Talent Development Acquisition
Resume:
Edward Kayton
Bridgewater, MA *****
****************@*****.***
SUMMARY AND PROFILE
Dynamic, results-driven senior leader with extensive experience in directing strategic and operational initiatives in all facets of HR to drive organizational performance. Proven success in working with C-suite to align talent development strategies with business objectives. Skilled in HR strategy, organizational design, talent acquisition, performance management, leadership development, employee/labor relations, divestitures, outsourcing and offshoring, and HR transformation projects.
Strategic HR Leadership & Executive Coaching DEI Initiatives & Organizational Transformation
Change Management & Talent Optimization Employee Engagement & Retention Strategies
Workforce Planning & Succession Management Talent Development Programs
HR Data Analytics & Metrics Compensation, Total Rewards and Benefits
Mergers, Acquisitions & Divestitures Organizational Culture Design
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Plume Design Inc., Palo Alto, CA November 2022 to Present
SaaS company that created the first adaptive Wi-Fi systems to power the future of smart spaces, $700M revenue.
Head of Global Talent Development & DEI
Work with C-suite leaders to enhance business initiatives through talent development, learning programs, and DEI strategies for a multi-million-dollar technology startup with 600 employees and 100+ contractors in Americas, EMEA, and APAC. Formulate a comprehensive learning/development strategy, diversity and inclusion plans, and leadership curriculum. Conduct employee engagement surveys to gauge organizational climate and drive initiatives that bolster workforce morale and productivity.
Achieved 98% employee participation across multiple administrations of engagement survey. Increased engagement mean by 4% points, and saved $140K+ in platform and consulting costs.
Lead employee skill enhancement with 75% of employees participating within the first year of self-paced micro learning courses for skill development, increasing internal promotions by 20%.
Re-imagined a Talent Development strategy with the introduction of multiple tools that enhance a talent profile: performance and probationary reviews, career investment, calibration and succession planning tools.
Formulated a diversity strategy and communicated a DE&I company statement, aligned communications and incorporated into all training and reference materials. Led supplier diversity spend tracking with Procurement and formed a first Employee Resource Group, Women in Tech.
Reduced regrettable attrition by 10% through leadership development and career planning.
Completed succession planning for all key positions.
JetBlue Airways, Long Island City, NY September 2021 to November 2022
Low-cost airline with $13.8B in revenue and over 24,000 employees.
Sr Vice President, Human Resources /Head of Talent & Crewmember Experience
Led employee relations, talent acquisition, talent development, organizational effectiveness, learning/development, people data insights, culture, and employee engagement functions. Transformed employee relations function to align with a centralized HR Business Partner model. Spearheaded overhaul of employee pathway programs, emphasizing development of underrepresented talent through programmatic initiatives. Created a dedicated function for engagement, concentrating on survey action planning, recognition, and Crewmember communications. Executed succession planning process, determined key successors for C-suite positions, and redefined criteria for emerging talent.
Improved employee engagement survey participation by 20% and grand mean by 2% points. Reduced platform and consultation costs by $80K through strategic outsourcing.
Optimized employee relations for field and corporate, simplifying reporting structures, and reallocated headcount to better redeploy internal resources, saving over $275K.
Restructured onboarding process at JetBlue University and attained 96% satisfaction level through improved content and delivery, decreasing attrition within first year by 45%.
Automated backgrounds and compliance processes resulting in a faster and more accurate processing of new hires and re-credentialing of exiting employees.
Redesigned pathway programs resulting in an increase of 35% more scholars per year graduating with a degree.
Created personal performance dashboards for all c-suite leaders with people data analytics, insights and benchmarks, establishing metrics around recruitment and retention, diversity equity and inclusion, engagement, performance and promotions, productivity, compensation and pay, spans and layers, learning and turnover.
Spirit Airlines, Fort Lauderdale, FL August 2015 to September 2021
Largest ultra-low-cost airline with $5.36B in revenue and over 10,000 employees.
