Samara Durrant-Eunson

People-centric leader with 8+ years of experience in high-volume recruitment and sales leadership with a proven track record of building diverse talent pools and managing the employee lifecycle in a fast-paced, high-growth retail environment, seeking to transition to a role within Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, or HRIS.

General Manager | Sephora Beauty Canada Inc. | April 2019 – May 2023 

• Directed hiring strategy, compensation planning, leadership development, and employee relations for teams ranging from 40 to over 160 staff and managers. 
• Led Bayview Village store opening in 2019, promoted in 2020 to lead Yorkdale flagship, promoted in 2022 to lead Toronto Eaton Centre flagship; total sales volumes of $4M to $30M+ annually.
• Increased employee engagement results by 25% in 2022 by implementing strategies to improve onboarding and first 90 days experience, and foster continuous engagement through coaching and development opportunities.
• Developed a candidate pipeline aligned with core customer focus and DE&I values, delivered a 15% increased retention rate year over year, and improved team dynamics.
• Designed a strategic workforce plan for the district (talent mobility, succession plan, 9-Box spreadsheet, monthly talent planning meetings): increased district leadership retention by 20% with 22 internal promotions in 2022.
• Partnered with Human Resources, Store Experience, and Learning & Development leaders across Canada to develop strategic improvement plans for talent development and organizational design.
• Collaborated with Marketing to develop EVP and Employer Branding Initiative recruitment campaigns in 2021.
• Facilitated data-driven business presentations for senior executives including North American and Global CEOs.

HR Manager | Sephora Beauty Canada Inc. | January 2018 – April 2019

• Facilitated full-cycle recruitment, onboarding, benefits enrollment, and employee lifecycle for 140 retail positions. 
• Aligned 14 store leaders to deliver high-quality annual performance appraisals and quarterly career development conversations with each employee resulting in a 26% increase in retention.
• Designed and launched a district-wide talent development strategy resulting in 18 internal promotions in 1 year.
• Coached and mentored sales and operations managers to be subject-matter experts in responding to employee grievances and performance management with discretion and compassion, in compliance with HR practices, employment laws, and federal legislation, partnering with Regional HRBP for escalations.

Talent & Business Operations Manager | Sephora Beauty Canada Inc. | October 2015 – January 2018

• Executed sourcing and end-to-end recruitment for Bloor Street flagship and coordinated 2016 store expansion project, filling over 40 entry and associate-level roles in 8 weeks.
• Administered HR functions such as benefits enrollment, performance management, payroll, and STD/LTD leaves.
• Facilitated SAP Success Factors HRIS system implementation and digitization of employee records in 2017.
• Resolved issues brought forth by employees and customers promptly, including mediation and conflict resolution. Grew employee retention by 20% and NPS by 10% in 1 year.

Certificate in Digital Marketing • George Brown College, Toronto, ON
Bachelor Of Fine Art • University Of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB