Valerie Ortiz
Pasadena,CA
Summary
Human Resources professional with an unwavering dedication to create a harmonious balance between employers and their workforce by bringing an in-depth understanding of diverse HR areas, including benefits, compensation, hiring, strategic planning, system implementations, and process improvement.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Senior Human Resources Generalist
Tokio Marine HCC
02.2023 - Current
- Administer all company HR policies for all branch locations
- Execute the recruiting process on fulfilling staffing needs, ensuring proper onboarding and orientation of new hires, which includes getting approval of staff requisition forms and comparing to budgeted headcount
- Address employee relation issues and concerns promptly, conduct employee investigations when necessary
- Manage the performance review process, performance improvement and professional development plans
- Process terminations, including preparing HR documents for payroll
- Conduct exit interviews and determine trends in attrition
- Develop and implement strategies to increase employee engagement, satisfaction, and retention.
- Manage recruitment processes including job postings, interviewing candidates, onboarding new employees, and conducting exit interviews.
- Identify training needs for staff and developed relevant learning materials.
- Provide guidance on employment law matters such as disciplinary action, grievances, performance management, and terminations.
- Analyze data to identify trends in employee turnover rates and related metrics.
- Provide advice and counsel to leadership team members on a variety of personnel-related issues such as employee relations, conflict resolution, coaching techniques.
- Organize events for staff development such as team building activities or seminars about workplace safety topics.
- Evaluate job descriptions against actual duties performed by employees; updated job descriptions accordingly.
- Gather trend data on compensation, benefits and other key metrics to inform the HR decision-making process.
- Conduct background checks and orientation, coordinating new employee onboarding process.
Senior Human Resources Specialist
Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery
07.2021 - 02.2023
- Partner with senior leadership to establish and develop corporate and HR policies and procedures.
- Address employee related issues and provide resolutions, including writing, recommending new procedures, policies and performance improvement plans
- Produce job offers, new hire onboarding; including composing welcome emails, assist with items such as tax-withholding, direct deposit, emergency contacts, policy acknowledgement completion
- Prepare letters for data changes, promotions, transfers, and separations
- Complete accurate data entry for all transactions in ADP including data changes for existing employees, new hires, transfers, promotions, and separations
- Manage the separation process including scheduling exit interviews, preparing packets, and produce final paychecks
- Manage and administer all leave of absences, workers comp cases and interactive processes
- Lead personnel investigations, labor relations situations and handle confidential paperwork pertaining to such
- Point of contact for manager and employee HR-related inquiries.
- Provide guidance on benefits programs, such as health insurance, retirement plans, tuition reimbursement.
- Coordinated training sessions for staff members on topics such as harassment prevention and diversity awareness.
- Implement initiatives to improve workplace culture and foster positive relationships among team members.
- Analyze trends in compensation packages across different industries for benchmarking purposes.
Human Resources Generalist
Smurfit Kappa North America
12.2020 - 07.2021
- (Short term assignment with Robert Half) Support the Baldwin Park and Carson locations when human resources issues arise
- Investigated employee complaints or grievances related to workplace issues or violations of policy.
- Advised managers on effective methods for handling disciplinary actions or terminations when necessary.
- Supported top talent identification processes by interviewing candidates and executing onboarding, orientation and benefits processes.
- Prepare onboarding and offboarding tasks
- Organized company events such as team building exercises or company events to foster a positive work environment.
- Assist with tracking Covid-19 vaccination records
- Negotiated collective bargaining agreements with union representatives while ensuring legal compliance.
- Ensure compliance as required by the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
- Managed payroll processing functions including timekeeping records, deductions and tax withholding calculations.
Senior Human Resources Operations Supervisor
L.A. Cafe, Inc
12.2015 - 06.2020
- Promoted for supporting company culture and consistent great performance
- Interviewed applicants, recommended individuals for hiring and evaluated staff performance.
- Supervise a team of 15 FOH and BOH Managers
- Evaluated employee performance through periodic reviews and documented results accordingly.
- Coordinated employee schedules according to shift changes and availability.
- Process a bi-weekly payroll
- Resolved customer complaints in a timely manner while ensuring customer satisfaction.
- Analyzed financial data related to departmental budgeting activities on a regular basis.
- Created new strategies for improving customer service standards within the organization.
- Identified and corrected performance and personnel issues to reduce impact to business operations.
- Developed and implemented operational policies and procedures to ensure efficiency and accuracy of workflows.
- Lead weekly meetings with Managers and Leads
- Create and produce new menu and/or new menu items and ensure staff is trained on preparing new items
- Report work related incidents to our Workman's Comp Insurance Agency and keep up with OSHA safety guidelines
- Ensured compliance with workplace safety regulations by providing training sessions for all staff members.
- Performed monthly inventory checks to ensure sufficient stock levels for all products. Communicate regularly with vendors.
- Oversaw quality control to identify inconsistencies and malfunctions.
