HRBP, Core Business

Cursor; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Cursor in San Francisco is seeking a Senior HR Business Partner to support its rapidly scaling Business teams. The role involves partnering with senior leaders, operating as a strategic thought partner in a high-talent-density environment.

The ideal candidate will have 8–15+ years of relevant experience, a strong background in organizational design, and a hands-on approach to building effective teams. The role requires travel as necessary.

Qualifications

• 8–15+ years of experience in HRBP or related roles.
• Strong expertise in organizational design and leadership coaching.
• Excellent judgment and ability to navigate complex situations.

Responsibilities

• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders across functions.
• Drive and operationalize performance management programs.
• Build People infrastructure and operating rhythms from the ground up.

Skills

Organizational design

Performance management

Leadership coaching

Talent strategy

Job description

Our mission is to automate coding. The first step in our journey is to build the best tool for professional programmers, using a combination of inventive research, design, and engineering. Our organization is very flat, and our team is small and talent dense. We particularly like people who are truth‑seeking, passionate, and creative. We enjoy spirited debate, crazy ideas, and shipping code.

We’re hiring a Senior HR Business Partner to support our rapidly scaling Business teams. This person will partner closely with senior leaders across Finance, Legal, Marketing, Operations and People to help build high‑performing, durable teams in a fast‑moving environment.

This is not a traditional HRBP role. You’ll operate as a strategic thought partner and hands‑on builder in a high‑talent‑density company where expectations are high and the pace is fast. We’re looking for someone who combines strong business judgment, operational excellence, and a bias for action — someone willing to do whatever is needed to help the business scale effectively.

You’ll work directly with leaders on organizational effectiveness, performance, talent strategy, and leadership quality while helping define what great People partnership looks like at Cursor.

Partner Closely with Functional Leaders

• Act as a trusted advisor to leaders across Finance, Legal, Marketing, Operations and People
• Coach managers and leaders on performance, feedback, team health, organizational changes, and leadership effectiveness
• Support high‑stakes decision‑making and help leaders navigate rapid growth and ambiguity
• Raise the bar on accountability, talent density, and leadership quality across the organization

Drive Org Design and Talent Strategy

• Partner on org design, headcount planning, team structure, leveling, and mobility
• Help leaders build scalable, high‑performing teams with clear ownership and accountability
• Identify organizational gaps and proactively solve for talent, structure, and execution challenges
• Support thoughtful scaling without introducing unnecessary process or complexity

Own Performance And Employee Experience

• Drive and operationalize performance management, calibrations, promotions, onboarding, engagement, and development programs
• Navigate employee relations and sensitive situations with strong judgment, empathy, and pragmatism
• Ensure high standards are upheld consistently while maintaining a strong employee experience
• Help build lightweight, high‑quality systems that scale with the business

Build and Scale the Function

• Partner cross‑functionally with Recruiting, Compensation, Legal, Finance, and People Ops
• Build People infrastructure and operating rhythms from the ground up
• Bring structure, urgency, and follow‑through to a fast‑moving environment
• Operate with high ownership and jump into tactical work when needed

What We’re Looking For

• 8–15+ years of experience in HRBP, People Partner, or related leadership roles supporting high‑growth organizations
• Strong expertise in organizational design, performance management, leadership coaching, and talent strategy
• Excellent judgment and ability to navigate complex, high‑stakes situations
• Comfortable operating with ambiguity and minimal structure
• Pragmatic, direct, highly execution‑oriented, and deeply collaborative
• Ability to influence senior leaders through credibility and partnership, not process

You Might Be a Fit If You

• View HR as a core business function, not a support function
• Care deeply about leadership quality, accountability, and talent density
• Prefer simple, high‑quality systems over heavy process
• Thrive in fast‑moving, high‑expectation environments
• Enjoy building from first principles and operating close to the business

Location

This role is based in San Francisco (North Beach) with an expectation of domestic and light international travel as needed.