Melisa Medrano
Foster City,USA
Summary
Dynamic HR professional with nearly two decades of experience in talent acquisition, talent management, and HR business partnering, including over a decade in-house. Renowned for cultivating trusted partnerships with executives, stakeholders, employees, and candidates while leading with integrity and professionalism. Results-oriented achiever adept at exceeding targets and driving success in fast-paced environments, combining strategic thinking with hands-on experience to deliver impactful solutions. Committed to enhancing organizational performance through efficient processes and collaborative approaches that align with overarching business goals.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director of Talent, HR Business Partner
Sonoma Biotherapeutics
01.2022 - 01.2026
- Impacted by Reduction in Force
- Led the end-to-end Talent Management function for a clinical-stage biotech, with enterprise responsibility for Talent Acquisition, Talent, HR Business Partnering, Learning & Development, Employee Relations, and DEIB.
- Talent Strategy, Development & Employee Engagement
- Own employee lifecycle strategy across attraction, hiring, onboarding, engagement, retention, career development, and offboarding.
- Partner closely with Finance, Total Rewards, and Compensation to develop hiring plans and adhere to budget.
- Launched and executed on a Pilot Internship Program.
- Chaired a cross-functional Career Development Action Planning Committee (Senior and Executive leaders) in response to engagement survey results, delivering:
- Company Career Development Philosophy and commitments
- Career matrices to support employee career development and upskilling
- Leadership and people-managing training (People Leader Essentials) in partnership with an external facilitator
- “Career Journeys” speaker series highlighting non-traditional career paths and mentorship
- Presented Career Development Action Planning as a case study at LEAP HR West (May 2024).
- Member of TaCO committee supporting transparency and cross-site communication.
- HR Business Partner, Organizational Effectiveness, Leadership Development
- Trusted advisor to executive and functional leaders on org design, workforce planning, talent strategy, and organizational effectiveness across early-stage and scaled biotech environments.
- Partnered with leaders to translate business objectives into hiring plans, capability roadmaps, and succession pipelines.
- Coached people managers on employee relations, performance management, engagement, and change management.
- Co-developed and coordinated a People Leader Essentials Training series including peer group sessions; held leaders accountable for participation via goal setting.
- Led cross-functional initiatives in response to engagement survey results, delivering career frameworks, leadership training, and communication improvements.
- Facilitated employee focus groups to gather direct, candid input on organizational culture, communication, trust, and career development, and translated insights into actionable people initiatives.
- Served as confidential resource for employees and managers; resolved issues with discretion, fairness, and business judgment.
- Launched and led a company-wide Mentorship program
- In process of launching an internal Shadowing / Cross-Path Internship program.
- Culture Ambassador & Employee Relations
- Serve as a trusted, confidential advisor to employees and managers; proactively identify and resolve issues.
- Maintain regular accessibility through onsite SSF office hours and bi-monthly Seattle site visits.
Manager, Talent Acquisition
NGM Biopharmaceuticals
07.2019 - 01.2022
- Led full-cycle recruitment across a broad range of scientific, clinical, technical, and corporate functions for a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company. Served as both Talent Acquisition lead and functional HR partner for growing scientific and clinical organizations.
- Owned end-to-end recruitment for roles spanning Biology, Biologics, CMC/Process Development, Quality, Regulatory Affairs, Clinical Research & Development, Medical Affairs, Clinical Operations, Biometrics, and G&A functions.
- Led full-cycle recruitment across scientific, clinical, technical, and G&A functions, aligning hiring outcomes to business and development-stage priorities.
- Acted as a strategic advisor to hiring managers and department leaders regarding organizational growth, role design, talent market dynamics, and workforce planning. Strategized to develop workforce plans, role definitions, and proactive sourcing strategies to support organizational growth.
- Onboarded, trained, and mentored new recruiters, coordinators, and other TA team members; established and reinforced best recruiting practices and manager engagement standards.
- Partnered with leadership, IT, and Finance in the implementation of ATS, Greenhouse, including process design, reporting, and development of recruiting metrics and KPIs for Executive Committee review.
- DEIB Committee Co-Chair, supporting inclusive hiring practices and broader organizational DEIB initiatives.
Senior Scientific Recruiter
Gilead Sciences
07.2013 - 07.2019
- Progressed from contractor to senior corporate in-house recruiter, serving as a people and talent advisor to leaders across multiple sites.
- Led full-cycle recruitment for Biologics Development & Manufacturing, Commercial Manufacturing, and scientific, technical, and operations functions across Foster City (HQ), Oceanside, and San Dimas / La Verne sites.
- Partnered closely with hiring managers and HR Business Partners as a front-line people advisor, supporting greenfield and org build-outs, succession pipelines, and workforce scaling across R&D and TechOps organizations.
