Joe Mertens Email and Phone Number

Counseled managers up to the SVP level on personnel matters including performance management, involuntary & voluntary terminations, compensation and promotions, resource deployment, and department culture. Drafted warning letters, performance improvement plans, and separation agreements to minimize risk in involuntary terminations. Formulated and led implementation of a career ladder & standardized title system to better align with the market, increase efficiency in internal decision making and increase candidate attraction. Advised company executives on the continued inclusion of non-compete and non-solicitation agreements in employee offer letters by researching legal trends and writing & presenting an advisory memo. Updated company employee handbook by modifying existing language and drafting new language in coordination with in-house legal team and outside counsel to ensure compliance with all relevant laws. Led hiring to fill all open tech-ops roles by sourcing candidates, managing the interview process, crafting offer terms, and leading offer negotiations.

I jumped right in on day one getting my first project during orientation. Then the next day in my first meeting, and in a testament to how welcome I felt, flanked by a VP on one side and an Executive Director on the other, I mentioned that I had an idea for the networking event at the company meeting. Drawing on my experiences as a summer camp director I created a bingo style card where participants had to find people in the room who met various criteria. A few weeks later at our company meeting it was amazing to see my idea in action. The interns were talking to the executives and the scientists to the sales team- that’s what we in HR call success! After the company meeting my projects shifted to the compliance side of HR where I partnered with Legal and Quality Assurance to reassess records retention and FDA requirements. I set up a plan for our employee files to be stored electronically and facilitated the upload process. Then I worked with managers across the company to organize and update our job descriptions and all employees to update their resumes. That was not all I did with resumes though. I also got to review some, working with the fantastic R&D team to source, screen, and ultimately hire candidates for open positions within their unit. If I had the scientific knowledge, I would be rushing to join their team because of all the fun I had working with them. Finally, I spearheaded a project working to align titles across the organization and create career tracks. I must say I enjoyed this project tremendously. Knowing that this project was going to provide helpful structure to Ocular as it continues to grow gave me a real sense that I was having an impact. I also used this as an opportunity to hone my PowerPoint skills creating a slide deck that I presented to Ocular’s executives. Most of all though, I enjoyed this project because it gave me an opportunity to do what I enjoy most- synthesize large amounts of information into organized frameworks.

Redesigned staff training program, including programming a one-day workshop and writing a new staff training guidebook for thirty staff members to enhance camp experience through diversified camper engagement and improved behavior management strategies. Recruited, communicated with, and on-boarded ten new counselors by drawing on prior personal experience as a Counselor for 4 years and an Assistant Director for 1 year. Set up online registration to support the seamless enrollment of 200 campers by utilizing Active.com. Managed strategic communication with parents throughout the camp experience to resolve finance issues, address behavioral concerns, and inform about medical issues. Supervised staff of fifteen counselors and sixty campers during sports time, Taekwondo, arts and craft, and field trips to promote camper safety and fun.

Established organization Instagram account and grew following to over 100 followers by researching Instagram Story features, TikTok trends, and cross-network integration to communicate value of continued enrollment when COVID-19 prevented in-person Taekwondo classes. Created an Instagram strategy of two posts and four stories a week, in addition to specialized video content, and collaborated with five team members to design content with Canva to maintain customer engagement.

Advised on transition from live to virtual martial arts classes for 1700 students including schedule modifications, class structure, and staffing to facilitate a smooth transition to remote instruction. Implemented online scheduling with automatic Zoom integration using Appointlet technology and provided user technical support for thirty instructors, resulting in over 500 student registrations for one-on-one instruction per week. Wrote a best operating procedure guide on utilizing Appointlet for Taekwondo schools across the country to be distributed to 100 consulting clients to improve virtual scheduling efficiency.