Lester Rivera
Bardonia,NY
Summary
Multifaceted telecommunications leader with over 30 years of experience in delivering superior results across a variety of work centers in New York City. A collaborative problem solver who coaches, mentors, and develops employees, and partners with leaders and peers to enhance leadership development, employee engagement, and functional alignment with organizational strategy, improving culture, and delivering significant improvement. Capitalizes on strategic and innovative leadership to drive enterprise leading operational, financial and customer experience results. Operations Management Process Improvement Project Management Change Management Training & Development Crisis Management Public Speaking Voice of the Customer Bilingual in Spanish Positive Regional Operations Manager with an optimistic attitude toward striving to be the best in terms of performance and customer satisfaction. Proficient at carrying out regular operational reviews and leading regional management teams. Knowledge of budgeting, succession planning and performance management.
Overview
34
34
years of professional experience
Work History
Area Operations Manager
North Brooklyn, FiOS I&M | Verizon
04.2021 - Current
- Identified to lead the new hire process in the Brooklyn North Team
- Ensuring continued engagement with the existing workforce while introducing new additions that drives cultural improvement
- Tasked with interviewing and vetting 50 external new hires along with 10 internal upgrades adding to the
- North Brooklyn Team
- Created a localized training and mentoring curriculum for the development of the New Hires that was
- Brooklyn centric
- Grew the Performance Plus partnership with Local 1109 through a series of engaging face to face discussions focused on transitioning shop to a Verizon 2.0 environment
- Rolled out a garage led initiative of pre-calls, pre-surveys and pre-positioning to tackle EOD completions by partnering with the OCC and RTS leading to dispatch efficiency improvements
- Partnered with the Marketing team to grow sales by supporting lobby events and conducting training sessions with the D2D team that drove higher knowledge, retention and customer awareness
- Led a District-Wide Circuit View training initiative to assist in reducing Tech Contact per 100 (calls to
- Dispatch and OTS) Driving greater usage of the self-help tool
- Monitored and analyzed performance data, identifying areas of improvement and developing corrective action plans.
Area Operations Manager
Manhattan HiTech & Construction, Verizon
01.2020 - 03.2021
- Appointed to transform organizational culture and drive improvement across Manhattan’s only hybrid installation, maintenance, and construction organization
- Entrusted by senior leadership to introduce and advise on organizational initiatives prior to full-scale implementation
- Leads an organization of close to 100 technology professionals responsible for the construction, service delivery, and maintenance of high-profile cell site and bandwidth circuits
- Implementing Frontline Redesign empowering management/union collaboration, field management exposure, increased automation and efficiency utilizing mobility devices and decreased administrative requirements
- Positively managing through COVID-19 pandemic resulting in 24H turnaround for remote reporting, zero positive virus cases, continued BAU operations and expedited completions of high-visibility medical escalations
- Leading warehouse harvesting initiative on overstocked assets resulting in $3.5M of reallocation and savings
- Modernized and remodeled degraded work center into dual-purpose central location utilized as meeting space for senior leadership events and expanded dispatch location for field workforce
- Reestablished and maintaining partnerships with supporting organizations, simultaneously driving KPI improvements regardless of reporting structures to include 25% in construction productivity
- Prioritizing network transformation efforts with 30,000 customers migrated from copper to fiber infrastructure.
Area Operations Manager
Northern Manhattan FiOS/CORE, M | Verizon
01.2017 - 01.2019
- Selected based on leadership credibility to transform business operations and culture in Northern Manhattan, being assigned an additional work center, standing up remote reporting locations, and deploying Frontline Redesign and
- Performance+
- Led an organization of 250 technology professionals covering the entire field work stream including installation, maintenance, special services, contract services, and construction for residential and enterprise customers
- Delivered 15% Hours Per Dispatch and 6% First Dispatch Resolution YoY improvement, reducing overtime by for an annualized $750K savings, and improved additional work center ranking by 300%
- Ideated and sponsored Manhattan Voice Connect Pilot, leading to best in class 1,400 network transformations at 70% completion rate, reducing potential maintenance expense by $1.7M in a single quarter
- Conducted 115 manager interviews and hired 22 high caliber and innovative leaders with different perspectives
- Served as trusted advisor, mentor, and subject matter expert for junior management and district peer groups
- Established district training center for new product introductions and universalizing field technician roles, assigned top tier technicians as facilitators successfully completing 7,000 individual training sessions
- Increased workload capacity by 17% after initiating Plant Pride Program simultaneously decreasing job pricing and taking ownership of construction work stream, network creating 15,000 fiber to the premise locations
- Delivered $2.25M in Lead to Succeed revenue, placing in the top 5% compared to other field organizations, hosting work center recognition events to improve employee engagement.
