Hakeem Lassiter

HAKEEM LASSITER 📍 Newark, NJ - | - LinkedIn PRODUCT PROGRAM MANAGER Analytical | Program Management | Strategic Planning Dynamic, accomplished Product Program Manager respected for 14+ years overseeing highly complex projects and utilizing cutting-edge technology to exponentially cut costs, streamline operations, and increase productivity in competitive markets. Keen ability to identify critical areas of strengths and weaknesses to devise solutions that directly impact profitability, productivity, and efficiency. Known for exceeding client objectives via a combination of world-class delivery, lean operation methods, renewed team leadership initiatives, and minimizing risk by performing exhaustive data-driven research. A verifiable track record of collaborating with senior leadership, colleagues, and stakeholders to surpass forecasted goals and consistently deliver on time and under budget for industry leaders. Demonstrated superb analytical skills at Bloomberg by driving the conceptualization and development of a data-controlled global insights dashboard which informs the formulation of actionable recommendations for leadership, thereby dramatically improving operational insights by nearly 30% and consequently customer experience. Identified critical weaknesses and devised innovative solutions to establish seamless operations across functional boundaries to reduce inefficiencies realizing over 40% in carbon footprint reduction at Bloomberg LP. Spearheaded and managed strategic projects for Bloomberg LP to achieve Business Technology objectives which realized the improved futureproofing of business performance tools to scale. Facilitated all supply chain and inventory management processes at Atlantic Paste & Glue during the creation of the E-Commerce Division, establishing and managing a team of 32; served as the lead contributor to $1.3M in sales growth from May to August 2019, a 571% increase) and a key contributor to $1.2M in sales growth from September 2019 to April 2020, a 72% increase. Partnered with manufacturers/AP&G development teams to achieve company targets across design, forecasting, quality, and reverse logistics, enabling the company to surpass its revenue goals by 14% QoQ. SKILLS & EXPERTISE: Product Development | Strategic Planning & Design | Forecasting/Optimization | Project Management | Quality Assurance | Cost Assessments | Risk Management | Streamlining Operations | Analytics/Process Analysis | Client Relations | Budgeting/Cost Controls | Standardization | Cross-Functional Collaboration | Continuous Improvement | Team Leadership | SOPs | Process Improvement | Agile Methodologies PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE Bloomberg LP | New York, NY PRODUCT INFRASTRUCTURE OWNER (June 2021 – August 2022) Supports the company’s Strategy & Operations by promoting crucial customer-centric product development practices (requirements gathering, user stories, backlog prioritization, risk mitigation and roadmaps) within an agile environment. Strategically analyzes improvement methods to maximize efficiency company-wide. Creates, develops and implements critical end to end operating processes/procedures to elevate productivity and efficiency. Spearheaded and managed strategic projects to achieve Business Technology objectives which uncovered insightful performance metrics and trends allowing for improved realization of decisions at the management level. Employed analytical skills to develop data-driven insights to formulate robust, actionable recommendations for senior leadership, which improved overall customer experience and workflow optimization. Cultivated and built productive relationships with internal/external teams and stakeholders to drive influence and manage conflict while overseeing critical processes to develop, launch, and champion sustainable operational improvements. Conceptualized and developed operational (SOPs) and practices that increased productivity for the leadership team/organization and optimized workflow processes. Facilitated meaningful debate while brainstorming with teams to ideate, develop, and refine Business Technology strategy/approach, to achieve initiatives and goals using agile frameworks and scrum methodologies. Developed and presented qualitative/quantitative data-driven competitive research and persuasive narratives to influence senior stakeholder audiences and the organization. Identified critical areas of strengths and weaknesses and devised innovative solutions to establish seamless operations across functional boundaries to reduce inefficiencies