Олена

Olena Kharkivska
HR Director | HR Business Partner | HR Lead
[open contact info](look above in the "contact info" section) | @i_lena
LinkedIn

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
HR professional with 10+ years of experience in GameDev, iGaming, and IT, combining hands-on expertise,
HR leadership, and business partnering.
Core Expertise:
HR Management & Operations: Building HR functions, leading teams, and optimizing HR processes.
Recruitment & Talent Acquisition: Full-cycle recruitment, niche talent sourcing, recruitment processes,
and analytics.
HR Business Partnering: Advising CEOs and C-level executives on people management, performance,
and organizational decisions.
Organizational Development: Scaling teams from 50 to 200+ employees, restructuring, workforce
optimization, and crisis management.
HR Strategy & Analytics: Grading, compensation, employee engagement, retention, and people analytics.

EXPERIENCE

HR Lead & Head of Recruitment June 2024 - Present
EJAW (iGaming/GameDev/IT)

Recruitment & Talent Acquisition: Managed full-cycle recruitment and direct sourcing for IT, iGaming, and
GameDev roles, optimized hiring processes, and introduced recruitment analytics.
HR Operations & Automation: Established new departments, developed internal processes, and implemented CRM
systems and AI tools to automate HR workflows.
Business Partnering & Crisis Management: Worked closely with senior leadership on organizational restructuring,
workforce optimization, and complex employee relations during periods of business uncertainty.
Compensation & Grading: Developed and implemented a company-wide grading system across different roles and
departments.
Management Development: Delivered 20+ training sessions for managers on motivation, feedback, conflict resolution,
and people management.
Employee Lifecycle & Knowledge Management: Managed onboarding, retention, and offboarding processes;
developed an internal knowledge base covering company policies and procedures.

HR Director February 2023 - May 2024
L3D Studio (GameDev)
*Top 10 best gamedev employers of 2024 according to Dou

Team Scaling & Recruitment: Managed full-cycle recruitment and direct sourcing for mid- and senior-level
specialists, supporting 2x team growth.
HR Processes & Operations: Built recruitment and onboarding processes from scratch, developed internal policies,
and optimized HR workflows.
Business Partnering: Worked with senior management on team development, employee relations, and organizational
matters.
Performance & Development: Introduced regular feedback practices, performance management processes, and
individual development plans (PDPs).

Learning & Development: Organized internal training programs, knowledge-sharing initiatives, and professional
development activities.
HR Systems & Knowledge Management: Optimized workflows using Jira, Slack, and School; developed an internal
knowledge base and centralized project database.

HR Director May 2019 - July 2022
Bear games *ex Playrix (GameDev/IT)

HR Leadership & Scaling: Led an HR team of 5+ and managed HR operations during organizational scaling from 50
to 200+ employees.
Recruitment & Talent Acquisition: Managed senior GameDev recruitment (Producers, Art Leads, Game Designers,
Artists), including direct sourcing and team coordination.
Performance & Development: Implemented performance reviews, individual development plans (PDPs), and
employee training programs.
EVP & Engagement: Developed the company's EVP, managed employee engagement and retention initiatives.
HR Budgeting & Benefits: Participated in budget planning, compensation reviews, and benefits management.
Management Support: Advised managers on employee relations, performance, conflict resolution, and feedback.
HR Operations & Onboarding: Optimized onboarding, developed newcomer guides, and standardized HR policies
and procedures.

HR Generalist
March 2014 - April 2019
Recruitment & Sourcing: Managed full-cycle recruitment for GameDev, IT, and creative roles, including direct
sourcing, candidate assessment, and collaboration with hiring managers.
HR Operations & Employee Support: Managed onboarding, supported employee training and mentorship programs,
and organized corporate and educational events.
Office Management & Administration: Coordinated daily office operations, managed administrative processes, and
ensured smooth office functioning.
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE February 2023 - May 2023
HR Director
Rescue Now (Charitable foundation)

TOOLS & SYSTEMS
HRM & Recruitment: PeopleForce, Hurma, CleverStaff, ATS/CRM systems
Project Management: Jira, Trello, Asana, Notion
AI & Automation: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity, Make, Zapier
Collaboration: Slack, Discord, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams
Analytics & Reporting: Excel, Google Sheets, Looker Studio
Knowledge Management: Confluence, Notion, Google Sites
EDUCATION
Courses
“Senior IT Recruiter” courses by Mike Pritula Academy
“HR Director” courses by Mike Pritula Academy
“Project-manager” courses by Genius
“People Management” courses by Laba

Luhansk Academy of Culture and Arts, named after Matusovskiy, 2014
Luhansk Construction College, 2009