JENNIFER ROJAS
Brooklyn,NY
Summary
Strategic talent and operations professional with experience in partnering with leadership teams to identify and place executives across luxury retail, consumer, and lifestyle sectors. Skilled in talent mapping, candidate evaluation, and search strategy, with a reputation for delivering thoughtful, high-touch experiences for both clients and candidates. Additional background in research strategy and large-scale program operations supporting multi-million-dollar initiatives.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Search Manager
KIRK PALMER ASSOCIATES
New York City, NY
01.2022 - Current
- Managing end-to-end high touch executive search projects totaling in $3Million in annual fees.
- Responsible for execution, coordinating candidate engagement, search strategy deliverables, and all client communications.
- Conduct targeted market research and talent mapping, identifying potential executive candidates and developing company target lists across relevant industries.
- Participate in candidate interviews and prepare written candidate assessments and profiles evaluating leadership experience, capabilities, and role alignment.
- Manage candidate and client engagement throughout the search lifecycle, coordinating interviews, maintaining regular communication, and ensuring a high-quality candidate experience.
- Support business development initiatives through researching and providing outreach strategy, pitch preparation, and presentation materials.
- Maintain search data integrity and reporting within internal CRM and research platforms, ensuring accurate documentation of candidate pipelines and search progress.
- Collaborate closely with Partners and Consultants to prepare client-ready reports, search updates, and presentation materials.
- Contribute to cross-firm initiatives and strategic projects supporting operational improvements and knowledge sharing across teams.
- Mentor and support new team members, sharing best practices and helping onboard Search Coordinators into firm processes.
- Participate and engage with the Women of Color Retail Alliance to build relationships and identify diverse leadership talent, supporting the firm’s D&I ongoing efforts to expand inclusive executive search pipelines.
Research Project Asst. & Community Liaison
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
New Brunswick, NJ
05.2018 - 01.2022
- Recruited by Director who I previously supported at Rush University Medical Center.
- Built and maintained a network of 100+ strategic partnerships across New Jersey with community organizations, healthcare providers, and public-sector stakeholders to advance research participation and health equity initiatives.
- Supported executive leadership of a 158-person research institute, overseeing financial reporting, multi-year project budgeting, and operational coordination across multiple research programs totaling $24M+ in funding.
- Managed financial tracking and reporting for the institute for government-funded research programs, including budget projections, reconciliations, and sponsor progress reports.
- Played a key role in grant proposal development, preparing grant budgets and justifications and supporting the submission of 6–8 proposals per cycle, contributing to $19M in awarded funding in FY2021.
- Designed and coordinated community engagement initiatives including educational programs, public health forums, and multi-session virtual events reaching diverse community audiences.
- Facilitated multidisciplinary collaborations addressing aging and elder abuse through leadership of regional working groups and community advisory initiatives.
- Produced research support materials including literature reviews, translated study documents, and qualitative and quantitative survey administration to support investigators.
- Assisted in the development and implementation of a student summer internship program and the institute’s grant writing workshop to support faculty research initiatives.
Executive Assistant
RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
Chicago, IL
04.2017 - 09.2018
- Coordinated faculty recruitment and onboarding activities, including scheduling candidate interviews, managing recruitment visits, and supporting onboarding and offboarding processes.
- Assisted the department administrator with the preparation of weekly and monthly financial reporting and auditing across multiple departmental accounts.
- Supported sponsored research proposal development through literature reviews and editing of faculty biosketches.
- Managed complex executive calendars, coordinating internal and external meetings, conference calls, lunch and learns, and media requests.
- Organized domestic and international travel logistics for faculty and leadership.
- Coordinated community health initiatives and institute events in partnership with external stakeholders and community organizations.
Project Manager & Executive Assistant
GALAXY HOME REMODELING
Chicago, IL
04.2012 - 02.2017
- Managed a portfolio of up to 35 concurrent residential remodeling projects, overseeing timelines, budgets, subcontractor coordination, and client communication.
- Served as primary point of contact for clients throughout the project lifecycle, addressing concerns and resolving escalations to maintain strong client relationships and repeat business.
- Monitored project budgets and conducted financial analysis to identify potential cost overruns and implement corrective actions.
- Partnered with sales teams and vendors to source materials and coordinate project logistics to ensure on-time project delivery.
- Coordinated work across subcontractors and installation teams, managing schedules, communicating project milestones, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
- Led and mentored a team of five project managers, supporting workflow management and operational efficiency.
- Built and maintained vendor relationships to improve pricing, efficiency, and project outcomes.
- Provided executive support to the CEO, CFO, and VP of Operations, managing complex calendars, travel arrangements, and executive communications.
- Conducted vendor research and cost analysis to support strategic vendor partnerships and operational decision-making.
- Drafted internal communications, reports, and external correspondence with clients and vendors.
- Managed expense reporting and administrative support for the executive leadership team.
- Assisted with special projects, including sales presentations, operational reporting, and process coordination across departments.
- Home Remodeling start-up acquired by Home Depot
Education
ASSOCIATE Degree - Science
Morton College
01-2011
Skills
- Executive Search
- Project Management
- Talent Mapping
- Candidate Assessment Writing
- Stakeholder Management
- Talent Assessment
- Search Strategy
- D&I
Certification
- Inside LVMH: Creation Branding, Retail & Customer Experience, LVMH - 2024
Languages
SPANISH
Timeline
Search Manager
KIRK PALMER ASSOCIATES
01.2022 - Current
Research Project Asst. & Community Liaison
RUTGERS UNIVERSITY
05.2018 - 01.2022
Executive Assistant
RUSH UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
04.2017 - 09.2018
Project Manager & Executive Assistant
GALAXY HOME REMODELING
04.2012 - 02.2017
ASSOCIATE Degree - Science
Morton College