Scott C Mara

Provides HR leadership for a public career and technical education district serving approximately 8,500 students across two campuses, with 375 full-time equivalent employees. Manage an HR team consisting of an HR Manager and Talent Acquisition Specialist, with previous oversight of Payroll and Benefits Specialists. Oversee recruitment, onboarding, employee relations, HRIS, personnel records, compensation, compliance, and employee training and development.

Key Accomplishments and Responsibilities

• Guided leadership and supervisors on employee relations, workplace investigations, performance management, employment law, and HR policies and procedures.
• Partnered with Program Directors and district leadership to address critical staffing needs and expedite recruitment and hiring for hard-to-fill positions.
• Streamlined ADA accommodation process and employee relations procedures to enhance consistency, documentation, and compliance.
• Coordinated implementation of a Garnishment Module to improve processing accuracy, efficiency, and accountability.
• Restored timely employee compensation reporting by reconfiguring the Compensation Statement module that was six months behind schedule.
• Initiated a districtwide personnel records digitization project to scan and organize HR records in Frontline Central, improving accessibility, organization, and recordkeeping.
• Implemented an Employee Self-Service Portal, allowing employees to update personal information, access employment documents, electronically sign contracts, retrieve pay statements and tax forms, and monitor leave balances.
• Transitioned the organization from E-Verify to E-Verify+, improving the employment eligibility verification process.
• Achieved compliance in federal, state, and unemployment tax reporting by completing and filing Q2, Q3, and Q4 reports and coordinating payment of outstanding taxes.

• Initially joined a 6-member HR team providing HR support company-wide. Helped the HR department grow from 6 FTE to 65 FTE over an 8-year period. The role evolved as the company moved through transition and went public in 2013. Managed 3 7 direct reports overseeing a $10.5M HR operating budget.
• Provided HR support for 18,500 employees across 13 states, 200 retail grocery stores, and 4 distribution centers.
• Played a key role in supporting the company's ambitious 15% growth goals, adding 25 new stores annually. Stepped up recruitment to meet goals, collaborating with the team to hire >2,000 employees annually (80 100 people per store).
• Became well versed on the complexities of California employment state law to support the company's rapid expansion from 1 to 70 stores in California. Conducted new hire orientation and onboarding programs.
• Restructured recruitment-advertising program, resulting in a 34% increase in total applicants.
• Led M&A integration for 2 large-scale acquisitions in 2.5 years. Merged HR policies and best practices following Henry's Farmers Market (47 stores/3,000 employees) and Sunflower Farmers Market (27 stores/2,500 employees) acquisition.
• Provided much needed structure to ad hoc HR operations. Stepped up compliance, instituting structure into HR policy. Wrote policies and procedures to drive consistency and mitigate risk across a growing organization.
• Raised the bar on compliance by launching the Sprouts Academy. Delivered training on HR policy, state and federal employment law and compliance to the HR department and managers across 200 stores and 4 distribution centers.
• Instituted an average-hour system to accurately track employee hours and eligibility for insurance, addressing inaccuracies in time reporting and improving management accountability across all stores.
• Helped prepare the company to go public in August 2013. Took over SOX compliance, conducting internal audits to ensure rigorous SOX requirements were met. Managed an HR Support Team of 7 data entry specialists to ensure all employment data was accurate. Strived to maintain 98% data entry accuracy rate.
• Managed 14-month Homeland Security audit resulting in zero fines. Built a good relationship with Homeland Security officers for an I-9 audit across New Mexico stores resulting in zero financial penalties.
• Managed $10.5M HR budget, prepared forecasts, and negotiated contracts with new vendors to enhance operational efficiency.
• Transitioned the HR organization to a paperless automated environment realizing a $144K annual savings. Led the implementation of an Electronic File Management System, significantly improving HR productivity.
• Elevated companys ability to monitor talent management systems. Project managed implementation of ADP EV5: HRIS, Payroll, Applicant Tracking as well as SuccessFactors Employee Central and Applicant Tracking.
• Improved response time for subpoenas and reduced costs by implementing a virtual file cabinet software application. Developed security access, indexing and training for users with >2.7 million pages scanned into the system.
• Managed weekly payroll for >7,500 employees from June 2011 to February 2012. Saved the company $44K annually while reducing liability by outsourcing garnishment and tax liens to ADP.
• An American chain of specialty grocery stores with 200+ locations across the United States

Deputy Director of Human Resources | October 2006 – January 2007
Operations & Administration Manager | December 2003 – October 2006

Provided leadership and administrative oversight for a 55-employee HR department with a $3.2 million annual budget. Directed employee relations activities and assisted the HR Director with countywide HR operations supporting more than 13,000 employees, including payroll, personnel records, recruitment, and staff development.

• Managed departmental administrative functions, including budgeting, finance, purchasing, diversity initiatives, strategic planning, and an $800,000 employee incentive program.
• Established the County's Employee Ombudsman Program to provide employees with a resource for addressing workplace concerns.
• Developed and implemented an Employee Mediation Program, coordinating certification of 12 employees as mediators.
• Created the Monday Morning Briefing, a weekly HR communication distributed to more than 200 HR professionals across county departments.
• Developed a departmental Diversity Plan and participated in countywide diversity initiatives.
• Advised department directors, senior leadership, and HR professionals on employment law, employee relations, policy interpretation, and personnel matters.
• Monitored legislative developments and evaluated their impact on county HR policies and operations.
• Assisted with implementation of a countywide personnel records imaging project to digitize employee files.

Acting Staff Development Manager | December 2003 – September 2004

Served concurrently as Acting Staff Development Manager for 10 months, supervising eight employees and overseeing employee training, new employee orientation, tuition reimbursement, executive and management development programs, and the Employee Assistance Program.

Business Manager, Office of Enterprise Technology | September 2001 – December 2003

Managed financial operations, budgeting, purchasing, contract administration, and HR functions for a 66-employee department with a $5.1 million annual operating budget. Supervised four employees.

• Developed and implemented departmental financial and administrative policies and procedures.
• Served as the department's strategic planning coordinator.
• Coordinated the County's IT equipment replacement program.

Management Analyst IV, Justice Courts | September 1998 – September 2001

Managed financial and administrative operations for a 240-employee department with a $16 million annual budget, including accounts payable, purchasing, facilities management, and fixed assets.

• Developed and monitored annual budgets for 26 cost centers and supervised professional and support staff.
• Conducted financial analysis, budget reconciliations, compensation studies, and legislative impact assessments.
• Coordinated departmental strategic planning activities.

Budget Analyst, Office of Management & Budget | April 1997 – September 1998

Monitored operating and capital budgets totaling approximately $140 million across multiple county departments, including Superior Court, Adult and Juvenile Probation, Justice Courts, and the Clerk of the Superior Court. Conducted budget reviews, expenditure analysis, and financial forecasting.

Financial Analyst I & III, Department of Finance | November 1995 – April 1997

Monitored and audited the County's Fixed Asset Program and processed financial transactions, including journal entries, fund transfers, and cash receipts.