Principal People Business Partner

Harness•San Francisco, CA

1d•$181,000 - $226,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Harness is seeking a Principal People Business Partner (PBP) to serve as the senior People advisor to Customer Success, Marketing, Finance, and Legal leadership as the company scales in a high-growth global technology environment. The role shapes how these teams are structured, developed, and led, represents the People function in their leadership meetings, and partners with the Global PBP team on shared methodology, tools, and projects. The PBP drives People programs from start to finish, leads complex and high-stakes employee relations matters, and advises senior executives on talent strategy, workforce planning, succession, organizational effectiveness, and design. The position also sets direction for the use of AI and automation to scale People programs, leads innovation through company-wide change, and coaches and mentors teammates across the People team. The position is based in San Francisco with a hybrid work arrangement. The posted salary range is $181,000–$226,000 USD. Compensation also includes a performance-based commission or variable component, equity, and benefits. A valid authorization to work in the U.S. is required.

Requirements

At least 10 years of People Business Partner or HRBP experience, including advising C-suite executives; global organization experience is preferred in the posting as an ideal background.
Experience in technology, SaaS, or another high-growth environment.
A proven record of advising executive leaders on talent strategy, workforce planning, succession, and organizational design.
Deep expertise in organizational design, change management, performance management, leadership development, and employee relations, including leading complex, high-stakes matters with Legal.
Strong knowledge of federal and local employment law and sound independent judgment.
A data-driven approach and the ability to turn people metrics into compelling stories and recommendations.
Ability to lead through ambiguity, work independently with urgency, and drive work to completion across teams.
Excellent communication skills at all levels and a record of building bridges across silos.
Experience building, deploying, or leading adoption of AI-assisted workflows for HR tasks, and the ability to make the business case for People technology.
Valid authorization to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a global organization.

Responsibilities

Advise C-level executives across Customer Success, Marketing, Finance, and Legal on talent strategy, workforce planning, succession, and organizational effectiveness.
Lead organizational design discussions with senior leaders and shape these teams for growth and scale.
Represent the People function in leadership team meetings and align people decisions with the broader People strategy.
Use data and business context to surface systemic risks and recommend high-impact solutions.
Lead complex, high-stakes employee relations matters and investigations in partnership with Legal, managing risk with discretion and appropriate independence.
Advise senior leaders on difficult performance, conduct, and organizational design decisions.
Review underperformance trends and keep senior leadership informed of systemic risks.
Drive People programs from start to finish, including performance cycles, talent reviews, and compensation planning; improve programs using data and feedback.
Partner with Total Rewards, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Development, and People Operations to apply global programs consistently while accounting for local and functional needs.
Lead talent planning and succession across client groups and inform senior leaders about performance and retention trends.
Drive automation strategy for the PBP function by evaluating and deploying AI tools with People Operations.
Lead innovation in People programs and help the team navigate ambiguity during company-wide change.
Collaborate with Legal, Finance, IT, and other teams to build alignment and trust across departments.
Partner with People Operations, Talent Acquisition, Total Rewards, Workplace, and Learning and Development to advance talent strategy.
Coach and mentor People team members and establish knowledge-sharing practices that strengthen the PBP practice.