Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

Kara Welker

North East

Summary

IT ERP Transformation Manager at W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. with expertise in ERP systems, IT Service Management, & data analytics. Demonstrated success in leading global teams and implementing digital transformation initiatives that enhance operational efficiency. Experienced in change management with a focus on strategic planning and project management. Committed to fostering continuous improvement across a diverse application portfolio.

Overview

16
16
years of professional experience
4
4

Certifications

3
3

Professional Degrees

Work History

IT ERP Transformation Manager

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
05.2023 - Current
  • Lead a global team supporting all procurement / manufacturing applications
  • Create KPIs and BI Dashboards and deliver weekly update presentations to upper management
  • Develop Enterprise's AI Strategy and Proof of Concept SAP AI Chatbot
  • Strategically plan support for SAP S/4 Releases and Ariba Go-Lives, managing Consultant contracts
  • Drive structure and set-up of ITSM for the SAP Center of Excellence
  • Manage cloud computing governance & strategy
  • Manage onboarding, upskilling, P&D, UCP, and C&C Processes for Team
  • Set priorities for concurrent project work and effectively communicate expectations

Continuous Improvement Manager - Applications

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
12.2022 - 05.2023
  • Meet with cross-functional teams to create IT Support Model expectations
  • Drive conversations to establish baseline duties for ITSM / data support
  • Facilitate alignment conversations to reduce redundant and unused data
  • Plan on-going improvement initiatives to streamline work and cut costs

Senior IT Applications Systems Analyst

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
09.2019 - 12.2022
  • Lead the CSDM 3.0 implementation team including organization / communications / execution / hyper-care activities
  • Establish Data Analytics for the Application Portfolio using PowerBI / ServiceNow
  • Build, integrate, & maintain International Company-wide Dashboards to share meaningful data analytics
  • Model / plan the stages to achieve CSDM 3.0 in the Application Portfolio
  • Train new team members and mentor IT interns on APM processes in ServiceNow, Jira, Sharepoint, and PowerBI
  • Create content and lead trainings for IT and Business Associates on APM Processes and functions
  • Perform testing and verification in VERA for ServiceNow APM upgrades
  • Assist in the Rationalization of over 600 low-complexity applications
  • Key member of the implementation team for the APM Module in ServiceNow

Senior Business Applications Analyst

TA Instruments
07.2017 - 09.2019
  • Create SAP & purchasing business procedures and provide training to associates
  • Coordinate rollout of new technologies such as ERP instances, QMS, and PDM systems and manage databases
  • Oversee SAP transitions across multiple plants including the extension of Purchase Orders, Vendor Master Data, Purchasing Info Records, and Material Master Data including Bills of Materials (BOMs)
  • Perform Cost Roll at the end of each year and verify accuracy
  • SAP Master Data and Purchasing Data maintenance, oversight, and troubleshooting
  • Provide requested information and documentation for Yearly Audit
  • Collaborate across departments to streamline current processes, create time saving reports, and actionable data
  • Provide purchase price variance (PPV) explanations and correct errors
  • Perform costing on new items & manage price book maintenance forms
  • Run Quarterly Vendor Performance & track SCARs
  • Generate reports to track PO Excess, Contract Status, COGS, Inventory Turns, Forecasts, & ABC Stratification

Consultant Relationship Manager

AETEA Information Technology
01.2016 - 07.2017
  • Led roughly 100 consultants at Barclays Bank, including reviews, compensation, and performance management
  • Create reports using SAP GUI interface for submittals and placements
  • Train new associates on on-boarding procedures and SAP use
  • Provide analytics on placements and open positions and create complex organizational charts for clients
  • Responsible for all on-boarding, time tracking, and HR documentation of associates
  • Acted as a liaison between managers at the client location and our consultants to provide actionable feedback

Operations Manager

InFocus Financial
Salisbury
05.2015 - 12.2015
  • Overseeing a small team of interns who help create financial reviews
  • Track all sales and provide actionable data in the form of dashboards
  • Create new sales material to distribute to clients, including graphic design
  • Marketing the business to new clients, including social media posts and ad campaigns
  • Work closely with clients to identify needs and wants
  • Create customized proposals for new clients and performing financial reviews for existing clients
  • Giving Financial Recommendations to the Advisor and completing trades

Manager of Vendor Relations / Product Manager / Website Development

Mobileation.com
Salisbury
10.2009 - 01.2015
  • System Administrator in charge of maintaining ERP system
  • Support existing infrastructure and organize and update content, and maintain Master Data
  • Use web development software to integrate databases and other information systems
  • Test web applications units and systems
  • Social Media management including tracking analytics growth by maintaining engagement
  • Lead a Team of Product Specialists including training on all systems
  • Work with external third parties to assess partnerships and licensing opportunities
  • Define the product strategy and roadmap
  • Set pricing to meet revenue and profitability goals
  • Identify markets and avenues to use when promoting products
  • Research and vetting of potential vendor / product lines
  • Responsible for contract compliance on significant long term engagements
  • Responsible for new contract creation and contract changes between the vendor, business, and legal
  • Strong skills in building and maintaining networks and relationships with key leaders across multiple functional areas including travel to attend trade shows and expos to solicit new vendor partnerships

Education

MBA - Business Technology Management

Wilmington University
Wilmington, DE
01-2021

BS - Business Information Systems

Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD
01-2015

Bachelor of Science - Management

Salisbury University
Salisbury, MD
01-2015

Skills

  • ERP Systems Admin: SAP / Netsuite
  • ITSM: ServiceNow / Jira
  • Coding Languages: Python / VB / SQL
  • AI: Co-pilot / OpenAI
  • Data analytics: PowerBI / NSAW
  • Strategic planning & roadmaps
  • Project management
  • Business process reengineering
  • Team leadership
  • Risk management
  • Continuous improvement
  • Digital transformation

Certification

  • Facilitative Leadership - Interaction Associates (2023)
  • Situational Leadership Essentials - Center for Leadership Studies (2024)
  • AI for Everyone - Deep Learning.AI (2025)
  • Designing and Building AI Products and Services - MIT xPRO (2025)

Timeline

IT ERP Transformation Manager

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
05.2023 - Current

Continuous Improvement Manager - Applications

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
12.2022 - 05.2023

Senior IT Applications Systems Analyst

W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
09.2019 - 12.2022

Senior Business Applications Analyst

TA Instruments
07.2017 - 09.2019

Consultant Relationship Manager

AETEA Information Technology
01.2016 - 07.2017

Operations Manager

InFocus Financial
05.2015 - 12.2015

Manager of Vendor Relations / Product Manager / Website Development

Mobileation.com
10.2009 - 01.2015

MBA - Business Technology Management

Wilmington University

BS - Business Information Systems

Salisbury University

Bachelor of Science - Management

Salisbury University

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