Senior HR Operations & People Strategy Leader

FAHREEN AHMED, MBA

310-***-**** *************@*****.*** Los Angeles, CA linkedin.com/in/fahreenahmed HEAD OF PEOPLE CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER PEOPLE STRATEGY ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS PEOPLE OPERATIONS

SUMMARY: People executive with 12+ years of experience building and scaling People operations, operational infrastructure, and workforce strategy for venture-backed healthcare and technology companies supporting teams of up to 250+ employees across 3 countries and all 50 U.S. states. Trusted advisor to founders, CEOs, and executive teams with expertise in organizational design, workforce planning, talent strategy, employee experience, HR operations, and business transformation. Built two People functions from the ground up as the first W-2 employee in 2 high-growth startups, scaling teams, systems, and processes from inception, led teams of up to 42 direct reports, and partnered cross-functionally across Finance, Legal, Operations, Technology, and Go-to-Market teams to drive scalable growth. Experienced in M&A integration, DTC operations, digital marketing, SEO, content strategy, and AI-enabled process optimization. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Circadia Health - People Ops Manager El Segundo, CA April 2026 - Current Strategic HR Business Partner supporting a rapidly scaling global healthcare technology organization.

● Serve as strategic People partner to executive leadership, supporting workforce planning, organizational effectiveness, employee engagement, and organizational change initiatives across a global workforce.

● Lead People Operations for 75 employees across 3 countries and 8 U.S. states, overseeing employee lifecycle programs, compliance, and operational infrastructure.

● Manage and develop a People Operations team of 5 direct reports, while coaching 6 managers through employee relations, performance management, investigations, accommodations, leave administration, and complex employee matters.

● Partner with hiring managers to recruit and onboard 18 employees, improving recruiting workflows, candidate experience, and onboarding processes.

● Administer Rippling HRIS, Lever ATS, payroll support, benefits administration, HR reporting, and workforce analytics while developing 3 HR policies and 32 SOPs that improved compliance and operational consistency.

● Automated HR workflows and executive reporting processes, reducing administrative effort by approximately 40% while improving data visibility and accuracy. Virnoux Health - Chief Operating Officer & Chief People Officer Remote July 2024 - Current Built and lead the People function for a venture-backed healthcare startup.

● Led the end-to-end acquisition and integration of ProstaQ's flagship men's health supplement, directing due diligence, operational transition, supply chain integration, regulatory coordination, financial planning, vendor management, and cross-functional execution to successfully incorporate the product into Virnoux's commercial portfolio.

● Served as the company's first W-2 employee, partnering directly with founders to establish organizational design, workforce planning, compensation strategy, operational infrastructure, and executive decision-making.

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● Built the People function from the ground up, designing HR strategy, infrastructure, policies, employee handbook, payroll administration, compliance programs, and scalable People operations supporting organizational growth.

● Owned direct-to-consumer (DTC) operations across Shopify, Amazon, and digital channels, overseeing website optimization, customer experience, inventory planning, product launches, and operational performance.

● Led marketing strategy, brand communications, SEO optimization, email marketing, content creation, social media strategy, and AI-enabled marketing automation to drive customer acquisition and brand growth.

● Coached founders and 3 leaders on leadership development, organizational effectiveness, employee relations, and performance management.

● Oversaw the complete employee lifecycle across multiple states, including onboarding, payroll, benefits administration, compliance, employee relations, and performance management.

● Managed 100% of employee relations matters, including workplace investigations, corrective actions, accommodations, conflict resolution, and employment compliance.

● Authored the company's foundational HR infrastructure, including 30+ SOPs, workflows, and operating procedures that enabled scalable growth.

● Implemented AI-powered HR automation, reducing administrative effort by approximately 40% while improving documentation quality and operational efficiency. QuickMD - Chief of Staff Senior Director of Clinical Operations Remote Jan 2022 - April 2026 Executive business partner supporting rapid scaling, operational transformation, and organizational growth for a national telehealth organization.

● Served as the company's first W-2 employee, partnering directly with founders to build operational infrastructure, organizational strategy, and scalable business processes during hypergrowth.

