Jody Lehnert
Summary
Talent Acquisition and Retention leadership professional with 15 years' expertise in corporate recruitment, specializing in advanced and rapid hiring during periods of growth, mergers, investments, and transformative events. Proven success in strategically designing and implementing Talent Acquisition programs, ensuring quality hires and compliance with a focus on process improvement and project management. A results-driven leader in achieving SLAs, goals, and objectives through collaborative communication with stakeholders. Consistently delivered urgent, business critical hires that met time sensitive project needs with difficult to find skillsets (Tech/Engineering/Data Science/Finance/Sales/Leadership/Exec) in a quality focused decision-making process. Recognized for savvy business acumen across diverse industries, offering innovative recruitment marketing utilizing the latest trends, tools, and technologies. Analytically focused on leveraging recruiting systems data to demonstrate and improve business initiatives. Proficient in Enterprise ATS implementations (iCIMS, Taleo, SuccessFactors, UKG, Jobvite), system administration, OFCCP compliance, training, troubleshooting, and procedural design. Global HR and recruiting experience, including navigating new market employment agreements, US immigration expertise (H1B, J1) and initiating recruitment relations in global markets.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Independent Consulting Services for Talent Acquisition Operations and Delivery
JKL Recruiting Services
01.2024 - Current
- Various Executive level and STEM function contingent search and placement
- Exclusive recruiting contracts for Executive level, Engineering, Tech organizations
Director of Operations
ClearSale
- Company Overview: Real Estate Investment Group
- Back-Office operations oversight and implementation of process improvement recommendations for systems, people and revenue generation
- Recruitment process overview and realignment
- Manage Off-shore Customer Service, Tech support and Operations team
- Real Estate Investment Group
Commence, Now
- Company Overview: Career counseling services for recent and upcoming STEM, Trade school and college graduates.
- Providing career coaching, including identifying target job searches for industry, function, and company.
- Offering resume writing assistance.
- Conducting mock interviews to improve interviewing skills.
- Teaching strategic job search techniques.
- Developing marketing plans for successful job search results.
- Career counseling services for recent and upcoming STEM, Trade school and college graduates.
Talent Delivery Lead
Vestas
05.2023 - 12.2023
- Company Overview: Wind Turbine Manufacturer
- Successfully initiated and implemented an RPO hiring plan for the Windsor Blade plant, overseeing the staffing of 750+ production workers for an expanded manufacturing schedule.
- Assembled and managed a team of 6 recruiters and coordinators, achieving the recruitment and onboarding of 30 new hires per week.
- Innovatively designed and executed on-site hiring events, resulting in an 80% interview-to-offer rate utilizing a customized, streamlined recruitment process.
- Developed and delivered a comprehensive Talent Attraction model, incorporating employment brand messaging, recruitment process standardization, candidate profile design, and effective marketing and sourcing strategies, resulting in measurable success through KPIs.
- Oversaw vendor relationships for pre-employment testing needs and maintained global ATS (SuccessFactors) corporate compliance accountability.
- Wind Turbine Manufacturer
Head of Talent Acquisition
Mesa Labs
01.2022 - 01.2023
- Company Overview: Biotechnology, Medical Device Manufacturing, Life Sciences – Protecting the Vulnerable
- Formulated and executed a robust Talent Acquisition Strategy, emphasizing the attraction and retention of top-tier talent.
- Implemented process improvements for timely requisition fulfillment, emphasizing niche and difficult-to-fill technical skillsets.
- Successfully turned a deficient headcount in production staff from -12 to fully staffed within 45 days and reduced reliance on staffing agencies, improving retention rates.
- Led, trained, and motivated a diverse group of recruiters (RPO and Agency) to deliver exceptional staffing support and improve Hiring Manager decision-making abilities.
- Introduced competency-based interview training, candidate experience focus, and data-driven processes, resulting in shorter time-to-fill metrics and enhanced candidate experiences.
- Conducted branded recruiting campaigns and events to position Mesa as an attractive talent destination.
- Established and reported overall TA metrics to monitor and optimize recruitment processes, including quality of hire/retention, time-to-fill, and cost-per-hire.
- Collaborated across functional areas globally to provide cohesive, efficient, and effective staffing support for Mesa Brands.
