Lana Balyer
Cleveland,OH
Summary
Operations and HR professional with experience leading departmental operations, workforce management, and federal grant administration within municipal government. Expertise in business process improvement, policy implementation, and cross-department collaboration supporting housing and community development programs. Adept at advising leadership on employee relations, compliance, and organizational strategy while improving operational efficiency and accountability. Recognized for quickly assessing complex challenges and implementing practical, data-informed solutions in fast-paced environments.
Overview
4
4
years of professional experience
Work History
Operations Manager/ Interim HR Lead
City Of Cleveland
07.2025 - Current
- Assumed Interim HR Lead responsibilities in addition to Operations Manager duties, overseeing human resources operations for a department of approximately 95 employees.
- Provided guidance to leadership and staff on the application of City HR policies, civil service rules, and departmental procedures, ensuring ethical standards, confidentiality, and regulatory compliance.
- Advised management on employee relations matters, including disciplinary actions, appeals, separations, demotions, and conflict resolution, partnering with Central HR to ensure appropriate documentation and procedural compliance.
- Managed full employee lifecycle processes, including recruitment, interviewing, onboarding, payroll coordination, benefits administration, leave management (FMLA/ADA), and employee separations.
- Led departmental talent acquisition efforts, developing job postings and requisitions, reviewing candidate applications, conducting reference checks, coordinating interviews, and overseeing onboarding documentation including background checks and I-9 verification.
- Administered departmental payroll operations for 95 employees, ensuring accuracy in timekeeping, leave tracking, and compensation adjustments.
- Served as a departmental resource for leave administration, advising staff and management on FMLA processes, leave exhaustion scenarios, and coordination with the City’s third-party administrator (Sedgwick).
- Guided supervisors on performance management and employee development, including coaching managers on effective evaluation practices and strategies for employee growth and retention.
- Developed departmental HR policies, procedures, and operational guidelines aligned with the City of Cleveland’s core values; one policy framework was later used as a blueprint for broader City policy development.
- Provided guidance to employees on resignation, retirement, and transition processes, including benefit continuation, OPERS retirement procedures, and separation payouts.
- Participated in the implementation of new HR technology systems, supporting the City’s transition from ADP and Kronos to Workday and assisting staff with system adoption.
- Coordinated workers’ compensation reporting and documentation for departmental incidents.
- Partnered with departmental leadership on organizational planning initiatives, including staffing strategy, salary administration, departmental restructuring, and succession planning.
- Reviewed and provided feedback on collective bargaining agreement provisions affecting Local 100 union employees.
Operations Manager
City Of Cleveland
06.2024 - 07.2025
- Supervised and mentored a team of four administrative staff (union and non-union), including three principal clerks, ensuring consistent front-line operations and alignment with departmental priorities.
- Oversaw employee evaluation processes and advised managers on best practices for conducting performance reviews, emphasizing comprehensive assessments of employee performance over the full review period to support equitable and meaningful evaluations.
- Provided support for departmental budget planning and analysis during a period without a dedicated budget manager, compiling CDBG operating budget data and assisting with allocation oversight across federal and local funding streams including HUD and ARPA programs.
- Designed and structured the department’s annual CDBG budget presentation for Cleveland City Council, analyzing program data, verifying financial information, and identifying funding priorities for the 2025–2026 fiscal planning cycle.
- Coordinated the department’s legislative request process, ensuring accurate financial documentation, program summaries, and compliance with City policies for legislation submitted to Cleveland City Council.
- Monitored departmental workflows and resource utilization, identifying operational gaps and implementing improvements to strengthen grant management, program tracking, and internal coordination.
- Collaborated with internal departments and external stakeholders to align services, streamline communication, and support implementation of community development programs.
- Provided operational support and technical assistance to program managers and staff to resolve administrative challenges and ensure continuity of daily departmental operations.
- Prepared regular program and operational status reports for department leadership, supporting strategic decision-making and oversight of key initiatives.
- Coordinated responses to public records requests, ensuring compliance with Ohio public records laws and City transparency requirements.
- Initiated development of internal departmental policies, operational guidelines, and administrative procedures to improve clarity, consistency, and staff access to information.
Business Process Specialist
City Of Cleveland
04.2022 - 06.2024
- Led configuration and administration of the department’s grant management system, supporting program workflows from application through project completion for housing, home repair, land bank acquisition, and housing development initiatives.
- Implemented and managed the department’s digital grant management platform (Neighborly) for over two years, transitioning previously paper-based program processes into a centralized system to improve operational efficiency, transparency, and data tracking.
- Collaborated with program managers, departmental leadership, and external stakeholders to assess operational workflows, identify process gaps, and design improved future-state business processes.
- Developed and delivered system training for staff and stakeholders, including creating step-by-step guides, documentation, and training materials to support adoption of new digital processes.
- Designed and tested custom reporting tools within the grant management system, enabling program managers to monitor program performance, track funding activity, and improve data-driven decision making.
- Authored and maintained business process documentation and training resources used by internal staff and external partners across multiple Community Development programs.
- Supported the department’s transition from Neighborly to a PowerApps-based grant management platform in January 2024, assisting with system configuration, workflow development, and user training to ensure continuity of program operations.
Education
Master of Science -
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH05-2020
Bachelor of Science - Health Sciences
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH05-2017
Skills
- Operations & Program Management
- Business Process Improvement & Process Optimization
- Cross-Functional Collaboration & Stakeholder Engagement
- Team Leadership & Staff Development
- Policy Development & Regulatory Compliance
- Federal Grant Administration (HUD, CDBG)
- Budget Coordination & Financial Oversight
- Data Analysis & Program Reporting
- Conflict Resolution & Employee Relations
- Performance Management & Training Facilitation
- Strategic Problem Solving & Decision-Making
- Legislative & Government Operations
Timeline
Operations Manager/ Interim HR Lead
City Of Cleveland
07.2025 - Current
Operations Manager
City Of Cleveland
06.2024 - 07.2025
Business Process Specialist
City Of Cleveland
04.2022 - 06.2024
Master of Science -
Cleveland State University
Bachelor of Science - Health Sciences
Cleveland State University
Additional Professional Experience
Patient Service Representative — Cleveland Clinic | Cleveland, OH
2017 – Present (Part-Time)
Supported hospital operations through patient registration, scheduling, insurance verification, and EPIC electronic medical record documentation. Trained new employees on system workflows and patient service procedures.
Technology Support Specialist — Cleveland State University | Cleveland, OH
2014 – 2017
Provided classroom technology support, troubleshooting, and equipment maintenance for faculty and instructional staff.