Rural Cellular Corporation

Senior Director, MIS & Contract Administration - December 2003 - November 2006

• Owned vendor management for multiple business units and corporate services respective to Application Service Providers (ASP), print fulfillment services, BSS/OSS, and roaming agreements.
  • Managed the initiative to evaluate, select, negotiate, and implement an outsourced, multi-year, $100M contractual relationship for an enterprise software solution. 
  • Negotiated and executed a contract with DST Output for new print and mailing services company-wide, resulting in savings of $260,000 per annum.
• Consolidated business practices across autonomous business regions, resulting in a single set of rate plans and increased reporting consistency.
• Developed, deployed, and managed the use of a company-wide information system project portfolio and executive level, project review board, to ensure alignment with business drivers and goals.
• Led the integration of certain information and audit functions to ensure operational and system readiness in support of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act; managed the implementation of repeatable software life cycle methodologies and controls to support transitioning from being a privately held to a publicly traded company.
• Management of GSM wireless telecom billing, prepaid billing, new bill format, IVR, and predictive dialer project initiatives in a timely and cost effective manner.
• Responsible for managing and developing a department that consisted of 55 resources including  project management, software development, quality assurance, business analysis, helpdesk support, and contract staff.

Director, MIS - December 1999 - December 2003

• Prepared and managed to strategic plans for information system solutions, based upon company goals and business objectives.
• Established and led a Project Management Office that improved customer satisfaction, participation, and successful project implementations, through utilization of effective project management methodologies, best practices, and documentation.
• Established strong revenue assurance processes and audits, ensuring accuracy in RCC’s bills that was reflected in a 90% customer satisfaction rating in bill accuracy as determined by a regional customer survey.
• Performed vendor evaluation, selection and relationship management, ensuring on-going contract compliance and relationship performance to company goals.
• Directed multiple large-scale initiatives involving the transition of programs to new platforms and consolidating multiple disparate enterprise software solutions from acquired companies.
  • Achieved consolidation of seven disparate, BSS/OSS solutions, providing for efficiencies and opportunities to leverage resources across business units, while reducing the average cost per bill by 19% and addressing daily business needs / changes and crisis resolution.
• Implemented the use of cross-functional project teams, working with executive management, to ensure all business areas are involved.
• Performed due diligence activities for company acquisitions, assessing systems, staffing, contracts, facilities, and processes, as well as performing business integration tasks, leveraging best practices.
• Drove awareness, urgency, and readiness for industry mandated changes such as wireless number portability, and mobile ESN identifier, as well as being a catalyst for internal company-wide change as with the need and implementation of a change management council.
• Identified and purchased contract, consulting services, application software and support services while reviewing and approving invoiced expenses and contract terms, identifying opportunities to negotiate cost-savings.
• Developed and maintained financial modeling for on-going cost per subscriber expense management, to include both fixed and variable costs, as well as financial modeling for vendor product selection and contract term and pricing negotiations. 
• Developed vendor policy and procedures, as well as vendor evaluation methodologies.
• Managing business change, to include restructuring department functions and resources, as well as leading the transition to next generation wireless technology software solutions and evaluating and streamlining business processes.

Associate Director, MIS - January 1999 - December 1999

• Responsibility for large-scale software system conversion projects, i.e. migrating from seven disparate solutions to two, addressing daily business needs / changes and crisis resolution.
• Management of post paid billing, prepaid billing, new bill format, IVR, and predictive dialer project initiatives in a timely and cost effective manner.
• Ensured all project deliverables include project assessment, schedule preparation, risk analysis, project status reports, and post implementation analysis.
• Responsible for development and management of project and annual department budgets, considering operating, capital and GAAP requirement areas, and including the on-going accounting, reporting, and monitoring of performance against budget and forecasting.
• Directed all software maintenance, development, and implementations activities for large-scale in-house licensed and release product solutions, to also include 7x24x365 production support and code release management.
• Developed and implemented SDLC best practices for software solution team and projects, resulting in measurable increases in system stability and customer satisfaction.
• Directed the transition to User Acceptance Testing (UAT) practices company-wide, to ensure initiatives meet quality, cost and performance objectives.
• Designed an organizational structure and career paths for the business analysis, programming, quality assurance, billing operations, and BSS/OSS helpdesk services resources within MIS to promote productivity, opportunity, and motivation in department staff for increased employee retention and development.
• Identified and purchased contract, consulting services, application software, and support services.  Reviewed and approved invoice expenses to contracted terms.

Manager, IS - May 1998 - January 1999

• Recruited to ensure quality software projects, billing operations, and invoice fulfillment processing for 250K subscribers on three disparate BSS/OSS solutions.
• Implemented new quality assurance and release implementation strategies, improving the stability of the software solutions that resulted in a reduction in helpdesk tickets year over year by 75%.
• Built tracking tools, performance report cards, and methods of procedure for measure, analyze, and identify opportunities to reduce helpdesk incidents, while creating accountability and transparency of service level expectations and performance.
• Evaluated processes and implemented changes improving the evaluation, prioritization, and scheduling of software project requests thru utilizing business case and ROI tools along with an executive review board.