JAMES “KEVIN” BEARD
*** ******** ***** • Greenville, SC 29607 • ********@*****.***
864-***-**** (cell)
EXECUTIVE OPERATIONS & 6 SIGMA MASTER BLACK BELT
Continuous Process Improvement / Structured Problem Solving / Performance Management
Visionary leader with broad-spectrum management career marked by success leading impressive projects that impact the bottom line for profit keen ability to identify weaknesses and develop tactical actions to improve operational results and profit performance. Core competencies include:
• Project Planning & Management
• Strategic Business Planning & Analysis
• Variance Analysis / Auditing / Reporting
• Pricing & Negotiation / Risk Management
• Six Sigma Methodology / Quality Control • Recruiting & Staffing / Training
• Forecasting & Budgeting / P&L
• Procedural Interpretation & Compliance
• Workforce Management
• Field Operations / Central Office
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Home Depot, Inc.
Associate – Hardware 2/2012 to present
As a hardware associate, I interact with retail and commercial customers on a daily basis. Our mission is to find out what type of project the customer is working on, and to assist the customer with the various materials needed to complete their project by offering guidance on their project.
Pyramid Consulting, Inc.
Management Consultant – Capital One 7/2011 to 12/2011
Worked with the Credit Accounting departments for the Mortgage Lines of Business to create and document the monthly regulatory and quarterly financial reporting. Conducted Kaizen events to detail and document internal processes utilized to compile reporting requirements. Utilized 6 Sigma and Lean tools to decrease the monthly and quarterly cycle times to complete and publish the financial reporting.
Consulted on Consumer Software Applications with existing and new programs in the online opening of accounts. Work consisted of defining business requirements for changing/new applications to improve the customer online experience. Applied 6 Sigma tools to develop and document how software applications worked and to detail what the customer should see and experience. Wrote test cases to determine if software applications were working as expected. Updated procedural documents to explain changes made to existing software applications.
FORD MOTOR CREDIT COMPANY
OPERATIONS MANAGER – Account Maintenance / Loss Prevention, 2005 to 2009
Senior role with accountability for P&L, customer services and satisfaction, strategic planning, development and leadership of 60 staff including five Team Leader direct reports within call center. Responsible for operations exceeding $7B in receivables. Recognized as “trouble shooting expert” due to innate ability to identify and capitalize on opportunities for improvement and growth.
Key role in staff development, compensation and personnel planning. Oversee regulatory compliance, including Sarbanes-Oxley, privacy laws, self-assessments, internal audits, as well as quarterly and annual reviews.
Selected accomplishments:
• Achieved 21% credit loss improvement y-o-y with 23% reduction in repossession volume.
• Center operations consistently ranked #1 in Customer Satisfaction across North America.
• Attained 97% of 2006 credit loss budget vs. US over budget at 103%.
• Exceeded 2006 US performance in >60 day delinquency – .12% vs. US .15% and exceeded 2006 US performance in >30 day delinquency – 1.64% vs. US 1.83%.
Certified 6 Sigma Master Black Belt, 2002 to 2004
Coached and mentored 12 Black Belts to close 28 projects with hard savings of $41,000,000. Deeply involved in the deployment of 6 sigma throughout Ford Motor Credit. Trained 90% of front line supervisors and above as greenbelts.
Selected accomplishments:
• Exceeded hard savings budget by 27% for 2003 and 41% for 2004
• Co-taught 3 classes of Black Belt Training.
• Trained and certified 92% of all supervisors and above as Green Belts.
Certified 6 Sigma Black Belt, 2001 to 2002
Achieved Blackbelt certification in Greenville, SC – Closed 3 projects saving $2.9 million annually while exceeding hard-savings budget. Certified as a Greenbelt instructor and I have taught 12+ classes of Greenbelt training with each class consisting of 15 to 25 employees.
Selected accomplishments:
• Developed new process with my 1st 6 Sigma project for vendor relations which yielded $2.6M in annualized savings and implemented resource management team to track phone activities of 200+ agents in a call center which yielded $163K in annualized savings.
• Trained 97% of front lines supervisors and up in Green Belt Training and Certification.
Project Manager, 1999 to 2001
Co-managed a 12 department project team to deliver a first to market product combining the Red Carpet Lease product inclusive of automobile insurance in the monthly billing. Total team consisted of 41 employees from internal and external sources.
Selected accomplishments:
• Navigated the complex intricacies of merging our invoicing system with an outside insurance company’s system to produce a single monthly invoice and worked with legal and regulatory authorities to pioneer the offering of a monthly insurance premium as part of the customer’s monthly lease payment.
** Prior Career History with Ford Motor Credit **
Branch Operations Manager, (1995 to 1998) (Promotion) Credit, Collections
Dealer Account Manager / Collections Supervisor (prior 1995)
University of Georgia Police Department- Det. Sgt. 1981 to 1983
I supervised 6 Investigators as they processed criminal scenes with the hope of solving crimes against individuals. Additionally, I was in charge of all criminal evidence for the entire 70 person police force along with maintaining the chain-of-custody for all evidence utilized in criminal cases. This included the transportation and documentation for evidence through end of trial.
City of Dawson Police Department- Patrolman 1979 to 1980
I served as a Patrolman which included the enforcement of traffic laws, accident investigations, and criminal investigations. I served as the department’s community officer, so I spoke to civic groups and schools about the department’s activities.
EDUCATION & CREDENTIALS
Master Black Belt and Black Belt Training (2001 & 2003) – Six Sigma Academy
BA in Political Science (1983) – University of Georgia Athens, GA
AA in Criminal Justice (1980) – Darton College Albany, Ga
Pursuing MBA at Strayer University Greenville, SC
Professional Development
Participated in “Improving Education using the Malcolm Baldridge Approach” (2004) ~ Chamber of Commerce
Chairman for United Way Campaign (2005) Junior Achievement volunteer for 6 years.
Technical Skills
Proficient using Minitab, Visio, Fidelity, and Debt Manager.
Experience using Eworkforce Management and Workflow.