Keith Smoak

adzhsj@r.postjobfree.com • 732-***-****

LinkedIn • Rockaway, NJ

Senior Manager – Global Change Management

Dynamic change catalyst with career long success in strengthening organizational culture and building trust by driving organizational change. Multi-faceted experience in facilitating positive adoption of digital transformation, business restructuring, globalization, organizational development, mergers and acquisitions and HR initiatives through clearsighted strategic planning. Excel in aligning change management strategies with goals, vision, and needs of global and national businesses of all sizes. Insightful communicator with C-level executives, clients, chief decision-makers, stakeholders, senior managers, and cross-functional teams, expertly communicating complex concepts across all vital activities to build cohesion. Adept at applying structured processes, methodologies, and tools to prepare, equip, and support businesses to achieve desired outcomes. Known for effectively training, developing, and guiding employees at all organizational levels through transitions. Thoughtful leader.

Areas of Expertise

Enterprise Change Management

Stakeholder Engagement

Training & Communication Strategies

HR/IT/Business Transformation

Change/Employee Adoption

Executive Training & Coaching

Strategy Development & Execution

Risk & Needs Analysis

People & Culture Management

Career Experience

Randstad Technologies, Tarrytown, NY Mar. 2023 – Present

Change Management Specialist (Contract Basis)

Lead Change Management and Communications efforts for pharmacological globalization at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. As

Change & Communications Lead developed Change Management and Communication strategies and plans, coach leaders,

develop content to support initiatives, identify and mitigate risks and resistance, and measure progress and success. Conduct

Change Workshops for project leads, Director & Associate Directors. Change lead for Master Data Development project.

Leads and Core Project Team. Conducted Change Impact and Stakeholder assessments. Advisor to program sponsors,

Excellent written, oral communication, and presentations skills along with experience leading Change Management initiatives

at the enterprise level or functional level. Proven competency in communications planning and ability to take a multi-faceted

and thoughtful approach for diverse audiences. Strong organizational change management and project management skills as

well as attention to detail. Strong collaborator with the ability to seek and value input. High level of integrity and confidence

to work optimally with employees from at all levels of within an organization, including senior leaders, functional managers,

research scientists, and the general employee population. Proven success working in a fast-paced environment requiring daily

flexibility and continuous multi-tasking. Comfortable with ambiguity.

Maven Wave Partners, LLC, Chicago, IL February 2022 – March 2023

Change Management Specialist

Catalyze enterprise-wide business/digital transformation initiatives of clients, supporting organizational change by developing and implementing change management strategies and plans that maximize employee adoption and usage of required changes. Conduct impact analyses, assess change readiness, and identify key stakeholders in liaison with teams and Change Management Lead. Evaluate business landscapes and user experiences; formulate optimal user readiness plans incorporating communications, training, and support strategies to enable seamless pilot, onboard, and upgrade processes. Identify risks and develop risk mitigation tactics. Interface with clients and business leaders to understand needs and ensure cohesiveness through all change management phases.

Functioned as training lead for early adopters, stakeholders, and global go-live during Google Workspace Migration project.

Provided go-live and post go-live HyperCare strategy and support, ensuring seamless adoption of new systems.

Reviewed go-live strategy effectiveness during post-completion phases to support future launch initiatives.

Facilitated end-users to transition from MS Office to Google Workspace.

Leveraged astute and analytical mindset to provide prompt resolutions to complex challenges during transformation process.

Nick of Time, Inc.*, Rockaway, NJ 2020 – Present

Organizational Effectiveness Consultant (Pro Bono)

Serve as principal strategist and thought leader, driving organizational efficiency through consultation on business planning, leadership and spiritual leadership development, team building, succession planning, and employee engagement improvements for clients including a religious and an automobile parts manufacturing organization. Provide balanced feedback to clients, acclaiming achievements and encouraging positive development and further improvements.

Enabled career advancement of a senior executive into Vice President roles by delivering training on leadership and employee engagement.

Guided religious organization volunteers and stakeholders on new talent pipelines, singlehandedly crafting succession plans and strategies for the new Director of Operations.

Yale University (Aquinas Consulting), New Haven, CT August 2021 – October 2021

Change Manager (Contract Basis)

Delivered subject matter expertise to client as trusted resource and consultant on all matters pertaining to change management including user communication, training, and readiness for IT transformation initiatives. Leveraged key insights into risks, needs, and priorities, collaborating with stakeholders to establish vision-driven strategies with optimum return. Analyzed user readiness of technical migration by administering business technical surveys with IT transformation teams. Outlined structured frameworks and readiness checklists for on-site help teams pre- go-live phase.

Drove stakeholder satisfaction by maintaining open lines of communication, ensuring awareness and approval before all stages, and leading post-migration meetings.

Verizon Corporation, Basking Ridge, NJ November 2019 – September 2020

OE Change Manager

Steered client engagement, stakeholder awareness, strategy development, and organizational restructure operations. Led organizational change management operations in accordance with career management, succession planning, leadership alignment, diversity and inclusion (D&I) transformation, and workforce planning and development efforts. Tracked and benchmarked KPI’s; evaluated current systems and needs and administered needs, risk, and readiness assessment. Identified and managed anticipated resistance. Prepared and presented data-driven recommendations and solutions; designed and delivered innovative and dynamic transformation interventions. Directed change strategy across the organization, analyzing existing controls to identify gaps and opportunities for improvement. Created communication and training plans to enable smooth implementation of the strategy. Employed RACI and RAID tools to monitor progress, ensure accuracy, and encourage stakeholder accountability. Cultivated robust relationships with cross-functional departments including HR and organizational effectiveness teams.

Partnered with organizational effectiveness teams to develop new tools in line with business vision and goals with focus on improving communication lines, increasing productivity, fostering a positive work environment, and improving decision making.

