders to maintain stock of core materials.

●Assist in the sourcing of materials, create new material numbers, and ensure materials are extended and maintained across all plants in SAP.

●Drive accountability and challenge team members for new and improved ways of working.

●Analyze and identify risks associated with the manufacturing and purchased lead times expedite delivery issues as necessary.

●Troubleshoot issues with orders, integration, and accounts payable pain points.

●Provide leadership, direction to the materials planning and delivery team including employee training, development, and career progression.

●Collaborate with business to hold suppliers accountable for pricing and lead times.

CenterPoint Energy - Senior Business Analyst / Contract Administrator (Procurement)

08/2020 – April 2021 Houston, Texas

●Served as Senior Analyst / Contract Administrator for three programs with a combined value of over $600 million

●Collaborate with stakeholders to gather requirements and document risk

●End to End purchasing (Requisitions through to Goods receivable and Reporting) Vendor maintenance, Best Price / Product, Manage Contract Agreements, Delivery on time

●Cost reduction reporting, Maintain Cost Centers / GL Coding and End of month reconciliation

●Review and interpret data sets and reports to determine potential risk and the recommend appropriate courses of action

CenterPoint Energy - Junior Project Manager (Project Management Office)

03/2019 – July/2020 Houston, Texas

●Work with Project Sponsors to identify and obtain resources needed. Communicate project progress through weekly Project Status Report Updates.

●Identify, communicate, and monitor project Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies, and Constraints

●Define milestones, metrics and KPIs

●Interface with clients for requirements/processes understanding and ensure that resources are equipped to be productive in time to meet requirements

●Instituted change management and updated the project playbook tracking historical data and success metrics

●Lead/facilitate daily execution huddle and weekly schedule meeting and coordinate resolution of schedule gaps and conflicts

●Developed, planned and lead communication with PMO stakeholders, served as liaison for the PMO, fostered positive relationships with stakeholders while ensuring resource allocation business wide

●Analyzed critical paths and constraints, communicate timelines, financial state, and project status to management by creating customized reports, communicate timelines, financial state, and project status to management by creating customized reports

VOPAK The Americas – Project Manager – (Information Technology)

11/2018 - 07/2019 Houston, Texas

●Lead business requirements gathering workshops and document business requirements

●Analyze current business processes and document AS-IS business process flows and work with stakeholders in developing TO-BE process flows

●Performed research and met with business units to assess needs. Developed and delivered weekly presentations and updates for customer, identified/resolved potential issues

●Utilizing Oracle Cloud - Documented technical and functional requirements and formulated test plans prior to requesting user testing

●Tracked key performance indicators (KPI’s) and cost/schedule variances, proactively finding potential issues, bottlenecks, and dependencies

●Lead/facilitate daily execution huddle and weekly schedule meeting and coordinate resolution of schedule gaps and conflicts

TransCanada / Columbia Pipe – Junior Project Manager (Operations)

01/2018 - 10/2018 Houston, Texas

●Lead a team of operations specialists, pipeline field technicians, maintenance mechanics, and administrative personnel at a brand-new facility serving the company’s compressor stations, pumping facilities, measurement stations

●Work in a cross-functional capacity with Engineering and Operations review documentation for errors and incomplete information create library both digital and hard copy

●Assist in developing and maintaining O&M budgets, manage P&L, oversee project cost, and track expenses

●Report to Project Manager assist in onboarding and training new employees, monitoring labor hours, creating balance reports, AFEs, and project timelines.

●Assist Project Manager in ensuring equipment is up and running with low down time for maintenance and maintain compliance to state and federal regulations for operating, environmental, and safety standards

●Work with Project Sponsors to identify and obtain resources needed. Communicate project progress through weekly Project Status Report Updates.

●Identify, communicate, and monitor project Risks, Assumptions, Issues, Dependencies, and Constraints

●Analyzed critical paths and constraints, communicate timelines, financial state, and project status to management by creating customized reports, communicate timelines, financial state, and project status to management by creating customized reports

●Performed configuration management on 3 multi-site projects, maintain project documentation review change requests and authorize

●Responsible for budgetary aspects of the project to include payroll reporting, invoicing, change orders

Cheniere Energy Inc. – Senior Contract Administrator (Information Technology)

05/2017 - 09/2017 Houston, Texas

● Managed, processed, reconciled and billed all contracts from set up through cancellation for over 800 machines.

