HR Business Partner - Engineering

xAI; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 115,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Short & long-term disability insurance

Life insurance

Job summary

xAI in Palo Alto, CA is looking for an HR Business Partner to support our engineering teams. The role involves employee relations, performance management, and organizational optimization.

With 35+ years of experience required, the ideal candidate must thrive in a fast-paced environment, demonstrating strong communication and problem-solving skills. Compensation ranges from $115,000 to $140,000, inclusive of a comprehensive benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience in HR roles with various HR disciplines.
• Must have strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Excellent influencing and relationship-building skills.

Responsibilities

• Respond to employee inquiries and issues in HR.
• Counsel employees and managers per company policy.
• Assist in developing HR policies and processes.
• Maintain confidentiality with employee matters.

Skills

Strong problem-solving skills

Excellent communication skills

Critical thinking

Interpersonal skills

Education

35+ years of experience as an HR Generalist or HRBP

Experience in a fast-paced dynamic environment

Tools

Greenhouse

UltiPro

Workday

Microsoft Outlook

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

HR Business Partner - Engineering

Palo Alto, CA

About xAI

xAI's mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands‑on and to contribute directly to the company's mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

About the Role

The HR Business Partner team is a key partner in helping scale the organization and support its talented employees. We work closely with senior leaders and their teams with the full lifecycle of an employee from onboarding, career development, recognition, performance management, org design and more. We help steer important decisions, and operate with urgency in ensuring that all of our teams are able to perform at their very best. In this role you will support a hardcore engineering team.

Responsibilities

• Respond to employee inquiries, questions and complaints, and provide information, guidance and direction on employee relations issues, performance management, and other core HR functions
• Operate as a key business partner to employees, managers, directors and senior leaders on workforce analytics, organizational optimization, leadership development, and other strategic initiatives
• Work closely with the functional experts in HR (recruiting, training and development, compensation, and benefits) to ensure programs are optimized for the needs of your client groups and to shape SpaceX-wide programs
• Counsel and assist employees and managers, guided by the Company's policies and relevant laws/regulations
• Facilitate internal transfers, oversee and facilitate promotion opportunities, conduct exit interviews, and identify trends to support retention, career development and to minimize risk for the business
• Work with managers and above to implement key HR recommendations and change efforts
• Assist with the creation, documentation, and implementation of human resources policies, programs, and processes
• Uphold standards of strict confidentiality with respect to all matters and documents
• Maintain employee files and process HR transactions in Workday

Basic Qualifications

• 35+ years of experience as an HR Generalist or HRBP, with exposure across other HR disciplines
• Experience working in a fast‑paced, high‑growth, dynamic business environment
• Strong problem‑solving, critical thinking, and analytical skills
• Excellent interpersonal, influencing, and communication skills, with the ability to build relationships and influence at all levels of the organization

Preferred Skills and Experience

• Experience working in the tech industry/supporting engineering teams
• Demonstrated success at building effective relationships
• Ability to lead with a positive attitude and approach challenges head‑on
• Experience independently handling employee relations issues
• Familiarity with Greenhouse, UltiPro, and/or Workday
• Ability to use independent judgment to make decisions as well as organize and prioritize work
• Demonstrated excellence thriving in a fast‑paced environment
• Experience with Microsoft Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint

Additional Requirements

• This is not a remote or hybrid position and will require relocation if not already local to the Palo Alto, CA area.
• Position requires ability to work extended hours and weekends when needed

Compensation and Benefits

$115,000 - $140,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

ITAR Requirements

• To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, applicant must be a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful, permanent resident (aka green card holder), (iii) Refugee under 8 U.S.C. 1157, or (iv) Asylee under 8 U.S.C. 1158, or be eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

xAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.