Valerie Connor
North Bethesda,MD
Summary
Dynamic and Performance Driven Team Leader with Over Experienced Team Leader with20+ years of expertise in Benefits, HRIS, Compensation, HCM Implementations, Performance, and Payroll. As a data-oriented Total Rewards Executive and C-Suite Partner, I craft and synchronize total rewards initiatives with HR strategies and corporate goals, fostering high-performing organizations that excel in talent retention and attraction. Proficient in driving change and tackling intricate challenges and delivering optimized solutions. Results-oriented experience in business intelligence and operations management. Culturally-sensitive and ethical professional with demonstrated success in developing and implementing optimized solutions. Versatile leader recognized for driving results in collaborative, inclusive manner. Highly reliable and experienced with track record of helping clients improve bottom-line numbers by providing tailored advice, expertise and innovative solutions. Adept in quickly identifying customer needs and designing customized strategies to maximize company performance and profitability. Skilled in analyzing industry trends, competitor activities and market conditions to make timely decisions.
Overview
23
23
years of professional experience
Work History
HR Consulting/Independent Contractor
MMVP Holdings, LLC
New York
02.2020 - Current
- Collaborate with esteemed consulting firms like Ivy Exec and Alphasights, renowned global leaders in knowledge search, as well as direct employers, to provide specialized expertise in HR functions and platforms
- As a Subject Matter Expert (SME), I offer strategic guidance on HCM platforms, Benefits, Performance, and Workforce Management
- My responsibilities include creating detailed specifications and company documentation for various processes such as open enrollment, HR Performance, training manuals onboarding /off boarding, utilizing multiple software tools including Adobe Pdf, adobe indesign, adobe Illustrator, Canva, and PowerPoint.1099 or W-2.
Global Benefits Manager
Verint
Virtual, US, Canada, Brazil, Mexico
06.2021 - 01.2024
- Administer a range of benefit plans encompassing medical, dental, vision care, flexible spending, health savings, health reimbursement accounts, 401(k), COBRA, and tuition, ensuring compliance with country specific to Americas as well as US federal and state regulations
- Maintained compliance and legislative changes related to benefits within covered regions, developing policies as required
- Support the development, implementation, and integration of new or modified benefits programs, plans, processes, and vendors
- Manage internal compliance concerning plan administration and confidentiality
- Collaborate with third-party benefits administrators to prepare and deliver annual Non-Discrimination Testing, ACA, SAR, 5500 filings, 1095c, and other compliance reporting
- Oversee all facets of annual open enrollment, including benefit system configuration and testing, employee communications, and plan document updates
- Lead presentations on benefits during open enrollment and as needed throughout the year
- Aid in due diligence, plan comparisons, and employee communications for mergers and acquisitions
- Assist finance in negotiations for Collective Bargaining Agreements, providing plan comparisons
- Additionally, responsible for overseeing Leave Management TPA.
Senior PM, Global HCM
SYKES
Remote
03.2021 - 05.2021
- Designed and developed a global organizational structure within the UKG HCM from multiple platforms (SAP, Oracle, Workday, ADP)
Vice President of Total Rewards
OTG Management, LLC
New York
10.2014 - 01.2020
- Promoted from July 2018 to January 2020, I assumed the role of a proactive HR leader, managing the strategic direction, design, execution, governance, and communication of benefit and global compensation programs for a workforce spanning over 7,000 employees across two countries
- Leading a team of 12 professionals, I oversaw all facets of compensation design and analytics, including annual incentive structures for both Short Term and long-term incentive plans
- Developed performance metric analytics, and calculations
- Additionally, I spearheaded compliance efforts, supervised a sizable field team of Human Resource Professionals, and collaborated closely with the COO on Operations initiatives relating to Wellness and Payroll
- Serving as a strategic partner and subject matter expert in Union Negotiations for CBAs, and produced forecasting and insight for PTO plans, H &W, and Pension administration
- My responsibilities extended to managing the administration of 7 Union H &W plans and 3 Union Pension Plans and assisting in Union Grievance investigations.
