Claire Santaniello

Career Summary

ü  Results-driven, enterprising senior manager with extensive background in project/program management, software/technology, qualified/validated systems, business operations, call center/customer service operations, and business development.

ü  Diligent manager with proven record of success partnering with business leaders and technical teams leading all phases of diverse technology projects that are consistently delivered on time and on budget.  Responsible for project budgets up to $2 million.

ü  Business strategist; plan and manage multimillion-dollar projects aligning business goals with technology solutions to drive process improvements, competitive advantage, and bottom-line gains.

ü  Excellent communicator; leverage technical, business and financial acumen to communicate effectively with client executives and their respective teams.

ü  Project-based consultant with 10 client companies since 2000.

ü  Career progression to Vice President in corporate role (as an employee) prior to consulting.  Recruited, mentored, and led cross functional teams ranging from 5 to 125 employees and external resources.  Responsible for annual budgets up to $7 million expense and $20 million asset base.

Experience

CONSULTING ENGAGEMENTS:                                                                                                2000 - Present

Company and Title: APEX Systems, Sr. Project Manager                                                            2015 - 2017

Client Name: Shire Pharmaceuticals

Project Name: Global Serialization Projects

·         Managed team of 25 Shire employees (I/T, business, and quality/validation) plus outside vendors to implement an AWS cloud-based serialized track and trace application (Systech UniTrace) with a $1.8M budget over 12 months (including the RPF/RFI process and evaluation of potential solutions).

o   Serialization application and infrastructure project work streams were implemented as individual projects within the program for facilities in California, Illinois, Atlanta, Lessines, Vienna, and Korea.

o   Global projects within the program included security, printing, JDE integration, and data migration.

o   Collaborate with quality/validation team to qualify core software and plant configurations.

·         Led team of 12 Shire employees (I/T, business, and quality/validation) to implement 48 global GS1 standard Serialization projects over a 22 month period.  Projects included GxP compliance projects, shipping line software upgrades (Systech Guardian), new product launches, and business expansion for facilities in California, Illinois, Atlanta, Lessines, and Vienna.

Company and Title: Experis, Sr. Project Manager                                                                                    2013 - 2014

Client Name: University of California, Santa Barbara

Project Name: Digital Repository Project

·         Over 7 months, managed a team of 20 employees (I/T and business) and outside vendors to implement a custom developed web-based digital repository for the university library.

Company and Title: iPayment, Sr. Project Manager/Telesales Manager                                                                 2013

Project Name: Telesales Department Expansion Project

·         Implemented Five 9 as a cloud-based Power Dialer application within iPayment’s California-based Telesales department to increase outbound calling efficiency.  Integrated Five 9 with Salesforce.  Project duration was 5 months including RPF/RFI process and solution evaluation period.

·         Interim manager of iPayment’s 12 person Telesales team.  Responsible for recruiting, establishing call volume analytics, staff forecasting, agent goal setting and tracking, coaching, call monitoring, and training.

Company and Title: Aydus, Sr. Project Manager/Analyst                                                                                 2013

Project Name: eCommerce Website Implementation & Upgrade Projects

•         As project manager, manage the development, testing, and implementation of ecommerce websites and website upgrades for Aydus clients utilizing Magento and ASPDotNetStorefront.

•         As systems analyst, work with Aydus clients to define business models and requirements for eCommerce websites.

Company and Title: SMCI, Sr. Project Manager                                                                                         2011 - 2012

Client Name: Amgen

Project Names: Sharepoint Cloud Migration Project, Reverse Migration Projects

·         Managed a team of 30 Amgen employees (I/T and business) plus outside vendors to implement the reverse migration of Amgen's

o   Global Supplier & Contract Management function from IBM to a 3rd Party over a 6 month period.

o   Infrastructure and applications from the IBM Cloud and IBM Datacenters to Amgen Datacenters in 4 US locations over a 6 month period.

·         Managed a team of 50 Amgen employees and outside vendors (domestic, international, and offshore resources) to migrate approximately 100 Microsoft Sharepoint sites from an Amgen hosted environment to Microsoft’s Cloud Computing Center.  Project duration was 8 months.  This project effected every department within Amgen including R&D and clinical domain.

Company and Title: Entertainment Partners, Sr. Project Manager                                            2009 - 2010

Project Names: Microsoft Great Plains ERP & Data Warehouse Implementation Project, Microsoft Dynamics CRM Upgrade Project

·         Over a period of 12 months, managed team of 35 Entertainment Partner employees (I/T and business users) plus CapGemini consultants to implement Microsoft’s Great Plains ERP system. 

