Life at GE : Careers : GE
I lead an operations team of 15 employees and 140 contractors. We are a highly specialized team focusing on Oracle and Siebel technology. Our team is responsible for 11 business-critical installations of this software. It's very important that our processes are executed properly, because we have many detailed procedures and metrics used to monitor our operations. If we run into an issue, my team is quick to implement a process to control and prevent that situation from reoccurring. Sometimes when we quickly design processes, they are effective but not optimal. Perhaps the process is time consuming or has a lot of manual steps or requires coordination from many people. I enjoy working through these processes using Lean and other Six Sigma tools to design better process with more automation. By constantly applying Lean to our processes, we are able to provide higher quality services without increasing our costs. I am Project Management Professional certified and also Black Belt certified. This training helps me drive these improvements.
I like the fact that I am constantly challenged in new and different areas. I also really enjoy the flexibility our leader provides to my team. The key is that we all get our jobs done, but sometimes we work remotely or work non-traditional hours.
I have a Master's degree, several certifications, and lots of GE leadership courses. They help reinforce my technical knowledge as well as my leadership skills.
My most exciting, as well as my favorite project, was when I worked for GE Capital based in Singapore. Originally, my assignment was to convert support of system at Auto Financial Services (AFS) from a high-cost vendor to in-house support. After working on this project for a few months, the transition was well underway, and things were running smoothly. At this point, the Thai currency crisis hit, and GE Capital was aggressively buying portfolios of auto loans in Thailand. I was asked to join the Business Development team to help analyze the vitality of the auto loans that were for sale. My role was to take the data files presented to GE Capital and develop data models to determine the price GE was willing pay for a portfolio. GE Capital found this analysis very valuable and proceeded to send me to the various GE Capital AFS businesses throughout Asia to teach these businesses how to set up similar models within their own portfolio. It was very exciting to work with so many different businesses and cultures on something as strategic as this.
Clear thinking and a broad IT knowledge base have been key for me. Most of my roles, including my current one, have been operations-focused. Operations can quickly get complicated, which drives inefficiencies and rework. I enjoy using my Six Sigma skills to sort through a process and design something that is effective and simple.
I always tell my new team members to over-deliver. Don't worry about your next role, exposure to the "big boss," or awards. If you deliver, then all those things will come naturally.
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