Nickol Crews
Charlotte,N.C.
Summary
Experienced professional manager with 25 years the Financial Services industry, including 12 years in Retirement services. Recognized for analyzing organizations' needs, identifying deficiencies, and implementing innovative solutions to enhance customer service and minimize risk. Adept at leading diverse teams to achieve exceptional results in dynamic settings. Excellent communication skills for seamless collaboration with internal and external partners.
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Sr Plan Reporting - Team Lead
Principal Financial Group Inc
Des Moines , IL
2021.06 - Current
- Managed a team of twelve staff members to deliver high quality, efficient, and prompt service for compliance testing, government reporting, and 5500 services.
- Oversee and provide direction on all operational aspects of Government reporting and 5500 plan audit requirements. Ensure all retirement plan records are reported accurately on the annual filing for the IRS, PBGC and DOL.
- Maximized team potential through leadership guidance, talent development, and performance management.
- Coordinated with Internal Audit and Compliance to ensure the effectiveness of controls and procedures.
- Monitored team workload to prevent burnout and ensure equitable task distribution.
- Managed team processing OFAC alerts and ensured compliance with US Treasury sanctions programs by overseeing customer listings on government watchlists of Specially Designated Nationals, Blocked Persons, and Blocked Entities.
- Conducted performance appraisals for team members, providing feedback and identifying areas of improvement.
- Collaborated with other departments to develop effective solutions that meet customer needs.
- Resolved escalated customer complaints or queries promptly and efficiently.
- Assigned projects and distributed tasks to team members as per area of expertise.
IRT Client Service Manager-Operations Manager 3 AVP
Wells Fargo Bank N. A.
Charlotte , N.C.
2014.01 - 2021.06
- Manage a team of 6 Client Account Analysts who service a book of defined contribution plans in the $100MM to $1,000MM asset value range
- Oversaw daily operations of the team who performed IRS regulated Non-Discriminatory/Compliance tests, preparation of 5500 IRS reporting, statement reporting, Qualified Domestic Relations Orders and Beneficiary splits, Asset liquidations ensuring Efficiency and Quality standards were met
- Analysts delivered proactive service that emphasized strong service values under my effective leadership
- Monitored staff performance and addressed issues, conducting performance evaluations.
- Reviewed completed work to verify consistency, quality, and conformance.
- Provided guidance and support to directs through personalized mentoring sessions, additional training opportunities, and collaborative development planning.
- Evaluated individual and team business performance and identified opportunities for improvement.
- Resolved customer inquiries and complaints requiring management-level escalation.
Investment Manager Relations Operations Manager 3 AVP
Wells Fargo Bank N. A.
Charlotte , N.C.
2010.01 - 2014.01
- Managed six direct reports with responsibilities in cash management, relationship management, and trade settlement processing
- Managed staffing needs by evaluating account to team member ratio, assimilating new business with existing staff, and proposing recruitment of additional team members
- Played a key role in monitoring exception reporting and providing consultation to the team lead on identifying and promptly rectifying any inefficiencies or processing gaps
- Acted as the main point of contact for resolving complex client issues, supporting both team members and clients.
- Counseled and mentored team members to enhance their professional advancement by conducting one-on-one coaching sessions, assigning targeted training modules, and fostering a collaborative environment to create developmental plans
- Developed and managed a project to increased cash management performance while mitigating risk associated with overdrafts occurrences
- Led the implementation of a successful intraday sweep processing initiative to improve the efficiency of Relationship managers' management of externally managed accounts, leading to significant improvements in voluntary conversions rates: from 29% in 2012 to an impressive 60% in 2013
- Enhanced efficiency by developing a streamlined procedure for receiving and responding to Securities and Exchange Commission examination requests, while strengthening a critical partnership with regulatory agency.
- Effectively collaborated with Trust operations’ business lines, senior management, compliance, and the Security and Exchange Commission to optimize efficiency through the development of a centralized procedure for managing research inquiries.
- Created an ongoing business plan to address inefficiencies in the internal product, automating domestic trade processing.
- Analyzed business unit's product exceptions and financial losses due to manual processing of exceptions, advocating for system enhancements targeting increased productivity and risk mitigation.
Retirement Services Distribution Manager (2007-2009)
LPL Financial Services
Charlotte , N.C.
2006.01 - 2009.01
- Directed and supported the career advancement of six employees in Retirement Disbursement Services by implementing tailored performance plans, facilitating regular one-on-one sessions to track progression towards goals.
- Collaborated with senior management to discuss performance metrics, pay reviews, bonus incentives, quality statistics and staffing requirements.
- Monitored work queues and distributed workloads to meet service level agreements with clients daily. Utilized a Quality metric tool to track error trends, identify developmental needs, and monitor individual and team performances.
- Developed a comprehensive spreadsheet to track quality metrics, resulting in a weekly reduction of outgoing errors by 10%.
Retirement Services Distribution Supervisor (2006-2007)
LPL Financial Services
Charlotte , N.C.
2006.01 - 2007.01
- Supervised eight employees in the Retirement Disbursement Services area.
- Ensured adherence to Service Level agreements through daily audits of work queues. Assigned incoming work to the correct work queue for Charlotte and San Diego offices.
- Monitored and ensured accuracy of all disbursements over $25,000.00, providing reports on error patterns to senior executives during audits.
- Efficiently coordinated staff vacations without compromising work queue coverage
- Researched difficult processing issues, communicating swift resolutions with management and team members
- Developed a comprehensive training module outlining performance expectations for new employees during their initial 90 days of employment. Led engaging and informative training sessions for all newly hired staff.
- Created Quick notes for new skill sets introduced to the area and recreated them for use by management and other processing areas.
Education
Overbrook High School
Philadelphia, PASkills
- Strong verbal and written communication skills
- Analytical thinking and decision making
- Strategic planning and project management
- Adaptability and ability to work under pressure
- Performance monitoring
- Production Monitoring
- Coaching and Mentoring
- Complaint resolution
- Employee engagement
Community Service
- United Way Campaign Business Unit Leader, Wells Fargo Bank, Charlotte, N.C.
- Urban Ministries, Saint Peters Church, Charlotte, N.C.
- Habitat for Humanity volunteer, Charlotte, N.C.
Timeline
Sr Plan Reporting - Team Lead
Principal Financial Group Inc
2021.06 - Current
IRT Client Service Manager-Operations Manager 3 AVP
Wells Fargo Bank N. A.
2014.01 - 2021.06
Investment Manager Relations Operations Manager 3 AVP
Wells Fargo Bank N. A.
2010.01 - 2014.01
Retirement Services Distribution Manager (2007-2009)
LPL Financial Services
2006.01 - 2009.01
Retirement Services Distribution Supervisor (2006-2007)
LPL Financial Services
2006.01 - 2007.01
Overbrook High School
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