Principal HR Business Partner (R&D)

Toast; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Toast is seeking a Principal People Success Partner (HRBP) to serve as the strategic HR partner for our 2,000+ R&D community spanning Engineering, Product, and Design. This high-impact individual contributes to org design, calibration cycles, and sensitive performance conversations, reporting to the Senior Director, PSP.

The role requires navigating complexity, influencing without authority, and turning people strategy into tangible outcomes, with a hybrid working model and hubs in multiple

Qualifications

• 10+ years of HR Business Partner experience.
• Expertise in org design for scaling and restructurings.
• Trusted partner to VP- and SVP-level leaders; ability to influence and coach.
• Strong analytical skills; comfortable using AI tools and headcount models.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve org structures for R&D to scale; advise during reorganizations.
• Lead end-to-end org design initiatives from diagnosis to implementation.
• Drive high-quality performance calibrations across Engineering, PM, and Design.
• Promote clear expectations and candid feedback; translate 'raising the bar' into practice.
• Adopt and test AI solutions to address challenges at scale.
• Use engagement data and signals to surface org health risks and plan actions.
• Shape company-wide people programs ensuring compensation, leveling, and engagement initiatives land well.
• Tell a coherent story to senior stakeholders using data-driven insights.

Skills

HRBP

Org design

Executive coaching

Analytical skills

Judgement & EQ

Tools

AI tools

Job description

Toast creates technology to help restaurants and local businesses succeed in a digital world, helping business owners operate, increase sales, engage customers, and keep employees happy. We're looking for a Principal People Success Partner (more commonly referred to as "HRBP") to serve as the strategic HR partner for Toast's R&D organization — a 2,000+ person community spanning Engineering, Product, and Design. You'll report directly to the Senior Director, PSP and operate as a true thought partner to senior leaders, helping shape how we build, develop, and sustain a world-class product and technology organization.

This is a high-impact individual contributor role for someone who excels at navigating organizational complexity, influencing without authority, and translating people strategy into practical outcomes. The right person is equally comfortable in a room with a SVP discussing org design as they are rolling up their sleeves on a calibration cycle or a difficult performance conversation.

Note to applicants: We are prioritizing candidates located near our hubs in Boston, New York City, Toronto, San Francisco, and Omaha.

A Day In The Life (Responsibilities)

• Partner with R&D SVPs, VPs and senior directors to design and evolve org structures that scale; Serve as a trusted advisor during reorgs and structural changes, helping leaders navigate people impacts with care and clarity.
• Lead org design initiatives end-to-end: from diagnosing root causes through to stakeholder alignment, change communication, and implementation.
• Drive consistent, high-quality performance calibrations across Engineering, PM, and Design — building leader capability and ensuring fair, differentiated outcomes.
• Champion a culture of clear expectations and candid feedback; help leaders understand what "raising the bar" looks like in practice.
• Cultivate an AI "Builder" approach by adopting and testing AI solutions to address challenges at scale.
• Use engagement data, pulse surveys, and qualitative signals to surface org health risks and partner with leaders on action planning.
• Serve as the R&D voice in the design and rollout of company-wide people programs — ensuring compensation cycles, leveling frameworks, and engagement initiatives land effectively.
• Bring an analytical lens to your work — using data to shape decisions, measure outcomes, and tell a coherent story to senior stakeholders.

What You'll Need To Thrive (Requirements)

• 10+ years of HR Business Partner experience.
• Demonstrated expertise in org design — you've led restructuring initiatives, not just supported them.
• Experience as a trusted partner to VP- and SVP-level leaders; you're known for your ability to influence and coach.
• Strong analytical skills — comfortable using AI tools and working with employee data, engagement metrics, and headcount models to shape recommendations.
• Excellent judgment: you know when to push, when to listen, and when to elevate.
• High EQ and the ability to build trust quickly across a diverse, technically-oriented workforce.
• Experience at a high-growth SaaS or fintech company.
• Experience supporting a globally distributed R&D org.

AI at Toast

At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture.

Our Total Rewards Philosophy

We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits.

The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits.

Pay Range

$140,000—$190,000 CAD

How Toast Uses AI In Its Hiring Process

Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real-time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance. To learn more: https://careers.toasttab.com/ai-in-hiring

Our Approach to Hybrid Working

We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in-office expectations by region: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast

People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success

At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast. We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other.

Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact [e-mail].

For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.