- Biotechnology, Medical Device Manufacturing, Life Sciences – Protecting the Vulnerable
Senior Consultant
Exact Sciences
01.2021 - 04.2021
- Company Overview: Biotechnology – Early Detection Cancer Solutions
- Manage end-to-end requisition approval to hire process for assigned positions focused on IT and Data Science functions within Talent Acquisition framework adhering to defined compliance guidelines while identifying and engaging difficult to find candidate skills and profiles.
- Partner with Hiring Managers, HR Business Partners to ensure quality hiring methods are practiced.
- Sourcing strategy implementation and management for each role, including use of recruiting tools and other available resources.
- ATS (iCims) OFCCP compliance administration for all candidate activity.
- Biotechnology – Early Detection Cancer Solutions
Talent Acquisition Manager
SomaLogic
01.2019 - 01.2021
- Company Overview: Biotechnology - We are Revolutionizing Proteomics to Transform Healthcare
- Led successful transformation of the R&D biotech lab into a commercial Life Science product firm, preparing for IPO.
- Executed comprehensive hiring plans that would double the headcount of the company from 200 to 400.
- Hiring plans included a newly created Commercial Department (Sales, Marketing, Communications) Customer Success, and PMO departments.
- Key hires for new roles included include Sr. VP Marketing, Sr. Director Sales – International, Relationship Manager – Japan, General Counsel, VP HR, Principal Data Architect, Director IT Operations, Director Customer Success.
- Implemented data-driven Talent Acquisition programs aligned with strategic financial goals.
- Spearheaded recruitment efforts for all company positions, emphasizing specialty skills in IT, Software Engineering, Bioinformatics, Data Science, and Production Lab.
- Achieved cost-effective hiring while maintaining high-quality standards.
- Developed and executed innovative marketing strategies, defined hiring team roles, and met service-level agreements throughout the recruitment lifecycle.
- Played a vital role in the implementation of a new HRIS and Payroll system, introducing a self-service onboarding module (ExponentHR), enhancing operational efficiency.
- Fostered an environment of equal employment opportunity and diversity, aligning with the company's diversity and inclusion plan.
- Integrated new compensation leveling structure into all hires.
- Ensured compliance with Colorado Pay Transparency laws in all job-related communications.
- Biotechnology - We are Revolutionizing Proteomics to Transform Healthcare
Senior Talent Advisor Consultant, Talent Attraction and Sourcing Center of Excellence
Nutrien
01.2015 - 01.2019
- Company Overview: Global Wholesale and Retail Supplier of Agriculture products and services
- Corporate Merger and Acquisition of Agrium, Corp with Potash Corp Global resulting in Nutrien.
- Spearheaded the succession planning initiative by creating 38 targeted sourcing strategy presentations for Executive and Senior Leadership positions across all business units, resulting in a roadmap sourcing plan for future hiring needs.
- Led the Nutrien 'Day One' project, ensuring iCims database readiness through branding, database reporting configuration, and template administration.
- Successfully managed and delivered recruitment strategies and key hires, including IT PMO Leader, IT Director Operations, Finance/Accounting openings, and confidential searches for Crop Production Services Executive level positions.
- Conducted a confidential market analysis and transition sourcing strategy for the impending closure of the Denver office impacting 40 employees and need to replace with resources in rural market.
- Evaluated and created a robust demographic source pipeline for 40 positions.
- Global Wholesale and Retail Supplier of Agriculture products and services
Talent Acquisition Manager
Tendril, Inc
01.2014 - 01.2015
- Company Overview: Energy Efficiency software solutions, SaaS solution
- Newly created role to design and implement best practices for a fast growing, start-up high-tech company.
- Hired 30 advanced technology software engineers, data scientists, product managers.
- Branded recruiting campaigns through company websites, social media channels.
