Preston Sharpston

Experience

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  MWB Restaurants

  People Operations Manager

  Mar 2024 - Present

  MWB is a privately owned franchisee of the Whataburger family. We will build & operate, at least 30 stores in North Alabama. Our fast paced growth means rapid growth potential for your career. We seek the best of the best to operate our restaurants. Our high performance team serves fresh, made-to-order breakfast and burgers 24/7 Come join us in serving communities a burger so big and delicious they have to say "What-A-Burger"

  • Founding Head of People (HR) reporting to the COO, and supporting an employee population of 800+ across 8 locations. Member of the leadership team and ownership of company-wide recruiting operations, talent management, employee relations and people communications. Works to drive innovation and consistency as we open 90 locations over the next 10 years.
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  MWB Restaurants

  Senior Recruiting Enablement Partner

  Nov 2023 - Mar 2024

  MWB is a privately owned franchisee of the Whataburger family. We will build & operate, at least 30 stores in North Alabama. Our fast paced growth means rapid growth potential for your career. We seek the best of the best to operate our restaurants. Our high performance team serves fresh, made-to-order breakfast and burgers 24/7 Come join us in serving communities a burger so big and delicious they have to say "What-A-Burger"

  • Hired to build a standardized and scalable recruiting function for a restaurant franchise with 8 locations. Partnered with leadership to design and implement recruiting programs, processes, and systems. Led an ATS implementation, established the company's Employee Value Proposition, designed marketing collaterals, delivered training workshops, and overhauled the employee orientation program.
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  Jack's Family Restaurants, LP

  Senior Manager, Field Talent Acquisition

  Jun 2023 - Oct 2023

  In 1960, Jack’s fired up its very first grill in Homewood, Alabama. From the get-go, we had the best people serving up the best food you could find, and we treated our customers like family. As our community has grown larger over the years, we’ve remained committed to values that go beyond our food—like giving back to our communities, family, growth and respect. And while times have certainly changed, one thing remains the same: good food and good people make for a great time, and that’s what helps our customers step into our Southern story every time they stop by. With over 200 locations in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia and Mississippi, it’s safe to say Jack’s truly is “All About the South.” While our food and our service set us apart, we couldn’t do what we do without you. That’s why we’re all about you when it comes to sharing what we love—you make us family.

  • Fractional talent leader for a QSR chain hiring 27,000 people annually. Partnered with 8 Regional Vice Presidents and over 50 multi-unit leaders to plan, execute, and support high-volume recruiting strategies. Led a recruiting team supporting 250 locations in 4 states while driving multiple strategic projects. Reduced agency spend 60% in 2 months and executed marketing strategies that yielded a 50% average increase in job applicants.
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  The Mosaic Company

  Senior Business Recruiter

  Oct 2022 - Jun 2023

  Mosaic is a global leader in the crop nutrient industry — the only company with the ability to produce and deliver two vital crop nutrients, phosphate and potash, on a massive scale. Mosaic engages in every phase of crop nutrition, from the mining of resources to the production of crop nutrients, feed and industrial products for customers around the globe.

  • Primary recruiter (via Vaco) for 16 business units across the United States and Canada, including HR, L&D, communications, IT, finance, legal, and more. Supported 51 hiring leaders, ranging from frontline managers to senior executives. Carried 5-20 reqs, averaging 7 fills monthly. Achieved a 96% offer acceptance rate and 100% retention for all placements.
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  Parallel

  Head of Talent Acquisition

  May 2022 - Oct 2022

  • Founding recruiter for a Series A startup during a period of hyper-growth. Standardized the company's TA function, led a full ATS implementation, and built a team of 4 high-volume recruiters while carrying a full req load. Key focus areas included talent strategy, recruiting operations, and recruiting enablement. Scaled the company 62% during tenure (46 hires in 5 months) and achieved 92% retention for all placements.
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  Smart Pension

  Head of Talent Acquisition (U.S.)

  Dec 2021 - May 2022

  Our mission is to transform retirement, savings and financial wellbeing, across all generations, around the world. We’re here to help you manage the rapid changes happening in the UK pension industry and across the globe. We have evolved to become one of the largest workplace pension providers in the UK, with backing from global financial giants Legal & General Investment Management and J.P. Morgan. We’re growing, not only in the UK but internationally, too, meaning that we can offer you: -A multi-award-winning and digital experience for both you and your employees, before and after their retirement. -Simple and secure processes for you as an employer and your employees as members, thanks to a commitment to technology, strong governance and customer service. -The ability to adapt and innovate our products and services to suit your needs and the needs of your employees, thanks to our user-centric culture of innovation, improvement and evolution. The Smart Pension Master Trust was authorised by The Pensions Regulator in 2019, meaning that we are able to offer you a secure pension scheme that will continue to protect members’ financial futures, look after their investments, increase their engagement and be great value for money. If you'd like to find out more please email workplace@smartpension.co.uk. We look forward to a Smart future together.

  • Founding recruiter for the U.S. branch of a Series D startup serving 70,000 clients globally. Established all systems, processes, and philosophies relating to talent acquisition ("SMART") while performing full-cycle recruitment for various G&A, GTM, and Technical roles. Strategic partner to 7 business units across the U.S. and Europe. Maintained a 98% offer acceptance rate and 100% retention for all placements.
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  WestCare

  Human Resources Manager

  Jan 2020 - Dec 2021

  We are a family of nonprofit organizations that provide a wide range of health and human services, in both residential and outpatient environments. We currently operate across 15 states, 3 U.S. territories, the Dominican Republic, and the Republic of Palau. Our services include substance abuse and addiction treatment, homeless and runaway shelters, domestic violence treatment and prevention, educational services, community-building programs, mental health programs, and more. These services are available to adults, children, adolescents, and families. Our mission is to Uplift the Human Spirit, and together we share four core values: EXCELLENCE. We strive for excellence and value and reward success. We are committed to continual improvement in all that we do. We expect nothing less than success and we have the means to create and foster success for ourselves, our coworkers, and all those we serve. DEDICATION. We are committed to doing what it takes to get the job done ethically, efficiently, and with empathy. We are committed to hard work. We are passionate about what we do and compassionate with our clients and coworkers. GROWTH. We are committed to learning and continuous improvement. We recognize growth as a dynamic process, not an event. We believe that the key to success is creating the resources we need to meet our goals and to fulfill our mission. ETHICS. We value and expect integrity in every aspect of our work and accept nothing less. > Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/westcare > Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/westcare > Newsletter: www.westcareexpress.com

  • HR leader for the Appalachia and Great Lakes regions, comprised of 5 states and 15 locations. Strategic partner to 35 managers, 5 Vice Presidents, and multiple executives while supporting a team of 7 HR Specialists. Key areas of focus included talent acquisition, employee relations, talent management, team building, leadership development, and HR operations.