Senior People Partner, Manufacturing

Panthalassa • Portland, OR

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Panthalassa is a renewable energy and ocean technology public benefit corporation developing technologies to capture renewable energy from the oceans. The Senior People Partner will be the company’s first People Partner, supporting a rapidly growing manufacturing organization across three Portland-area worksites. The role works closely with the Vice President of Manufacturing and leaders in Manufacturing Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain, while helping establish the People Partner function with the Vice President of Talent and People Operations.

This is a senior individual contributor position with substantial independence. The partner supports hourly employees, salaried employees, and contractors, and spends significant time at manufacturing sites as well as working with HQ. The role combines workforce planning, organizational design, manager coaching, and handling sensitive employee matters. The successful candidate will learn how the manufacturing organization operates, earn influence through trust and practical advice, and use sound judgment rather than relying on process for its own sake.

The role is expected to work regularly onsite in the Greater Portland, Oregon area and travel between worksites weekly. Travel to vendors and test sites may also be required. The position may intermittently require longer hours and weekend work for critical needs. The company offers substantial autonomy, flexible working hours, and flexible PTO.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive experience in HR or People Partner roles, including substantial independent partnership with senior leaders.
• Experience supporting hourly employees, salaried employees, and contractors across multiple worksites, with credibility on the production floor and in the office.
• Experience helping a fast-growing or changing organization make decisions about structure, workforce needs, and leadership capacity.
• Strong manager-coaching skills, with examples of helping managers improve their leadership rather than taking over their responsibilities.
• Sound judgment on complex employee matters and employment law, including knowing when to involve legal counsel.
• Ability to earn trust and influence decisions without reporting authority, including challenging senior leaders while remaining a credible partner.
• Clear communication, discretion, and steady judgment under pressure.
• Comfort working through ambiguity without a fully built process.
• Ability to work regularly onsite in the Greater Portland, Oregon area and travel between worksites weekly.
• Ability to travel to vendors and test sites as needed.
• Intermittent availability to work longer hours and weekends to support critical needs.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting manufacturing or another technically complex, shift-based organization, ideally including opening or expanding a worksite.
• Experience in a high-growth startup, helping build the organization and adapting approaches as it grew.

Responsibilities

• Spend time on the production floor at all three sites, learn how Manufacturing Engineering, Production, and Supply Chain work, and keep information moving between the sites and HQ.
• Partner with the Vice President of Manufacturing and manufacturing leaders on team structure, leadership capacity, and role clarity, considering effects on other teams and sites.
• Help leaders plan workforce needs, including whether to hire, move people, use contractors, or reorganize.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition on hiring and lead the people side of site expansions.
• Build manufacturing job families, levels, and career paths, and coach managers on using them for hiring, development, and promotion.
• Coach managers to set clear expectations, give useful feedback, address performance issues early, and develop their employees.
• Guide managers through difficult situations without taking over their responsibility for their teams.
• Handle complex employee matters, including conflict, accommodations, investigations, and exits, with care and proportion.
• Give direct advice, explain reasoning, listen to other perspectives, and help people reach workable decisions.
• Bring organizational patterns and risks to the Vice President of Talent and People Operations with clear recommendations.
• Build processes when they solve a real problem and retire them when they no longer serve the organization.

Benefits

• Equity in the company.
• Flexible paid time off.
• Health insurance, with the company paying 100% of a gold-level PPO plan for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Dental insurance, with the company paying 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Vision insurance, with the company paying 100% for full-time employees, their partners, and dependents.
• Disability insurance, with the company paying 100% for a policy providing long-term financial support if the employee becomes disabled.
• Ability to contribute to tax-advantaged accounts, including a 401(k), health FSA, and dependent care FSA.
• Relocation assistance to facilitate a move to Portland, if needed.
• Flexible working hours and a high degree of autonomy.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed