Senior People Business Partner

Tekion • Pleasanton, CA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Tekion is a cloud-native, AI-powered platform transforming the automotive retail industry — one of the largest and most complex commerce ecosystems in the world. We are building everything from the ground up: our technology, our culture, our processes, and our people practices. This is not a company that is optimizing what already exists. We are creating what doesn't yet exist — and we're doing it fast. If you are drawn to environments where you can make a real and lasting impact, where no two days look the same, and where the work you do today shapes how thousands of people experience work tomorrow — this role was built for you.

The Senior People Business Partner is one of the most important roles on our People team. You are the bridge between our business and our People strategy — and you are far more than a resource the business calls when something goes wrong. You are a proactive, strategic thought partner who helps business leaders build teams people are proud to be part of. This role requires someone who is equally invested in the success of their client groups and the success of the People team itself. You will carry a portfolio of business units and be expected to know them deeply — their goals, their challenges, their people, and what it will take to make them perform at their best. You will operate in an environment that is still being built. Systems will be imperfect. Processes will evolve. Ambiguity will be a daily companion. We need someone who sees this not as a liability but as the opportunity it is — to build something great, in real time, that will outlast you. This is a full-time in office role in our beautiful Pleasanton, CA office.

Requirements

• BS/BA degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 8–10 years of HRBP or People Business Partner experience, preferably in a fast-growth SaaS or technology company.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted advisory relationships with senior and C-suite leaders — not just execute requests but shape thinking.
• Ability to learn a business quickly, connect People initiatives to business outcomes, and speak the language of the leaders you support.
• Sound judgment and experience handling complex employee relations situations with care, consistency, and appropriate urgency.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — clear, direct, and compelling across audiences from ICs to executives.
• Comfortable managing a broad portfolio of priorities in a fast-moving environment without losing precision or follow-through.
• Able to absorb feedback, adapt quickly, and maintain composure and positivity when things don't go as planned — because sometimes they won't.
• You measure your own success by how much better the people and teams around you are performing. Seeing others grow, succeed, and thrive because of your partnership is what fuels you.

Nice To Haves

• Preferred Experience in a high-growth startup or company scaling through significant organizational change.
• Track record of building or rebuilding People programs from scratch.
• Experience supporting global or international business units.
• Workday proficiency (HCM, Recruiting, Talent).
• Exposure to M&A, rapid headcount scaling, or organizational redesign.
• Demonstrated ability to gain energy from — not be depleted by — highly complex organizational problems.
• High consultative experience influencing senior leaders through insight and data, not authority.

Responsibilities

• Build deep, trusted, long-term relationships with business unit leaders and their teams.
• Serve as a genuine thought partner — not just a service provider — on organizational health, talent strategy, and team effectiveness.
• Develop a thorough understanding of each client group's business model, goals, and pressures. Use that knowledge to anticipate needs, shape people strategies proactively, and connect People initiatives directly to business outcomes.
• Partner with leaders to build high-performing, engaged teams. Drive org design, succession planning, performance management, and leadership development with rigor and intentionality.
• Navigate complex employee situations with sound judgment, empathy, and legal awareness. Provide thoughtful guidance that protects the business and the individual simultaneously.
• Champion people-related transformation initiatives. Communicate change with clarity and conviction, build alignment across stakeholders, and help leaders bring their teams through transitions effectively.
• Actively contribute to the strength, culture, and continuous improvement of the People team itself. Share knowledge, collaborate across COEs, and show up as a champion for the function — not just your portfolio.
• Drive the end-to-end execution of People programs across your client groups — performance cycles, engagement actions, compensation planning, and more — with precision and follow-through.
• Identify gaps, design solutions, and build People infrastructure where it doesn't yet exist. Leave every client group — and the People team itself — better than you found it.
• Apply advanced analytical skills and deep People knowledge to diagnose business needs, recommend strategic solutions, and navigate complex people-related challenges. You don't just respond to what leaders ask — you help them see what they haven't asked yet.
• Stay current on emerging HR trends, tools, and best practices. Actively seek new ways to improve how we operate and add value — to your client groups, to the People team, and to the organization as a whole.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and generous stock options
• 100% employer-paid top-of-the-line medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Unlimited PTO, parental leave, and free snacks and beverages
• The opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds from Silicon Valley's most successful companies
• Early-stage, hyper-growth startup with significant career growth opportunity
• Home-grown, ground-up technology — everything we build, we own
• A dynamic, collaborative work environment with a strong sense of community
• Open, transparent culture that rewards performance and encourages innovation

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Associate degree