● Partnered with executive leadership to scale the organization from 12 to 250+ employees across all 50 U.S. states and 3 countries through workforce planning, organizational design, and operational strategy.

● Led and developed 42 direct reports while coaching 15 managers on leadership effectiveness, organizational change, performance management, and operational excellence.

● Oversaw hiring operations supporting the recruitment of 226 employees across clinical, operations, technology, and corporate functions.

● Partnered with executive leadership across Finance, Legal, Clinical Operations, Technology, and People to support annual payroll planning, budgeting, and strategic business initiatives.

● Built 50+ SOPs, workflows, and operational standards that established the company's operating foundation and enabled rapid organizational scaling.

● Directed enterprise-wide transformation initiatives that standardized operations, strengthened cross-functional collaboration, and reduced manual reporting by approximately 50% through automation and executive dashboards.

● Managed highly confidential executive communications, strategic initiatives, and executive-level initiatives requiring exceptional discretion and executive judgment.

● Led cross-functional marketing and communications initiatives, overseeing content strategy, executive communications, digital campaigns, website optimization, and organizational messaging supporting rapid national expansion.

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Keep Cool USA - Product Development, Sustainability & People Lead San Francisco, CA June 2015 - July 2018

● Partnered with executive leadership on recruiting, onboarding, workforce planning, employee engagement, and leadership development initiatives.

● Supported organizational improvements that strengthened team effectiveness and operational execution.

● Managed globally distributed teams and manufacturing partners across multiple countries, improving collaboration, production timelines, and operational consistency.

● Developed standardized documentation, operational workflows, and cross-functional processes that improved business efficiency and execution.

EDUCATION

Western Governor’s University, Masters of Business Administration (MBA)Millcreek, UT Western Governor’s University, Bachelor’s of Science (BS), Business Management Millcreek, UT CORE COMPETENCIES

● People Strategy & Executive Leadership - Executive Partnership • Founder Partnership • People Strategy • Organizational Design • Organizational Effectiveness • Workforce Planning • Executive Coaching • Leadership Development • Succession Planning • Change Management • Culture Building • Employee Experience

● People Operations - HR Operations • Employee Lifecycle Management • Talent Acquisition • Recruiting Operations • Performance Management • Compensation Strategy • Benefits Administration • Payroll Administration • HRIS Administration • Onboarding • Offboarding • HR Program Development

● Employee Relations & Compliance - Employee Relations • Workplace Investigations • Performance Improvement Plans • Corrective Action • Manager Coaching • Conflict Resolution • California Employment Law • Multi-State Employment Compliance • ADA • FMLA • Leave Administration • Policy Development • HR Compliance • Policy Development

● Business Strategy & Analytics - Startup Scaling • Executive Operations • Cross-Functional Leadership • Go-to-Market Strategy • DTC Operations • Marketing Strategy • Brand Strategy • SEO Optimization • Content Strategy • Executive Communications • Product Launches • AI Automation • Business Analytics

• KPI Dashboards • Process Improvement

TECHNICAL SKILLS

● HRIS, ATS & People Systems - Rippling (Advanced) • Lever • BambooHR • Greenhouse • Ashby • Workday • ADP • Gusto • Checkr • LinkedIn Recruiter

● Benefits, Payroll & Compliance - Benefits Administration • Payroll Administration • Multi-State Employment Compliance • HR Compliance • Policy Administration • Employee Relations Documentation • SecureFrame • Vanta • Tango

● Business Systems - Google Workspace • Microsoft 365 (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access) • SharePoint • Salesforce • Zendesk • QuickBooks • DocuSign

● Project & Knowledge Management - Notion • Monday.com • Airtable • Coda • Asana • Trello • Slack

● Analytics & Reporting - Microsoft Excel • Google Sheets • Workforce Analytics • KPI Dashboards • Headcount Reporting • Compensation Reporting • Executive Reporting

● AI & Automation - ChatGPT • Claude • Gemini • Juicebox AI • Figma

● Marketing & Growth - Shopify • Amazon Seller Central • Google Analytics • SEO • Email Marketing • Social Media Strategy • Content Management • AI Content Creation • Canva • Figma 3

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