Operations Manager

MELISSA PAPAJ

**** ***** **** ***

Centennial, Colorado 80015

********@***.***

Home: 303-***-****

Cell: 303-***-****

SUMMARY

Client Service and Operations Professional with extensive and diverse back office operations experience seeking a leadership position. Innovative problem solver consistently recognized for project management and strong business results. Experience includes:

•Customer Service and Problem Resolution

•Exception Handling and Reject Repair

•Excellent PC and data entry skills

•Research and analysis

•Account Balancing and B2B Collections

•Strong Decision Making Abilities

•Outstanding Communication and Influencing Skills

•Extensive System Testing and Project Experience

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

FIRST DATA CORPORATION, Englewood, Colorado 1996-2009

Director, Client Services and Operations (2007-2009)

Directed service organization of 70+ employees with budget of $2.5 million and $2 billion in daily sales through product wind-down.

•Provided ongoing service to fulfill contract terms while terminating approximately 1,200 clients.

•Analyzed client volumes and staff attrition to determine appropriate severance timing.

•Implemented technology initiatives to replace expensive legacy mainframe systems and manual processes.

•Handled identification and return of risk/fraudulent items averaging one million per day.

•Led employee morale team, organizing team events and incentives.

Senior Manager (2004-2007)

Managed day-to-day operations of service team providing account management, exception processing, and customer service for over 800 accounts.

•Achieved 98.8% overall satisfaction in leadership on 2006 employee survey.

•Reduced staff 27% over 18 months, saving over $240,000.

•Realized shipment cost reduction of 83% and exception item reduction of 76% in one year.

•Developed and led Writing Initiative Network (WIN) program.

•Identified business requirements, scripted, tested and implemented new product offering.

•Attained a 95% customer satisfaction score on 2006 survey.

Project Office (POINT) Senior Manager (2003-2004)

Built training, communication and project team to support 150 people.

•Improved employee satisfaction with respect to training nearly 300% in one year, while delivering 6,000 hours of training.

•Managed Project Analysts on mainframe and web-based projects and process improvement initiatives.

•Developed and presented exception training to 40 team members, enabling redeployment of three FTE.

Senior Manager, Accounting (2001-2002)

Oversaw three departments, providing accounts receivable and abandoned property reporting services for over ten business units with revenues of $75 million monthly.

•Led accounts receivable team through successful conversion to Oracle software, while realizing 10% unit cost reduction.

•Collaborated with product and finance groups to ensure maximum revenue recognition, collection efficiency and risk mitigation.

Senior Manager, Exception Processing and Client Account Balancing (1996-2001)

Spear-headed migration of Official Check/Money Order units from New York to Denver.

•Built exception processing, stop payment and client support groups from ground up.

•Tested and implemented client self-service web site, eliminating a department of nine FTE over time.

•Ran two high-volume balancing units with over 2,000 accounts.

•Negotiated financial settlements on AR balances >180 days, recovering hundreds of thousands of dollars for unit

•Served as subject-matter-expert and project representative for all product mainframe and web initiatives.

•Assessed client behaviors and implemented corrective actions.

•Led Six Sigma team to reduce exceptions 50% in three months.

CITICORP GLOBAL TRANSACTION SERVICES, Amherst, New York 1986-1996

Department Manager/Assistant Vice President (1993-1996)

Directed staff of 25+ supporting various operations for four product groups.

•Reported approximately $40 million of USD and multi-currency abandoned items annually to respective states.

•Achieved a perfect score on internal audit of abandoned property.

•Conducted monthly departmental audits and authored training manuals and procedures.

Operations Supervisor (1990-1993)

Investigation Analyst (1988-1990)

Inventory Representative (1987-1988)

Account Balancer (1986-1987)

McDonald’s, Tonawanda, New York 1981-1986

Crew Member, Shift Manager, First Assistant Manager

EDUCATION

B.S., Office Administration, Summa cum Laude, State University College at Buffalo, New York, 1986

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Graduate Certificate, Human Resource Management and Development, 4.0 GPA

University of Denver, Denver, Colorado, August 2010

Project Management, University of Phoenix, Lone Tree, Colorado, 2002

AWARDS AND RECOGNITION

First Data Corporation

President’s Club Winner, 1997 & 1998

Guardian of Excellence Award Recipient, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003 and 2007

Leader of the Pack Award Recipient, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2007

Team of the Quarter Award, 2002 & 2004

VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE

Habitat for Humanity 2003, 2007, 2008

Grandview High School parent volunteer 2010

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