Director of HR Technology & Total Rewards
OTG Management, LLC
New York
10.2014 - 06.2018
- Oversee HRIS, Benefits, and Payroll, designing and managing compensation and benefits programs, implementing, and managing HR systems, Time & Attendance Systems, and 3rd Party benefit administrators
- My role involves building and managing the HRIS function to support our growth and the strategic direction of our business
- I meet with senior leadership to determine business requirements and oversee the research, analysis, and selection of systems, aligning them with other business applications and organizational goals
- I aim to support the organization's strategic objectives and improve business operations by leveraging HR data and reports
- I determine the effectiveness of current benefits plans in motivating and retaining employees, identify and respond to trends in benefits packages through review and analysis of competitive intelligence, and ensure that all benefits plans follow applicable regulations and standards
- Additionally, I direct the operations of the organization's payroll function.
Director of Benefits, HRIS & Payroll
BR Guest Hospitality
New York
07.2012 - 10.2014
- During my tenure I achieved several milestones
- End-to-end conversion and implementation of the current HRIS system from Ceridian to Paypro, Millennium payroll, and Accentis HR manager, then to the current system UKG UltiPro, ensuring bidirectional software compatibility within the company for in-house accounting (Great Plains) and insurance carriers (carrier Connections)
- Played a key role in HRIS company structure and department structure
- Restructured the department to form an effective team
- Rolled out Self-Service company wide
- Developed compensation plans, salary bands, tiers, and succession planning
- Negotiated with insurance carriers for design and rollout.
Implementation HRIS Specialist PM/ Payroll Manager
Denstu America
New York
11.2011 - 07.2012
- Orchestrated the successful transition of the company to a payroll COE shared service environment, implementing a centralized payroll system
- Developed and executed a comprehensive project plan to ensure the timely delivery of the above initiative
- Tracked employee utilization, time, and attendance, and conducted financial reporting and analysis for the CFO and Finance Manager
- Collaborated with the CFO to create dashboards and analyses encompassing a comprehensive view of employee utilization, integrating finance aspects with HRIS data to generate profit/loss insights for executives and partners.
Benefit & Payroll Manager
BR Guest Hospitality
New York
07.2009 - 11.2011
- I achieved significant milestones during my tenure
- Firstly, I led the end-to-end conversion and implementation of the current HRIS system, transitioning from Ceridian to Paypro, Millennium payroll, Accentis HR manager, and finally to the current system UltiPro
- This included ensuring bidirectional software compatibility within the company for in-house accounting (Great Plains) and insurance carriers (Carrier Connections)
- Additionally, I played a crucial role in shaping the HRIS component of the company and departmental structure, overseeing a departmental restructure to form an effective team and facilitating the company-wide rollout of Self-Service functionality
- Furthermore, I spearheaded the development of compensation plans, salary bands, tiers, and succession planning strategies, while also conducting negotiations with insurance carriers for plan design and rollout.
Payroll Analyst
Rockefeller & Co., Inc.
New York
11.2007 - 06.2009
- During my tenure I spearheaded several impactful initiatives
- Firstly, I created and implemented PTO audits, effectively eliminating overpayments, resulting in an estimated gain of $80k for the company
- Additionally, I successfully broke down silos between the Centralized Payroll and Operations teams, fostering greater collaboration and efficiency
- Moreover, I streamlined manual reporting processes by leveraging system-generated reports, utilizing system functionality that was previously underutilized
- In terms of my responsibilities, I managed the processing of 22 weekly and 4 semi-monthly client-based payrolls via ADP PCPW, performed master control maintenance and employee file maintenance in both HRIS systems and ADP PCPW, reconciled bank accounts, processed manual checks, and managed weekly and semi-monthly 401k payroll files
- Furthermore, I managed monthly estate billing for all clients, processed allocation reports to the corporate accounting department, maintained payroll tax reports, assisted in the implementation of the NuView HRIS System, aided in auditing payroll files, and maintained attendance files for various departments
- Additionally, I assisted in audits for workers' compensation, unemployment, and external audits conducted by Deloitte
- Overall, I ensured the efficient processing of payroll, management reports, and quarterly tax filing reports.
