Project Manager Control Specialist

Karen Solomon, pmp

itil* lean six sigma green belt

res: 289-***-**** l cell 905-***-**** l ***********@*****.***

consultant i process improvement i records managment

Award winning senior management consultant with over 20 years of progressive experience delivering business, systems, and records management transformation solutions for major financial, insurance, outsourcing, and supply chain organizations. Successful track record for implementing programs aimed at company growth and optimizing operational performance. Acknowledged as a change agent by leadership and peers, acts as a catalyst for bringing together effective change management and process improvement.

Professional Experience

CWD Limited

Corporate Assistant/Project Manager Nov. 18, 2021 - present

Own and manage all Corporate Standard Operating Procedues (SOP)

Organize and will all work departments to create or update SOPs

Create Corporate Policies

Project Manage Corporate Projects which include IT as well as business projects

Identify gaps and improvements in company process

Centene Corporation (contract)

Project Manager Aug. 20 – Dec. 2020

Manage four projects to support a Cyber protection Program that would protect and allow quick recovery from Cyber-attacks. Through new software applitions for:

oDetection

oReporting

oEdification

oRecovery

Identify the extended team members for crucial input of the overall projects and program

Managed Actions & Risks and reporting to implementation

Worked with several third party service providers for Cyber Solution implementation

M&T Bank (contract)

Technology Project Manager Aug. 2018 – Mar. 2020

Manage various technology projects to close for several internal departments within M&T bank.

oLarge iCloud application development project with 3rd party vendor for complex invoicing system

oSeveral medium projects including upgrading applications to accept new pay types and decommissioning of old applications

Ability to build consensus with conflicting requirements that span multiple stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) across multiple functional areas, external partners, and vendors.

Tracked all project budgets versus forecasted expense and communicated appropriately

Managed all projects to completion within mandated timelines

Ensured that project teams followed all Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), Cyber Security and governance controls.

Managed and mitigated all risks or obstacles.

Excellent communication between all team members, stakeholders and external vendors

XEROX CANADA 2000-2017

Senior Project Manager 2014-2017

Imaged and records destruction in excess of 800,000 files and 20 million records through customized software application for Canadian Credit Union. Managed software customization team members, secure transfer of client records, set up and tear down of temporary secure site for images and destruction of images after transferring to customer.

Managed teams across multiple countries and time zones for software customization for records management project for a large financial institute.

Lead team of developers to customize Software and implementation for print purchasing in multiple print site in Universities.

Set up of multiple print sites over a very tight timeline. Budget ranged from $830,000 to 1.7 million dollars.

Collaborated working on internal and external client projects, including 3rd party vendors.

Proven ability to build consensus with conflicting requirements that span multiple stakeholders and subject matter experts (SMEs) across multiple functional areas, external partners, and vendors.

Managed risk and identification of same, and mitigated legal exposure.

Strong communications skills to all levels of management

Strong strategic project management skills coupled with the ability to create and lead teams to sustainable success.

End to end Software Development Lifecycle experience for projects with timelines up to 18 months in duration.

Experience in full end to end software QA / Testing from system integration, user acceptance, production & business acceptance testing cycles.

Acted as Access/Security control and lead for structure of Clarity software project, internal project for PM site and document retention.

Xerox Governance Manager 2008-2014

CIBC Project and Governance Management

Eliminated privacy breaches by creating secure environment, improving process controls and centralizing records.

Developed extensive audit plan with a strong understanding of a complex contract, ISO standard documents, the legal requirements from OFSI and Canadian Standard Board documents.

I assembled an audit team, trained them, and created testing templates and reports. My team supported operations by auditing, reporting and provided remediation for any errors.

Based on the strong governance audit plan, positive results, and transparent reporting to the client, the need for an external audit report was not necessary. This resulted in a total savings of $500K over the term of the contract for Xerox.

Worked with IT to set up eDoc structure for document management system and audited the software for compliance.

Records Management

Implemented the second phase of a Black Belt project that developed a record retention strategy and process of retaining North American finance records

Managed a project to centralize Xerox Canada’s policies and procedures, which consisted of working with various departments to identifying their policies and procedures, ensuring they were current, moved to central site and shut down the department sites. We alerted all internal employees of the new central site; trained them on the location and use of our new site.

