Hi, I'm
Arthur Richards
Strategic HR Leader. Recovering Software Engineer. Systems Thinker.
I bridge the tech-HR gulf at mission-driven companies, bringing product thinking, data-driven decision making, and engineering credibility to people strategy.
From building Wikipedia’s mobile interface to architecting talent intelligence systems, I’ve spent 9+ years proving that the best HR leaders speak both human and machine.
Currently People Business Partner at ActBlue. Seeking strategic senior HRBP or HR management roles in tech-forward mission-driven organizations.
About Me
Most HR leaders come from HR. I came from the command line.
My career started debugging code for Wikipedia’s first mobile interface. But I kept noticing the hardest problems weren’t technical. They were human. So I made an unconventional pivot: software engineer → agile coach → learning & development → Director of People Experience.
What I bring that traditional HR candidates don’t:
- Product thinking applied to HR systems: I don’t just run programs, I architect scalable infrastructure. See: Talent Intelligence System, Performance Management overhaul, Leadership Development ecosystem.
- Technical credibility: I speak engineering’s language. When Product and Engineering teams call me a “game-changing partner,” it’s because I understand their world from the inside.
- Data-driven decision making: Metrics, dashboards, evidence-based interventions. HR shouldn’t be the department that operates on vibes.
Career journey: 13 years at Wikimedia Foundation (Wikipedia), where I scaled HR programs for 800 globally distributed staff across 60+ countries. Currently People Business Partner at ActBlue. Also maintain executive coaching practice through Insight Cascades.
Credentials: SHRM-SCP, ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Presence-Based Coaching Certificate
When I’m not working: Mountains (skiing, hiking, backpacking, fly fishing), meditation cushion, kitchen experiments, sci-fi binges.