For nearly two decades, Vanesa Molina has been working at the intersection of people and process. She started her career in HR as a service specialist, then in 2009, stumbled into the world of people systems—and never looked back.
Today, as Senior Manager of People Technology at ChimeⓇ, she leads the team that builds the technology behind our employee experience. From performance cycles to AI-powered chatbots, Vanesa sees her work as equal parts problem-solving and people care. Her Costa Rican heritage, rooted in hospitality, hard work, and family, shapes how she shows up for Chimers every day.
We sat down with Vanesa to hear about her career journey, her proudest moments at Chime, and the values she carries with her.
Q: What drew you to People Technology?
I started in HR about 20 years ago as a service specialist, but around 2009, I fell into the people technology world, and I fell in love with it. What excites me is how the systems we implement can optimize business processes and improve the employee experience. It could be building a performance cycle in Workday, setting up how people interact with it, or even something as simple as updating records when someone changes their last name. I love all of it.
I like to think of it as designing the “video game” experience we want employees to have in our technology. The tech side is fascinating, always evolving, and I love the challenge of finding solutions.
Q: What led you to join Chime?
Before Chime, I spent 12 years at a company that was over 135 years old, but after all that time, I wanted to challenge myself and find something new.
When I came across Chime, I thought it was too good to be true. But during the interview process, everything clicked. It felt like hitting the bingo card. What Chime stands for resonated deeply: financial freedom, especially for communities where people live paycheck to paycheck. I’ve now been here four years, going on five, and I love the culture.
Q: How would you describe your role and impact at Chime?
When I started, we were literally loading hires from spreadsheets. Today, we have direct integrations from our talent systems into Workday, streamlined performance cycles, and even goal-writing tools. My team has helped improve so many processes.
A big focus now is how AI can shape the employee experience. We enhanced Optimus Chime, our internal employee chatbot, adding People Team-related help instead of our team managing multiple Slack channels. It’s about making things easier and bringing the resources to Chimers, rather than making them search for answers.
I’m so proud of the automation and optimization we’ve introduced, from financial impact dates for the finance team to squad data that helps engineering with goal setting. Whether our implementations are technical or not, they all directly shape how people experience working at Chime.
Q: How has your heritage shaped your values and leadership style?
Both of my parents are Costa Rican. They immigrated when they were young, and our culture is all about family. If I host a party, everyone else eats before I do. I want people to feel at home; that’s who I am.
Even though I’m a US citizen, my parents instilled Costa Rican values in me and I’m very proud of where they came from—to the point that my nickname is Tica, which is what we call Costa Rican girls.
My parents also instilled a deep work ethic in our family. The Costa Rican national anthem says, que viva siempre el trabajo y la paz: long live work and peace. My parents would always say, échale ganas, pongase las pilas, to hustle and work hard—to put in your batteries! That’s the mindset I bring to my team: pride in the work we do, and a focus on solutions, not roadblocks.
Q: What does Latin American Heritage Month mean to you?
It means a lot. Both of my parents are Costa Rican, my husband is Mexican, and we live in California, where Latin American culture is everywhere. To me, it’s not just about one country, it’s about all of us.
There’s such a sense of pride when I look at my community. I see immigrants who work incredibly hard, who leave families behind to create something better. I have a lot of empathy for that journey, and I’m proud to represent those values here.
Q: Who were your role models growing up?
My parents. Neither went to college, but they showed me the value of work. My dad immigrated to the U.S. and started as a dishwasher at Disneyland. He retired as a food and beverage director. He showed me you can start at the bottom and move up if you’re reliable, hardworking, and willing to help others. That example has always stayed with me.
Q: How do you hope to inspire others at work?
I want people to feel they can have a voice. That they can speak up and feel safe in their environment. I try to model that by being myself: direct, proud, and authentic. If people see me doing that, I hope it gives them the confidence to do the same.
Q: How do you celebrate your heritage inside and outside of the workplace?
Food, always! Our culture is built around food and family, and there’s always an excuse for a party. At Chime, I’ve found community through Chimigos. Being remote, it’s meant a lot to connect with people across the company, to see them in person at times, and to feel that sense of togetherness.
It also affects how I show up at work. In past roles, I was told to hold back and to know when to speak. At Chime, my opinion is valued, my voice is welcomed. That makes me feel seen, and it makes me want to give that same encouragement to others.