Employee Spotlight: Maggie Moore

We love to feature our new employees on our blog, but it’s time we took a step back and have a conversation with one of our seasoned employees. Maggie Moore, a native Washingtonian, has had a unique journey here at FMP. She started as a full-time consultant, transitioned to a 1099 employee, and then came back as a part-time member of our internal Human Resources team. Maggie has been involved in so many aspects of FMP, from the implementing wellness programs as part of the Work-Life Effectiveness (WLE) Committee, to working on a multi-year contract with the National Science Foundation, to creating learning and development plans for our workforce. Outside of work, Maggie has two kids (Avery and CJ) and she loves to dance, cook, and explore the outdoors.

Tell us a little about your background before FMP and what brought you here.

I started my career as a social worker, thinking that I would stay in that field. I ended up getting a job at Gucci Group in New York as an HR Coordinator in an entry-level position and was doing a lot of the operational aspects of human operations. I was spending a lot of time putting out fires and thought that a lot of our employee relations challenges could be solved by focusing on employee engagement by, for example, investing in training for managers. After a year and a half, I realized that I wanted to find a job that focused on the more strategic aspects of HR like training and development.  As I was researching job opportunities, I learned about I-O psychology, and I thought it looked cool! That’s how I ended up coming to George Mason’s I-O program. So many people at FMP are alumni of George Mason, and I started to meet people in the program that worked at FMP. My classmate introduced me to more people at FMP and I was eventually hired as a consultant. I was so lucky to come here! The small company culture was very appealing to me.

I know your role has evolved a lot over your time here. Can you talk about your first years at FMP?

My role here has changed a lot! I came in as a consultant and I jumped right into a lot of different types of projects – everything from conducting a training needs analysis to designing an onboarding program for executives. Working with my first client, the National Science Foundation was such a great experience.  I like to call it the “bootcamp of consulting” because I was able to work on so many different projects across numerous competency areas. It was such a great experience. The project really evolved over time in terms the diversity of tasks and the number of people with whom I worked. The work enabled me to quickly grow from an individual contributor to a project manager and team leader, and have the opportunity get involved with the business development and contracting side of consulting.

What is your current role at FMP?

In my current role, I’m focused on internal initiatives that support FMP’s high-performance culture. This includes everything from helping employees understand and navigate their benefits, to implementing training programs. I operate like an internal HR Business Partner with my clients being FMP’s leaders and consultants. It is nice to have one client group and to work with consultants in the roles I used to play. I understand what it’s like to be a consultant and I know how our business operates, which makes it easier to design tailored interventions. While my role is more operational, the projects I work on are similar to what we do for our clients. You might not have to write a proposal to “win the work,” but you do have to be cognizant of the resources available and balancing your time and priorities. I enjoy being in a position that is more proactive and a position that impacts everything we do, not just one function.  

Outside of your everyday responsibilities, how else do you spend your time at FMP?

I’m co-chair of the Learning Committee and enjoy being involved in the strategy around the training. Our committee makes sure our workforce’s training needs are being addressed.

I also love being part of the Work-Life Effectiveness committee. Mindfulness and stress management is top of mind for many, so we’ve started a few new internal programs to support our workforce, including a 30-day meditation challenge. I love that I can take something I’m passionate about and be able to lead here. It’s awesome.

What keeps you excited and motivated to come to work each day?

The people. The people are amazing. They’re hardworking, creative, and professional. Being in an HR role, employee relations can be tough, but I’m not faced with the same challenges that other HR generalists might encounter at other organizations. At FMP, you have the ability to come in and identify a need, or something you’re passionate about, and you’re able to lead it. Everyone at all levels is considered a leader. Also, the work is interesting and diverse. It’s never boring. There’s an opportunity to gain skills in a variety of different areas.

This is a special company. FMP is so flexible. When they approached me about my current role, I was working independently to have more time with my kids. I could not do something fulltime. FMP asked if I wanted to meet my potential counterpart to figure out how we can split the role and it’s been a perfect fit. Am I busy? Yes! But I have the ability to flex my work. I wouldn’t be working here without that support.