Gloria Nettles
Irvine
Summary
I build HR functions that work in union plants, through M&A, inside PE-backed companies, and across highly regulated industries. I was a military spouse for years, which means walking into a new organization, learning the business fast, and making an impact before most people finish onboarding isn't a skill I developed. It’s just how I operate. I’ve led international HR operations spanning 1,000+ employees across the U.S. and Mexico, managed labor relations in California and under Mexico's Federal Labor Law simultaneously, and built Centers of Excellence from the ground up. Leaders trust me because I don't create new problems while solving old ones. I use data and technology, including AI, to move faster and make smarter decisions, but I've never confused metrics with culture. The numbers tell you what's happening. Your people tell you why.
Overview
18
18
years of professional experience
Work History
HR & Safety People Partner
Terran Orbital
Irvine
10.2025 - Current
- Senior HR partner to site leadership at a Lockheed Martin subsidiary, owning the full HR function including compensation, employee relations, compliance, and workforce planning.
- Sole HR leader for weekend operations, managing a workforce of 450+ across a regulated aerospace manufacturing environment.
- Built the site’s first HR KPI dashboard from scratch, giving executive leadership real-time visibility into workforce performance, turnover trends, and headcount data.
- Led compensation infrastructure build using ERI, conducting equity reviews and executing pay adjustments to achieve market alignment and correct internal pay inequities.
- Served as the sole HR and safety presence for weekend operations, managing shift leadership, safety inspections, and all ER escalations across a 450+ person regulated manufacturing site.
- Launched and led employee town halls for the weekend shift, rebuilding communication channels between frontline employees and site leadership and improving workforce trust scores.
- Co-led full employee handbook overhaul with the VP of HR; advised site leadership on complex ER matters, reducing escalation risk across the weekend operation.
- Developed and maintained a monthly turnover metrics dashboard, identifying trends and presenting retention recommendations directly to site leadership.
- Lockheed Martin Subsidiary
HR Program Manager
NearU
12.2024 - 10.2025
- Brought in as the founding HR Program Manager to partner with the Chief People Officer in building the HR strategy and infrastructure for a PE-backed, $365M organization, including a full HRIS migration from ADP to Dayforce.
- Led full HRIS migration from ADP to Dayforce as Project Manager and Subject Matter Expert, personally leading cross-functional teams across payroll, HR, talent, compensation, training, and general ledger through all system configuration, setup, testing, and validation across every module.
- Designed and built the company's first merit review system from scratch, creating all manager-facing tools, process documentation, and rollout materials for a 1,600+ person workforce.
- Designed and launched the company’s first annual and quarterly bonus programs; built the compensation framework from scratch, aligned it to business objectives, and delivered the first company-wide payout cycle.
- Launched Comp Analyst by Salary.com as the company's first compensation management system, market-pricing 200+ roles to establish consistent pay structures across the organization; led a major project analyzing 119 commission plans across 28 branches, partnering with finance to recommend consolidation of commission-based structures.
- Served as the internal subject matter expert across compensation, performance, and HRIS, with work presented directly to PE operating partners and executive leadership.
- Reported HR project status monthly to the PMO and executive leadership, tracking progress, surfacing risks, and keeping all HR initiatives on schedule.
- PE-Backed, $365M HVAC Services
Senior HR Business Partner — Multi-Site | Labor Relations
Syensqo / Cytec Engineered Materials
03.2022 - 11.2024
- Held full oversight of the HR function across three California sites and Mexico, supporting 1,000+ employees spanning two distinct workforces operating under California employment law and Mexico’s Federal Labor Law (LFT).
- Operated within Syensqo’s global HR shared services model, partnering daily with international HR teams on payroll, recruiting, and Centers of Excellence (CoE) shared services execution as the Americas regional HR lead for a €6.8B organization spanning 30 countries.
- Managed four direct reports including a Mexico-based HR Business Partner with full country accountability.
- Reported to the Head of HR for the Americas and operated as the senior HR executive on the ground across two union environments.
- Delivered 80%+ union ratification votes across two contract negotiations, built on two years of genuine relationship-building with the workforce before negotiations ever started.
- Eliminated 95% of outstanding arbitrations and maintained zero arbitrations over two and a half years through consistent, disciplined labor relations strategy across 400+ union employees.
- Directed international HR operations spanning 1,000+ employees across U.S. and Mexico, with a direct report carrying full country-level HR accountability in Mexico.
- Consolidated recruiting vendor relationships across California from an unmanaged mix of agencies into a structured model: one primary vendor for volume hiring and select executive search firms for senior roles, cutting costs and improving consistency.
- Partnered with the plant controller to redesign recruiting strategy, delivering over $1.5M in overhead reductions within a year.
- Designed and executed the Centers of Excellence (CoE) shared services model, training all site leadership, managers, and California employees with a 100% execution rate in nine months.
- Mastered SAP SuccessFactors within 3 months, training 60+ California people leaders and building self-service templates, dashboards, and modules that enabled company-wide adoption.
- Led successful California OFCCP audit with zero findings, with full regulatory adherence across multi-site operations.
- Launched regional social media hiring campaign supporting $50M in projected growth; organized 3-day job fair that closed a two-year talent gap while maintaining labor stability ahead of union negotiations.
- Onboarded 75+ employees during a growth cycle; processed H1B visas for global employee transfers.
- Served as the Americas regional interface for Syensqo’s global HR shared services network, coordinating across payroll, talent acquisition, and Centers of Excellence (CoE) alignment with HR teams across 30 countries.
