Principal HR Business Partner, M&A

F5•Seattle, WA

10d•$167,200 - $250,800

About The Position

The Principal HR Business Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions serves as a senior strategic partner to Product Organization leaders, translating business priorities into people and organization strategies that enable performance, growth, and change. The role combines leadership of the People strategy for F5’s mergers, acquisitions, and other strategic transactions with responsibility for supporting an assigned client organization within the Product Organization. The balance between these responsibilities will evolve with business and transaction activity. As an HR business partner, the position advises senior leaders on organizational effectiveness, talent, workforce strategy, leadership, culture, and change. When M&A activity arises, the role serves as F5’s People lead for the transaction, owning the People strategy from diligence and pre-close planning through Day 1 and post-close integration. It assesses talent, culture, leadership, and organization design and uses those insights to shape and adjust integration plans to help achieve intended transaction outcomes. The role also models F5’s BeF5 and LeadF5 behaviors: operating with integrity and an owner’s mindset, navigating change with agility, seeking diverse perspectives, and centering people and customers in decisions. It creates clarity amid ambiguity, builds alignment, develops talent, constructively challenges the status quo, and helps people and organizations thrive through change.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related discipline.
At least 8 years of progressive, hands-on HR experience.
At least 5 years in a strategic HR Business Partner role.
Demonstrated expertise in organizational design and effectiveness, complex employee relations, talent management, workforce planning, and organizational transformation.
Experience supporting M&A, integrations, or other significant organizational transformations.
Ability to advise and influence senior leaders, constructively challenge thinking, and navigate complex, sensitive, and confidential business and people decisions.
Strong business acumen and analytical skills, including the ability to translate workforce and talent insights into business decisions and actions.
Ability to lead through influence and bring together HR and cross-functional partners across geographies and organizational boundaries.
Experience working with HR technology platforms such as Workday and service management systems such as ServiceNow.
Excellent communication, relationship-building, change leadership, and executive consulting skills.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree preferred.
HR certification such as SPHR, PHR, or SHRM-SCP strongly preferred.
Experience in a complex, global, technology-driven organization is ideal.
Strong interest in building deeper M&A expertise.

Responsibilities

Serve as F5’s People lead for acquisitions and other strategic transactions, partnering with business leaders, Corporate Development, Legal, Finance, HRBPs, and People & Culture specialist teams.
Translate transaction goals into a People strategy covering organization, leadership, talent, workforce, culture, employee experience, and change.
Lead the People component of due diligence, assessing talent, leadership, culture, organization design, and workforce considerations and communicating related opportunities and risks.
Develop and lead People integration strategies and plans, including decisions, milestones, dependencies, governance, and measures of success.
Advise leaders on organization design, leadership structure, critical talent, retention, workforce transitions, and other people decisions required to achieve transaction outcomes.
Lead People and organizational change aspects of integration, creating clarity for leaders and employees while supporting engagement and business continuity.
Coordinate HRBPs and specialist teams across Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations, HR Operations, Benefits, Mobility, People Systems, Communications, and other areas.
Build and continuously improve F5’s M&A People playbook, tools, governance, and practices, applying lessons learned to future transactions.
Serve as a trusted advisor to senior leaders in the Product Organization and develop a deep understanding of their business, organization, talent, and priorities.
Partner with leaders on organization design and effectiveness, workforce planning, talent and succession, performance, leadership effectiveness, employee engagement, and organizational change.
Help leaders identify capabilities, skills, talent, and organizational structures needed for current and future priorities and develop strategies to address gaps.
Coach and advise senior leaders to strengthen individual, team, and organizational effectiveness; constructively challenge thinking and bring a broader F5 perspective to complex decisions.
Use business, workforce, talent, and employee feedback and data to identify trends, understand root causes, anticipate organizational needs, and inform decisions and people strategies.
Guide leaders through complex employee relations and organizational matters, partnering with Employee Relations, Legal, and other experts as appropriate to manage risk.
Partner across HR to bring appropriate expertise and solutions to business needs and create a consistent experience for leaders and employees.
Model F5’s BeF5 and LeadF5 behaviors by operating with integrity, navigating change, seeking diverse perspectives, centering people and customers, creating clarity, building alignment, recognizing and developing talent, and constructively challenging the status quo.