Nicholas T. Bakios III, MHRER
United States
Summary
HR executive with extensive experience at multiple Fortune 500 companies, focusing on workforce strategy, Human Resources, and employee relations. Led multiple successful turnaround initiatives that increased team engagement by 12%. Proficient in utilizing analytics for informed decision-making and fostering collaboration across teams. Demonstrated ability to drive organizational growth through effective talent acquisition and performance management strategies. Dynamic HR strategist with a proven record in driving operational efficiency and compliance across multi-state healthcare organizations. Expertise in workforce planning, problem solving, and employee development supports sustainable growth and organizational effectiveness.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Management Consultant | Enterprise HR Strategy Advisor (VP-Level Scope)
MARQUIS CCS
Remote, United States
01.2024 - Current
- Enterprise HR transformation leader advising multi-state healthcare organizations (2,000–25,000+ employees) in highly regulated environments; built scalable people infrastructures supporting 15–30% revenue growth, expansion readiness, and 100% audit compliance.
- Reduced enterprise workforce risk through compliance governance redesign and ER strategy modernization, delivering 20–40% reduction in employment-related claims and $3M–$8M in avoided legal exposure.
- Led end-to-end HR transformations (COE design, benefits governance, HR technology modernization), driving 18–28% operational efficiency gains, $2M–$6M cost optimization, and 25–40% workflow automation improvements.
- Partnered with executive leadership on organizational design and compensation strategy, improving retention of critical healthcare roles by 12–22% and reducing agency labor spend by 18–30%.
- Implemented enterprise workforce analytics and executive dashboards, enabling data-driven decision-making and accelerating issue resolution cycles by 30–45% across multi-state operations.
- Built audit-ready compliance infrastructures and integrated 2–6 acquisitions seamlessly, achieving zero material audit findings and sustained regulatory readiness.
Executive Director, Colleague Relations – HR Operations (Enterprise VP – Equivalent scope)
CVS HEALTH, INC.
Remote, United States
01.2023 - 01.2024
- Reduced enterprise labor risk exposure to , strengthening regulatory posture across all 50 states within a highly regulated healthcare environment.
- Improved HR operational efficiency by 15% in 5 months, restoring service credibility and stakeholder confidence across business segments.
- Increased team engagement by 12%, stabilizing leadership capability and rebuilding organizational effectiveness within critical HR functions.
- Modernized multi-billion-dollar benefits governance, enhancing colleague adoption, improving program utilization, and reinforcing cost discipline enterprise-wide.
- Redesigned organizational structures and compensation models, driving measurable revenue contribution and operational efficiency improvements across multiple business units.
- Delivered executive workforce analytics and decision dashboards, accelerating issue resolution cycles and enabling proactive enterprise workforce planning.
Director, Team Member Experience
THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
Irving, United States
01.2019 - 01.2023
- $2.35M–$2.75M in tax savings generated through WOTC redesign and Workday-enabled process modernization.
- $7M in operational efficiency gains driven through enterprise change and service delivery transformation.
- 20–25% engagement improvement following rapid HR function turnaround within 12 months.
- Enterprise HR support model scaled across 65,000+ employees internationally, improving service consistency and leadership alignment.
- Modernized benefits and HR operations governance to enhance participation, retention alignment, and executive financial stewardship.
Director, Employee Relations and Operations HR
THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
Irving, United States
01.2019 - 01.2023
- $20M annual legal risk avoidance through ER risk mitigation redesign and governance standardization.
- across enterprise-wide employee relations matters.
- 8% enterprise engagement increase following Shared Services launch.
- Built and scaled ER infrastructure across a 65,000-employee global footprint in highly distributed retail and manufacturing operations.
- Enhanced leadership decision-making through board-level workforce analytics and proactive compliance dashboards.
- Strengthened talent pipeline effectiveness, improving first-year performance outcomes by 26%.
Senior Manager, Human Resources and HR Compliance
DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC.
Orlando, United States
01.2012 - 01.2018
- $1.6M+ annual cost and risk reduction achieved through enterprise compliance and workforce governance redesign.
- Successfully integrated 25,000+ employees through two enterprise M&A initiatives, ensuring operational continuity and policy alignment.
- Oversaw HR risk and issue resolution across 200,000 employees spanning multiple continents, reducing high-risk incidents and litigation exposure.
- Implemented enterprise workforce frameworks supporting consistent decision-making across 2,100+ locations.
- Strengthened leadership visibility and enterprise compliance with scalable HR policies and governance infrastructure.
Education
M.S. - HR and Employee Relations
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
STATE COLLEGE, PAB.A. - Business Management & History
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
STATE COLLEGE, PACertificate in Employment Law -
DUQUENSE UNIVERSITY
PITTSBURGH, PAExecutive Education - Artificial Intelligence/Business Strategy
M.I.T.
BOSTON, MASkills
- Human resource strategy
- Workforce planning
- Employee development
- Gap analysis
- Problem solving
- Organizational design
- Policy development
- Training programs
- Management training
- Succession planning
- Recruitment and staffing
- Diversity initiatives
- Employee relations
- Policy assessment
- Union avoidance strategies
- Compensation design
- Multi-department management
- Performance management
- Recognition initiatives
- Leadership skills
- Empathy and collaboration
- Teamwork strategies
- Decision making skills
- Active listening skills
- Integrity and ethics
- Adaptability
- Workforce analytics
- Performance optimization
Certification
• Senior Certified Human Resource Professional
• SHRM, Certified AI + HI, Pending
• SHRM, Certified AI + HI, Pending
Personal Information
Title: Enterprise Human Resources Executive
Timeline
Management Consultant | Enterprise HR Strategy Advisor (VP-Level Scope)
MARQUIS CCS
01.2024 - Current
Executive Director, Colleague Relations – HR Operations (Enterprise VP – Equivalent scope)
CVS HEALTH, INC.
01.2023 - 01.2024
Director, Team Member Experience
THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
01.2019 - 01.2023
Director, Employee Relations and Operations HR
THE MICHAELS COMPANIES, INC.
01.2019 - 01.2023
Senior Manager, Human Resources and HR Compliance
DARDEN RESTAURANTS, INC.
01.2012 - 01.2018
M.S. - HR and Employee Relations
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
B.A. - Business Management & History
PENN STATE UNIVERSITY
Certificate in Employment Law -
DUQUENSE UNIVERSITY
Executive Education - Artificial Intelligence/Business Strategy
M.I.T.