Aligned stakeholders and employees on significance, objectives, and results of organizational change project.

Enhanced employee experiences and relations with managers and leaders, leveraging employee insights to improve communication, bridge gaps, and encourage collaborative leadership.

Energized D&I initiatives by creating and delivering templates to HR for internal panel discussions on race and ethnicity.

Revitalized leadership development programs by devising Leading Organizations Through Change and Thrive During Change training programs in conjunction with organizational development teams.

Christ Church, New Jersey September 2017 – August 2019

Change Manager (Project Based)

Governed all aspects of organizational and cultural change functions as consultant and advisor. Administered surveys to church visitors/audience to gain insights and suggestions. Conducted needs assessment to determine organizational and digital transformation needs. Prepared change management strategies in line with organization goals and vision. Employed change methodologies such as Prosci and Conner Partners to accelerate transformational change processes and change adoption during strategy execution phases. Established customized competency and skills assessment tools to ensure best-in-class performance.

Mitigated disruptions and increased rate of change adoption by managing nearly 90% of the stakeholders.

Optimized HR/performance management, leadership development and communications by devising effective training programs and workshops for C-Suite, senior-level, and middle-level managers.

Transformed church’s leadership structure to a collaborative team leadership by formulating effective succession plans; identified and developed leaders by promoting several members to senior level leadership positions and associates to management level positions.

Revitalized projects from loss leader to profit-generating programs by reorganizing technical & media departments.

Drove organizational effectiveness, agility, bottom-line profitability, and workforce realignment by integrating impactful HR and performance management strategies.

Veolia Utility Resources, LLC (formerly SUEZ Environmental), Wilmington, DE May 2016 – May 2017

Change Manager, (Contract Basis}

Liaised with Chief Information Officer (CIO), and project management teams, leading change enablement programs and strategies for multiple IT transformation projects, including systems migrations, web development, analog to Cloud migration. Served as senior change manager for North American Global Office 365 Cloud Migration project. Provided support to stakeholders from Change Sponsors to Super End Users. Coordinated with IT, HR, training, and customer service teams as change management consultant leveraging Prosci based (ADKAR), full project cycle change management insights to drive improvements. Trained, developed, and assisted project lead, delivery lead, exchange engineer, and Level 3 support teams.

Raised user adoption rates by revitalizing Microsoft Office 365 training plans and programs.

Pioneered executive communication plans and messages to ensure cohesion in stakeholder and employee awareness for all transformation-project related operations.

Created and delivered communication strategies for IT security organization during a national data breach crisis; significantly improved IT security by ensuring protection from data breaches.

Received extension for contract in recognition of high-level performance; chosen to support IT Dept in design and development of new corporate website with goal of enabling 80% shift to self-service customer portals.

Neil Cerbone Associates (OCM), South Orange, New Jersey November 2014 – March 2016

Change Manager, (Contract Basis)

Streamlined HR and stakeholder engagement operations in line with business vision, goals, and requirements. Evaluated needs for each project phase. Conceptualized and launched internal and external communication plans.

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE (CX) Initiative, Senior Change Manager Developed and established an innovative talent planning strategy with focus on evaluating adaptability and performance of candidates in highly demanding and fast-paced environments for NYC’s Hudson Yards commercial and residential real estate development project.

oFramed ground-breaking customer Service and Support Profiles for clients and national and international stakeholders such as Coach, L’Oréal, SAP and others, recognized as an innovative and unique service model that is still used till current date.

Global Unilever Change Training, Change Lead Spearheaded training restructure initiatives on a global scale for a Fortune 500 company. Managed stakeholder expectations and cultivated forward-thinking strategies to ensure optimum return. Recruited, Trained, mentored a team of international change leads.

Nick of Time, Inc., Hawthorne, NJ October 2013 – November 2014

Communications & Change Consultant (Pro Bono)

Served as career change consultant, coach, and counselor on matters of career transition, resume writing assistance, interviewing skills, and communications during business transformation/restructure. Employed change-based communication skill development tool (PrioSys) to encourage communicative approach to organizational restructure.

Provided exceptional change management expert advice, guidance, and motivation to American Express professionals affected by a reorganization and reduction in force (RIF).

Neil Cerbone Associates (OCM), South Orange, NJ November 2003 – July 2013

Director, Global Deployment, Change Lead

Served as Change Lead and strategist, providing subject-matter expertise on corporate communications and relations, stakeholder management, employee resistance, training programs, change management for Fortune 500 and MNC clients from a wide range of industries including Unilever, Wells Fargo, Citigroup, SunTrust, PNC, Accenture, JP Morgan Chase, Citicorp, and more on a global and national scale. Trained and consulted with senior business leaders, change managers, project managers, IT professionals, HR managers, and change agents and sponsors.

Honored with position on Change Advisory Board.

Additional Experience

OD/Change Management Lead, Nick of Time, Inc. Belleville, NJ September 1997 – July 2003

Managed strategy development, training program, transition to new service platforms and IT systems, operational restructuring, stakeholder relationships, marketing, and acquisition functions for small- and large- scale businesses such as American Express, AAA Travel & Insurance, Pretiem Corp, and more.

Change Manager, American Express Travel Related Services, NYC/Phoenix, AZ Served as advisor, trusted resource, and strategist for succession planning, business and personnel reorganization, leadership training, behavioral counseling, and mergers as a Certified Change Manager, Connor Partners.

Education

Bachelor of Arts in Education, CUNY (Hunter College)

Certifications

Change Management Certification – Conner Partners, Organizational Change Management Methodologist, Project Manager, Policy & Procedure Writer, Prosci Practitioner (ADKAR Modeling), Kotter Practitioner

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