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HELLO! I'M

Jessica Wallen.

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10+ years HR Leadership

& Global Talent Acquisitions

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B.S Biological Sciences - Neurology, Physiology & Behavior

UC Davis, CA​​

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StartUp Experts Member 

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Outlier Project Member

Professional in Human Resources (PHR) (former)

 

SHRM Member (former)

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Forbes HR Council Member (former)

jwallenhr@gmail.com

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  • Linkedin

references upon request

About Me.

I am an HR nerd.  I love the impact great HR has on business and people.  When HR is done right, it enables all other functions of the business to be their best and build insane things.  I am actively looking for a growing company in need of HR leader who will invest in building a culture that drives its growth.  I want to become an active partner to its leaders, driver of its business objectives, and champion of its people and culture.   I thrive in a collaborative environment unified by its mission and built from trust.   

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I have broad experience in all areas of HR, from organizational design, total rewards, compensation, performance management, learning and development, DEIB, and global hiring management.  I believe that HR is a forever learning career and I want to be where I am continuously challenged to know more and be better.  I am eager to demonstrate HR impact with people data, quantitative analysis, and forecastable trends to support and even predict organizational health.  There is an art to building an amazing end-to-end employee experience, and I am looking for my next canvas.

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My Experience

My passion for building HR systems came from my background in start-up business operations.  This foundation led me to Human Resources as my career and I pull from this background to build highly effective HR systems, procedures, and policies that demonstrate HR investment as a function of solid business strategy.

Senior Manager, P&C

AGC Biologics

October 2023 - current

As the Senior Manager of People & Culture at AGC Biologics, I am committed to fostering a high-performance culture that enhances operational excellence and employee engagement. In my role as Site HR Lead, I oversee all HR functions for our Seattle site, which includes talent acquisition, employee relations, performance management, talent management, and compliance. Partnering closely with leadership, I implement best practices in workforce planning and development to attract and retain top talent in a competitive market. My dedication to promoting diversity and inclusion within the workplace not only enhances team dynamics but also drives collaboration across functional groups.

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Prior to this role, I served as a Senior People & Culture Business Partner, where I supported four functional groups within the AGC Biologics Seattle site. In this capacity, I acted as a strategic advisor to senior management, utilizing my expertise in organizational development and employee relations to develop and implement HR initiatives that drive employee engagement and cultivate a positive work culture. My efforts in aligning HR strategies with business objectives have contributed to the achievement of our company's goals and have led to impactful initiatives, such as the establishment of a DEIB council and enhancements in performance review engagement, resulting in improved employee retention and trust in leadership.

Head of HR

Many Hands, SPC

September 2023 - current

As Head of HR for Many Hands, I support a pre-seed virtual card game studio bringing my extensive experience in building and scaling HR functions to support strategic growth and meet fundraising  Skilled in talent acquisition, I excel at identifying and attracting top talent with a deep understanding of the unique skill sets required in the gaming sector. My expertise extends to creating a vibrant company culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and employee engagement. With a focus on strategic HR initiatives, I partner with executive leadership to develop and implement HR strategies that align with business objectives and drive growth. As a forward-thinker, I thrive in fast-paced environments, leveraging technology and data analytics to optimize HR processes and enhance organizational effectiveness. Passionate about creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, I am committed to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives to build a talented and diverse workforce.

Director of HR

Marten Law, LLP

May 2023 - October 2023

Head of HR for a boutique environmental law firm with 6 locations nationally.  As their first HR Director, my role is building and implementing strategies and initiatives that support a green workplace, foster employee well-being, attract top environmental legal talent and drive overall organizational success.  First six months of the role was focused to design and execute a comprehensive recruitment strategy for new talent and retention of current employees.  Establish ownership for employee engagement and wellness, developing policy and reviewing compliance, and building a HR foundation that produces metrics, data and reporting to tract the impact of HR efforts. 

Director of HR

Wurl, LLC

2020-2023

Head of HR for an industry-leading CTV distribution & advertising start-up tech company.  Built the HR department from scratch, developing and executing HR strategy in support of the overall business plan.  Served as a trusted advisor on all people initiatives to drive engagement of employees, continuously improve performance, and build a trust-based culture.  Balancing the tactical day-to-day operations with strategic business partnerships, I build lasting partnerships across business groups and COEs to support their HR, talent management, and organizational development. 

