Cristina Donaldson
Wilmington,USA
Summary
Strategic HR and operations leader with extensive experience optimizing employee programs and engagement initiatives. Demonstrates success in project management and cost optimization through innovative solutions, significantly improving onboarding processes and operational scalability. Collaborates effectively with executive stakeholders and cross-functional teams to drive program adoption and enhance the employee experience.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
Work History
PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEAD (VP)
CITI
Wilmington, DE
02.2025 - 02.2026
- Spearheaded the largest strategic migration of a major airline credit card portfolio (10,000+ global users), overseeing end-to-end user experience, data integrity, and operational health evaluations.
- Directed RFP and strategic sourcing for new card production, identifying and implementing a dual-stream manufacturing solution that reduced premium product costs by 58% and improved operational scalability.
- Partnered with C-suite leaders to translate complex technical transitions into actionable, executive-ready communications and scalable operational solutions across global teams.
- Conducted operational reviews and protocol assessments to ensure governance, consistency, and quality execution.
- Leveraged AI-driven tools (Midjourney) for conceptual branding and visual storytelling, enhancing program touchpoints for modernity, cohesion, and delivery excellence.
FREELANCE HR PROJECT MANAGER
Mitchell & Titus
Wilmington, DE
11.2024 - 01.2025
- Revamped onboarding framework using industry best practices to enhance new hire integration speed.
- Collaborated with HR leadership to standardize performance review process for all management tiers.
- Directed end-to-end data migration in OpenAir, including proof-of-concept testing, importing, and labor compliance validation.
- Audited legacy PTO calculations within OpenAir to engineer an error-reduction process maximizing payroll accuracy.
- Created 2025 training calendar to centralize professional development schedules across the firm.
FREELANCE HR PROJECT CONSULTANT
PK Financial Group
Wilmington, DE
03.2024 - 11.2024
- Developed and executed onboarding process and pre-hire paperwork system, ensuring I-9 compliance, tax documentation, and NDAs, while coordinating welcome kits and hardware/software access for new hires.
- Led project planning sessions to define scope and deliverables.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to align project objectives.
- Developed detailed project timelines using industry-standard software.
TALENT MANAGEMENT BUSINESS PARTNER (PMO)
SAINT-GOBAIN NA
Malvern, PA
08.2019 - 12.2023
- Led the Essentials of Leadership (EOL) annual portfolio, orchestrating 5+ multi-city events per year with standardized onboarding, training, and knowledge-sharing frameworks for 500+ global attendees.
- Deployed MentorcliQ (AI-pairing) to 15,000 employees, reducing administrative overhead by 25% and improving retention by 25% through operational automation and scalable enablement.
- Redesigned cohort journeys using design thinking and strengths-based models (CliftonStrengths), facilitating high-stakes roundtables and workshops to improve process adoption and service delivery outcomes.
- Supported employee engagement, recognition, and listening initiatives through partnerships with ERGs and survey tools to track participation and engagement trends, identifying opportunities for improvement and increased adoption.
- Maintained documentation, resources, and program materials to ensure operational consistency and support program optimization.
- Supported onboarding and offboarding processes, including resource maintenance, documentation, and employee-facing materials aligned with organizational processes and continuous improvement efforts.
- Coordinated communication and support activities for onboarding and offboarding experiences, including distribution of newsletters and resource toolkits to enhance employee experience.
- Assisted with onboarding and offboarding coordination activities related to Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), including employee communications, resource support, and transition coordination.
- Maintained employee-facing portals and resource hubs, coordinating content updates, resource organization, and ongoing maintenance to ensure information remains current and accessible.
HR PROJECT LEAD / ADVISOR | FREELANCE HR PROJECT CONSULTANT
04.2012 - 07.2019
- Managed portfolio of projects supporting employee onboarding, talent acquisition, stakeholder engagement, and HR operational intelligence initiatives, ensuring professional continuity.
- Facilitated employee onboarding, talent acquisition, stakeholder engagement, and HR operational intelligence initiatives, maintaining professional continuity.
Education
AI Certification: Asking Smart Questions - Prompting like a Pro -
Citi
Wilmington, DE01-2025
Business Communications -
Rosemont College
Philadelphia, PASkills
- Project Delivery
- RFP management
- Strategic sourcing
- Budgeting and forecasting ($10M)
- Program and vendor coordination
- Change management
- Continuous improvement
- Data Analysis
- JIRA project management
- Workday and SAP SuccessFactors
- Predictive analytics
- PMO governance
- Onboarding and offboarding
- Employee engagement
- Employee communication
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Operational protocols
- Conflict resolution
- Design thinking
- Service design
- Strengths-Based Leadership and DISC
- Executive communication
- Relationship management
- Inclusive programming
- SOP development
- Cost optimization
Timeline
PROJECT MANAGEMENT LEAD (VP)
CITI
02.2025 - 02.2026
FREELANCE HR PROJECT MANAGER
Mitchell & Titus
11.2024 - 01.2025
FREELANCE HR PROJECT CONSULTANT
PK Financial Group
03.2024 - 11.2024
TALENT MANAGEMENT BUSINESS PARTNER (PMO)
SAINT-GOBAIN NA
08.2019 - 12.2023
HR PROJECT LEAD / ADVISOR | FREELANCE HR PROJECT CONSULTANT
04.2012 - 07.2019
AI Certification: Asking Smart Questions - Prompting like a Pro -
Citi
Business Communications -
Rosemont College
Impact Highlights
- People Program Optimization: Maintained 98% retention and 96% engagement scores across a high-touch annual leadership event portfolio at Saint-Gobain NA by implementing standardized operational protocols, recurring program reviews, and robust employee engagement strategies.