- Oversee all maintenance issues
Administrative Assistant
Yee & Belilove, LLP
03.2015 - 12.2015
- Assist its managing partner and other staff with formatting emails, pleadings and other legal documents.
- Interview, hire, train new staff, and off board
- Plan and implement the annual calendar of activities including fundraising initiatives and special events.
- Organize and maintain filing systems for physical and electronic documents, ensuring accuracy and confidentiality of records.
- Greet visitors in a professional manner, responding to inquiries and directing them to appropriate personnel.
- Manage incoming calls while providing information or transferring callers to appropriate personnel.
- Maintain office supplies inventory by checking stock to determine inventory level; anticipating needed supplies; placing and expediting orders for supplies.
- Ensure efficient operation of office equipment such as printers, copiers and fax machines.
- Schedule appointments, meetings and events for management staff.
- Coordinate appointments, meetings and conferences.
- Prepare and prioritize calendars and correspondence.
Front Desk Manager
Retina Institute of California
06.2013 - 03.2015
- Serve as principal administrative contact between Program Directors, Clinic Directors and all affiliated clinic training sites
- Ensure all front desk activities are fully operational at the start of business hours for multiple offices
- Responsible for the first phase of the fellow selection process by screening fellow applications and reviewing for compliance to the department selection guidelines
- Manage day-to-day administrative functions of fellowship and student programs
- Hire and train new employees
- Obtain pre-certifications as required by patients' health-care insurers or manage care providers
- Collect and post fees according to protocol
- Scan and save all confidential patients documents into the Next Gen system
- Monitor and approve online office supply orders according to policies
- Negotiate with suppliers to obtain best product value
- Place orders to ensure products were shipped according to deadlines
- Help to achieve financial objectives by reviewing and analyzing special reports, summarizing information and identifying trends.
Operations Manager
U.S. Student Services
07.2012 - 06.2013
- Matche foreign exchange students with host families that met their preferences
- Review, process, and update student applications into a database
- Recruit additional host families
- Monitor and follow up with payments such as rent and security deposit
- Follow up with host families and students throughout the students' stays
- Communicate and supervise the dormitory managers regarding new student placements, arrivals, damages before and after students' stay
- Assist office senior staff in fulfilling students' requests and other projects as needed
- Ensure all necessary paperwork is properly completed, processed and filed before the students' arrival and before their leave
- Answer in a professional manner and transferred phone calls on a multi line system.
- Coordinated with other departments including sales, marketing, finance, human resources. to ensure efficient operations.
- Directed day-to-day operations by spearheading implementation of short-term and long-term strategies to achieve business plan goals.
Operations Manager
Sun Shops Inc.
03.2008 - 06.2012
- Responsible for supervision of multiple company retail stores
- Develop and implemented operational procedures to ensure quality standards are met.
- Monitor and improved efficiency of processes, team performance, and customer service.
- Maintain accurate inventory records to track stock levels and minimize costs.
- Lead cross-functional teams in problem-solving activities related to process improvements or new product launches.
- Manage staffing needs through recruitment, selection, onboarding and training, disciplinary action as necessary.
- Resolved customer complaints in a timely manner while ensuring customer satisfaction remains at optimal levels.
- Report to Senior Management regarding implementation of equal opportunity employment programs, benefits plans, employment records and documentation
- Ensure that all stores are properly staffed by creating the schedules for each store
- Motivate and evaluate personnel for performance improvement.
- Deliver positive customer experiences by implementing effective quality assurance practices.
- Oversee financial management, budget management, accounting and payroll activities.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Politics, Community Studies, Education
University of California - Santa Cruz
Skills
- Strong verbal and written communication in Spanish and English
- Excel, Outlook, Adobe, and Micros
- Payroll Administration
- Compensation and benefits
- Onboarding and Orientation
- Organizational Development
- Employee Surveys
- Benefits Administration
- Exit Interviews
- Workforce Planning
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Talent Acquisition
- Background Checks
- Employee Retention
- Adaptable and flexible to different and immediate situations
Certification
Lou Ader Group Performance Based Hiring for Recruiters
Academy to Innovate HR: HR Business Partner 2.0 - In progress
Timeline
Senior Human Resources Generalist
Tokio Marine HCC
02.2023 - Current
Senior Human Resources Specialist
Riboli Family of San Antonio Winery
07.2021 - 02.2023
Human Resources Generalist
Smurfit Kappa North America
12.2020 - 07.2021
Senior Human Resources Operations Supervisor
L.A. Cafe, Inc
12.2015 - 06.2020
Administrative Assistant
Yee & Belilove, LLP
03.2015 - 12.2015
Front Desk Manager
Retina Institute of California
06.2013 - 03.2015
Operations Manager
U.S. Student Services
07.2012 - 06.2013
Operations Manager
Sun Shops Inc.
03.2008 - 06.2012
Bachelor of Arts - Politics, Community Studies, Education
University of California - Santa Cruz