● Worked with project team assisted in defining milestones, metrics, and KPIs of various projects

● Reviewing and verifying invoices

● Created and archived all project documents into document repository for future reference, lessons learned

Freeport-McMoRan Inc. – Senior Contract Administrator (Information Technology)

08/2015 - 01/2017 Houston, Texas

●Draft, review and finalize: Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements; Consulting Agreements; Vendor agreements for goods and services; Revenue contracts (software licenses); Amendments, Addenda, Memos.

●Participate in direct negotiation with customers, prospects and vendors

●Assist with financial reporting

●Utilizing Oracle analytics Essbase created and assigned user defined roles

●Led and managed a service support team of five members responsible for end-to-end incident and problem management with a success rate of 95%

●Create and maintain SharePoint sites, resulting in improved communications with cross functional teams

●Directly involved with IT Finance to present and plan each project five-year cost model of Capital and Operational Expense impacts

●Prepared procurement documents in final form, purchase orders, requisitions, and letters to vendors requesting information about specific items

●Maintained Technology department hardware and software inventory and ensured proper documentation was completed, coordinated asset tagging of all technology related equipment

●Track expenses, reconcile ledgers, process financial transactions and report variances

● Vendor management

Direct Energy Inc. - Senior Business Analyst (Procurement)

05/2014 - 03/2015 Houston, Texas

●Led requirements gathering for multiple projects, created user case files, collect data for supplier performance evaluation and improvement opportunities and created reports. Pricing and lead-time negotiations

●Data mining and decision support in tracking/analysis of operational and financial performance measures and indicators

● Led the 3rd Party Supplier Program working across multiple business units on complex projects, design and create guidance documents, scheduling meetings, managing calendars, administrative support, managing departmental man hours

●Performed project management duties of a major facility move prepared scopes of work, estimates, executed contracts, communicate project expectations to team members and Stakeholders

● Researched and verified supplier pricing, compared pricing and quotations, identified, and negotiated vendor agreements and cost avoidance opportunities

● Collected and analyzed data and created internal and external reports tracking supplier performance metrics

Hewlett Packard Inc. – Records and Document Management (Human Resources)

01/2014 - 04/2014 Houston, Texas

● Researched, analyzed, and developed solutions for existing and potential problems

● Coordinated the proper disposition of records consistent with National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)

● Ensured sound information governance and accountability measures were in place

● Tracked action items from key reviews and followed-up to ensure items were addressed and resolved in a timely manner

● Researched, managed, reconciled, planned, and audited state-by-state time & labor documentation requirements

● Operated and maintained library for the collection, classification, retrieval and retention of records, images, and historical data

CEMEX-USA Inc. - Senior Operations Finance (Information Technology)

04/2006 - 12/2013 Houston, Texas

●Plan and coordinate strategic projects, create budget using zero-based budgeting, perform unit economics analyses, and set financial targets

●Assisted with several acquisitions including business process change and integration of accounting, payroll and order management

●Managed vendor relationships, Score Cards, Contract administration and create status reports and deliver to executive leadership team

●Improved financial reporting control, performed financials performance Vs. budget variance analysis identified multiple cost levers for business team to act upon which resulted in EBITDA improvement of 85%

●Identified potentially fraudulent accounts and transactions of over $1M and mitigated losses to corporate using various tools and resources

●Ensured that budget reports accurately reflect expenditures and related transactions to ensure budgetary control, report monthly on variances to executive management

●Managed recovery of surplus materials resulting in an ROI of $75k+annually coupled with the recovery resulting from billing audits averaging $80k-$200k annually

●Identified and targeted critical accounts payable issues, achieving savings of more than $550M over a fourteen-month period,

●Developed departmental standard operating procedures and documented workflows for current and future business process

VELOCITY EXPRESS

2003-2006 - Credit and Collections Supervisor (Managed Top Twenty High Profile Accounts)

LAW OFFICES OF GOLDSTEIN, ROTHMAN WOMACK ASSOCIATES

1991-2003 - Office Manager

AMERICAN EXPRESS

1980 – 1989 - Credit Manager Commercial Accounts (Platinum and Gold Portfolio)

Education

Southern Illinois University - Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA)

Carbondale, IL

Certifications

International Association of Information Technology Asset managers Inc. - Software Asset manager Certification (CSAM)

International Management Forum - Business Process Master Certification (AIIM BPM MASTER)

Hard Skills

Scheduling and planning

Materials planning

Strategic sourcing, supplier development and relationship management

Supply risk management

Demand planning and forecasting

Cross-functional leadership

Project Management

Critical thinker

Problem solver

Organized and results oriented with the ability to plan and deliver against project deadlines.

Expert in SAP Purchasing, Materials Management, and Financial Management

Conflict resolution

Critical Thinking Skills

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