Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Accomplishments
Timeline
Generic

Gregory Sokolowski

Shrewsbury

Summary

Product Manager with extensive experience in software selection and implementation at Boston Retail Partners. Expertise in omni-channel strategies and payment systems, complemented by strong leadership and strategic planning abilities. Delivered significant revenue growth through innovative solutions and effective collaboration with stakeholders.

Overview

24
24
years of professional experience

Work History

Product Manager / Contractor

Retail Consulting Partners
Boston
04.2020 - Current
  • Was the product manager for a major tween retailer for the inventory management area implementing best practices, enhancements and new omni channel functions such as BOPIS and SFS.
  • Also Instacart.
  • Implement a new POS with Omni Channel capabilities personally implementing Oracle’s Customer Experience and Order Broker modules.
  • Activities included configuring testing in the cloud, assisting integrations and training the end users in the use of these modules.

Senior Solutions Architect

Capgemini NA
Boston
11.2016 - 04.2020
  • Led Supply Chain software selection projects for various planning/allocation and POS solutions for several large retailers.
  • Collaborated with our clients and demonstrated individual functional and professional knowledge to ensure that the work products and deliverables are of the highest caliber to ensure client satisfaction.
  • Applied project management expertise to identify, develop, and implement techniques to improve engagement productivity, increase efficiencies, mitigate risks, resolve issues, and optimize cost savings and efficiencies for clients.
  • Implementation project team member focused on the payment process for a major appliance retailer.
  • Oversaw the software selection and implementation of eProcurement software for a large aerospace and defense contractor.
  • Utilized strong communication skills and worked very closely with the Business to gather new requirements, resolve production issues, and drive more value on their investment.

Owner

Independent Retail Consultant
Boston
03.2016 - 11.2016
  • Led a retail transformation project from the business side for a major sports arena in the northeast.
  • Operated on various payment transformation projects for retailers, EMV, E2E Encryption.

Vice President

Boston Retail Partners
Boston
07.2011 - 03.2016
  • Managed multiple software selection and implementation projects, including OMS, POS, merchandising, allocation, manufacturing, and financials.
  • Led the Payment Security strategy project for EMV, end to end encryption and tokenization.
  • Acted as the key architect of a project to merge the systems for two large clothing retail companies, all retail systems where involved.
  • Collaborated with clients on their mobile implementations and social media integrations.
  • Selected and implemented ERP systems, including merchandising and allocation.
  • Served as a technical resource for the company, moving to cloud-based email and collaboration software and consulted on other projects as the technical expert.

Manager of Sales Systems

BJ’s Wholesale Club
Westborough
10.2008 - 07.2011
  • Implemented SNAP benefits company-wide and WIC in the NYC club as the first warehouse club in the country to do so, leading to significant revenue growth.
  • Managed a team of 15 associates to support the existing POS and payment systems and the implementation of the new POS (ACE) focusing on the self-checkout systems and led a team of 4 associates supporting fuel operations, and created an RFP for new software.
  • Integral member of the team that remediated our PCI issues, including new networks, segmentation, and software work to limit access to the in-store servers.
  • Coordinated with the IT team to open new stores and plan and test dour disaster recovery procedures.
  • Contributed to numerous hardware selection projects, including POS hardware, scanners, and pin pads.
  • Oversaw vendor management consisting of 15+ vendors.

Managing Retail Consultant

The Lakewest Group
Cleveland
06.2007 - 10.2008
  • Company Overview: (Virtual)
  • Led a systems selection project for small book retailer, which included a complete replacement of retail and financial systems including merchandise, planning/allocation, financials, and POS.
  • Oversaw the store systems implementation project for a 70-store retailer with phases including business process analysis, budget analysis and management, 'C' level communication, issues management, test script creation, QA testing, and implementation with a $1.5M budget.
  • (Virtual)

Account Manager

Microsoft Corporation
Waltham
03.2004 - 05.2007
  • Monitored customer satisfaction and sales growth in a major account territory, including CVS, Staples, and TJX Companies.
  • Drove annual sales volume from $4M in FY04 to $11.5M in FY06, exceeding quota by over 150%.
  • Engaged the virtual account team to ensure customer satisfaction and appropriate account coverage.
  • Interfaced with licensing executives, legal, marketing, the vertical retail resources, and professional services teams to ensure excellent customer satisfaction.

Engagement/Project Manager, Pre-, Post-Sales

360 Commerce (Oracle RPOS)
Austin
01.2002 - 01.2004
  • Served as the Engagement Manager for a major point of sale vendor, responsible for relationships, sales, project planning, and implementation, strategic solutions design, and team leadership and delivered weekly issues and status reporting to ‘C’ level executives.
  • Performed product market research for major releases of POS and Enterprise software products.
  • Evaluated product positioning and managed relationships with potential partners.

Independent Consultant
Shrewsbury
05.2001 - 12.2001
  • Conducted market analysis performed for a major retail hardware vendor on viability for electronic check imaging products.
  • Designed a network for a small retailer and researched various products and vendors that could provide the services required and maintained partner relationships for the retailer.

Education

Bachelor's Degree - Business Economics

University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA, US

Skills

  • Product Management
  • Team Building
  • Agile
  • Team Leader
  • Strategic/Tactical Planning
  • Business Analysis & Development
  • Communications
  • Systems Point-Of-Sale
  • In-Store Systems
  • Jira
  • SQL Server
  • Merchandise
  • Allocation
  • Replenishment
  • Financial
  • CRM
  • WorkForce Management
  • Warehouse Management Systems
  • ERP Systems
  • POS Projects
  • Omni Channels
  • Payment Systems
  • End to End Encryption
  • Fraud Prevention
  • E-Procurement solution
  • Order Management Systems

Accomplishments

  • Architected an automated solution to meet the needed functions, including software recommendations, developing requirements, generating an RFP, evaluating/scoring the responses, and created a presentation resulting in improved efficiency and eliminated government regulatory issues costing $2M a year.
  • Designed a new private label credit card process to accept applications, process card payments and as payment within the transaction and designed a new product leasing process to accept applications, print relevant legal documents and testing process saving retailer $1M+ a year in processing costs.
  • Implemented new payment systems to be compliant with new EMV PCI standards, identified three areas of need; Merchant Services, Fraud Detection and Analytics, and the new software avoided excessive fines.
  • Represented store operations business in the significant systems transformation process with the IT client, set requirements and design and planning activities, and increased speed through the sales line by 25%.
  • Evaluated the two systems portfolios, documented differences, recommended a consolidated portfolio, overseeing the software development and implementation, eliminating a data center saving $15M a year.

Timeline

Product Manager / Contractor

Retail Consulting Partners
04.2020 - Current

Senior Solutions Architect

Capgemini NA
11.2016 - 04.2020

Owner

Independent Retail Consultant
03.2016 - 11.2016

Vice President

Boston Retail Partners
07.2011 - 03.2016

Manager of Sales Systems

BJ’s Wholesale Club
10.2008 - 07.2011

Managing Retail Consultant

The Lakewest Group
06.2007 - 10.2008

Account Manager

Microsoft Corporation
03.2004 - 05.2007

Engagement/Project Manager, Pre-, Post-Sales

360 Commerce (Oracle RPOS)
01.2002 - 01.2004

Independent Consultant
05.2001 - 12.2001

Bachelor's Degree - Business Economics

University of Massachusetts

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