Sarbanes Oxley

Managed the integration of a new company (Laser Net Works) into Xerox Canada, including; processes, XCL security, head office business resumption plan, accounting representation letter, and XMAC processes to ensure that they would meet SOX compliance requirements.

Consulted on, and managed projects from internal control identified issues/gaps and confidential projects.

Xerox Internal Control Manager 2005-2008

Canadian project leader for the worldwide implementation of CERTUS, a compliance tracking tool that was successfully launched in December 2007.

Project managed the implementation of the Canadian security tracking over to the U.S. software tool, which included the development of the training tools for Security Coordinators in Canada, and was successfully completed August 2007.

Lead SOX compliance for the production, accounts payable, fixed assets, payroll/commissions and entity control cycles. As a manager, I was heavily involved in issue remediation and negotiations with the lines of business.

Manage the relationship with the external SOX auditor (PWC) to ensure that the information requested was provided timely. Which ensured that that the audit completed on time, for optimal audit expense reduction.

Owned tracking of all third party service provider reports to ensure that Xerox did not have to absorb outside SOX deficiencies.

Xerox Internal Control Specialist 2003-2005

As part of a team that documented, developed and implemented Sarbanes Oxley across the Canadian business cycles that met the materiality threshold.

Ensured that my business cycles in Xerox Canada passed the first year of Sarbanes Oxley compliance, which was accomplished with zero deficiencies in 2003.

As Process leader for payroll & commission, production, and accounts payable cycles, ensured the process documentation, testing and issue remediation was complete.

Liaised with the auditors and the lines of business to ensure audit requirements were addressed and meet.

Other responsibilities include tracking and monitoring of: internal audit recommendations (WWA), ensured that Xerox Canada, complied with Xerox code of conduct and business ethics and ensure that all Canadian locations have created, maintained and tested their business resumption plans.

Xerox Document Consultant 2000-2003

Project managed all print collateral for investments unit within the Royal Bank, that included approximately $10 million dollars of commercial print (sheet fed and web printing) spend that included prospectuses, annual reports, large posters, statements and various promotional collateral. I achieved this without a single dollar of write off for XCL and met all budgets and timelines.

My recommendations resulted in $ 350K in cost savings in 2002, for one annual report. I negotiated the best pricing for all printing projects while not sacrificing print quality. I lead the print projects from disk creation to distribution.

Successfully consulted my client to convert manual forms to E-form or Print on Demand, in order to facilitate cost savings for the customer.

Previous Employment History:

Economy Fine Papers (Rochester NY) - Sales and Promotional Representative – Sales of fine paper (sheets and rolls) to printers and work with Advertising Agencies to select appropriate papers.

Comtex Papers (Rochester NY) – Sales and Promotional Representative - Sales of fine paper (sheets and rolls) to printers and work with Advertising Agencies to select appropriate papers.

R.I.T. (Rochester NY) – Asst. Manager Graphics Center – Managed a team that produced printing for students, faculty and staff with Docutech small presses and bindery equipment.

Professional Designations

ITIL3 - Information Technology Infrastructure Library

PMP - Project Management Professional

LSS - Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

Education

University of Toronto

Records Management Practice Certificate

Records Management Fundamentals Certificate

Xerox

OSHA 18001 Certified Internal Auditor

ISO 9001 Certified Auditor

LSS Green Belt Certification

LSS-Yellow Belt completed

Ryerson University

Graphic Communication Course

Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY)

Associate Degree in Business Administration

Diploma in General Management Certificate in Management

awards / achievements

2014 Applause Award for leadership in LNW/GIS SOX project

2012 Collaborator Award for being a part of a XCL confidential project

2009 Q1 National Create Award – Believe and Succeed

2008 - High Five Vanguard Award -outstanding contribution in the first half of 2008

2007 - Applause Award for Leading the Canadian portion of a WW Internal Control SOX tracking software.

Applause Award for leading the implementation of software aligning U.S. and Canadian Security reporting.

2006 Open and Honest Communication Award for exemplary leadership behavior.

2004 Cash award for being instrumental in SOX compliance

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