Fausto A. Padilla

Experience

• 

  The University of New Mexico

  May 1995 - Jun 1996

  Assistant Regional Director of Admissions, AFROTC Detachment 510

  Hand-selected from a pool of newly commissioned lieutenants to develop minority officer accession sources, I contributed to the university's rank as #1 in the nation in per capita production for minority scholarship applicants. My commitment to recruitment shattered 3 prior records in minority recruitment by 78%, generating 1.5K+ student leads to surpass goals by 250%.

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  United States Air Force

  Oct 1996 - Oct 2024

  Shaping the vision and strategy of mission-critical personnel programs impacting 2.4K personnel, I catalyze change across cross-functional teams while administering a $40M budget. This entails developing and executing the statewide strategy, including masterminding a critical manpower restructuring with zero losses and orchestrating a congressionally mandated conversion that protected 37 positions. Key contributions:• Heading HR transformation programs, including eliminating added travel and improving safety • Governing employee relations, benefits policies, and performance management of large teams • Interpreting personnel laws, regulations, policies, and procedures for multiple federal agencies • Consulting with directors and managers on HR actions, personnel reviews, and employment laws• Excelling at complex problem-solving, including resolving a pervasive 20-year insurance issue • Automating HR by archiving 1K+ personnel records to the national archive with 24/7 access • Eliminating $69K in annual expenses through expert budget planning, monitoring, and regulation • Negotiating the USAS reinstatement plan with the National Guard Bureau to double capacity in <9 months• Retaining key team members by navigating COVID-19 seamlessly, executing 2K+ HR actions and 3X the number of special support and reconnaissance (SSR) requests; authored the telework policy • Saving 100+ manual labor hours by introducing process improvements and key changes • Revitalizing a stalled negotiation, synergizing management and union partner teams to boost labor relations in <45 days • Building the orientation and supervisor training program from the ground up with flawless execution during the pandemic • Implementing a new hiring process to reduce placement timing by 50% • Receiving recognition by leadership as a top division lead among 12 professionals Show less Building a culture of accountability and trust, I drove a cultural shift by overhauling quality assurance and training methodologies. This included determining requirements for SOPs, policies, compliance, and personnel discipline aligned with the management philosophy. I also guided and advised the wing commander on complex aircraft maintenance issues to enable seamless workflows. Other key contributions:• Coordinated and aligned the maintenance group program, leading project teams to identify, track, and manage project risks • Reviewed productivity across project areas and phases, developing solutions, and balancing priorities for maintenance actions, support functions, materials acquisition and allocation • Rolled out communication plans for internal and external stakeholders impacted by projects • Spearheaded 245 best-in-class aircraft maintenance personnel, retaining 95%+ YOY • Executed maintenance plans to support 9 KC-135 aircraft and associated equipment with no defects • Administered a $12.7M fiscal year budget; previously owned accountability for $35M • Authored and deployed a telework policy for 2K+ personnel while executing 2K+ personnel actions • Boosted personnel engagement, initiating a recognition program and securing $140K to recognize 49 superior performers• Implemented an ISO process improvement program that reduced flyover time by 50%• Orchestrated a complex manpower conversion to realign 15% of personnel • Resolved a crippling tool accountability issue that stimulated a 300% gain in efficiency and compliance • Deployed 66 complex airman personnel requirements to capture greater efficiencies and effectiveness • Averted critical shortfalls in manpower by influencing the adoption of a 2-year MM$ initiative • Executed 840 sorties and offloaded 11.8 pounds of fuel; later implemented total force integration exercises with 67 sorties and offloaded 3.03M pounds of fuel Show less Owning accountability for all logistical functions, I regulated MM$ budgets and financial plans and led critical personnel actions including hiring, terminations, promotions, evaluations, and incentives while advising the company commander on key functions. I planned, developed, published & directed ISO policies and procedures for a 17K-hour flying program for 800+ personnel and launched a new implementation plan comprised of 140 critical personnel roles and infrastructure. Other key contributions: • Tendered a test bed for an F-16 hydraulic filter and DPI evaluations with fleet-wide impact, yielding 41-less aborts in 12 months • Motivated personnel to accomplish program goals by monitoring ongoing performance• Introduced transformative change, implementing critical adjustments to parcel delivery that expedited the process by 65%• Created project work plans including project needs, milestone schedules, dependencies, risk mitigation strategies, and metrics• Responded to a fatal foreign aircraft mishap by executing recovery, navigating 400 staff and 62 short tons of cargo and debris • Mentored and motivated numerous personnel resulting in the Airmen of the Year Award• Drove a safety-first culture, receiving the Annual Wing Ground Safety Award for the section• Garnered several “outstanding” annual inspection ratings, selected for the prestigious American Petroleum Institute Award as the best unit in the AF, and received recognition as company of the year by the American Production & Inventory Control Society Show less Presiding over the largest logistics readiness squadron consisting of distribution management, materials management, contingency operations, fuel management, aerial port operations, fleet management, acquisitions, and logistics management, I oversaw contingency operations, deployment command and control for logistics support for wartime requirements. Key contributions:• Led a top-down review of a proposed work shift schedule• Developed teams to analyze challenges and recommended solutions • Strategized with areas of the Department of Defense and other agencies to support Air Force units • Established new maintenance management procedures to launch a 3K-hour pilot training program • Hand-selected to create a comprehensive presentation for the commander• Briefed findings on behalf of the wing Show less Driving innovation, I pioneered a process to eliminate downtime and delays in parts by reengineering aircraft scheduling; gained recognition as a benchmarked “best practice” during the quality assessment. My role also entailed cultivating, directing, coaching, and inspiring a team of 69 military and civilian personnel within 4 diverse specialty areas. Other key contributions: · Administered a $25M budget and owned accountability for avionics maintenance production with $120M in equipment assets· Augmented engine maintenance flow by 300% and reduced engine removals by 50%, concurrently saving $200K in shipping· Monitored, tracked, and administered a $25M budget effectively Show less

  • Human Resources Officer, Arizona Air & Army National Guard

    Aug 2021 - Oct 2024

  • Senior Operations Officer - Maintenance Group

    Jul 2017 - Aug 2021

  • Deputy Commander, Maintenance Group

    Dec 2011 - Jul 2017

  • Squadron Commander, Maintenance Squadron

    Apr 2011 - Dec 2011

  • Operations Officer, 162d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

    Jan 2007 - Dec 2011

  • Aircraft Maintenance Operations Officer, 162d Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

    Dec 2001 - Dec 2006

  • Director of Operations, U.S. Air Force, 837th Training Squadron Inter-American AF Academy

    Aug 2000 - Nov 2001

  • Flight Commander, Resources & Translations | MX Officer Instructor

    Jul 1999 - Jul 2000

  • Avionics Flight Commander, 366TH Component Repair Squadron

    Sept 1998 - Jun 1999

  • Propulsion Flight Commander, 366TH Component Repair Squadron

    Jan 1998 - Aug 1998

  • Generation Flight Commander | Sortie Support Specialist, 389th Fighter Squadron

    Oct 1996 - Dec 1997
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  Top Aces

  Oct 2024 - now

  Director of F-16 Maintenance and Logistics