Principal Manager, People Operations Business Partner

Nava PBC

6d•$132,000 - $148,500•Remote

About The Position

The Principal Manager, HR Business Partner is a strategic people leader responsible for the direction, effectiveness, and growth of Nava's HR Business Partner function, including the direct management and development of the People Operations Business Partner (POBP). This role sets the strategy for how Nava's people practices support the business, translating enterprise priorities into workforce frameworks, organizational design principles, and talent strategies that HR Business Partners apply across their assigned business areas. The Principal Manager builds a high-performing People Operations Business Partner team, coaching and developing POBP talent while serving as a trusted strategic advisor to senior executives on organizational structure, workforce planning, performance, and labor and employee relations. This role co-owns the enterprise frameworks: workforce planning, career pathing, and organizational design standards that POBP’s use to advise business leaders, and ensures those frameworks remain consistent, equitable, and aligned with Nava's mission. As Nava evolves toward an AI-native operating model, the Principal Manager, People Operations Business Partners sets the strategic point of view on how artificial intelligence and automation will change roles, skills, team structures, and management practices, and equips the POBP team to guide leaders through that change responsibly, balancing efficiency gains with employee trust, equity, compliance, and sound human judgment. Working closely with People Operations leadership, Finance, Legal, Talent Acquisition, and business operations leaders, the Manager ensures that people strategy and POBP practice are financially responsible, legally compliant, operationally practical, and aligned with Nava's values. All responsibilities will be carried out in service of Nava’s values: Be Active Stewards, Delivery over Dogma, Build Together, Innovation Requires New Perspectives, and Progress Takes Work.

Requirements

10+ years of People Operations and/or Human Resources experience
Demonstrated experience translating business strategy into organizational design, workforce planning, and talent strategy at the enterprise level
Thorough knowledge of People Operations and Human Resources principles and applicable federal and state regulations (FMLA, ADA, FLSA, NLRA, etc.)
Strong competency with HCM systems
Demonstrated ability to influence senior executives and stakeholders without relying on formal authority.
Experience coaching and developing talent
Ability to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with executives, managers, employees and union representatives
Strong analytical skills and experience using workforce data to identify trends, evaluate risk, and support decisions
Strong judgment and the ability to provide clear recommendations in complex, sensitive, or ambiguous situations
Ability to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships with employees, managers, and union representatives
Ability to work independently and with little supervision
Extraordinary discretion, confidentiality, flexibility, and willingness to work closely with a cross-functional team
Proficiency in GSuite, Slack, Zoom, Excel, Apple computers, and other tools used to support a remote-work environment
Attention to detail and the ability to work independently and in a team environment
Ability to work effectively in a distributed, remote-first environment
Legal authorization to work in the United States
Ability to meet any other requirements for government contracts for which candidates are hired
Work authorization that doesn’t require visa sponsorship, now or in the future
May be subject to a government background check or security clearance, depending on the contract
This role requires you to work from the contiguous United States.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting a government contractor, professional-services organization, consulting organization, technology company, or project-based workforce
Experience working in a unionized environment or supporting labor-relations matters
Experience with Workday HCM
Experience supporting organizational redesign, workforce restructuring, mergers, acquisitions, or other significant organizational changes
Experience with job architecture, compensation administration, talent reviews, succession planning, or workforce analytics
Experience supporting leaders in a rapidly evolving and scaling organization