- Energy Efficiency software solutions, SaaS solution
Senior Recruiting Consultant
Orica Mining Services
01.2013 - 12.2013
- Company Overview: International Chemical exploration company
- International Chemical exploration company
Senior Recruiting Consultant
GE Energy
01.2012 - 01.2013
Senior Recruiting Consultant
ATCO Group
01.2012 - 12.2012
- Company Overview: Canadian Utilities, Construction and Energy company
- Canadian Utilities, Construction and Energy company
Senior Recruiting Consultant
Weatherford, International
01.2010 - 12.2012
- Company Overview: Energy Services company
- Energy Services company
Director of Recruiting
SharpShooter Imaging, Inc. and FanFoto
01.2008 - 01.2010
- Company Overview: Souvenir Photography Service Company
- Led company-wide Recruitment processes for an average of 50 open requirements, hiring on average 100 employees per month.
- Project lead on employee development needs focusing on Best Practice structure including compensation balanced model for management positions, internal career development plan for managers, training hiring managers on competency-based interviewing, developed employee New Hire onboarding instructions, including Employee Handbook in compliance with legal and corporate related objectives.
- Project Lead on software implementation of ATS - Talent Management platform, iCIMS resulting in enterprise HRIS candidate to employee tracking system.
- Souvenir Photography Service Company
Corporate Recruiting Director
Mercury Companies, Inc.
01.2007 - 01.2008
- Company Overview: Billion dollar privately held Real Estate and Mortgage Settlement Insurance
- Spearheaded recruitment efforts for a billion-dollar, 60-year-old Mortgage Insurance firm, with a primary focus on meeting IT Department hiring objectives.
- Key hires in IT Security, Project Management, SW Development Leadership.
- Implemented and optimized best practice recruiting processes and procedures, resulting in reduced reliance on agency hires and improved time-to-fill, within-budget hires.
- Leveraged progressive social media tools for sourcing (LinkedIn, Glassdoor) and coached managers to effectively close top candidates, contributing to improved retention and candidate quality.
- Demonstrated proficiency in technology skills and system infrastructure, enhancing the efficiency of the recruitment process.
- Developed and executed branded advertising strategies that yielded improved candidate pipeline quantity and quality.
- Pioneered methods to identify, attract, and hire top passive candidates using proactive enterprise resource planning, networking, and advanced recruiting skills.
- Billion dollar privately held Real Estate and Mortgage Settlement Insurance
Senior Recruiting Manager
DigitalGlobe, Inc
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Company Overview: Satellite Imaging Products and Services
- Orchestrated the recruitment of 65 executive, management, and technology hires within a critical 6-month period in anticipation of a high-stakes satellite launch project.
- Spearheaded the implementation of recruiting best practices, resulting in improved candidate quality, reduced time to hire, increased retention rates, and a decrease in cost per hire.
- Functioned as a strategic Business Partner for Business Units, providing education, coaching, and mentoring to hiring managers on the recruiting process, candidate selection, and closure processes.
- Successfully led the selection and implementation of a new applicant tracking system (Taleo), enhancing overall efficiency and streamlining the hiring process.
- Strategically elevated the corporate image through innovative branding initiatives in various recruiting campaigns.
- Satellite Imaging Products and Services
Education
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Michigan State University
Websites
Timeline
Independent Consulting Services for Talent Acquisition Operations and Delivery
JKL Recruiting Services
01.2024 - Current
Talent Delivery Lead
Vestas
05.2023 - 12.2023
Head of Talent Acquisition
Mesa Labs
01.2022 - 01.2023
Senior Consultant
Exact Sciences
01.2021 - 04.2021
Talent Acquisition Manager
SomaLogic
01.2019 - 01.2021
Senior Talent Advisor Consultant, Talent Attraction and Sourcing Center of Excellence
Nutrien
01.2015 - 01.2019
Talent Acquisition Manager
Tendril, Inc
01.2014 - 01.2015
Senior Recruiting Consultant
Orica Mining Services
01.2013 - 12.2013
Senior Recruiting Consultant
GE Energy
01.2012 - 01.2013
Senior Recruiting Consultant
ATCO Group
01.2012 - 12.2012
Senior Recruiting Consultant
Weatherford, International
01.2010 - 12.2012
Director of Recruiting
SharpShooter Imaging, Inc. and FanFoto
01.2008 - 01.2010
Corporate Recruiting Director
Mercury Companies, Inc.
01.2007 - 01.2008
Senior Recruiting Manager
DigitalGlobe, Inc
01.2006 - 01.2007
Director of Operations
ClearSale
Commence, Now
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Michigan State University
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