 

Operationally, I built scalable systems that supported swift response and thoughtful solutions to HR issues (HRIS management, employee relations, compensation and benefits, conflict resolution, and risk mitigation).  Strategically, I worked with business leaders to improve operations by leveraging talent appropriately and supporting positive culture and work environments.  Additionally, I was responsible for global talent acquisition strategy, succession planning, talent management, change management, organizational & performance management, training & development, diversity, inclusion & belonging, compensation philosophy & total rewards management.

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HR Consultant 

The Greyspace Group

2020

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Joining an established digital marketing group as their internal communications & Human Resources expert. Partnering with clients to develop internal communications, organizational design, and culture development.  Created training programs and ran HR audits to optimize organizational efficiency.  In turn, delivered targeted solutions leveraging quantitative data to provide recommendations to improve their human capital initiatives.  This role was deeply effected by the Covid19 pandemic and we pivoted to providing solutions to downsizing business practices, optimizing existing systems, and supporting terminations.

COO

Cloud Haven

2019-2020

Partnering with the CEO on an operational day to day, responsible for a start-up Salesforce consulting firm with an operating budget of 5M, managed a staff of 25 to increase the performance of the organization & manage day-to-day operations. Audited and improved client operational workflows, developed a new marketing strategy to drive new revenue, established budget & measuring matrix, and restructured HR structure & service delivery to align with strategic goals. Lead people operations, highly complex payroll & compensation planning, and talent management function.

Director of Operations & People

TotalRewards Software

2016-2019

Reporting to the CEO, responsible for all business administrative functions, including human resources, finance, and operations.  Developed organizational design and build talent management program to facilitate growth plans & optimized business procedures reducing costs & consistently meeting/exceeding gross profit goals.  Opened  Phillippines office building out our technical and engineering departments in Manila; creating a highly competitive total rewards program.  

"She was the driving force behind our successful journey from a start up to a growth company, and further, through acquisition"

Impact Areas

COMPETENCIES I BRING TO THE TABLE

Talent Management

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  • Talent Strategy & Planning 

Employee Engagement & Retention

Building HR Department

Workforce Planning

Business Metrics

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  • Talent Acquisitions

Build Full Cycle Process

Define EVP

Employer Brand & Recruitment Strategy

Build Candidate CRM

Onboarding

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  • Employee Performance, Succession Planning & Recognition 

Assessments

Leadership Development

Coaching/Mentoring

Career Mapping

Professional Development

Recognitions & Celebrations

Succession Management

Match Talent to Critical Roles

Talent Profiles

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  • Training & Development

Build learning culture

Offer training & nurture varying learning opportunities 

Align organizational goals with L&D Strategy

Leadership Training

Wellness Programs

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Compliance & Labor Laws

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  • Leave Management, Disability Management

  • FMLA, FLSA, COBRA, EEOC, ACAs, I9s

  • Security & SOC Documentation

  • HR Audits & Education 

  • Wage & Hour Laws

  • Immigration Laws

  • Entity Creation Internationally

    • United States

    • United Kingdom

    • Phillippines 

    • Canada

    • Global PEO Management

  • Workplace Safety

  • GDPR Compliance

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People Operations

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  • Employee Engagement & Retention

  • Internal Communications

  • Daily HR Operations Needs 

  • HRIS System Management

Other HR Technologies 

  • Change Management

  • Culture Development/Transformation

  • Organizational Design 

  • Payroll Management

  • WC & State Registrations

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Total Rewards & Compensation

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  • Benefits 

Medical, Dental, Vision

401k

HSA/FSA

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  • Wellness Programs/Incentives

EAP

ERGs

DEIB

Company Events

Flexibility in work arrangements

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  • Compensation Philosophy/Framework

Job Analysis/Evaluations

Pay Bands/Role Leveling

Market Analysis

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HR Business Partner​

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  • Leadership Advisor​

  • Employee Relations

  • Building Relationships with Department Management 

  • Strategic Planning

  • Organizational Design 

  • Talent/Staffing Planning & Optimization

  • Managing Change

  • Organizational Leadership

Skills & Languages
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