R. Michael Wharton
Santa Clara,CA
Summary
Strategic HR executive adept at collaborating with senior leadership to enhance workforce effectiveness. Cultivated partnerships that drove talent development and organizational redesign, achieving measurable improvements in employee engagement and operational performance aligned with enterprise objectives.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior People Partner
Couchbase
San Jose, CA
01.2023 - 01.2026
- Architected and launched first enterprise-wide career framework to support talent development.
- Achieved double-digit improvements in employee engagement scores across all functions.
- Delivered workforce analytics that informed executive planning and talent strategy.
- Led organizational redesign initiatives, reducing management layers by approximately 20% to enhance operational efficiency.
- Reduced reliance on recruiting agencies through enhanced hiring effectiveness.
- Collaborated with people centers of excellence and legal to align people strategies with business goals.
- Delivered training programs to strengthen workforce development initiatives.
- Cultivated strategic partnerships with key clients to drive business growth.
Senior People Partner, Team Lead
Color Health
Burlingame, CA
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Trusted advisor to CFO, CLO, and CHRO leadership on workforce strategy and organizational scaling.
- Scaled the Legal organization from 3 to 10 employees in under six months while leading the onboarding and integration of a new Chief Legal Officer.
- Partnered with Finance leadership to navigate CFO transition, ensuring business continuity and leadership alignment during executive onboarding.
- Collaborated with Finance and Talent teams to align workforce planning and headcount with business goals, integrating workforce investments with growth objectives.
- Developed and implemented operational strategies to improve project efficiency.
Sr. HR Business Partner / HR Team Lead
Realtor.com
Santa Clara, CA
01.2017 - 01.2021
- Strategic HR partner to CTO and North America leadership supporting Engineering organizations.
- Strengthened leadership and engagement through Organizational Health assessments and development programs (EQ, StrengthsFinder), driving measurable gains in team performance and culture.
- Enhanced engagement and leadership effectiveness metrics by 15%.
- Provided workforce analytics that informed executive planning and shaped talent strategy.
- Advised managers on employee relations and conflict resolution best practices.
- Coordinated training programs to advance workforce development initiatives.
Sr. Manager, HR & Strategic Business Partner
Seagate Technology
Cupertino, CA
01.2014 - 01.2017
- Strategic advisor to CFO, CLO, CIO, Internal Audit and their leadership teams.
- Influenced key leaders to enhance quarterly Micro Survey response rates by rebranding engagement materials and messaging, resulting in participation increase from ~60% to over 80% globally.
- Led engagement transformation initiative increasing participation from 60% to over 80%.
- Directed organizational design and workforce planning initiatives to support enterprise transformation efforts.
- Led workforce, succession, and development planning to strengthen leadership capabilities across the organization.
Sr. Manager, HR Business Partner
Lam Research
Fremont, CA
01.2013 - 01.2014
- Led organizational design and leadership effectiveness initiatives that aligned workforce capabilities with business strategy.
- Advised leaders on organizational design, performance, and talent differentiation, aligning people strategy with business goals.
- Counseled Marketing, Engineering, Product Marketing, and Business Development leadership and employees on performance, employee relations, workforce planning, and engagement, enhancing overall team effectiveness.
- Influenced Corporate Communications to launch global social media and intranet strategy, improving employee experience and connectivity.
HR Business Partner & Sr. Manager
NVIDIA
Santa Clara, CA
01.2010 - 01.2013
- HRBP to EVP of Worldwide Sales and Marketing, CTO, Business Development and their executive leadership teams.
- Guided senior leadership on succession planning and diversity initiatives to strengthen organizational effectiveness.
- Drove employee engagement and development initiatives, achieving a turnover reduction of approximately 15%.
- Aligned workforce strategy initiatives to support Mobile and Automotive business expansion.
Sr. HR Manager, Interim Head of HR
Crystal Dynamics (Square Enix)
Redwood City, CA
01.2008 - 01.2010
- Led workforce transitions and Total Rewards strategy, aligning global initiatives to boost employee engagement and operational efficiency.
- Oversaw organizational design, talent acquisition, compensation, and employee relations to enhance workforce effectiveness.
- Implemented cost-saving strategies in recruitment processes to streamline expenses.
HR Manager
Sony Computer Entertainment America (PlayStation)
Foster City, CA
01.1998 - 01.2008
- Advised senior leadership on organizational design, talent strategy, and employee relations, aligning people priorities with business goals during workforce growth from 700 to 1,200 employees.
- Designed and launched leadership development resources, including a 'Manager's Toolkit' and 'Leadership Essentials' program to strengthen management capabilities.
- Coordinated HR initiatives across sales, marketing, finance, IT, and corporate functions to support organizational objectives.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Communication
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CASkills
- Workforce analytics
- Talent strategy
- HR executive partnership
- Succession planning
- Change management
- Org design effectiveness
- Workforce efficiency
- Organizational transformation
- Total rewards strategy
- Performance management
- Employee engagement
- Leadership development
- Executive coaching
- Operating model
- Stakeholder management
Hr Technology And Systems
- Workday
- ChatGPT
- Oracle HRIS
- UltiPro
- Taleo
- BambooHR
- Google Workspace
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Visio
- Brainshark
Selected Career Highlights
- Advisor to executive leadership teams across organizations ranging from 200-1,500+ global employees
- Led organizational redesign and workforce transformation initiatives improving spans/layers, organizational alignment, and decision velocity
- Designed and launched Couchbase's first enterprise-wide Career Framework
- Reduced recruiting agency dependency by up to 90% through workforce optimization initiatives
- Improved employee engagement and organizational health metrics by as much as 15%
- Partnered with leaderships on workforce planning, operating model alignment, and organizational scaling
Timeline
Senior People Partner
Couchbase
01.2023 - 01.2026
Senior People Partner, Team Lead
Color Health
01.2021 - 01.2023
Sr. HR Business Partner / HR Team Lead
Realtor.com
01.2017 - 01.2021
Sr. Manager, HR & Strategic Business Partner
Seagate Technology
01.2014 - 01.2017
Sr. Manager, HR Business Partner
Lam Research
01.2013 - 01.2014
HR Business Partner & Sr. Manager
NVIDIA
01.2010 - 01.2013
Sr. HR Manager, Interim Head of HR
Crystal Dynamics (Square Enix)
01.2008 - 01.2010
HR Manager
Sony Computer Entertainment America (PlayStation)
01.1998 - 01.2008
Bachelor of Arts - Communication
Azusa Pacific University