Human Resources Talent Operations

Cindy J. Mayz

Waynesboro, VA • 770-***-**** • ***********@*****.*** • LinkedIn

TALENT & HR MANAGEMENT

People-centric leader with extensive experience in driving workforce transformation, operational scalability, and executive-level people strategies within aerospace, defense, higher education, and complex enterprise environments.

Adept at steering high-performing recruiting and HR operations functions, delivering accelerated hiring outcomes, workforce growth, process optimization, and organizational alignment.

Expert in leveraging expertise in talent management, HR compliance, workforce planning, employee lifecycle management, compensation validation, and HR analytics to support business expansion and operational excellence.

History of strengthening executive decision-making through data-driven recruiting strategies, HR technology optimization, regulatory compliance, and performance-focused talent initiatives supporting cleared and non-cleared populations.

Instrumental in advancing recruiting delivery, employee engagement, leadership development, and scalable HR infrastructure while leading high-performing teams within fast-growth, matrixed, and highly regulated organizations.

Talent Acquisition Leadership • HR Operations Management • People Operations Strategy • Organizational Development

Talent Management • Recruiting Operations Optimization • HR Regulatory Compliance • Onboarding Management

HRIS & ATS Administration • Compensation & Benefits Administration • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiatives

Leadership Development & Coaching • Strategic Sourcing & Pipeline Development • Executive Stakeholder Partnership

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Reduced time-to-hire by 30% through workflow redesign, ATS optimization, and improved candidate engagement strategies while scaling recruiting operations in a defense contracting environment.

Scaled recruiting organization from 2 to 8 recruiters while supporting 150% increase in annual hiring volume, delivering 300+ workforce expansion and maintaining 95%+ offer acceptance rate across complex aerospace and defense programs.

PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions Blue Ash, OH

QDSS is an aerospace and defense engineering services subsidiary of Quest Global, providing outsourced engineering and technical solutions to major aerospace manufacturers, defense contractors, and government agencies.

2021 - 2026

Human Resource Operations Manager 2025 – 2026

Talent Acquisition Operations Leader 2021 - 2025

Led HR operations across payroll, benefits administration, HRIS management, onboarding/offboarding, and employee data governance for cleared and non-cleared workforces in a defense contracting environment. Complied with OFCCP, FLSA, FMLA, ITAR, EEO-1, and federal/state defense workforce regulations across contractor-heavy operations supporting aerospace and defense clients. Collaborated with leadership and program management teams to support clearance requirements, workforce segmentation strategies, and classified staffing operations for embedded customer-site personnel. Administered and optimized HR technology platforms, including Greenhouse ATS, ADP, and Unanet to strengthen data integrity, secure access controls, reporting capabilities, and operational scalability. Developed HR analytics supporting workforce planning, diversity initiatives, compensation validation, and operational reporting for executive leadership.

Strengthened leadership alignment and hiring responsiveness and improved offer turnaround times by 30% across matrixed business operations.

Implemented ATS CRM and analytics integrations that boosted recruiter productivity by 25% and increased qualified candidate engagement by 40%.

Hired more than 100 employees each for Pratt & Whitney and GE-related projects by leading recruiting delivery for major aerospace and defense programs.

Standardized recruiting processes and competency-based hiring practices, increased offer acceptance rates by 20%, and improved hiring consistency across teams.

Optimized recruiter prioritization, coaching, and performance management along with increasing candidate submissions and recruiting throughput by 25%.

Applied advanced sourcing methodologies, including Boolean search, X-ray sourcing, social recruiting, and referral campaigns to expand candidate pipelines by 35% year over year.

Built Greenhouse ATS workflows, recruiting pipelines, and a dedicated careers website, enhancing candidate experience and recruiting efficiency across technical and defense hiring initiatives.

Led and mentored a team of six HR and recruiting professionals aimed at fostering operational excellence, continuous improvement, and high-performance service standards within a fast-scaling defense subsidiary.

University of South Florida Tampa, FL

A public research university, offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs across a wide range of academic and research disciplines.

2018 - 2021

Human Resource Manager

Directed a team of eight benefits, retirement, and data entry professionals, while overseeing daily operations, employee support, and service delivery across benefits administration functions. Managed operations for state-sponsored and university-specific retirement and benefits programs while complying with regulatory and institutional requirements. Collaborated with HRIS teams to lead testing, validation, and implementation activities for PeopleSoft benefits administration updates and system enhancements.

Developed and mentored a high-performing benefits operations team through coaching, training, and performance management initiatives.

Reduced retirement plan vendors from 13 to 2 through implementation of a Master Administrator model, improved governance, simplified administration, and strengthened operational efficiency.

Led a multi-year retirement plan consolidation initiative, partnering with external consultants to evaluate legacy plans, determine retention strategies, and transition employees into streamlined investment options.

MAG Aerospace Hampton, VA

U.S.-based defense contractor and aviation services company providing aircraft, pilot support, sensor systems, and technology services that help military and government agencies collect and analyze intelligence information.

2016 - 2018

Corporate Talent Acquisition Recruiter

Partnered with hiring managers to develop targeted sourcing, assessment, and candidate closing strategies aligned with mission-critical staffing requirements and operational objectives. Conducted initial candidate interviews and technical screenings, maintaining strong interview-to-offer conversion ratios for highly specialized cleared positions.

Built and maintained long-term networks of cleared candidates through strategic sourcing, market research, and relationship management initiatives.

Recruited Top Secret and TS/SCI-cleared professionals supporting unmanned drone and defense programs, including system administrators, pilots, geospatial specialists, cyber, intelligence, and technical personnel.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Vesuvius, Inc. • Human Resource Operations Manager

Emory University • HR Manager/ Retirement Plan Administrator

EDUCATION

Juris Masters Emory School of Law

MPA University of North Carolina at Charlotte

BA, Psychology University of North Carolina at Greensboro

Certified Paralegal Emory University

AI Workplace Proficiency - Certified

TECHNICAL PROFICIENCIES

PeopleSoft 9.1 ADP ATS (Taleo, BrassRing, Greenhouse) Deltek Power BI Adobe Microsoft Office Suite MS Outlook Westlaw (Advanced Certified) Agile Certified KPI Dashboards MS Planner & Project

“Cindy is an exceptional recruiting leader and trusted business partner who consistently drives results through strategic focus, operational excellence, and strong people leadership. She builds high-performing recruiting teams, delivers top-tier talent in competitive markets, and is highly professional, collaborative, and proactive. Any organization would be fortunate to have her on their team.”

— Deena S., Senior Program Manager, QDSS (over Siemens & Collins programs)

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