People Business Partner - GTM

Chainguard; United States; Remote; USD 111,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company is seeking a People Business Partner to champion its people and drive strategic HR initiatives. This role involves coaching and mentoring employees, managing performance processes, and ensuring a positive work culture. The ideal candidate has over 6 years of HR experience, including a Business Partner role, and is adept at influencing, problem-solving, and building relationships. The position offers a competitive salary and a remote-first culture.

Benefits

Flexible & Remote-First Culture

100% Covered Health Insurance

18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave

∞ Flexible Time Off

Qualifications

• Experience in a true Business Partner role with 6+ years in HR.
• Sound judgment and risk assessment skills.
• Hands-on experience with performance management and employee relations.
• Strong knowledge of employment laws across multiple states.

Responsibilities

• Coach and mentor Chainguardians.
• Guide performance management processes.
• Deliver training on People policies.
• Collaborate on talent engagement programs.
• Handle employee relations concerns.

Skills

HR experience

People analytics

Relationship-building

Project management

Job description

Are you energized by supporting teams in rocketship mode—where learning outpaces process manuals, and each day brings new puzzles? At Chainguard, we’re rewriting how organizations build secure, scalable, people-centric cultures—one Chainguardian at a time.

As our People Business Partner, you’ll be a champion for our people and a strategic thought partner to our leaders. You’ll build trusted relationships, design high-impact programs, and coach a community that moves fast and cares deeply about the work we do (and how we do it). You’ll be a sounding board for executives, guide managers through sticky challenges, and help set the foundation for a truly inclusive, fun, and high-performing workplace. You’ll play a pivotal role in scaling our People practices while keeping empathy and excellence at the center.

What you’ll do

• Coach, mentor, and provide timely feedback to Chainguardians, helping them grow and thrive.
• Guide people leaders through performance management (think: quarterly/annual reviews, continuous feedback, and clear growth paths).
• Deliver practical, real-talk training to managers on People policies, talent development, and all the quirky things that pop up in a scaling start-up.
• Collaborate with the broader People and Talent teams to deliver programs that attract, retain and engage talent.
• Investigate and resolve employee relations concerns thoughtfully and swiftly, always protecting trust and psychological safety.
• Foster an inclusive work culture (because representation, belonging, and good vibes matter).
• Collaborate with leaders on promotion processes, compensation cycles, and talent planning—making sure every Chainguardian feels seen and valued.
• Interpret and apply People policies with consistency and common sense, keeping us compliant wherever our Chainguardians sit.
• Use data, not guesswork—track, report, and analyze People metrics to inform decisions and drive better outcomes.
• Bring fresh ideas to People programs and never shy away from challenging the status quo.

What we’re looking for

• 6+ years of progressive HR/People experience, including at least 2–4 years in a true Business Partner role (supporting managers/leaders directly).
• Sound judgment, able to assess risk while moving the business forward.
• Hands-on experience with performance management, employee relations, and People analytics/reporting in high-growth, high-change environments.
• Project management and change management skills; you run programs (not just meetings).
• Adaptability and resilience—you stay steady under pressure and bring creativity to challenges.
• Experience operating in a tech start-up (bonus points for scaling global teams).
• Influence and strategic problem-solving chops; you’re comfortable having tough conversations and shaping solutions.
• Relationship-building superpowers—people trust you, and you earn it.
• Strong working knowledge of employment laws and regulations across multiple states.
• Communicates with clarity and empathy across all formats—written, verbal, or digital
• Brings analytical rigor and pragmatism—decisions are grounded in data as well as context.

Base Salary Range: $111,000 - $140,000 USD

About Us: Chainguard is the secure foundation for software development and deployment. By providing guarded open source software, built from source and updated continuously, Chainguard helps organizations eliminate threats in their software supply chains.

Founded by the industry's leading experts on open source software, security and cloud native development, Chainguard has built the largest library of open source software that is secure by default.

Chainguard’s mission is to be the safe source for open source.

We live and breathe our company values: We are customer obsessed, We have a bias for intentional action, We don’t take ourselves too seriously (but we do serious work), We trust each other and assume good intentions.

Benefits we offer: Flexible & Remote-First Culture, Our Approach to Equity, 100% Covered Health Insurance, ∞ Flexible Time Off, 18 Weeks Paid Parental Leave.

Chainguard is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, reproductive health decisions, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, political views or activity, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.