Kate Higgins Email & Phone Number

Queen Creek, Az, Us

Led the Global Employee Services (HR) Insights team; providing portfolio service insights, program delivery and mechanisms to drive service management improvements, data quality and continuity across project requests and service inventory.Achievements• Led the expansion of the Salesforce platform based, centralized portfolio and service inventory management mechanism across all Global HR teams, migrating 28 service teams and service inventory records into the centralized global… Show more Led the Global Employee Services (HR) Insights team; providing portfolio service insights, program delivery and mechanisms to drive service management improvements, data quality and continuity across project requests and service inventory.Achievements• Led the expansion of the Salesforce platform based, centralized portfolio and service inventory management mechanism across all Global HR teams, migrating 28 service teams and service inventory records into the centralized global portfolio.• Established collaborative monthly sessions with HR stakeholders promoting continuous improvement reviews and feedback on necessary mechanisms .• Developed Service Insight Metrics and benchmark SLA’s; facilitated MBR with leadership.• Developed content management strategy and drove improved service inventory taxonomy; data relevancy and quality.• Leading Vendor Management resource, strategy and support of global HR services teams; including RFP support, standardizing vendor onboarding, invoicing, vendor SLA management, MBR and issue resolutions.• Leading program workstream in the candidate onboarding improvement program; developing the strategy and approach to measure program self-sufficiency. Show less

Led several technical and operational projects, implemented portfolio management and roadmap development reporting enabling fact-based decision making; providing portfolio analysis and recommendations to Seattle based leadership.Achievements • Led the data migration project for a PPM solution (Sharepoint > Salesforce); including testing, organizational change management, and stakeholder engagement reporting• Led the HR Vendor Summit event; included 60+ third party vendors… Show more Led several technical and operational projects, implemented portfolio management and roadmap development reporting enabling fact-based decision making; providing portfolio analysis and recommendations to Seattle based leadership.Achievements • Led the data migration project for a PPM solution (Sharepoint > Salesforce); including testing, organizational change management, and stakeholder engagement reporting• Led the HR Vendor Summit event; included 60+ third party vendors, multi-day sessions with breakout sessions, and offsite events• Led the HR Service assessment initiative; providing recommendation for services to be centralized within Global HR from across various lifecycle teams and lines of business.• Implemented a portfolio data based integrated framework to support resource capacity planning and forecasting .• Drove operational efficiencies across multiple mechanisms utilizing Kaizen and Six Sigma practices .• Champion and facilitator of the 6-page White Paper narrative mechanism; providing mentoring, coaching and reviews of narratives, coordination of reviews with Sr. HR Leaders, decisions and action items. Show less

Petaluma, Ca

Implemented a solar storage battery cross-functional program including engineering, software and product management teams; launching the first solar storage battery in APAC followed by additional product launches in EMEA and North America.Achievements• Developed trusted relationships with product managers, program management and technical stakeholders; identifying critical gaps, maintaining open communication and jointly developing recommendations for continuous process… Show more Implemented a solar storage battery cross-functional program including engineering, software and product management teams; launching the first solar storage battery in APAC followed by additional product launches in EMEA and North America.Achievements• Developed trusted relationships with product managers, program management and technical stakeholders; identifying critical gaps, maintaining open communication and jointly developing recommendations for continuous process improvements.• Led technical and operational triage sessions; supporting hardware and software solutions .• Organized compliance team’s operational practices by developing testing intake demand mechanism; identifying safety/regulatory testing requirements/durations, developed SLA’s and standardized communications .• Served as the Enterprise PPM tool (Planview Software) Manager; improving configuration and content management methods that better accurately portray the current organizational structure, along with levels of operational performance, processes, data analytics, resource and capacity demand planning. Reduced annual license fees by 18%. Show less

San Francisco Bay Area

Partnered with Portfolio, Finance and Software application teams to align projects’ workforce demand against current capacity and skills sets; leveraged internal resources and outsourcing model to staff project roles. Achievements• Drove software integration improvements (Clarity Software) in support of Portfolio Intake and project management needs.• Facilitated executive leadership reviews of the strategic workforce capacity and demand strategy calibration… Show more Partnered with Portfolio, Finance and Software application teams to align projects’ workforce demand against current capacity and skills sets; leveraged internal resources and outsourcing model to staff project roles. Achievements• Drove software integration improvements (Clarity Software) in support of Portfolio Intake and project management needs.• Facilitated executive leadership reviews of the strategic workforce capacity and demand strategy calibration sessions.• Partnered with facilities on forecasting Workforce space needs; including build out of new locations, collaboration spaces and individual workstations.• Led organizational change to implement resource skills assessment practices; providing a catalog of competencies and enterprise view of capacity.• Managed all facets of a comprehensive contingent staff sourcing program; reduced the time to fill requisitions by 28% through contingent vendor management, partnering with business owners, creating and delivering against service delivery-level agreements.• Managed facilities space at four campuses across the Bay Area for 3200 tech resources. Formulated and fueled operations for GapTech space designs, construction requirements and resource moves.• Incorporated workforce planning data to support space planning needs; improving resource and Agile project space readiness levels by 75%. Show less

San Bruno, Ca

Developed enterprise portfolio solutions and governance models; partnering with technology partners across e-commerce and the home offices. Achievements• Led cross-functional collaboration and strategic portfolio planning between Walmart Global e-commerce, Sam’s Club, the International PMO and the Home Office PMO to drive strategic portfolio review and decisions.• Partnered with PMO tools team to develop strategic resource demand and capacity practices and tool; providing… Show more Developed enterprise portfolio solutions and governance models; partnering with technology partners across e-commerce and the home offices. Achievements• Led cross-functional collaboration and strategic portfolio planning between Walmart Global e-commerce, Sam’s Club, the International PMO and the Home Office PMO to drive strategic portfolio review and decisions.• Partnered with PMO tools team to develop strategic resource demand and capacity practices and tool; providing insight into all ecommerce resource capacity, assignments and skills assessment.• Developed and analyzed portfolio progress; identified potential challenges/mitigations, partnered with stakeholders to align on direction of or changes in programs.• Managed Agile bi-weekly and quarterly portfolio review sessions (QBR) in conjunction with business and technology executives; delivered status and recommendation that allowed for pivot decision-making processes. Show less

Novato, California

Developed an enterprise-wide central project office, managing initiative intake, prioritization, metric identification, analysis, product realization and workforce capacity and demand management practices. Served as the main contact with business partners; defined and articulated portfolio project requests. Achievements• Facilitated monthly leadership reporting reviews; assessed project and portfolio performance and recommendations.• Allocated resources and tenaciously planned… Show more Developed an enterprise-wide central project office, managing initiative intake, prioritization, metric identification, analysis, product realization and workforce capacity and demand management practices. Served as the main contact with business partners; defined and articulated portfolio project requests. Achievements• Facilitated monthly leadership reporting reviews; assessed project and portfolio performance and recommendations.• Allocated resources and tenaciously planned related efforts for internal and contingent staff members.• Served as organizational change driver; motivating and coached others in proper acceptance, adoption and support of change initiatives.• Led enterprise-wise rating engine program; impacting commercial, personal and entertainment lines of business. Facilitated cross-functional requirement sessions, program status reviews, and program dependency meetings.• Drove continuous communication improvements and fueled operative project delivery standards; developed mature governance, methodology and training protocols and best practices.• Acknowledged by colleagues as a consistent driver of Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional training sessions.• Managed both vendors and contingent staff ensuring contractual agreements were delivered.• Led IT Service Management team of Project Managers in supporting operational projects. Show less