Benefits & Payroll Analyst
Accor Hotels
New York
04.2006 - 11.2007
- During my tenure I achieved several milestones
- End-to-end conversion and implementation of the current HRIS system from Ceridian to Paypro, Millennium payroll, and Accentis HR manager, then to the current system UKG UltiPro, ensuring bidirectional software compatibility within the company for in-house accounting (Great Plains) and insurance carriers (carrier Connections)
- Played a key role in HRIS company structure and department structure
- Restructured the department to form an effective team
- Rolled out Self-Service company wide
- Developed compensation plans, salary bands, tiers, and succession planning
- Negotiated with insurance carriers for design and rollout.
Payroll Administrator
Hudson River Park Trust
New York
03.2004 - 04.2006
- During my tenure I achieved several milestones
- End-to-end conversion and implementation of the current HRIS system from Ceridian to Paypro, Millennium payroll, and Accentis HR manager, then to the current system UKG UltiPro, ensuring bidirectional software compatibility within the company for in-house accounting (Great Plains) and insurance carriers (carrier Connections)
- Played a key role in HRIS company structure and department structure
- Restructured the department to form an effective team
- Rolled out Self-Service company wide
- Developed compensation plans, salary bands, tiers, and succession planning
- Negotiated with insurance carriers for design and rollout.
Payroll Coordinator/ AR Coordinator
Frederic Fekkai
New York
09.2001 - 03.2004
- During my tenure I achieved several milestones
- End-to-end conversion and implementation of the current HRIS system from Ceridian to Paypro, Millennium payroll, and Accentis HR manager, then to the current system UKG UltiPro, ensuring bidirectional software compatibility within the company for in-house accounting (Great Plains) and insurance carriers (carrier Connections)
- Played a key role in HRIS company structure and department structure
- Restructured the department to form an effective team
- Rolled out Self-Service company wide
- Developed compensation plans, salary bands, tiers, and succession planning
- Negotiated with insurance carriers for design and rollout.
Education
HR Management Certification -
Villanova University
06.2020
High School Diploma -
Fiorello H Laguardia High School
New York, NY08-1994
Skills
HCM SAAS platforms
- Infor
- PayPro (implementation)
- ADP (Implementation)
- Ceridian Latitude (Implementation)
- Success Factors (Implemented LMS)
- Cornerstone
- Clear (REcruitment Tool)
- NuView
- Workday (implementation)
- UKG (implementation)
- Oracle Fushion Core HCM ((implementation)
- PeopleSoft
Microsoft office Suite 365
- Advanced Excel
- Advanced PPT
- Power BI
- TEAMS Workflows, Form Builder
ADOBE
- InDesign
- Illustrator
Project Management Software
- MS Project
- Smartsheet
- Monday
- Jira
References
References available upon request.
Timeline
Global Benefits Manager
Verint
06.2021 - 01.2024
Senior PM, Global HCM
SYKES
03.2021 - 05.2021
HR Consulting/Independent Contractor
MMVP Holdings, LLC
02.2020 - Current
Vice President of Total Rewards
OTG Management, LLC
10.2014 - 01.2020
Director of HR Technology & Total Rewards
OTG Management, LLC
10.2014 - 06.2018
Director of Benefits, HRIS & Payroll
BR Guest Hospitality
07.2012 - 10.2014
Implementation HRIS Specialist PM/ Payroll Manager
Denstu America
11.2011 - 07.2012
Benefit & Payroll Manager
BR Guest Hospitality
07.2009 - 11.2011
Payroll Analyst
Rockefeller & Co., Inc.
11.2007 - 06.2009
Benefits & Payroll Analyst
Accor Hotels
04.2006 - 11.2007
Payroll Administrator
Hudson River Park Trust
03.2004 - 04.2006
Payroll Coordinator/ AR Coordinator
Frederic Fekkai
09.2001 - 03.2004
HR Management Certification -
Villanova University
High School Diploma -
Fiorello H Laguardia High School
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