Director, People Business Partner

Thrive; Woburn (MA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Thrive is seeking a hands‑on Director, People Business Partner to lead the US PBP team with a focus on Go‑to‑Market and Sales. This player‑coach role blends strategic partnership with day‑to‑day leadership, coaching, and hands‑on execution.

You’ll partner with the VP of Talent and People Partners, drive key programs, and align with the global PBP model. 10+ years HR experience and MA residency required.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive People Business Partner or HRBP experience.
• Experience leading or coaching HR professionals in a player‑coach capacity.
• Demonstrated partnership with Go‑to‑Market, Sales, or revenue leadership.
• Based in Massachusetts; ability to support US business needs.

Responsibilities

• Directly manage, coach, and develop US-based PBPs to strengthen business partnerships.
• Set priorities, coach, remove roadblocks, and keep the team focused on critical work.
• Guide employee relations, organizational talent, performance, and leadership matters.
• Collaborate with Global PBP team to align processes and tools.
• Partner with Sales leadership for effective organization design and workforce planning.

Skills

Business Acumen

Strategic Thinking

Trusted Partnership

Judgment & Problem Solving

Player‑Coach Leadership

Ownership & Execution

Communication

Adaptability

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's in HR/Business Admin

Job description

We’re looking for a hands-on Director, People Business Partner to lead our US PBP team and serve as the primary PBP for Go-to-Market, with a particular focus on Sales. This is a true player-coach role, combining strategic business partnership with day-to-day leadership, coaching, and hands‑on execution.

Working closely with the VP, Talent and People Business Partners, you’ll help translate People priorities into action, take ownership of key programs and workstreams, and strengthen how we partner with the business. You’ll also collaborate closely with our global People team to drive alignment and consistency across our global PBP model.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Directly manage, coach, and develop US-based PBPs, helping them strengthen their business partnerships and continue to grow their capabilities.
• Help set priorities, provide direct feedback and coaching, remove roadblocks, and ensure the team remains focused on the work that matters most.
• Stay connected to active employee and leader matters to ensure they are appropriately prioritized, owned, and resolved with consistency and care.
• Provide guidance and step in directly on more complex employee relations, organizational, talent, performance, or leadership matters when needed.
• Model strong business partnership, sound judgment, clear communication, and practical, solutions‑oriented problem solving.

Partner with Go-to-Market and Sales Leadership

• Serve as the primary PBP for Go-to-Market, with a significant focus on partnering directly with Sales leadership.
• Build strong relationships with leaders and develop a deep understanding of their business, talent, priorities, and challenges.
• Advise and coach leaders on organization design, workforce planning, talent, succession, performance, engagement, manager effectiveness, and change.
• Help leaders look beyond the immediate issue, understand root causes and broader implications, and identify practical solutions.
• Use data, employee insights, and business context to identify trends and inform recommendations.
• Support leaders through growth and change while strengthening leadership capability, accountability, communication, and employee experience.

Drive People Programs and Support Global PBP Alignment

• Partner with the VP, Talent and People Business Partners on key People and talent programs and initiatives.
• Take ownership of assigned programs and workstreams from planning through execution, including timelines, stakeholder coordination, communication, risk identification, and follow-through.
• Lead or support programs across performance and talent management, engagement, manager enablement, career development, and organizational effectiveness.
• Help translate our PBP model into practical tools, processes, and consistent ways of working for the US team.
• Partner collaboratively with international People team members to share insights and best practices and support alignment across the global PBP model.
• Bring forward themes, insights, and opportunities that can help improve how the PBP team supports the business and employee experience.
• 10+ years of progressive People Business Partner, HR Business Partner, or HR experience, including experience leading or coaching HR professionals.
• Demonstrated experience partnering directly with Go-to-Market, Sales, or revenue leadership.
• Strong HR expertise across employee relations, performance management, talent and succession, organization design, workforce planning, and change.
• Experience leading and developing PBPs or other HR professionals in a player‑coach capacity.
• Experience working within a global or geographically dispersed organization preferred.
• Experience leading or owning People programs and initiatives from planning through execution.
• Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field; HR certification a plus.
• Must be based in Massachusetts.

Competencies to Be Successful in the Role

• Business Acumen & Strategic Thinking: Understands business priorities, looks beyond the immediate issue, connects the dots, considers downstream impacts, and translates business needs into practical People solutions.
• Trusted Partnership & Influence: Builds credibility with leaders, asks thoughtful questions, challenges when appropriate, and brings forward a clear point of view and recommendations.
• Judgment & Problem Solving: Navigates complex and sensitive situations with sound judgment, balances business and employee considerations, and knows when to act, pause, or escalation.
• Player‑Coach Leadership: Develops and coaches others while staying close to the work and stepping in with hands‑on support when needed.
• Ownership & Execution: Takes work from idea through execution, anticipates what comes next, drives follow-through, and keeps priorities moving with a high degree of independence.
• Communication: Communicates clearly, directly, and confidently across audiences and navigates difficult conversations with care and credibility.
• Adaptability: Operates effectively through ambiguity, changing priorities, and evolving processes while bringing structure, clarity, and calm to others.
• Collaboration: Builds strong partnerships across the People team and works effectively with US and international colleagues to drive alignment and consistency.

EEOC & Compensation

Thrive is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The salary range for this role is $165,000 to $170,000 annually. A candidate’s salary is determined by various factors, including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, location and certifications.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.