Responsibilities

Directly manage, coach, and develop the People Operations Business Partner, setting clear goals and providing regular feedback and career development support
Build and scale the People Operations Business Partner function across the employee lifecycle managing the workload distribution as the organization scales
Establish performance expectations, competencies, and quality standards for POBP work and regularly assess the team
Foster a culture of accountability, trust, and continuous improvement within the POBP team
Serve as a trusted strategic advisor to senior executives on organizational design, workforce planning, performance management, and employee relations
Translate enterprise business priorities into people strategy, ensuring HRBP practice aligns with company goals
Set the strategic point of view on how AI and automation will affect roles, skills, team structures, and management practices, and equip HRBPs to guide leaders through responsible adoption
Partner with Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, and Learning & Organization Enablement leadership to deliver a cohesive, enterprise-wide employee experience
Represent the People Operations Business Partner function in enterprise-level people strategy and planning discussions
Develop and maintain Nava's enterprise workforce-planning frameworks, and career-pathing structures that POBPs apply across business areas
Partner with Finance, Operations, and Delivery business leaders to align workforce plans with delivery commitments, organizational capacity, and financial plans
Guide organizational design decisions, including team restructures, leadership transitions, position eliminations, and other significant workforce actions
Evaluate spans of control, reporting structures, and organizational capability across the business to identify opportunities for greater effectiveness
Set standards for evaluating technology-enabled efficiency proposals, ensuring they are supported by realistic change-management plans and workforce data
Coach the POBP team on how to develop leaders and managers on organizational leadership, team effectiveness, accountability, and performance
Identify recurring, cross-organizational manager challenges and direct the development of scalable tools, guidance, and learning interventions
Champion the build of inclusive, accountable, and psychologically safe teams across the business
Guide the POBP team through complex or sensitive leadership situations, promoting sound judgment, consistency, and fairness
Own the people and organizational strategy for significant business changes, setting direction for the HRBP team's execution
Direct assessments of stakeholder impact, organizational readiness, and employee-relations risk for major change initiatives
Set change-management standards and ensure the HRBP team delivers clear implementation plans, communications, and manager resources
Monitor the impact of organizational changes at the enterprise level and adjust strategy based on workforce data and outcomes
Serve as an escalation point for complex, high-risk, or sensitive labor and employee relations matters
Partner with Legal and People Operations leadership on high-impact investigations and risk assessments
Maintain enterprise-level knowledge of applicable federal, state, and local employment requirements and ensure HRBP practice reflects current law
Set the strategy for employee- and labor-relations practices related to AI-enabled workplace changes, including monitoring, workload, and role requirements
Support employee-relations practices within Nava's unionized environment and ensure compliance with collective bargaining obligations
Identify systemic patterns in employee concerns and direct the development of organization-wide solutions
Escalate significant organizational, legal, cultural, or employee-experience risks appropriately
Sponsor and oversee complex, cross-functional people initiatives from problem definition through implementation and evaluation
Coordinate with leaders across People Operations, Finance, Legal, IT, Talent Acquisition, and delivery teams
Provide clear, executive-level updates on initiative progress, risk, and outcomes
Ensure initiatives are meaningfully adopted and sustained across the organization
Set the strategy for using workforce data to identify trends, organizational health indicators, and emerging risks
Partner with People Workforce Insights, Staffing, and Finance to improve enterprise workforce reporting and decision-making
Translate data into clear insights and recommendations for executive leadership
Ensure appropriate data integrity, confidentiality, and documentation standards across the POBP function
Drive cross-functional initiatives that improve the employee and manager experience
Identify and resolve policies, processes, systems, or operating practices that create unnecessary complexity, inconsistency, risk, or administrative burden
Direct improvements that increase clarity, scalability, compliance, and organizational effectiveness
Ensure People Operations programs and processes are practical for managers and aligned with Nava’s broader people strategy
Champion the adoption of self-service tools and standardized practices while preserving appropriate judgment for complex situations

Benefits

Health coverage — comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans to support your overall health needs
Insurance coverage — Nava provides disability, life, and accidental death insurance at no cost
Time off — vacation, holidays (including Juneteenth), and floating holidays to rest and recharge
Company holidays — enjoy 12 paid federal holidays each year on top of your regular PTO
Annual bonus — when Nava meets its goals, eligible employees receive a performance-based annual bonus
Parental leave — paid time off for new parents, plus weekly meals delivered to your home
Wellness program — full platform offering physical, mental, & emotional health resources & support tools
Virtual care — see doctors online with no copay through a virtual visit program (depending on available providers)
Sabbatical leave — earn extended unpaid leave after continuous service for personal growth or rest
401(k) match — Nava matches 4% of your salary to support your retirement savings plan
Flexible work — remote-first environment with flexibility built around your schedule and responsibilities
Home office setup — company laptop & setup assistance provided via Staples for remote work needs
Utility support — monthly reimbursement to help offset eligible home office utility expenses
Learning opportunities — internal training programs and resources to help grow your professional skills
Development opportunities — LinkedIn Learning access & an annual allowance for courses, tuition, & certs
Referral bonus — get rewarded when you refer great people who join the Nava team
Commuter benefits — pre-tax commuter programs to support in-office travel when applicable
Supportive culture — A collaborative and remote-friendly team environment where people genuinely care