Vanessa Quiroga, PHR
Newburgh,NY
Summary
HR and People Operations leader with success building teams, recruitment functions, onboarding, and employee development programs across startup and established organizations. Trusted partner to leadership with hands on expertise in talent acquisition, payroll administration for all employees, compliance, benefits, performance management, and culture building. Proven ability to scale processes, develop leaders, and drive employee engagement in fast paced environments.
Overview
11
11
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Sales Manager
The RTA Store
Hopewell Junction, NY
06.2024 - Current
- Recruited by former leadership to build and lead a newly established sales team, combining expertise in recruiting, performance management, and coaching.
- Scaled the department to 12 team members through strategic hiring, workforce planning, and structured onboarding.
- Designed and implemented the full recruiting and onboarding process from the ground up to support rapid team growth.
- Created and facilitated quarterly training programs focused on sales effectiveness, product knowledge, and professional development.
- Developed a high performing, accountable sales culture through coaching, performance management, and continuous development.
- Contributed to organizational growth by helping drive approximately $3 million in revenue last year.
Senior HR Business Partner
Topcon Healthcare
Oakland, NJ
05.2023 - 06.2024
- Oversaw all People Operations functions, including payroll, benefits, and compensation, ensuring accurate, compliant, and efficient administration while delivering a strong employee experience during a period of growth and strategic partnership readiness with Microsoft.
- Monitored federal, state, and local employment laws to maintain compliance across HR policies, practices, and systems, while driving continuous process improvement to support organizational growth and partnership expansion.
- Served as a trusted business partner to leaders and managers, providing proactive guidance on employee relations, organizational effectiveness, and change management during the rollout of strategic initiatives with Microsoft to develop AI-powered eye care solutions.
- Balanced strategic HR partnership with hands on day to day support to meet evolving business and workforce needs while supporting collaboration efforts with Microsoft.
- Led the implementation and buildout of a new learning management system to centralize training, improve employee development, and streamline learning access across the organization.
- Developed and launched monthly training initiatives within the LMS focused on compliance, leadership development, professional skills, and continuous learning.
People Partner
Databook
Palo Alto, CA
04.2022 - 04.2023
- Operated in a fast paced Databook environment where responsibilities extended well beyond the original technical recruiting scope.
- Built and optimized recruiting workflows within the newly implemented Greenhouse ATS, including interview scorecards, structured question banks, and scalable hiring processes.
- Built the recruiting function from the ground up for highly specialized roles, including machine learning engineers and senior site reliability engineers across the U.S. and EMEA.
- Designed and facilitated an interviewing best practices workshop for the entire technology organization.
- Partnered with executive and engineering leadership to define hiring strategy, prioritize headcount, and align talent acquisition with growth goals.
- Developed sourcing strategies to attract passive technical talent in highly competitive markets.
- Managed candidate experience end to end, ensuring a high touch and professional process from initial outreach through offer stage.
Recruitment & Development
DocuWare
Beacon, NY
06.2019 - 04.2022
- Built talent pipelines and managed full cycle recruitment across multiple functions.
- Coached hiring managers on interviewing techniques and hiring best practices through workshops and one on one sessions.
- Partnered closely with hiring managers to define role requirements, evaluate candidate qualifications, and identify top talent through a consultative approach.
- Improved HR processes, coordinated new hire orientations, and delivered onboarding programs for incoming employees.
- Helped establish and implement an internal application process to support career mobility across the organization.
- Managed performance management processes for all U.S. based employees, including the use of performance improvement plans.
- Led team building and development sessions utilizing DiSC assessments.
Senior HR Generalist
TheRTAstore.com & Willow Lane Cabinetry
Hopewell Junction, NY
09.2015 - 05.2019
- Managed full cycle recruitment processes from sourcing through offer acceptance and onboarding.
- Developed job descriptions in partnership with department leaders to align hiring needs with business objectives.
- Designed and facilitated companywide and departmental onboarding programs to accelerate new hire integration and readiness.
- Successfully onboarded more than 85 employees across multiple functions.
- Partnered with senior stakeholders to establish headcount plans and hiring budgets for fiscal year workforce needs.
- Managed payroll administration for all employees, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, confidentiality, and compliance with company policies and applicable regulations.
- Led succession planning initiatives across departments to strengthen internal talent pipelines, support business continuity, and prepare high potential employees for future leadership opportunities.
Education
Master of Science - Human Resource Management
SUNY Stony Brook (Part-time)
Stony Brook, NY05-2028
Bachelor of Arts - Public Relations
SUNY Empire State College
Saratoga Springs, NY12-2018
Skills
- People Operations & HR Leadership
- Full Cycle Recruitment & Talent Acquisition
- Payroll, Benefits & Compensation Administration
- HR Compliance & Employment Law
- Employee Relations & Performance Management
- Leadership Coaching & Manager Partnership
- Onboarding Strategy & Employee Lifecycle Management
- Talent Development & Succession Planning
- Process Improvement & HR Automation
- Employee Engagement & Culture Building
Certification
PHR - Credential ID 800092934PHR
Currently preparing for the SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP) certification exam.
Timeline
Sales Manager
The RTA Store
06.2024 - Current
Senior HR Business Partner
Topcon Healthcare
05.2023 - 06.2024
People Partner
Databook
04.2022 - 04.2023
Recruitment & Development
DocuWare
06.2019 - 04.2022
Senior HR Generalist
TheRTAstore.com & Willow Lane Cabinetry
09.2015 - 05.2019
Master of Science - Human Resource Management
SUNY Stony Brook (Part-time)
Bachelor of Arts - Public Relations
SUNY Empire State College