Administrative and Operations Specialist with 20+ Years Experience

Ambitious and disciplined professional with **+ years of experience primarily contributing to

inventory management, customer service. sales/pricing, kitchen, and beauty/healthcare environments. Adept at leveraging strong organizational and data entry skills to streamline processes and support team goals. Eager to contribute expertise and grow within a dynamic organization.

MERCEDES HUFF

SUMMARY

WORK EXPERIENCE

Led kitchen shifts as senior cook, ensuring adherence to company recipes and food safety standards. Trained new hires on kitchen procedures and standards, improving team readiness and consistency. Covered multiple back-of-house positions to maintain service continuity during peak periods. Prepared menu items following company policies, producing consistent quality and customer satisfaction. Cook • Aramark • Columbia, SC • Jul 2025 - Jan 2026 Eastover, SC 29044 • 839-***-**** • **.****@*****.*** Inventory Manager • Bath and Body Works • Columbia, SC • Feb 2022 - Oct 2023 Spearheaded reorganization of backroom zones to streamline picking paths, enabling faster shelf replenishment and improving daily merchandising readiness. Performed routine cycle checks and reconciliation of SKU locations to maintain assortment accuracy and simplify retrieval during inventory counts.

Packing Line Technologist • China Jushi • Columbia, SC • Aug 2021 - Jan 2022 Inspected fiberglass strands on production line for defects and documented findings to maintain quality standards.

Provided flexible coverage across assembly tasks during peak demand and shift gaps, preserving output continuity and supporting team morale.

Managed cash till deposits with integrity, ensuring accurate reconciliation and adherence to cash-handling policies.

Enforced loss-prevention and cash controls during shifts, ensuring compliance with corporate procedures and protecting store assets.

Mentored team members on upsell techniques and troubleshooting, building frontline confidence and improving overall store performance.

Piloted loyalty-driven merchandising tactics to spotlight high-interest titles, improving customer discovery and generating noticeable sales momentum.

Assistant Manager • Gamestop • Columbia, SC • Aug 2019 - Jan 2021 Beauty Consultant - Kings Beauty Supplies • Columbia, SC • Feb 2014 - Jan 2019 Inventory Manager • Lowe's • Columbia, SC • Mar 2018 - Jun 2019 Conducted daily inventory audits and updated the inventory system to maintain accurate stock records and ensure operational continuity.

Facilitated systematic SKU price updates to keep pricing accurate across systems and reduce pricing discrepancies.

Filled staffing gaps across departments by providing cross-functional support to sustain service levels and store operations.

Enhanced customer service by advising clients on beauty, hair, and healthcare needs, producing measurable improvements in satisfaction

Managed stock replenishment workflows to maintain shelf availability, producing noticeable improvements in customer purchase continuity.

EDUCATION

High School Diploma • Lower Richland High School • Hopkins, SC • 2007 Bachelor of Fine Arts • Dance education • Columbia College • Columbia, SC Associate of Applied Science • Computer Networking • Centura College • Columbia, SC Bachelor of Science • Network Communications • University of South Carolina • Columbia, SC SKILLS

Team Coordination (Experienced), Leadership (Expert), Inventory Management (Expert), Data Entry (Skillful), Adaptability (Experienced), Quality Assurance (Experienced), Process Improvement (Experienced), Sales Techniques (Expert), Team Building (Experienced), Creative Problem Solving (Experienced), Customer Engagement (Expert), Time Optimization (Skillful), Analytical Thinking (Experienced), Budget Management

(Experienced), Client Relations (Expert), Risk Assessment (Experienced), Operational Efficiency (Expert), Inventory Optimization (Expert), Merchandising Strategies (Expert), Production Quality Control (Experienced), Team Motivation (Skillful), Process Streamlining (Experienced), Sales Enablement (Expert), Sales Training (Skillful), Crisis Management (Expert), Workflow Optimization (Experienced), Customer Satisfaction (Expert), Performance Improvement (Experienced), Creative Thinking (Expert) First Cook • Johnson Food Service • Fort Jackson, SC • Jul 2005 - Aug 2013 Led kitchen operations for lunch and dinner services, ensuring timely meal delivery for basic training enlisted. Managed inventory control and procurement of ingredients to maintain continuous meal production. Coordinated menu item preparation and supervised food preparation to meet quality and schedule requirements.

Assisted culinary staff with complex dish preparation to maintain service consistency and meet demand.

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