- Advised leaders on talent availability, offer strategy, and hiring risks while managing full-cycle recruitment across Foster City, Oceanside, and San Dimas.
- Led and served as liaison between candidates, Hiring Managers, and HRBPs during offer development, negotiations, and employee transitions.
- Served as a trusted partner to hiring managers at all levels, developing site-specific and function-specific recruiting strategies and pipelines for both near- and long-term needs.
- Personally sourced, assessed, and closed high-impact scientific and technical talent using LinkedIn Recruiter, Boolean, referral, and network-based sourcing strategies.
- Conducted technical and behavioral candidate assessments; advised candidates on compensation, benefits, relocation, and career progression.
- Recruiting Operations, Systems & Enablement
- Played a key role in multiple ATS and CRM implementations (Avature, Workday); served as a Superuser and trainer.
- Delivered manager and recruiter training, including Talent Acquisition 101, and facilitated technical training for new recruiters.
- Hired, onboarded, trained, and mentored various recruiters and sourcers to help support multi-site operations.
- Early Talent, DEIB & Community Engagement
- Supported early-career and DEIB initiatives through university partnerships, ERG leadership, and STEM outreach.
- Partnered with universities and early-career programs to educate PhD candidates on transitions from academia to industry; hosted on-site university visits for BS, MS, and PhD-level students.
- Active board member of Gileados; engaged in Women at Gilead (WAG), GLOBE, and other ERGs.
Scientific Recruiter
Kelly Scientific Resources
05.2008 - 07.2013
- Led business development, full-cycle recruitment, and oversaw client partnerships across Northern California, supporting a diverse life sciences client base including biotech/pharma, medical device, food science, agriculture, chemicals, and biofuels companies.
- Served as Interim On-Site Manager at Amgen and Boehringer Ingelheim, partnering directly with HR and leaders on recruiting plans, workforce issues, and vendor management. (Fremont, CA).
- Consistently recognized as Top Recruiter, advising clients on market trends, role scoping, and workforce planning across R&D, Manufacturing, Quality, and Regulatory functions.
- Trained and mentored new recruiters and sourcers on ATS, Vendor Management Systems (VMS); supported adoption of best practices.
- Contributed to KSR’s Targeted for Accelerated Growth (TAG) initiative in Northern California, expanding senior-level talent pipelines and increasing direct-hire and conversion revenue.
- Partnered with client leadership and HR stakeholders as an external talent and workforce advisor, supporting hiring strategy, organizational growth, and contractor management across life sciences industries.
- Partnered with HR and Hiring Managers to execute recruiting strategies on high-priority hiring projects.
- Managed and coordinated secondary staffing agencies while maintaining full Bay Area client coverage.
- Scientific Recruiter – Boston, MA
- Acted as a trusted advisor to biotech and pharma clients, supporting talent strategy, contractor workforce management, and hiring execution.
- Provided on-site HR and recruiting support at Wyeth/Pfizer and served as Interim HRBP and Recruiter for Shire HGT across multiple campuses.
- Built and managed recruitment programs for leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies in the Greater Boston area.
- Led full-cycle recruitment and business development; consistently recognized as a top-performing recruiter for contract and direct-hire roles.
- Managed contractor relations, onboarding, compliance, workforce operations, and employee issues in partnership with client HR teams.
- Supported work authorization verification, payroll, benefits, workers’ compensation, and unemployment claims.
Education
PhD - Molecular Biology and Microbiology
01.2008
B.S. - Microbiology
05.2000
B.A. Spanish
Skills
- Strategic planning
- Decision-making
- Operations management
- Staff and leadership development
- Trusted advisor and collaborator
Accomplishments
- Hired and onboarded 77 people in 2022 at Sonoma Biotherapeutics by partnering with leadership to develop and execute on a comprehensive hiring strategy.
- Collaborated with team of 5 Executives in the development of a Career Development curriculum.
- Developed and launched a company-wide Mentorship program
- Documented and resolved several key Employee Relations issues, which led to increased harmony in the workplace and deeper trust within the organization.
Affiliations
- SHRM Member and Volunteer
- Biocom California Member and Volunteer
- WIB (Women In Biotech) San Francisco Member and Volunteer
Certification
- SHRM-CP - SHRM Certified Professional
Languages
Spanish
Elementary
Timeline
Director of Talent, HR Business Partner - Sonoma Biotherapeutics
01.2022 - 01.2026
Manager, Talent Acquisition - NGM Biopharmaceuticals
07.2019 - 01.2022
Senior Scientific Recruiter - Gilead Sciences
07.2013 - 07.2019
Scientific Recruiter - Kelly Scientific Resources
05.2008 - 07.2013
New Mexico State University - B.S., Microbiology
Tufts University Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences - PhD, Molecular Biology and Microbiology