Telma Soares

Serve as strategic HR Business Partner to executive leadership, department heads, and cross-functional teams, providing people-focused guidance to support business growth and agility in a highly seasonal hospitality environment.

Lead full-cycle HR operations and talent lifecycle for a workforce of 85–110 employees across multiple sites, including strategic recruitment, onboarding, performance management, development, payroll oversight, and labour law compliance.

Designed and launched the "Journey of Growth" development framework by structuring the People & Culture department into three strategic pillars, Journey of Talent, Team Journey, and Journey of Growth, integrating personalized development plans, performance diagnostics, tailored KPIs, training programs, and coaching. Lead the Journey of Talent pillar (building and scaling the internship/early-talent pipeline, internal mobility, and succession planning to create a sustainable talent supply chain for peak seasonal demand) and drive the Team Journey pillar (culture-building, employee recognition, celebrations, and team-building initiatives to boost engagement and team cohesion).

Pioneered a centralized hotel-wide internal communications platform, acting as trusted conflict mediator, employee advocate, and cultural steward, significantly improving transparency, information flow, and organizational climate.

Redesigned organizational structures and roles to enhance operational flexibility and support business expansion.

Managed up to 32 simultaneous recruitment processes across engineering, hospitality and retail sectors, closing 12 positions with an average time-to-hire of 1 month.

Led end-to-end selection for middle and top management roles, applying advanced sourcing strategies, structured interviewing and psychometric assessment methodologies.

Conducted psychological assessments across recruitment and organisational diagnostics using aptitude tests, personality inventories and behavioural interviews.

Evaluated organisational climate, culture, wellbeing and psychosocial risks,

translating data into actionable insights that strengthened performance and emotional sustainability.

Interviewed approximately 25 candidates per month, contributing to 17 positions across multiple sectors. Successfully delivered a graduate trainee project for the banking sector, placing 6 hires and generating contract value.