Manager Employee Relations

Lawrence Covitt

**************@*****.*** • linkedin.com/in/lawrencecovitt

Newport Beach, CA • 646-***-****

Vice President, People Operations

Results-oriented professional with extensive experience devising organizational-centric strategies, leading teams, and managing complex projects.

Expert at analyzing financials to draft revenue maximizing plans. Recognized for surpassing goals, coaching / mentoring employees, and increasing efficiency by conducting regular training sessions and motivating staff. Renown for providing support to other departments to optimize procedures, while assisting in resolving employee concerns. Stellar track record of identifying key performance indicators and planning / deploying future strategic plan accordingly. Deft at implementing process improvement policies and leading transformation strategies to sustain with latest market requirements. Articulate communicator with extraordinary communication, interpersonal, relationship-building, strategic / analytical thinking, and management skills.

Areas of Expertise

•Recruitment & Selection

•Process Controls

•Risk Assessment

•Business Development

•Employee Management

•Project Management

•Data Analysis

•KPI Identification

•Team Leadership & Training

•System Controls

•Financial Management

•Accounts Reconciliation

•Operations Management

•Policy Execution

•Performance Analysis

Career Experience

VP Human Resources, Staffing, and IT, Great Performances, New York, NY 2019 – Present

Serve as single point of contact to executives and employees as business adviser / HR VP by providing smart counsel. Manage, direct, and act as influencer for services of other HR areas such as recruitment, talent management leadership, and corporate culture for company’s growth and development. Initiate programs to ensure diverse, collaborative, motivated, and high-performance culture for employees. Assist in effective business transformation, while serving as coach / mentor for Directors, Managers, and Coordinators to empower individual performance. Oversee administration of training needs, assessments, and evaluations to determine training programs on as-needed basis to ensure quality training requirements are in place to support employee performance.

●Drove various cooperate and division business initiatives, while acting as employee advocate to provide clear and concise approach.

●Designed and delivered creative solutions that assist in sustaining positive working environment to foster employee engagement in revenue generation in coordination with IT Team.

VP Human Resources, Finance, and Operations, Sonnier and Castle, New York, NY 2015 – 2019

Delivered strategic plans / policies to impact business results, talent development, diversity, and productivity, while administering Directors, Managers, and Coordinators. Identified / selected / hired key operations and technical talent for critical open roles to build world-class bench of internal and external talent. Led on resolving all employee relations issues and provided coaching to department leaders on associated HR and labor issues. Liaised with management team regarding implementation of new performance management and appraisal process to ensure accountability of employees to core objectives. Managed training initiatives, employee development, and communication programs to increase motivation / leadership skills, and reduce employee turnover.

●Led compensation planning programs to provide benefits to employees from business success such as commission and quarterly incentives.

●Oversaw development and implementation of performance measurement techniques and accountability tools of HR, Finance, and, Operations and report to founders of company.

●Devised strategies resulting in financial gain, while analyzing sales, and expenses to exceed expectations.

●Developed budgetary plan and monitored expenditures through Return on Investment metrics for company’s development and progress.

●Attained best-ever results in gross profit margin and EBITDA rates, while managing P&L of company.

Consultant / VP of Retail, The Company Store, New York, NY 2014

Managed / oversaw existing retail stores and existing teams to monitor and improve performance. Planned and deployed business development strategies to increase portfolio and conducted real estate analysis to analyze locality trends / capital requirements and surpass profitability goals.

●Developed new Omni-channel experience in liaison with corporate partners in Product Development, Inventory Management, and Finance to regulate processes.

Manager of Retail Operations and Finance, Bloomingdale’s, New York 2011 – 2013

Identified and implemented process improvement plans and reviewed monthly P&L statements to formulate revenue increasing strategies. Analyzed location’s P&L plan to generate and manage combined expense plan of $30 Million. Evaluated metrics, performance, and expenses / margins to draft profit plan, while managing all payroll and non-payroll accounts.

●Increased efficiency by shortlisting / selecting / recruiting new employees and conducting training session for staff to develop required skillset.

●Led / directed team to plan and deliver sales plan of approximately $100 Million.

Manager Retail Operations Acting General Manager, Bloomingdale’s, Soho, NY Wayne, NJ 2006 – 2011

Served as project manager for RFID for Macy’s Inc. Corporation, while planning and implementing operational changes for processes to ensure proper implementation of RFID. Drafted findings report for increasing margins through advanced replenishment and selling techniques. Evaluated P&L reports to draft and implement plans for increasing profits.

●Surpassed sales goal and grew total store volume by 12%, resulting in multiple awards from the organization.

●Increased organizational efficiency by developing and managing team of 5 senior executives, 15 junior executives, and 350 associates.

●Achieved lowest expense rate for both payroll / non-payroll accounts in last five years through continuous effort.

Additional Experience as Consultant at Gerson Lehrman Group Adjunct Professor at Fashion Institute of Technology Group Manager, Executive Trainee at Bloomingdale’s.

International Experience as Visiting Professor, Zhejiang Science & Technology University, Hangzhou, China Keynote Speaker, Fashion Management & Marketing Symposium, Hangzhou, China.

Education

Bachelor of Arts

University at Albany, NY

Professional Trainings

Decision Quality and Strategy

How to Use Simple Rules for Better Results

Using Empathy and Prototyping to Drive Business Results

Affiliations

Industry Advisory Board, New York City Food & Finance High School

Vice President, American Medical Research Foundation

Vice President, Board of Directors, 435 East 65th Street Corp

Camp Ramah in the Berkshires Scholarship Fund – Golf Outing Committee Member

Bloomingdale’s Metro Region Chairperson – Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund

Bloomingdale’s Breast Cancer Research Fund Store Captain

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