Grace Hixson

Transformative Leader with 20 years of tested and proven experience in a variety of fields across the gambit of HR and Operations. Most notably, I have served in the roles of Director of HR and Operations Manger. My experience in various organizations that operate locally as well as globally have given me a unique ability to interpret complex cultural obstacles and build meaningful relationships throughout an organization while maintaining operational integrity and achieving strategic results. I pride myself on being a M.U.L.E ; a meticulous, unimpeded leader who emboldens others to make an impact by being honest and transparent while effortlessly carrying the heavy load.

As Operations Manager, I have been responsible for:

• overall operations, improvement, training and production;
• new project management, reporting, analysis and budgeting;
• creating, achieving and maintaining KPIs;

As Director of HR, I have been able to experience success through:

• championing new technology to facilitate flawless and consistent execution of processes and procedures;
• establishing a competitive advantage by reviewing data analytics of the market as well as internally to create new programs and job functions
• promoting employee retention through incentive programs and transparent compensation conversations;
• create total rewards programs that attract, retain and positively influence talent;
• advise Board of Directors on key complex issues.
• managing annual budgets ranging from $50k-$4mm;
• creating union avoidance or compliance strategies;
• facilitating safety and company orientation modules for on-boarding;
• ensuring quality and operational standards; implementing and maintaining HRIS Systems;
• managing employee payroll, total rewards & benefits;

ISO Process and Procedure Project Manager

• Created a rewards and incentive program that was cited as the driving force behind employee retention rate of 70%.
• Named Employee of the Quarter for effective leadership in management.
• Implemented HRIS (Paycom, Workday, Kronos, Paylocity, UKG) that saved various companies on average $60k/yr.
• Created policies and procedures that saved the company $500k and increased productivity by 20%
• Negotiated contract resulting in budgetary savings for the company of $1.4million for the year.
• Administered DEI strategies that led to increased employee engagement scores by 25%.
• Created total rewards programs that impacted overall employee confidence by 15%.
• Negotiated with vendors, saving the company $2.3million annually.
• Created highly effective new onboarding and job development program that significantly impacted efficiency and improved operations by 26%.
• Changed HR from a cost center to a savings and profit center by applying for grants as well as renegotiating vendor contracts.
• Created and implemented highly effective and individualized human resource solutions for clients that decreased liability (Workers Compensation) by 15% and increased productivity by 25%.
• Supported senior leadership by creating ad hoc reports to assist with big picture data for project status updates, benefits analysis, corrective action planning and strategic management, which positively impacted: sales (18%), efficiency (25%), time to fill (40%), productivity (25%), retention (25%), fixed cost (15%), variable cost (27%), budgeting (15%) and employee engagement (22%).
• Created strategic partnerships by being a guest speaker for a host of events for South Georgia Chamber of Commerce participants.
• Guest Speaker for Valdosta State University- Topic: Full cycle interviewing and proper etiquette when joining new teams

Moving forward I would like to align myself with an organization that positively impacts the communities they serve. Specifically, I would like to join a company that will allow me to come in and make a difference by being a strategic partner throughout the organization; incorporating data analytics, dash boards, training, technological interventions and more automation into complex and time consuming  tasks. I feel I can accomplish this due to my overall personal perspective, experience in various fields, adaptability as well as my uncanny ability to be GRACE.