Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Laura M. Pearson

Sleepy Hollow,IL

Summary

Strategic Talent Acquisition Leader with 10+ years of experience driving full-lifecycle recruiting across corporate, technical, and manufacturing functions in both high-growth and established organizations. Proven success leading high-performing TA teams and delivering top talent for iconic CPG, food & beverage, and technology brands including ADM, Ferrara Candy, McDonald’s, Motorola, Gogo, and US Cellular. Adept at hiring across salaried and hourly roles, with deep expertise in corporate functions such as Finance, Accounting, HR, and Operations. A trusted advisor to senior leadership and HR business partners, known for translating business goals into data-driven recruiting strategies. Skilled in building strong partnerships, managing external vendors, and leading through complexity with a focus on scalable process improvement, DEI, and candidate experience. Recognized for a people-first, results-driven approach that delivers measurable impact and fosters high-performing, values-aligned teams.

Overview

12
12
years of professional experience

Work History

Sr. Contract Recruiting Partner

KIK Consumer Products
02.2025 - Current
  • Company Overview: Private Equity owned. One of North America’s largest independent manufacturers of consumer products. With major positions in the multi-billion-dollar household and pool categories
  • Hired to cover for two medical leaves, ramping up quickly filling 50 positions with an average time to fill of 32 days.
  • Built a strong relationship with the plant I supported that was previously known as difficult to work with, while also improving retention by hiring better talent.
  • Interacted and partnered with C-Suite on various positions.
  • Worked with HR Business partners and hiring managers on recommendations for compensation and received multiple compliments for my work.
  • Sourced and filled assigned positions including, supply chain, logistics, and engineering positions in a timely manner working on both manufacturing plant level positions as well as corporate salaried positions.
  • Worked on Oracle, Indeed, LinkedIn Recruiter, and also worked on LinkedIn Insights to help managers understand markets and hiring challenges.
  • Contract ending 6/30/25 when employees returned but was called back 2 weeks later

Sr. Recruiting Partner

ADM
04.2022 - 01.2025
  • Company Overview: Fortune 35 agriculture company, a global leader in human and animal nutrition and the world’s premier agriculture origination and processing company. Major producer of food ingredients.
  • Recruited for up to 50 requisitions at once filling 159 positions in 2024 averaging over 13 fills per month, with a record of 16 acceptances in a week.
  • Filled assigned positions including supply chain and logistics roles as well as trading roles in a timely manner reaching days to fill goal of 54 days, less than the expected 60 days.
  • Worked with little supervision to support the largest and most profitable division, Ag and Oilseeds, working on organization, and merchandising positions, as well as some plant level manufacturing roles. Also supported risk and compliance roles, sales, and logistics positions.
  • Asked to take on Legal, working with Chief Counsel to fill roles, supporting this high touch organization with recognized success by leading with influence.
  • Trained 2 junior recruiters to successfully recruit on junior positions giving them opportunity for growth and our team additional bench strength.
  • Negotiated over 200 competitive compensation packages annually, securing top talent and achieving a 95% offer acceptance rate by strategically incorporating incentives such as sign-on bonuses.
  • Successfully collaborated with HR Business Partners and Compensation to prepare strong offers by encouraging the use of some sign on bonuses when necessary to close deals.
  • Successfully partnered with senior leadership on positions and utilized LinkedIn Insights to help leaders understand the market and hiring challenges.

Recruiting Manager

Aldridge Electric
09.2019 - 03.2022
  • Company Overview: 500M privately owned leading electrical contractor working on complex infrastructure projects across the US.
  • Led a team of recruiters and managed vendor partners, ensuring alignment with company goals and objectives and minimizing use of vendors.
  • Worked to expand sourcing channels and prioritizing employee referrals resulting in 40% of fills with referrals.
  • Successfully filled requisitions while promoting DE&I initiatives and strategy for all hiring by utilizing relationships and diverse recruiting sources to recruit talent.
  • Collaborated with C-level executives to fill executive and leadership positions, demonstrating effective communication and strategic decision making and saving on recruiting fees for external agencies.
  • Oversaw College Recruiting resulting in the largest number of interns in company history.

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

Ferrara Candy
04.2019 - 09.2019
  • Company Overview: Privately held American candy manufacturer, based in Chicago, Illinois and owned by the Ferrero Group.
  • Spearheaded strategic hiring initiatives for acquisition of Keebler Cookies driving the transformation of Talent Acquisition processes and tools.
  • Steered agency relationships, fostered strong partnerships with hiring managers, and successfully filled roles across all levels, from individual contributors to Directors.
  • Recruited top talent for critical departments including Commercialization, External Manufacturing, Procurement & Supply Chain, and Accounting, placing candidates in roles ranging from individual contributors to Director positions.

Contract Sr. Recruiter Corporate Functions and Non-Profit

McDonald's
02.2018 - 03.2019
  • Company Overview: McDonald’s is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer with over 36,000 locations in over 100 countries. More than 80% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women
  • Successfully recruited for Accounting, Finance, and Marketing and Legal roles, as well as for the non-profit Ronald McDonald House Charities.
  • Mentored and guided the development of junior and new team members.

