Darlene Harper
Entrepreneur Counseling/Coaching | Fractional CPO | Mentor | Angel Investor | Board Member | Hyper Growth | Biotech, Pharma, Finance, & Tech
About
Supporting high-growth startups through critical stages—building infrastructure, scaling teams, driving engagement, and preserving company culture—all while managing costs and anticipating challenges before they arise. Seasoned Global HR Executive blending 20 years of Silicon Valley human capital leadership with a strong financial foundation from a career as an Account Executive with major brokerage and mutual fund companies, bringing a unique perspective to HR leadership. Dual expertise in finance and HR enables delivery of comprehensive solutions that support sustainable scaling. Creating resilient, people-centered organizations with no surprises and every base covered.
Known for her collaborative approach, Darlene leverages her deep experience to develop managers, build strong leadership pipelines, and lead effective succession plans. During her career, she has lowered benefit package costs by 25% while providing competitive coverage, improved employee morale by 25%, opened and staffed global facilities.
Darlene currently serves on the boards of the Bay Area Bioscience Education Community and Silicon Valley National HR Association.
She serves as a fractional CHRO, offering tailored solutions to diverse organizations, including IPO preparation. Notably, she implemented onboarding processes that boosted headcount by 30% at a clinical stage biotherapeutics company, achieved 50% cost savings at a database software platform with a Global PEO. With Dark Horse Consulting Group, she served as Global VP of Human Resources where she led the standardization of compensation, benefits, and policies across the global offices and revamped the global compensation model and philosophy, resulting in 11% cost savings. With Quanergy Systems she opened a new 24-hour manufacturing facility and staffed around-the-clock shifts with over 200 employees.
At Edison Pharmaceuticals, Darlene served as the CHRO and drove significant cost savings by bringing recruitment in-house. At Alexza Pharmaceuticals, she held multiple roles with increasing responsibility ultimately serving as Head of Human Resources. There she spearheaded initiatives that reduced benefit costs by 25%. At Avocet Medical, she established the HR department and played a key role in product market introduction.
She earned her B.S. in Organizational Behavior and holds a variety of advanced HR certifications. Darlene is a committed Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and an avid outdoor enthusiast who enjoys paddle boarding, biking, kayaking, hiking, and skiing.
Experience
Fractional CHRO & Senior Consultant
Darlene Harper LLC - HR Consulting · San Francisco Bay Area
Nov 2023 – Present(2 yrs 6 mos)
Fractional CHRO & Senior HR Consultant Serve as fractional CHRO and senior consultant, offering tailored solutions to diverse organizations. – Preparation for IPO – Structured AI adoption and implementation. – Partnering with business leaders on strategic and operational initiatives to improve organizational performance, talent acquisition, and total rewards. – Maintain a current understanding of employment law and compliance, creating and implementing policies and procedures across US and global offices.
Tech and Business Advisor
K2X Technology & Life Science, Inc. · San Francisco Bay Area
Feb 2025 – Present(1 yr 3 mos)
Acting as an industry expert specializing in the Technology and Life Science Industries, including collaborating and providing advice and assistance. Generally advising the company's management and providing expertise related to doing due diligence for potential company investments. Providing advice to the Company on its current and proposed investments, funding strategies and corporate initiatives.
Angel Investor
West Coast Angel Network · Oakland, California, United States
Sep 2024 – Present(1 yr 8 mos)
A purpose-driven network of Angel investors driving forward diversity – Limited Partner
Board Experience
National Human Resources Association | Silicon Valley · Santa Clara, California, United States
Jul 2021 – Present(4 yrs 10 mos)
$14K nonprofit, focused on advancing the individual career development, planning, and leadership of human resource (HR) professionals. – Treasurer, 2023 – Present – President, 2022 – 2023 – President Elect, 2021 – 2022
Board Experience
BABEC: Bay Area Bioscience Education Community · Burlingame, California, United States
Jul 2024 – Present(1 yr 10 mos)
$1M nonprofit, dedicated to providing teachers with the support, resources, and networking opportunities they need to educate students in biotech and prepare the next generation of scientists. – Board Member
Member
Athena Alliance · San Francisco, California, United States
May 2024 – Present(2 yrs)
Athena Alliance is a membership organization that propels women leaders to build impact: at the C-suite, in the boardroom, as an investor, as an entrepreneur. Athena is a supportive community of thousands helping each other rise, supported by a dedicated member success team that makes meaningful, warm connections, orchestrates in-person meetups and hosts weekly expert-led live salons and peer groups. Athena also includes the Athena Academy, which offers a robust content library with self-guided learning paths, top tier courses, 1:1 coaching with world-class executive and board-level coaches, and connections to executive and board opportunities. Athena members generally have 20+ years of incredible work behind them, and see another 20+ years ahead of them. We are not a single career, or a job title. We are a portfolio of impact.
