Sonali Saha
Edison,NJ
Summary
Dynamic and results-driven Senior Technical Recruiter with 18+ years of experience in HR strategy, learning and development, and global talent enablement. Adept at managing full-cycle recruitment for technical and leadership roles, developing sourcing strategies, and building strong partnerships with business leaders across geographies. Known for combining analytical assessment with human insight to identify top talent, optimize workforce capabilities, and drive organizational growth. Passionate about leveraging data-driven hiring practices to enhance team performance and create a culture of continuous improvement.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Consultant – Training & Business Strategy
Varninn Services, Inc.
01.2022 - Current
- Partnered with global business leaders at OMI Holdings Inc. to design workforce capability and hiring strategies across the U.S., South America, and Asia.
- Developed behavioral interview frameworks to identify leadership potential and role fit for mid-to-senior-level technical positions.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to align recruitment, onboarding, and training programs, reducing time-to-productivity by 35%.
- Built strategic talent pipelines for key technical roles in operations and technology teams.
Professor & HR Thought Leader – Learning & Development Specialist
Dr. D.Y. Patil B-School
07.2018 - 02.2024
- Designed and led competency-based assessments to identify high-potential talent for internal and academic positions.
- Conducted behavioral and psychometric evaluations, improving candidate-role alignment by 40%.
- Served as recruitment panel head for faculty and administrative hires, implementing structured interview systems.
- Partnered with senior management to define skill matrices and role-based hiring criteria.
Senior HR Specialist – Training & Engagement
MIT Group of Institutions
06.2015 - 03.2017
- Managed recruitment drives for technical faculty, administrative, and research positions.
- Developed a standardized selection and assessment framework that reduced hiring time by 25%.
- Collaborated with department heads to forecast hiring needs and create robust talent pipelines.
- Introduced agile learning interventions and microlearning formats, reducing training fatigue and increasing knowledge retention.
- Designed and delivered manager coaching programs, which resulted in a 30% improvement in leadership effectiveness scores.
- Collaborated with cross-functional leaders to develop talent development frameworks linked to team productivity.
Head of HR & L&D
IICMR
02.2010 - 03.2015
- Directed end-to-end recruitment for 150+ positions annually across IT, HR, and business domains.
- Established internal talent acquisition systems integrating data-driven candidate scoring and hiring analytics.
- Created competency-based job descriptions and hiring scorecards, improving quality-of-hire metrics.
- Implemented team-based learning models and interdepartmental training programs, improving employee satisfaction and retention.
- Piloted “Train the Trainer” initiatives, building internal capacity and reducing external training costs by 25%.
- Established a performance-linked training evaluation model that drove outcome-oriented learning.
Lecturer & Head – Learning and Development
ASM's Institute of Professional Studies (IPS)
10.2008 - 01.2010
- Developed talent frameworks integrating recruitment, training, and retention strategies for institutional growth.
- Co-led hiring and onboarding initiatives that improved faculty retention and role satisfaction rates by 30%.
- Developed competency-based learning paths and experiential learning frameworks to build role-based skill readiness.
- Led Emotional Intelligence and Professional Development programs that enhanced team collaboration and inter-departmental synergy.
Business Office Executive
Khandelwal Laboratories Ltd.
08.1997 - 02.2001
- Partnered with department heads to identify workforce skill gaps and executed recruitment plans for technical staff.
- Streamlined onboarding and compliance documentation processes, enhancing hiring efficiency.
- Led performance management initiatives for 200+ employees, streamlining appraisal processes and increasing internal promotion rates by 20% through targeted development planning.
- Developed department-level HR and training manuals, standardizing onboarding and regulatory compliance, which improved operational consistency and reduced audit discrepancies.
Education
Ph.D. - Organizational Management
Pune, India01.2015
MBA - Human Resources & IT
Greater Noida, India07.2008
B.Sc. - Physics (Honors)
PPN College
Kanpur, India07.1994
Skills
- Technical & Non-Technical Recruitment
- Talent Sourcing (LinkedIn Recruiter, Job Boards, Employee Referrals)
- Candidate Screening & Behavioral Interviewing
- Workforce Planning & Talent Pipeline Development
- Stakeholder & Hiring Manager Collaboration
- Onboarding & Employee Integration
- Employer Branding & Engagement
- HR Analytics & ATS Management
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
- LinkedIn Recruiter
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Tableau
Affiliations
- Member of NIPM-HR Forum
- Founder Member of International Association of Commerce and Management
- Member of All India Council for Technical Skill Development
Certification
- Certified Corporate Trainer – Mc Stem Eduversity, USA
- Other Certifications in Design Thinking, Strategic Planning, Productivity Enhancement, EI and Leadership.
Timeline
Consultant – Training & Business Strategy
Varninn Services, Inc.
01.2022 - Current
Professor & HR Thought Leader – Learning & Development Specialist
Dr. D.Y. Patil B-School
07.2018 - 02.2024
Senior HR Specialist – Training & Engagement
MIT Group of Institutions
06.2015 - 03.2017
Head of HR & L&D
IICMR
02.2010 - 03.2015
Lecturer & Head – Learning and Development
ASM's Institute of Professional Studies (IPS)
10.2008 - 01.2010
Business Office Executive
Khandelwal Laboratories Ltd.
08.1997 - 02.2001
Ph.D. - Organizational Management
MBA - Human Resources & IT
B.Sc. - Physics (Honors)
PPN College
Recognition & Intellectual Contributions
Awards: Best Educationist Award, AIMS-WeSchool Pedagogy Innovation Award, Best Paper – ICCMIT Italy, Patents: 5 U.S./India patents including Device for Employee Attendance Management, Publications: Books and peer-reviewed papers on HRM, performance management, and learning analytics, Frameworks Designed: “Learnability Matrix,” “EI Assessment Wheel,” and integration of performance science with Design Thinking