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

Grainger
10.2016 - 02.2018
  • Company Overview: North America’s leading broad line supplier of maintenance, repair and operating products (MRO), with operations also in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
  • Successfully recruited for diverse roles across departments including Accounting, Finance, Continuous Improvement, and Customer Care, consistently exceeding hiring targets with an average of 12 successful placements per month.
  • Excellent client performance as evidenced by the hiring manager, From our first meeting, you demonstrated a sense of urgency and confidence in candidate. It’s been a pleasure working with you. I appreciate your efforts and effectiveness.


Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

Motorola
05.2016 - 10.2016
  • Company Overview: Motorola Solutions, Inc. technology based company providing public safety and enterprise security solutions in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and internationally.
  • Provided recruiting support to a wide range of corporate functions, including Accounting, Finance, Legal, HR, Marketing, Strategy, Engineering, IT and Procurement.
  • Collaborated closely with hiring managers to successfully fill open positions by building strong, trusting relationships and enhancing their confidence in the Talent Acquisition functions.
  • Position ended when function was outsourced

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

US Cellular
11.2015 - 04.2016
  • Company Overview: U.S. Cellular is the nation’s fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier.
  • Successfully enhanced the reputation of Talent Acquisition within the Accounting group by proactively addressing hiring needs and delivering high quality candidates. I led the recruitment efforts for the Analytics, HR, and Operations positions utilizing Taleo, maintaining a positive working relationship with leadership and receiving zero complaints during my tenure.
  • Collaborated with an RPO organization as a key sourcing and screening partner, successfully managing a high-volume workload of 30-40 requisitions ranging from Administrator to Senior Manager levels.
  • Consistently exceeded team performance metrics by filling the highest number of positions with the lowest average time-to-fill. Upon contract completion, the work previously managed by me was filled by a single individual and was divided among two junior recruiters.
  • Achieved an offer acceptance rate of 95% by crafting compelling candidate communication strategies and facilitating transparent negotiation processes, enhancing the organization's competitive edge in talent acquisition.

Manager, Talent Acquisition

Gogo, LLC
10.2013 - 11.2015
  • Company Overview: Initially owned by venture capital Gogo provides internet service to airlines both commercial and private. Company was a high growth, post start up technology organization of 1000 employees with a unique business intersection of aviation, IT and telecom. Company went public during my tenure here.
  • Led, mentored, and developed a high-performing team of 3-5 recruiting professionals, including junior recruiters and coordinators. Successfully fostered a collaborative and supportive environment, empowering the team to consistently deliver an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience.
  • Streamlined external recruitment vendor relationships, negotiating competitive contracts with both retained and contingent firms, both domestically and internationally. Developed a preferred vendor list, ensuring cost-effective and high-quality recruitment solutions. Maintained comprehensive data and analytics associated with all vendor programs.
  • Successfully led all aspects of IT, Engineering, and Software Engineering recruitment, including contract labor program management. Provided strategic guidance to recruiting coordinators, enhancing team efficiency and improving overall candidate experience.
  • Successfully recruited for high-level executive positions including VP-level roles. Successfully recruited for critical roles across corporate functions, including Accounting/Finance, including launching the Audit function, Strategy, and Project Management, IT and Compliance, generating significant cost savings exceeding $300,000 in recruitment fees for the Accounting/Finance department alone.
  • Spearheaded global recruitment efforts, collaborating closely with international HR partner and Legal teams to ensure compliance with employment laws while supporting the company’s global expansion strategy.
  • Championed the development and enhancement of the company’s employer brand, both internally and externally, resulting in increased employee engagement and a stronger market reputation as an employer of choice.
  • Engineered a comprehensive talent acquisition strategy that improved time-to-fill for key positions by 30%, utilizing advanced sourcing techniques and data-driven recruitment processes.

Education

Bachelor of Arts -

DePaul University

Skills

  • Recruitment strategy development Recruitment operations, strategy, DE&I initiatives, M&A hiring, corporate functions recruiting, vendor relationships and management, international recruiting
  • Leadership & Management: Mentor junior recruiters, lead recruiting for global expansion, manage recruitment strategies, data analysis, team metrics and reporting
  • Industries: Agriculture, construction, food-based companies, technology, wireless, high growth startups, distribution
  • Systems and recruiting tools: LinkedIn Recruiter, LinkedIn Insights, Indeed, Cornerstone, Success Factors, Peoplefluent, Workday, Taleo, Jobvite, Textio and Oracle

Timeline

Sr. Contract Recruiting Partner

KIK Consumer Products
02.2025 - Current

Sr. Recruiting Partner

ADM
04.2022 - 01.2025

Recruiting Manager

Aldridge Electric
09.2019 - 03.2022

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

Ferrara Candy
04.2019 - 09.2019

Contract Sr. Recruiter Corporate Functions and Non-Profit

McDonald's
02.2018 - 03.2019

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

Grainger
10.2016 - 02.2018

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

Motorola
05.2016 - 10.2016

Contract Sr. Recruiter, Corporate Functions

US Cellular
11.2015 - 04.2016

Manager, Talent Acquisition

Gogo, LLC
10.2013 - 11.2015

Bachelor of Arts -

DePaul University

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Laura M. Pearson