Vice President, Human Resources, June 2021
Senior Director, Human Resources, August 2015 to May 2021
Reported to CEO and led an HR function across the Americas and the Caribbean. Delivered strategic guidance and set priorities in Human Resources. Conceptualized recruitment process outsourcing model for improved efficiency of salaried staffing roles and dedicated talent acquisition team to focus on specific areas of business. Established corporate university, Spirit U, to bolster management, leadership, and functional skills through various learning modalities, such as classroom, OJT, mentoring, and continuous learning opportunities. Led employee engagement/recognition programs and fostered inclusive workplace culture via Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) strategy development. Worked with executive leadership and created a common purpose, mission, and values aligned across all levels of organization. Advised on organizational structures and succession planning to ensure business continuity and talent optimization. Created an HR Analytics function to track and analyze key HR metrics, setting internal benchmarks to measure effectiveness of HR services and report on metrics.
Redefined recruitment process and automated mass candidate screening with AI technology to expedite recruitment and sustain high hiring ratios (1,200+/per year).
Pioneered adoption of strength-based selection tools and methodologies for robust talent acquisition framework.
Formulated enterprise service model, Spirit Signature Service, and took 7K+ employees through elevated service standards training.
Created a diversity strategy and established the first Employee Resource Group, recognized by Forbes as America’s Best Employers for Diversity.
Established HR Care Center and significantly improved responsiveness to team member inquiries, moving to same day service.
Assisted in creating a Spirit Charitable Foundation focusing on three pillars, Community & Families, Service Members and The Environment, raising over $1M in the first year.
Championed CSR initiatives and Spirit Foundation volunteer programs, strengthening organizational culture and employee pride.
Optimized human capital decision-making and planning through strategic use of workforce analytics and co- authored Spirit’s 2020 Sustainability Report, ESG Brief 2020, and DEI&B Impact 2022 reports.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Atlanta, GA October 2006 to August 2015
Provider of innovative technologies for compliance, risk management, and operations improvement.
Vice President, Human Resources, March 2010 to August 2015
Sr. Director, Human Resources Boca Raton, FL, 2008 to 2010
Director, Human Resources Boca Raton, FL, 2006 to 2008
Worked with C-suite and IT leaders across multiple divisions, driving extensive coordination and strategy alignment for high-growth enterprise of 5K employees and aligning with $5B+ revenue target across Americas and Europe. Oversaw HR operations for all business units, corporate functions, and executive teams. Facilitated execution of individualized leadership development programs for C-suite and instituted shared services model to optimize business function efficiency across divisions.
Directed comprehensive HR strategies during 12+ M&A transactions, while ensuring successful business integration and cultural assimilation while achieving synergy targets.
Reduced time to fill key positions by optimizing talent acquisition strategies and minimizing agency spending, bringing average time to fill to less than 40 days.
Harmonized global titles and hierarchy, condensing 3,700 titles into 12 discipline/350 title framework to illustrate clear career progression with vertical/lattice mobility. Boosted internal promotions and reduced yearly attrition to less than 7%.
Drove data-driven decision making by generating HR Dashboard and presenting actionable insights.
Successfully divested a business that no longer fit the business portfolio.
Off shored select IT functions, saving over $3M in 2 years.
ANN TAYLOR, INC., New York, NY April 2000 to June 2006
Director, Human Resource
Led a team of five HR generalists supporting 11K employees across 824 stores.
Integrated GALLUP benchmarking to improve high-performance selection methodologies.
Achieved SOX compliance through an HR audit process and resolved litigation, saving $375K annually.
Drove engagement through career-pathing and measurable performance outcomes aligned with total rewards.
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
FAO Schwarz, New York, NY /HR Senior Manager /HR Manager /HR Asst. Manager, October 1994 - July 1998
Nordstrom, Menlo Park, NJ /Sales Associate & Pacesetter $800K book of business, 1991 - 1994
PUBLICATION
Profile Magazine Article: Edward Kayton: In Business, Put Your Own Mask on First - Profile (profilemagazine.com)
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