·         Managed the implementation of a Data Warehouse to support the Great Plains implementation utilizing Report Writer tool and SQL database over a 4 month period.

·         Managed the upgrade of Microsoft Dynamics CRM v4.0 and implemented modifications in support of business needs in a high volume, cross-functional, multi-location Call Center environment.  Project duration was 5 months.

Company and Title: The Shift, Business Development Consultant                                                              2009

Project Name: Direct Selling Migration Project

•         Created business plan to launch The Shift as a direct selling company within the United States.

•         Designed sales representative compensation program and hostess program.  Created financial justification for all programs.

Company and Title: Oopsy Daisy, Business Development Consultant                                                       2009

Project Name: Direct Selling Migration Project       

·         Created marketing and promotional materials to launch Oopsy Daisy as a direct selling company.

·         Designed the sales representative compensation program and hostess program.

·         Created marketing materials including Product Brochure, Hostess Program Brochure, and Business Opportunity Brochure. 

Company and Title: LMS Fragrances/d'essense, Business Dev. Consultant                           2008 - 2009

Project Name: Business Expansion Project

·         Trained the US-based customer service/call center team to enhance Customer interactions and streamline process flows which resulted in a significant sales increase.

·         Created motivational training program for independent Sales Reps. 

·         Created C-level strategic plan to expand into new markets and grow existing markets including expansion into Hispanic market.

Company and Title: SMCI, Sr. Project Manager                                                                                        2006 - 2008

Client Name: Amgen

Project Names: Cognos 8 Global Implementation Project, Patient Assistance Program

·         Over a 12 month period, managed team of 25 cross-functional employees and vendors (I/T, business, and quality/validation) to implement Cognos 8 BI as a global Data Warehouse and Business Intelligence application.  Project involved GxP compliance and touched every department globally within Amgen.  Project budget was $2.5M.

·         Managed the migration and implementation of an order entry and fulfillment project for Amgen’s Patient Assistance Program.  Project integrated internal systems with two external vendors and included FDA Regulatory HIPAA requirements related to the protection of Patient data.  Project duration was 8 months.

Company and Title: Dermalogica, Inc. and The International Dermal Institute, Sr. Project Manager                                                                                                                                                                                                 2001 - 2006

Project Names: JD Edwards Implementation Project, Customer Service/Call Center Expansion Project, Student Registration Re-Engineering Project, IT Department Reorganization Project

•         Led the evaluation (RFP/RFI), negotiation, and implementation of new ERP System.  Managed team of 50 Dermalogica employees (I/T and business) plus vendor resources to implement JD Edwards.  Project included all business functions (customer service, call center, order fulfillment, inventory management, purchasing, planning, accounting, finance, etc...) within a $2M budget.  Project duration was 8 months.

•         Over a 12 month period, spearheaded a project to identify the cause of Customer complaints and decrease in sales.  Identified and implemented systemic and process improvements which reduced the number of abandoned calls from 40% to 4% in just 5 months following implementation.  Projects included:

o   Re-engineering of the Order Entry, Customer Service, and Inside Sales departments into a “One Stop” Contact Center.  Managed team of 10 Dermalogica employees (business and I/T) to implement process improvements, service enhancements, technical infrastructure (including Zeacom IVR), and application improvements.

o   Analyze call volume to identify predictive call patterns and KPIs.  Created a workforce management tracking model to forecast call volumes & staffing levels.

o   Development of training and incentive programs to motivate Customer Service Agents to upsell/cross sell, improve service levels, and enhance the Customer’s experience.

o   Over a 4 month period, led the evaluation (RFP/RFI), selection, and implementation of new PBX and ACD.

•         Over 6 month period, re-engineered the student registration process (both in-person and telephone) which reduced abandoned calls by almost 30% in two months following implementation. 

•         Reorganized the IT department to:

o   Create IT Steering Committee and PMO Office to prioritize, discuss, and plan projects and requests from business leaders. 

o   Develop processes within I/S and I/T to evaluate, estimate, and successfully implement projects and enhancement requests.

•         Over a 5 month period, managed the evaluation (RFP/RFI), negotiation, and purchase of Cognos as enterprise BI tool. 

Company and Title: Health Net of California, Sr. Project Manager                                             2000 - 2001

Project Name: Oracle Membership and Billing System Implementation Project

·         Managed team of 25 HealthNet employees (business and I/T) plus Oracle resources to implement a web-based Membership Enrollment and Billing System utilizing the Oracle HR application featuring CRM functionality.  Project duration was 12 months.