Area Operations Manager
W39th Street GWC FiOS
01.2015 - 01.2017
- CORE I&M | Verizon, Appointed to restructure Midtown Manhattan installation and maintenance based on highest volume operations and wide-ranging geographical ecosystem
- Led an organization of 150 technology professionals responsible for the installation and maintenance of fiber and copper services for residential and enterprise customers
- Transformed business operations by optimizing district boundaries, eliminating 150 vehicle fleet force and fielding 15 mobile garages to support on-foot technician practices, significantly reducing carbon footprint
- Led 215 employees through 50 day work stoppage in 2016, delivering best in class operational efficiency
- Oversaw successful completion of both first-generation installation of FiOS Data and Video services
- Served as mentor and advocate for Quality Assurance Reviews focused on optimizing process improvement
- Implemented training initiatives to coach direct reports, technicians, and work stoppage employees on best practices and protocols for enhanced profitability in the installation and maintenance of FiOS services
- Planned and executed, providing communications for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Times Square
- New Year’s Eve Celebration, and New York City Marathon, ensuring 100% network uptime and reliability.
Area Operations Manager
Verizon
01.2001 - 01.2015
- Selected to rotate across different AOM roles with increased responsibilities based on business demands and competing union dynamics; including crisis management and disaster relief initiatives for Hurricane Sandy and
- Katrina.
Field Operations Manager
Bell Atlantic
01.1996 - 01.2000
- Recruited into Operations Manager position following being recognized by senior leadership as a high potential employee, entrusted to take a results oriented approach towards construction and cable maintenance work streams.
Field Technician
NYNEX
01.1990 - 01.1996
- Began professional career as a Field Technician responsible for splicing, placing and pulling of cable and installation and repair of copper services, simultaneously being relied upon to provide on-the-spot engineering services.
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Dominican College of Blauvelt
Associate of Applied Science - Paralegal Studies
Bronx Community College of The City University of New York
OSHA-10 Certification OSHA Campus Online OSHA- 30 Certification OSHA Campus Online Associations SOMOS – The Voice of the Latinx Community PRISM – Lead with Pride NPAV – Native American -
Skills
- Staff Supervision
- Safety Protocols
- Strategic Planning
- Constructive Feedback
- Compliance Management
- Goal Attainment
- Organizational Efficiency
- Outstanding Communication Skills
- Excellent Interpersonal Skills
- Labor Negotiations
- Improve Performance
- Customer Care
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
French
Elementary
Timeline
Area Operations Manager
North Brooklyn, FiOS I&M | Verizon
04.2021 - Current
Area Operations Manager
Manhattan HiTech & Construction, Verizon
01.2020 - 03.2021
Area Operations Manager
Northern Manhattan FiOS/CORE, M | Verizon
01.2017 - 01.2019
Area Operations Manager
W39th Street GWC FiOS
01.2015 - 01.2017
Area Operations Manager
Verizon
01.2001 - 01.2015
Field Operations Manager
Bell Atlantic
01.1996 - 01.2000
Field Technician
NYNEX
01.1990 - 01.1996
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Dominican College of Blauvelt
Associate of Applied Science - Paralegal Studies
Bronx Community College of The City University of New York
OSHA-10 Certification OSHA Campus Online OSHA- 30 Certification OSHA Campus Online Associations SOMOS – The Voice of the Latinx Community PRISM – Lead with Pride NPAV – Native American -
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