- Employee Engagement & Recognition: Led the Essentials of Leadership (EOL) annual portfolio, orchestrating multi-city events with standardized onboarding, training, and knowledge-sharing frameworks for 500+ global attendees, supporting employee engagement and recognition initiatives.
- Inclusive Program Adoption: Shifted leadership program diversity from 12% to 35% (non-white) and 8% to 38% (female) through intentional ERG partnerships, scalable onboarding, and inclusive recruitment frameworks, supporting employee community initiatives.
- Onboarding & Offboarding Support: Managed end-to-end onboarding for complex programs, including a first-of-its-kind refugee hiring initiative, ensuring multi-language integration, scalable documentation, and a consistent, people-centered experience.
- Resource & Portal Management: Deployed MentorcliQ (AI-pairing) to 15,000 employees, reducing administrative overhead by 25% and improving retention by 25% through operational automation and scalable enablement. Maintained onboarding resources, documentation, and employee-facing materials aligned with organizational processes.
- Executive Communications: Supported executive communications, stakeholder engagement, and operational intelligence initiatives, translating complex concepts into actionable insights and polished deliverables for HR and business leaders.
Executive Profile
HR Program Manager, People Programs, Performance & Merit Cycles, Employee Surveys, Cross-Functional Program Management, Strategic HR and operational leader with 15 years of progressive experience driving high-impact People programs, optimizing employee experience initiatives, and delivering operational rigor across fast-moving, ambiguous environments. Adept at managing cyclical HR programs-including promotions, performance, merit, and employee survey execution-by building clear project plans, aligning stakeholders, and ensuring consistent follow-through. Expert in cross-functional collaboration with HR, Compensation, Analytics, Payroll, and business leaders to deliver seamless program execution and continuous improvement. Highly organized, detail-oriented, and skilled at surfacing risks, tracking milestones, and supporting leaders from ideation to execution. Combines design thinking, analytics-driven decision-making, and a passion for building order to support business transformation and employee engagement.
Technical Toolkit And Skills
Onboarding & Offboarding, Employee Engagement, Employee Communications, Survey Management, Resource & Portal Management, Program & Vendor Coordination, Delivery Frameworks, Governance Models, SOP Development, PMO Governance, Change Management, Continuous Improvement, Midjourney (AI Branding), MentorcliQ (AI Pairing), SurveyMonkey (Sentiment Analysis), JIRA, Workday, SAP SuccessFactors, Predictive Analytics, CliftonStrengths, DiSC, Conflict Resolution, Design Thinking, Service Design, Operational Protocols, Executive Communications, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Relationship Management, Inclusive Programming, Budgeting & Forecasting ($10M+), Strategic Sourcing, RFP Management, Cost Optimization
Impact Highlights
- Employee Experience Optimization: Maintained 98% retention and 96% engagement scores across a high-touch annual leadership event portfolio at Saint-Gobain NA by implementing standardized operational protocols, recurring program reviews, and robust employee engagement strategies.
- Employee Engagement & Recognition: Led the Essentials of Leadership (EOL) annual portfolio, orchestrating multi-city events with standardized onboarding, training, and knowledge-sharing frameworks for 500+ global attendees, supporting employee engagement and recognition initiatives.
- Inclusive Program Adoption: Shifted leadership program diversity from 12% to 35% (non-white) and 8% to 38% (female) through intentional ERG partnerships, scalable onboarding, and inclusive recruitment frameworks, supporting employee community initiatives.
- Onboarding & Offboarding Support: Managed end-to-end onboarding for complex programs, including a first-of-its-kind refugee hiring initiative, ensuring multi-language integration, scalable documentation, and a consistent, people-centered experience.
- Resource & Portal Management: Deployed MentorcliQ (AI-pairing) to 15,000 employees, reducing administrative overhead by 25% and improving retention by 25% through operational automation and scalable enablement. Maintained onboarding resources, documentation, and employee-facing materials aligned with organizational processes.
- Executive Communications: Supported executive communications, stakeholder engagement, and operational intelligence initiatives, translating complex concepts into actionable insights and polished deliverables for HR and business leaders.
Executive Profile
Employee Experience Programs Specialist, Employee Experience Programs, Onboarding & Offboarding, Employee Communications, Analytics-Driven Improvement, Strategic HR and operational leader with 15 years of progressive experience optimizing employee experience programs, onboarding/offboarding workflows, and global engagement initiatives. Dedicated nearly 4 years of this tenure as an embedded employee at Saint-Gobain North America (SGNA), delivering impactful HR solutions. Expert in the day-to-day administration, coordination, communication, and reporting of key employee experience milestones. Adept at partnering with cross-functional HR teams, communications, external vendors, and executive stakeholders to drive program adoption and operational consistency. Skilled in leading employee listening initiatives, survey management, employee-facing platforms, and continuous improvement across the employee lifecycle. Combines operational rigor, design thinking, and data-driven decision-making to deliver business transformation while upholding the highest level of data confidentiality.