JAFRA COSMETICS INTERNATIONAL                                                               1984 - 2000    

A subsidiary of the Gillette Company (until 1998). 

JOB TITLES/ROLES

·         VICE PRESIDENT, CUSTOMER SERVICE, INFORMATION SYSTEMS, & COMMUNICATIONS

·         DIRECTOR, CUSTOMER SERVICE

·         DIRECTOR, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

·         EXECUTIVE DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

·         PROJECT MANAGER, MRP SYSTEM

·         MANAGER, SYSTEMS AND PROGRAMMING

·         SENIOR DEVELOPER/ANALYST

KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS

General Management

·         Managed a $7 million expense budget and $20 million asset base.

·         Recruited and mentored staff of 125 employees including managers and directors.

·         Responsible for the creation and C-level presentation of the annual strategic business plan for customer service and I/T.  The plan aligned with business goals and objectives, supported corporate cost savings initiatives, and identified technology trends, shifts, and upgrades. 

Software and Technology

·         Responsible for the operation of an international I/T organization that linked multiple locations and applications in U.S., Mexico, Canada, and Europe.

·         Created and maintained the Software and I/T Strategic Plan and PMO office.  Infused Customer-centric attitude, processes, and monitoring systems to stabilize user relationships and promote a partnership between I/T, and business units. 

·         Spearheaded the evaluation (RPF/RFI) and successful implementation of numerous custom and packaged software applications including PeopleSoft, 4^th Shift SCM, Talx IVRS, pick to light, and Hyperion.  Projects effected all corporate business functions (customer service, call center, order fulfillment, inventory management, purchasing, planning, accounting, finance, human resources). 

·         Directed the operation of IT Help Desk.  Implemented monitoring systems and support processes to improve internal service and support which virtually eliminated service complaints.

Customer Service, Call Center, Inside Sales, and Communications

·         Responsible for the operation of an in-bound/out-bound bi-lingual Customer Service/Call Center operation.

·         Re-engineered the Customer Service/Call Center organization (bilingual, blended Customer Service/Contact Center/Inside Sales organization) to reduce non-revenue generating calls by 50%.  Generated a 30% departmental cost savings (approximately $1 million annually), improved Customer retention, and reduced departmental complaints by 90% within 6 months.  Fostered cultural change in the employee’s customer service attitude and spirit.

·         Developed an Internal Sales organization: defined organizational structure, established sales targets, oversaw the creation of training materials, and created internal promotions/staff incentives.

·         Created a Customer Service Training department to insure the delivery of consistent and accurate information to Independent Sales Representatives which contributed to operational efficiency and cost savings.

·         Directed the operation of the corporate Communications Department which created and delivered over 20 million communication pieces annually to independent Sales Representatives.

Education & Certificates

California State University Northridge, Northridge, CA   Dean's List

Bachelor of Science, Business Administration with Information Systems option

Simmons College, Boston, MA

Certificate, Program for Developing Managers

Project Management Institute

Certificate in Project Management

Recognition and Awards

• Received on-stage recognition from over 1,000 VIP Customers at corporate event in appreciation of improvement and enhancements to Jafra’s Customer Service/Call Center organization.

• Selected by employer (Gillette Company) to participate in exclusive 30 month Executive Development Program that allowed hands-on experience in all major facets of the business: Sales, Marketing, Business Development, Customer Service, Distribution, Manufacturing, and Finance.

Skill Summary

Project Management:

ü  COTS Software

ü  GxP Projects

ü  System Migrations/Integrations

ü  Global, Enterprise-Wide Implementations

ü  Infrastructure Projects

ü  Business Intelligence & Data Warehousing

ü  Waterfall/Agile/RUP Methodologies

IT Project Lifecycle:

ü  Requirements Analysis

ü  Technology Evaluation

ü  ROI Analysis

ü  Costing & Budgeting

ü  Project Scheduling

ü  Test Management

Value-Added Leadership:

ü  Cross-Functional Team Oversight

ü  Team Building & Mentoring

ü  Client Relations & Presentations

ü  Business & IT Strategic Planning

ü  Vendor Management (including RFP/RFI/SOW)

Functional Leadership:

ü  Call Center/Contact Center Management

ü  Customer Experience Enhancement

ü  Inside Sales Management

ü  Business Process Re-engineering

ü  Supply Chain Operations

ü  Payment Processing

ü  Business Development

ü  Education & Training

ü  Strategic Planning

ü  Mergers and Acquisitions

Technologies