- Global Advanced Materials, €6.8B Revenue
Plant Senior Human Resources Manager
NN Inc. Aerospace Engineering
Irvine
03.2019 - 03.2022
- Reported directly to the GM of Aerospace Operations with full oversight of HR, payroll, and benefits for a precision components manufacturer navigating COVID-19, an M&A-driven plant relocation, and a major production ramp.
- Drove 15% productivity improvement by aligning HR strategy directly to plant KPIs and production targets.
- Led plant relocation from 10,000 sq. ft. to 100,000 sq. ft. facility in two weeks as part of M&A initiative with zero operational disruption.
- Recruited 30+ employees to eliminate production backlogs for a multi-billion-dollar client, reducing delivery delays by 20%.
- Secured $80K California Training Grant to fund on-site process training and drive workforce development for frontline staff; launched the first cohort with Six Sigma Green Belt training for 15 frontline employees, proctored the certification testing, and achieved 100% certification rate within 3 months of course completion.
- Established Quality Department from scratch, recruiting 7 employees to support AS9100 aerospace certification.
- Built succession planning and performance management processes from the ground up for exempt and non-exempt staff.
- Realized $14K annual savings by consolidating pre-employment testing platforms.
- Global Manufacturer, $464M Revenue
Plant HR Manager | Labor Relations
Piston Automotive Group
Louisville
04.2017 - 03.2019
- Held full oversight of the HR function with one direct report at a UAW-represented automotive manufacturing plant, working alongside the VP of HR and Plant Leadership to strengthen and modernize established HR practices.
- Reduced turnover to under 2% and absenteeism to under 5% through targeted recognition and engagement programs.
- Recruited and onboarded 80+ employees for production line startup, securing a key customer contract and delivering $750K in staffing cost savings through direct hiring strategy.
- Secured $700K in state grant funding for workforce training initiatives in collaboration with corporate affairs.
- Managed CBA administration, grievance resolution, and labor relations for UAW workforce.
- Settled 20 outstanding grievance claims through direct collaboration between plant and union leadership.
- Promoted 5 employees after conducting job analysis, shifting the culture focus to career progression and retaining top performers through off-site training programs.
- Reduced safety incidents by conducting OSHA 30 and Six Sigma Green Belt training for team leads, supervisors, and salaried personnel.
- $3.4B Revenue, UAW Workforce
Sr. HR Business Partner | Manager, Labor Relations
Aegion Energy Services / Brinderson
Irvine
02.2016 - 12.2016
- Strategic HR partner to the President and senior leadership supporting 1,500+ USW union employees and a total workforce of 5,000+ across Southern California oil refineries.
- Reduced U.S. Department of Labor claims by 75% through innovative workplace practices and comprehensive payroll audits.
- Led contract negotiations, drafted HR agreements, and presented to Trades Union leadership.
- Designed and implemented Total Rewards program covering performance management, merit, incentives, salary reviews, and recognition.
- Partnered with legal counsel on labor relations, harassment, and ADA claims; delivered Adverse Impact Analyses to guide decisions.
- Implemented an apprenticeship program that built a talent pipeline of 150 employees across 6 facilities, reducing time-to-fill and improving retention at each site.
- Administered employee engagement survey across 900+ employees at 6 Southern California refineries; analyzed results and presented findings directly to senior leadership to inform workforce strategy.
- Multi-Site Oil & Gas Refineries
Contract HR Roles (Military Spouse Assignments)
01.2014 - 12.2016
Lead HR Specialist — Soldier Readiness Processing Center
U.S. Department of Defense
Fort Knox
01.2008 - 12.2013
- Led a contractor team of 30 processing 100,000+ soldiers across three years with zero mission-critical failures; reduced processing time 75%, an improvement adopted Army-wide; built automated reporting system saving 200+ labor hours/month, adopted across Army installations.
- Army Contractor
Education
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
University of Phoenix
SHRM Learning System Course -
Bellarmine University
Skills
- Labor Relations & Negotiations
- HRIS Implementation
- Workforce Scaling & M&A
- Cost Reduction Strategy
- California Employment Law
- Centers of Excellence (CoE) & Shared Services
- Org Design
- Compensation & Total Rewards
- Performance Architecture
- Union Contract Administration
- Dayforce
- SAP SuccessFactors
- ADP
- Kronos
- Microsoft 365 & Copilot
- AI-Powered Workforce Analytics
- Succession Planning
- PE & Growth-Stage Environments
- International Workforce (US & Mexico)
- Employee relations
- Performance management
- Labor negotiations
- Compliance management
- Succession planning
- Exit interviews
- Onboarding process
- Performance appraisal
- Employee handbook development
Websites
Signature Impact
$1.5M+, 95%, 80%+, 75%, $1.45M+, 100% in 9 Months
Work Preference
Job Search Status
Networking onlyWork Type
Full TimeGig WorkLocation Preference
RemoteSalary Range
$45000/yr - $200000/yrTimeline
HR & Safety People Partner
Terran Orbital
10.2025 - Current
HR Program Manager
NearU
12.2024 - 10.2025
Senior HR Business Partner — Multi-Site | Labor Relations
Syensqo / Cytec Engineered Materials
03.2022 - 11.2024
Plant Senior Human Resources Manager
NN Inc. Aerospace Engineering
03.2019 - 03.2022
Plant HR Manager | Labor Relations
Piston Automotive Group
04.2017 - 03.2019
Sr. HR Business Partner | Manager, Labor Relations
Aegion Energy Services / Brinderson
02.2016 - 12.2016
Contract HR Roles (Military Spouse Assignments)
01.2014 - 12.2016
Lead HR Specialist — Soldier Readiness Processing Center
U.S. Department of Defense
01.2008 - 12.2013
Bachelor of Science - Business Management
University of Phoenix
SHRM Learning System Course -
Bellarmine University