Tessa L. Humeniak, MBA

Co-Founder

Chicago, Illinois, United States8 yrs 4 mos experience

Key Highlights

Built People Operations from scratch for high-growth startups.
Achieved 99% offer acceptance rates through strategic advisory.
Reduced time-to-fill by 35% with system implementations.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS People Operations architect with expertise in scaling talent strategies for high-growth startups.

Contact

tessa.humeniak@gmail.com LinkedIn

Skills

Core Skills

RecruitingOrganizational Development

Other Skills

Project ManagementPeople ManagementStrategic Human Resources LeadershipFull Life Cycle RecruitingNegotiationSkilled Multi-taskerOperational ExcellenceTalent SourcingCustomer Facing RolesTalent PipeliningNetworking EventsCustomer ServiceIT RecruitmentSocial MediaMicrosoft Office

About

Executive People & Talent Architect | 0-to-1 Functional Builder I am a "dual-threat" People Executive who doesn't just fill seats—I build the engine that powers the entire employee lifecycle. With 12+ years of experience scaling high-growth startups and global tech organizations (Series B–C), I specialize in the critical "0-to-1" build phase. I partner with Founders and CEOs to architect People Operations infrastructure, design compliance and compensation frameworks, and execute high-velocity Talent Acquisition strategies that align with revenue goals. My Core Value Prop: The Builder Mindset: I have built Talent & People functions from scratch, implementing systems like Greenhouse, Rippling, and Dover to reduce time-to-fill by 35%. The Retention Architect: I design onboarding and performance frameworks that have proven to boost retention by 33% and drive 99% offer acceptance rates. The Strategic Partner: I move beyond "recruiting" to advise Boards and C-suites on organizational design, SOC2 compliance, and workforce planning. Currently seeking Founding Talent Partner or Head of People/Talent roles where I can build the culture and infrastructure for the next great tech company. 📍 Based in Chicago | Open to Relocation (SF Bay Area, Seattle) | Remote-Ready

Experience

8 yrs 4 mos

Total Experience

2 yrs

Average Tenure

2 mos

Current Experience

Talent collective

Member

Mar 2026 – Present · 2 mos

Cuesta partners

Talent & People Operations

Jun 2025 – Dec 2025 · 6 mos · United States · Remote

People Operations Strategy: Designed and executed a contractor-to-W2 conversion policy with strict compliance guardrails, protecting the firm against multi-state risk and ensuring scalability for future growth.
Organizational Design: Co-piloted workforce planning with C-Suite executives, executing performance management cycles and compliance audits to strengthen organizational readiness.
Talent Architecture: Architected firmwide interview training (Associate $\rightarrow$ Practice Lead) that reduced candidate drop-off by 20% and standardized hiring practices across leadership.
Executive Reporting: Delivered data-driven reporting on retention, hiring velocity, and compliance risk to provide Board-level visibility into organizational health.

Strategic hr consulting

Principal HR & Talent Consultant

Apr 2024 – Jun 2025 · 1 yr 2 mos · Remote

Advisor to Founders: Partnered with startup founders and People leaders to build 0-to-1 workforce planning models, compliance frameworks, and recruiting strategies.
Infrastructure Build-Outs: Designed comprehensive People Ops playbooks, guiding early-stage companies through contract-to-W2 conversions, ATS implementations, and performance management framework design.
Continuous Improvement: Maintained deep market expertise in HR strategy, AI in People Ops, and multi-state labor compliance.

RecruitingProject ManagementOrganizational DevelopmentPeople ManagementStrategic Human Resources LeadershipFull Life Cycle Recruiting+5

Particle health

Head of People & Talent Operations

Jul 2022 – Apr 2024 · 1 yr 9 mos · United States · Remote

People Infrastructure (0-to-1): Built the People Operations foundation from ground zero, establishing compliance frameworks (SOC2), compensation leveling, and succession planning to mature the organization.
Systems & Efficiency: Orchestrated the implementation and integration of Greenhouse + Rippling, reducing time-to-fill by 35% and improving retention by 33% through better data flow and onboarding.
Talent Strategy: Partnered on critical senior hires across Clinical, Product, and G&A, while advising the executive team on compensation bands and leveling to ensure equity.
Employer Branding: Built an employer brand strategy that increased top-of-funnel volume by 45%, directly supporting rapid headcount growth.

RecruitingTalent PipeliningOrganizational DevelopmentNegotiationCustomer Facing Roles

Rollbar

Sr. Manager, Global Talent & People Strategy

Jan 2020 – Jul 2022 · 2 yrs 6 mos · San Francisco Bay Area · Remote

Global People Ops: Built and standardized global People Ops policies, interview training, and DEI sourcing strategies, driving a 99% offer acceptance rate.
Strategic Advisory: Served as a strategic advisor to the C-suite on global hiring, DEI outcomes, and organizational design to support international expansion.
Workforce Planning: Managed workforce planning across Engineering, Product, GTM, and G&A, aligning hiring velocity with revenue priorities and operational capacity.
Data & Analytics: Implemented real-time analytics dashboards to drive executive decision-making regarding headcount and budget allocation.

RecruitingOrganizational DevelopmentNegotiationCustomer Facing Roles

Ahold delhaize

Senior Recruiting Lead

Feb 2018 – Jan 2020 · 1 yr 11 mos · Greater Chicago Area · Hybrid

Onboarding & Retention: Revamped the entire onboarding journey, introducing structured 30-60-90 day plans that improved 90-day retention by 33%.
Operational Excellence: Instituted sourcing and operational strategies that reduced time-to-fill by 18% and significantly lowered agency spend.
Strategic Leadership: Directed hiring strategy for Engineering, Product, and G&A roles to support large-scale digital innovation for the transformation arm of Ahold Delhaize.

RecruitingNegotiationNetworking EventsCustomer Facing Roles