and manual overhead which realized over 40% in carbon footprint reduction across most hardware products. Atlantic Paste & Glue | Bayonne, NJ ECOMMERCE SUPPLY CHAIN PROJECT MANAGER (2019 – 2020) Collaborate with seven key strategic manufacturing partners to enable on-schedule, in-budget production capability achievement, ensuring ramp up to full-scale production while perpetually improving outbound quality metrics. Refined requisition/PO creation processes, shortening the time to submission by 30%, securing faster payments. Reviewed supply chain flow to expose bottlenecks and identify improvement and optimization opportunities. Managed the implementation of ERP and EDI systems into existing processes and systems, increasing business efficiency and setting a compliant order to cash cycle. Partnered with the manufacturer and development teams to achieve company targets across design, forecasting, quality, and reverse logistics, enabling the company to surpass revenue goals by an average of 14% QoQ. Ensured new SKUs were delivered to market on schedule, under budget, at the highest possible quality; participated in early product development to accurately capture requirements, achieving all product goals. Served as a key point of contact and program issue manager, overseeing impacts on next steps and stakeholders. Owned all supply chain and inventory management processes during the creation of the E-Commerce Division, establishing and managing a team of 32; served as the lead contributor to $1.3 million in sales growth from May to August 2019, a 571% increase) and a key contributor to $1.2 million in sales growth from September 2019 to April 2020, a 72% increase. SUPPLY CHAIN & PROCESS IMPROVEMENT MANAGER (2017 – 2019) Managed inventory transaction processes while ensuring satisfactory employee performance and professional knowledge; established “proper” warehouse procedures based on existing operations, issues, and WMS limitations. Reviewed daily edit reports and other transaction data to audit warehouse activity and identify errors, root causes, and anomalies; identified and eliminated recurring issues, reducing quality errors by 27%. Trained all 44 warehouse staff members on WMS utilization, increasing productivity by 32%. Fostered a positive cultural shift among warehouse employees by analyzing and bettering communications, operational flow, management, and physical layout, improving morale and performance metrics. Delivered a substantial increase in inventory accuracy for all major bin types, achieving 90%+ of total bin-item combinations; increased rack accuracy from 75% to 98% and second-floor storage accuracy from 59% to 90%. Created and executed recurring reorganization efforts for raw material and finished goods placement in the facility, increasing the effectiveness of warehouse space used by an estimated 20%. Implemented shipping department processes fueled by 5s methodology that improved cleanliness and organization and created total clarity around each shipping floor employee’s role and daily tasks, helping the team exceed performance expectations. Drove improvements that cut office personnel’s weekly informal cycle count requests from 25+ to only one or two. Eliminated WMS system issues that interfered with data and transaction efficacy, reducing WMS errors by 75%. Verizon | Basking Ridge, NJ SUPPLY CHAIN & INVENTORY SYSTEMS ANALYST (2015 - 2017) Supported companywide user base on the proper use of the IMS while managing and driving system enhancements. Planned and conducted sprint-based experiments and collected data before presenting work to teams in an agile framework. Monitored, supported, and ensured the integration and interfacing of network sourcing, purchasing, asset, and transactional data between financial and inventory systems and tools, improving business efficiency. Provided access to, remote support for, and technical training in the standardized usage of proprietary inventory tracking and reporting systems; supported approx. 