⭐ Top 1% Upwork Expert-Vetted Professional
⭐ 100% Job Success Score
⭐ Trusted by clients for 17+ years on Upwork (formerly Elance & oDesk)
⭐ $200K+ in Career Earnings Across Long-Term Client Partnerships
⭐ Over 13,000 Hours Supporting Founders, Executives, and Growth-Oriented Organizations Worldwide
Most business challenges are people, process, or execution challenges in disguise.
For more than two decades, I have helped startups, growth-stage companies, and established organizations build high-performing teams, optimize operations, solve complex workforce challenges, and scale sustainably. My expertise extends beyond traditional Human Resources and Recruiting. I partner with founders, business owners, executives, and leadership teams to develop the people strategies, operational systems, and organizational structures that enable growth.
My experience spans startups to Fortune 500 organizations across Immigration Law, Technology, Real Estate, Hospitality, E-Commerce, Supply Chain, Professional Services, Events, and Blockchain. Throughout my career, I have built HR functions from the ground up, led global recruiting initiatives, streamlined operations, managed strategic projects, and served as a trusted advisor to organizations navigating growth, transformation, and change.
One of my proudest accomplishments was helping scale a startup from 5 employees to more than 80 employees within its first year while contributing to a 4x increase in revenue within two years. I have also partnered with organizations across Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, helping them strengthen leadership capability, improve organizational effectiveness, and build scalable foundations for long-term success.
𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝗲
🎯 Strategic Human Resources Leadership
🔎 Talent Acquisition & Executive Search
📈 Scaling Startups & Growth-Stage Organizations
🏗️ Organizational Development
💰 Compensation & Benefits Strategy
🌟 Leadership Development
📊 Performance Management
🤝 Culture Building & Employee Engagement
🔄 Change Management
⚙️ Operations Management
📋 Project Management
🚀 Process Improvement & Automation
📖 Policy & Procedure Development
🏢 Organizational Design
🔹 Business Transformation
💼 Client Relationship Management
🎯 Stakeholder Engagement
🌐 Cross-Functional Leadership
🧠 Business Consulting & Advisory
🏠 Remote Workforce Management
⚖️ Risk Mitigation & Conflict Resolution
🎓 Training & Capability Development
Maria Isabel L. earns an estimated $8.8k/mo. That's 5.9× the typical freelancer and more than 99.83% of everyone we track.
Whether you need a strategic recruiting partner, an experienced HR leader, an operations consultant, a project manager, or a trusted advisor to help bring structure and scalability to your organization, I bring both the strategic perspective and hands-on execution needed to deliver results.
If you're looking for someone who understands both the people side and the business side of growth, let's connect.