Global VP, Human Resources
Dark Horse Consulting Group Inc. · Walnut Creek, California, United States
Nov 2021 – Nov 2023(2 yrs 1 mo)
An 80-employee technical consulting company working in the cell and gene therapy space. Sole HR leader to oversee all aspects of global employee performance management, compensation programs, and learning and development across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. – Led a company reorganization aligning technical skills and reducing direct reports, to better position the organization for growth. – Led senior leaders to work through critical differences utilizing coaching and mediation skills, addressed employee relations and performance issues, and ensured successful resolution. – Established a culture of excellence, trust, and innovation by utilizing employee surveys and implementing a tool for confidential feedback that enabled our global employees to be motivated, engaged, and aligned. – Revamped and relaunched the company's vision, and core values; Embedding them in the new applicant tracking and performance management system aligned across the employee life cycle; increased retention by 7%. – Led the standardizing of compensation, benefits, and policies across the global offices and revamped the global compensation model and philosophy, resulting in 11% cost savings. – Opened a new office in Singapore and hired the head of the office.
Fractional CHRO & Senior HR Consultant
Darlene Harper, LLC · San Francisco Bay Area
Oct 2018 – Nov 2021(3 yrs 2 mos)
Served as fractional CHRO and senior consultant, utilizing extensive experience in HR Leadership. – Influence improved retention of new hires by introducing new onboarding and orientation processes. – Implemented applicant tracking system resulting in a 30% increase in headcount within 3 months at a clinical stage biotherapeutics company (40 employees, $320M revenue). – Vetted and implemented Global PEO resulting in 50% savings and compliance with international employment laws for a database software platform (40 employees, $150M revenue). – Served as fractional CHRO with a biotech company developing therapeutic antibodies (95 employees and $312M in revenue). Enhanced the talent acquisition process and implemented an applicant tracking system, doubling headcount. – As a Senior consultant for a clinical-stage immunotherapy company with 45 employees and $255M revenue, acquired by Merck 2024, handled full talent management cycle. – In role with Rigel Pharmaceuticals, a developer of small-molecule drugs for treatment of cancer, autoimmune and metabolic diseases with 200 employees and $193M revenue, filled HR leadership gaps and provided strategic and day-to-day functional HR support. Created dual career ladder for scientific and nonscientific roles to facilitate career development. Facilitated year-end HR processes, including open enrollment, performance evaluations, and goal setting.
Head of Human Resources
Quanergy Solutions Inc. · Sunnyvale, CA
Oct 2017 – Oct 2018(1 yr 1 mo)
Quanergy designs, develops, and produces AI-powered LiDAR sensors and three-dimensional (3D) sensors that provide unparalleled accuracy and reliability; 300 employees and $1.4M revenue. Hired as the first HR employee to build the HR organization for a pre-IPO rapidly growing technology company. Led global remote workforce and kept the HR team engaged and focused. – Served as Senior HR Business Partner to department heads while staffing and leading the HR team and managing remote offices with employees in multiple states and in China, Brazil, and Canada. – Led the opening of a new 24-hour manufacturing facility in California and staffed around-the-clock shifts (200 employees). – Created and delivered organizational development programs that included career building, coaching, and feedback designed to positively impact retention and morale; led to a 25% increase in retention rate. – Collaborated with executive team and Board on the redesign of total reward plans that conserved the equity of stock options while maintaining competitiveness. – Realized a 30% average decrease in costs through the development of a scalable recruitment process that improved efficiency and time-to-hire.
Head Of Human Resources
PTC Therapeutics, Inc. · Mountain View, CA
Oct 2015 – Oct 2016(1 yr 1 mo)
(Formerly Edison) Researches antioxidants, biological energy, and chemical reactions to develop treatments for mitochondrial disease; 100 employees and $91M revenue. Served as the CHRO with a broad role as Senior HR Business Partner while managing all HR functions and activities. – Brought all recruiting in-house, improved effectiveness, and delivered 65% in savings. Hired and onboarded 30+ employees in one year, including software engineers, database engineers, and data scientists. – Revised benefit plans based on competitive benchmarking, participated in compensation survey and positioned the company to better compete for technical talent in the Bay Area. – Conducted full audit of departmental practices associated with equity, compensation, and benefits, and collaborated with the finance department to prepare for post-IPO SOX requirements.
Head Of Human Resources
Alexza / Ferrer · Mountain View, CA
Jul 2015 – Oct 2015(4 mos)
(Formerly Alexza Pharmaceuticals) An almost $190M pharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutic treatments, including research, development, and commercialization. Operated as the CHRO, promoted to member of the executive team, served as business partner providing HR expertise and managing all HR functional areas. – Lowered benefit package costs 25% by implementing a high-deductible option with partial self-insurance that continued to provide competitive healthcare coverage while improving employee retention. – Completed certification and delivered Situational Leadership Training to help leaders better respond to employee issues and minimize micromanagement. – Delivered positive outcomes supporting a government audit and testifying in court on behalf of the company.
Director, Human Resources
Alexza / Ferrer · Mountain View, CA
Jan 2012 – Jun 2015(3 yrs 6 mos)
Promoted to lead key HR initiatives and employee relations, while partnering with department heads to improve organizational performance and effectiveness. – Rebuilt company morale through team building exercises including the facilitation of Myers Briggs sessions to help revitalize and reenergize staff. – Improved employee morale 25% by increasing employee activities and launching new recognition and community-based mentoring programs & decreased hiring costs 40% and time-to-hire with more efficient screening process. – Tasked to lead a sensitive investigation on potential FDA quality issues in manufacturing; conducted the audit, determined internal missteps, resolved issues, and supported the Quality department to provide better employee training to avoid future issues.
Associate Director, Human Resources / Sr. HR Business Partner
Alexza / Ferrer · Mountain View, Ca
Jan 2009 – Jan 2012(3 yrs 1 mo)
Drove change in mindset across the organization by introducing the business partner model; positioned HR for a more strategic role in managing the business and driving performance improvement. – Conceptualized and built a robust dual-ladder career pathing that clarified behaviors and steps for progression, facilitated career discussion from initial onboarding, and led to a 15% increase in retention. – Developed and led an effective mentoring program for manufacturing and engineering teams. – Cut operational costs by 25% through the implementation of cutting-edge technology for applicant tracking, performance evaluation (SuccessFactors), and HRIS (Ultimate Software). – Project manager for multiple headcount reductions and key influencer in developing strategies for retention, engagement, and wellness of remaining employees.
Senior Manager/Manager Human Resources
Alexza / Ferrer · Mountain View, CA
Apr 2005 – Jan 2009(3 yrs 10 mos)
Recruited to provide HR support to a growing startup and was quickly promoted to lead strategic and tactical initiatives. – Instrumental to successful IPO; collaborated with finance on HR due diligence and SOX compliance. – Created and implemented the first company new hire orientation, onboarding, and diversity programs.
Board Experience
SHRM Northern California · Santa Clara, California, United States
Jul 2005 – Jun 2007(2 yrs)
$3M nonprofit. A regional chapter of SHRM provides leadership and support for the development of HR professionals and identifies and communicates emerging issues and their impact; recognized as Regional Chapter of the Year in 2007. – Former Vice Chair and Chairperson
Education
University of San Francisco
BS, Organizational Behavior
Expertise
Specialties
