Susan Ernest Email & Phone Number

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Performed assessments to confirm license compliance and optimization of the Bank’s software portfolio. Analyzed all software related contracts, purchases, and discovery data to provide assessments of the software license compliance and optimization for internal Business Partners. Lead analyst for developing PO’s as a service for automation of purchases to decrease informational delays from vendors.

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Home Based - Charlotte, Nc

KOCH BUSINESS SOLUTIONS – Wichita, Kan. (Headquarters) 8/2005-10/2017 Division of Koch Industries Inc., a diversified global company with footprint in manufacturing, refining, and distribution of petroleum, chemicals, paper, commodities trading and agriculture. Koch operates in 60 countries; 120.000 employees. Buyer II – Charlotte, N.C. (5/2014-10/2017) Managed IT enterprise subscription agreements, including hardware, software, support and maintenance for Koch subsidiaries. Built and maintained relationships with internal customers and vendors. Collaborated with vendor management analyst and asset management analyst in setting up new agreements within the KATS tracking system, an add-on module to BMC Remedy. Worked with management analyst to ensure compliance to software licensing agreements. Served as “go-to” person for knowledge sharing with peers.  Negotiated price-lock on an Oracle maintenance renewal agreement. Gained approval from subsidiaries for expenditure. Result: Avoided annual price increases for 3 years. Saved $580,000.  Revitalized customer relationship with Flint Hills Resources, previously alienated. Regained trust and reestablished management of maintenance agreements. Result: Rebuilding relationship leveraged opportunities with other internal customers, and decreased IT spend.

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Asset Management Analyst – Charlotte, N.C. (5/2011-5/2014) Purchased, tracked and managed software licenses and usage, including desktop, middleware, database and server. Prepared quarterly software usage reports, using SCCM/Discovery tools and purchase records to identify gaps and offer solutions, including upgrade/downgrade rights, license sharing and purchasing. Partnered with technical teams and IT procurement to develop installation practices to ensure compliance. Analyzed and evaluated purchase records from historical archive to identify license ownership for a manufacturer’s audit. Challenge: Purchase records had not been transferred to current system. Applied knowledge of SAP to identify data and provide proof of ownership. Result: Saved subsidiary (INVISTA) $100,000 in licensing fees. Challenged vendor’s proposed cost increase for consulting services. Validated cost increase was not contractually valid. Negotiated with vendor to maintain cost of current contract. Result: Achieved 3.5% cost savings

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Managed all financial activities for company that supported 2 + employees, including but not limited to Payroll, AP, AR, and all governmental and state regulations and requirements.

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

INVISTA – Wichita, Kan. (HQ) 8/2005-5/2011 A subsidiary of Koch Industries Inc. a leading integrated manufacturer of fiber, resin and intermediates. IT Procurement Specialist – Charlotte, N.C. Purchased IT hardware and software based on existing purchasing agreements. Processed purchase requisitions using SAP, and requested financial approver to release requisition. Confirmed order with vendor. Provided daily status reports of product to technician for scheduling.  Assumed leadership role during transition of purchasing function from INVISTA to KBS. Proactively identified issues involving certification transfer and licensing renewals, and collaborated with team to resolve. Result: Efforts provided cost savings and cost avoidances of $44,000 for 3 enterprise vendors.  Applied knowledge of SAP receiving module to identify internal billing error. Gained approval from IT director to grant system access and cross-train team members. Personally trained associates in creating purchasing documents and interpreting invoices. Result: Process saved $15,000 in excess fees.

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

Developed processes and procedures for a global client’s leasing operations. Performed data analysis, and prepared and delivered presentations to executive leadership. Procured hardware and software for the U.S. and Canada. Managed software licensing compliance. Monitored hardware inventory of leased assets.

Bba, Marketing

Activities and Societies: Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority

Masters, Business/Corporate Communications