People Partner

Happyrobot Inc.•San Francisco, CA

7d•$170,000 - $240,000

About The Position

HappyRobot is seeking an experienced People Business Partner to build and lead its HRBP function as the company scales. The role partners closely with leaders across the company to strengthen management, establish fair and effective performance and employee-relations processes, and support organizational health. It involves building programs and practices from scratch, coaching leaders candidly, and potentially hiring and leading a team of People Business Partners as the function grows.

Requirements

7–10+ years of HR experience, including 3+ years as an HR Business Partner in high-growth or complex environments.
Deep knowledge of performance management, employee relations, and organizational design.
Experience building HRBP programs from scratch, not only operating existing programs.
Track record of designing and running performance review cycles and manager-development programs.
Sound employee-relations judgment, including handling complex and sensitive situations and balancing employee care with business needs and legal risk.
Credibility and executive presence; ability to build trust quickly, coach candidly, and push back on leaders, including founders, when needed.
Experience supporting teams across multiple countries; US and EU experience strongly preferred.
High ownership, comfort with ambiguity, and a bias toward building and simplifying.
Comfort using AI tools and modern HR technology to work efficiently.

Nice To Haves

People-management experience.
Experience scaling a company through hypergrowth, for example from about 200 to 500+ employees.
Background in workforce planning or organizational design.
Experience at an AI or fast-moving technology startup.

Responsibilities

Build the HRBP function, define how it partners with the business, set priorities as the company scales, and grow into hiring and leading a team of People Business Partners.
Coach and advise managers at every level, and build leadership training on feedback, effective one-on-ones, and employee development.
Own the Impact Review program end to end, including calibration, and establish lightweight goal-setting and continuous-feedback practices.
Lead employee relations, advising managers on performance issues, PIPs, and exits with judgment, fairness, and discretion, in partnership with People Ops and Legal.
Design and launch engagement and development programs that promote inclusivity, develop skills, and support career and leadership development.
Assess readiness for lead roles and support new managers through the transition.
Monitor organizational health, including team structures, reporting lines, and collaboration; identify risks such as attrition, burnout, and team friction; and recommend organizational-design changes.
Use people data to inform recommendations on performance, retention, and team health.