Darlene Harper

Background

About Darlene Harper

Building and positioning HR organizations to scale in support of evolving or growing businesses has been my focus as Head of Human Resources at a variety of companies. Throughout my career, I’ve had the opportunity to build cultures of both high engagement and accountability by introducing best practices in performance management and helping managers become better people leaders. Whether implementing new recruiting, onboarding, and total compensation programs or introducing mentoring and career development initiatives; my focus is on creating workplaces that result in high employee satisfaction and enable individuals to thrive and do their best work. I believe employers benefit from the drive and commitment to achieving goals that comes from that. I bring broad and in-depth experience across all HR functional areas having built human resources departments from the ground up, developed policies and established best practices for both U.S. and international operations, and developed the capability of new HR professionals as instructor for the Senior Professional HR Certification (SPHR). As I create new HR operations or strengthen existing ones, I drive standardization and efficiencies in process while minimizing / driving down costs through technology implementation and optimization of resources. A couple of notable achievements: Created and ramped HR departments for startup, pre-IPO, and high-growth companies. Enhanced and developed the recruiting function at multiple companies and reduced costs 30% to 45% and time to fill positions. Standardized compensation and benefits for international employees and expatriates in multiple countries, in addition to opening offices to expand company footprint. Reduced costs an average of 40% through implementation of HRIS solutions. Outside of work, I’m a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for an abused and neglected child in foster care. I also love the outdoors, paddle boarding at sunrise, biking, kayaking, hiking and skiing. Core Strengths Include: Strategic HR Planning ǀ HR Process and Policy Development ǀ International Business IPO Preparedness and Integration Talent Acquisition and Retention Performance Management Total Rewards and Recognition: Compensation and Benefits Employee Relations Employee Engagement Diversity and Inclusion (D&I)