Founding HRBP & Leadership Builder

Happyrobot Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 170,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Dental coverage

Vision coverage

Equity in startup

Job summary

HappyRobot Inc. is seeking an experienced People Business Partner to build and scale HRBP functions across a fast-growing AI startup. You will partner with leaders to develop managers, run performance and employee relations programs, and hire and lead a team of People Business Partners.

This role emphasizes ownership, candor coaching, and using AI tools to streamline HR processes while maintaining compliance and fairness.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years of HR experience, including 3+ years as an HR Business Partner in high-growth or complex environments.
• Experience building HRBP programs from scratch, not only running existing ones.
• Track record of designing and running performance review cycles and manager development programs.
• Strong employee relations judgment with balance of care, business needs, and legal risk.
• Executive presence and credibility with ability to coach leaders, including founders.
• Experience supporting teams across multiple countries (US and EU strongly preferred).
• Interest in leading a team; people-management experience a plus.
• High ownership, comfort with ambiguity, and bias toward building and simplifying.
• Comfort using AI tools and modern HR technology to work more efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Build the HRBP function and define partnering with the business as we scale, with plans to hire and lead a team.
• Coach and advise managers at all levels; create leadership training for feedback, 1:1s, and people development.
• Own the Impact Review program end-to-end, including calibration and goals.
• Lead employee relations with managers through performance issues, PIPs, and exit processes with fairness.
• Design and launch engagement and development programs to promote inclusivity and growth.
• Build leadership pipeline and assess readiness for lead roles.
• Monitor org health, understand structures and risks, and propose org design changes.
• Use people data to guide decisions on performance, retention, and team health.

Skills

HR experience

HRBP programs

Performance reviews

Employee relations

Executive presence

Multi-country experience

People management

Ambiguity tolerance

AI tools familiarity

Ownership mindset

Job description

HappyRobot Inc. is seeking an experienced People Business Partner to build and scale HRBP functions across a fast-growing AI startup. You will partner with leaders to develop managers, run performance and employee relations programs, and hire and lead a team of People Business Partners.

This role emphasizes ownership, candor coaching, and using AI tools to streamline HR processes while maintaining compliance and fairness.