35,000 end-users while communicating defects and data fixes. Diagnosed, investigated, and escalated nationwide Network Asset Management concerns across all processes, assets, and systems; pinpointed root causes and developed solutions, leveraging change management principles with the support of relevant facts and metrics. Performed SOX system testing while reviewing/approving proposed system enhancements; anticipated/eliminated technical limitations and glitches, achieving seamless operational performance and system deployments. Continually drove procedural adjustments and directive edits that improved operational efficiency by an average of 12% QoQ. David Yurman | Lyndhurst, NJ RETURNS & REPAIRS INVENTORY CONTROL ANALYST (2014 - 2015) Reviewed Returns and SKUs and managed Merchandise Inspection to identify damaged goods and maximize quality. Managed tracking and receiving for 225+ Inbound Shipments weekly and Order Processing for outgoing orders. Created regular reports and instruction manuals to inform strategy and guide operations enterprise-wide. Provided general warehouse assistance, working with a team of 11 to increase staff productivity by 30%. Michael Kors | Secaucus, NJ IMPORT LOGISTICS COORDINATOR (2014 - 2014) Distributed and logged approved eCommerce, broker, and transportation invoices for 500+ transactions per month. Tracked and traced eight or more shipments simultaneously to compare and contrast RLM and broker logs. Produced weekly traffic mitigation fee reports regarding plants and divisions of interest, driving $13k in savings. Recorded new and updated old process instruction manuals used by 26 employees enterprise-wide. Trademark Plastics | Newark, NJ INVENTORY CONTROL ANALYST (2013 - 2014) Adjusted and reconciled $3.8 M in inventory daily while reducing demurrage and yield loss per lot below 1%. Tracked and traced railcars while managing lot, eliminator, and silo materials and handlers; reviewed equipment status recommendations for stock allocation and relocation, achieving a 6% increase in internal efficiency. Strengthened supplier and warehouse relationships, encouraging a substantial increase in team productivity. Anco Fine Cheese | Elizabeth, NJ EAST COAST LOGISTICS COORDINATOR (2012 - 2013) Arranged truck transportation, ensuring the distribution, allocation, and relocation of reefer cargo while maintaining accurate documentation; coordinated the transfer of $2.5 million in company goods monthly via a 23-vehicle fleet. Oversaw fleet truck efficiency demand forecasting, scaling operations while increasing business efficiency by 10%. Strengthened rapport and communications with 39 domestic and international vendors, warehouses, and carriers while choosing proper routing to address all parties' business needs. Ensured compliance with DOT regulations by managing hours worked, vehicle condition, and driver condition. PROCUREMENT & LOGISTICS SUPPORT (2012 - 2013) Ensured the timely distribution, allocation, and relocation of reefer cargo, managing 2,300+ monthly shipments. Managed purchase orders and document filing, ensuring the accuracy and completeness of 150+ orders per week. Established productive relationships with 65+ domestic and international warehouses, brokers, and vendors. Processed lost sales and open purchase order reports, reviewing and resolving an average of 18 open items daily. PIERS (Port Import Export Reporting Service) | Newark, NJ PRODUCT SUPPORT SPECIALIST & ORDER ENTRY LEAD (2008 - 2012) Managed relationships with 30+ vendors, embassies, trucking, rail, steamship line, and 3rd party logistics providers. Established and managed user administration for all PIERS online products, serving a network of 75 end-users. Managed 140+ work orders weekly for key global clientele while maintaining process instruction manuals and templates for order creation, customer communication, and data deliverables used by 8 other Order Specialists. Combined interpersonal skills with product knowledge to determine the best products, services, or combination packages to match client needs, accounting for trade fluctuations, business decisions, and industry competitors. EDUCATION & TRAINING Bloomfield College, Bloomfield, NJ Bachelor of Science in Marketing, Minor in Philosophy & Psychology, GPA: 3.3 Relevant Coursework: Automated Export Systems Clubs/Activities: American Marketing Association – Member Certifications or Additional Education: IACCM – Online Contract Management / Rutgers University - Project Management (PMP Certified) / Rutgers University – Microsoft Excel / Verizon – Agile, Jira & Confluence / Bloomfield College – Industrial/Organizational Psychology Certificate – Six Sigma Yellow Belt Student – Scrum Master Student TOOLS & TECHNOLOGIES Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) / PeopleSoft / Oracle / Visual Account Mate / Epicor / RLM / QAD / EDI / SAP / SQL / .NET / Tableau / Remedy / Jira / Confluence / Bloomberg Terminal / Qlik Sense / Smartsheet / Visio LANGUAGES English and Spanish COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Rigorous Educational Assistance for Deserving Youth/ United Way/ Boys and Girls Club of Newark/ YMCA INTERESTS Chess & Photography