Director, People Business Partner

Maven AGI•Boston, MA

4d•$190,000 - $220,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Maven AGI is seeking a Director, People Business Partner to play a crucial role in building and scaling the People function during a period of significant growth. This is a high-impact, hands-on position that requires the ability to partner with senior leaders on complex People challenges and execute the processes necessary for a growing company. The role involves managing various aspects of the employee lifecycle, including performance management, employee relations, promotions, terminations, policies, compliance, and onboarding/offboarding. A key part of the role is serving as a trusted thought partner to leaders, bringing strong judgment, intellectual curiosity, and the confidence to challenge assumptions and guide organizational decisions. This is not a traditional HRBP role; it's for a high-agency builder who thrives in fast-moving environments, drives initiatives forward, and is energized by both strategic partnership and hands-on execution. The position is hybrid, requiring approximately three days per week in the Boston Back Bay office.

Requirements

8+ years of progressive HR, People Operations, People Business Partner, or related experience, ideally including meaningful experience within a venture-backed, high-growth technology company.
Experience with meaningful organizational growth and change firsthand, ideally within a Series A, B, or C environment, and understanding what it takes to build People practices while a company is scaling quickly.
Hands-on experience across employee relations, performance management, terminations, promotions, onboarding/offboarding, HR policy, compliance, and People Operations.
Experience building or significantly improving People programs, policies, processes, or infrastructure rather than solely operating within established systems.
Ability to build trust quickly, offer a strong point of view, and respectfully challenge or push back when the business needs it.
Strong judgment and ability to navigate sensitive, ambiguous People situations without needing a playbook for every scenario.
Highly proactive and self-directed; ability to identify needs, create a path forward, and move with urgency.
Intellectual curiosity, ability to learn quickly, ask thoughtful questions, and get to the root of unfamiliar or complex problems.
Comfortable moving constantly between strategic and tactical work.
Personable, approachable, and able to build strong relationships across levels while also navigating challenging conversations with clarity and confidence.
Practical, business-minded approach to People and ability to create structure without introducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
Excited to help build the People foundation of a rapidly scaling startup and want impact and scope to grow alongside the company.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a venture-backed, high-growth technology company.
Experience within a Series A, B, or C funding environment.

Responsibilities

Partner closely with senior leaders on organizational and People challenges, bringing strong judgment, perspective, and a willingness to constructively challenge and push thinking.
Own and continuously improve core People practices across the employee lifecycle, including onboarding, employee changes, promotions, performance management, leaves, and offboarding.
Advise and coach managers on performance, feedback, employee relations, organizational changes, promotions, and terminations.
Navigate sensitive and complex employee matters with sound judgment, balancing employee experience, business needs, and risk.
Help design and run company-wide performance review and promotion cycles, creating clear and scalable processes for managers and employees.
Develop, document, and scale People policies, processes, and playbooks that support Maven as we continue to grow.
Own and evolve our employee handbook, ensuring policies remain practical, compliant, and aligned with how we operate.
Ensure compliance with applicable employment laws and regulations and proactively identify where our practices need to evolve as the company scales.
Identify emerging People and organizational needs before they become problems, and take ownership of developing practical solutions.
Partner cross-functionally to translate business needs into People programs, processes, and organizational solutions.
Work alongside our People & Talent Operations Associate to create efficient, high-quality operational processes across the People function.
Identify opportunities to automate, simplify, and improve People workflows, systems, documentation, and employee experiences.
Move quickly from problem to action, even when the path isn't fully defined, bringing in the right people and information along the way.
Jump into whatever needs to be built or solved, from high-level organizational initiatives to the operational details required to make them successful.