People Partner

Normal Computing Corp.; New York (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Normal Computing, an applied AI company, seeks a founding People Partner to build a strong People function in NYC and beyond. You will partner with research, engineering, hardware and business teams to strengthen performance and development, guiding leaders on talent and organizational change as we grow.

You will establish the People Partner function, balancing performance with people risks early, and shape programs with ownership of key initiatives across teams and locations.

Qualifications

• Experience advising leaders as a People Partner, HRBP or in a comparable role within a tech or hardware company.
• Experience across early-stage startups and larger companies.
• Experience building practical People tools or delivering program components.
• Experience coaching managers through feedback, performance and development.
• Sound judgment in employee relations and conflict resolution.
• Ability to use employee feedback and data to inform changes.

Responsibilities

• Partner strategically with leaders, advising on talent and org change as we grow.
• Coach and develop managers with clear expectations and feedback.
• Guide performance and development through reviews and plans.
• Understand and improve team health via conversations and data.
• Advise on employee relations and change, involving leadership when needed.

Skills

People Partner experience

HRBP experience

Experience with tech or hardware

Leadership coaching

Change management

Employee relations

People data analysis

Tools

Rippling

Ashby

Lattice

Deel

Notion

Slack

Job description

Normal Computing | Build with Us

Normal is an applied AI company solving the hardest problems in AI and silicon. We build foundational hardware and software for the semiconductor industry, critical AI infrastructure, and the broader systems that power our world, in partnership with the world's most advanced institutions. We work as one team across New York City, Silicon Valley (Mountain View), London, Copenhagen, and Seoul.

Your Role in Our Mission

We’re looking for a founding People Partner to help Normal achieve its business goals by building effective teams and developing the talent we need as we grow. You’ll partner with leaders and employees across research, engineering, hardware and business teams to strengthen performance, development and how teams work together.

You’ll establish the People Partner function at Normal, balancing opportunities to strengthen performance and development with the need to address people challenges and risks early. You’ll bring clear recommendations to inform our priorities and use insights from your work with leaders and employees to shape our broader People programs, with ownership of specific initiatives.

What you will own

• Partner strategically with leaders. Understand business priorities, anticipate people needs, and advise leaders on talent, organizational change and the capabilities their teams need as we grow.

• Coach and develop managers. Help managers set clear expectations, give useful feedback, delegate effectively and handle difficult conversations. Deliver coaching, team training and resources as we build out our leadership development work, drawing on the challenges you see across teams.

• Guide performance and development. Support managers through performance reviews, helping them assess performance and turn feedback into development plans they follow through on. Bring recommendations as we continue to build our approach.

• Understand and improve team health. Use employee conversations, pulse survey results, exit themes and people data to identify concerns and retention risks early. Facilitate discussions on role clarity and working relationships, and work with leaders to agree on actions and assess whether they help.

• Advise on employee relations and change. Work with managers on performance concerns, employee issues and conflict, handling sensitive situations fairly and with care. Advise leaders on communicating and managing team changes, and involve People leadership and counsel in complex or high-risk matters.

What we are looking for

• Experience advising leaders as a People Partner, HRBP or in a comparable role within a tech or hardware company.

• Experience across early-stage startups and larger companies

• Experience building practical People tools or delivering program components

• Experience coaching managers through feedback, performance and development

• Sound judgment in employee relations, including fact-finding, confidentiality and knowing when to involve People leadership or counsel

• Experience using employee feedback and people data to recommend a change and assess whether it helped.

• Clear, candid communication, with examples of building trust and influencing leaders through difficult decisions or disagreement.

• Experience supporting employees and managers across multiple countries; you know when to draw on local expertise.

Bonus Points

• Experience using Rippling, Ashby, Lattice, Deel, Notion, Slack.

• Experience supporting research or hardware teams, with an understanding of how their work shapes team structure, performance and development.

• An HR or project management certification such as SHRM-CP, SHRM-SCP, PHR, SPHR or PMP.

• Experience supporting reductions in force, setting up or international entity arrangements, and PEO setups.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Normal Computing is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Accessibility Accommodations

Normal Computing is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please let us know at [e-mail].

Privacy Notice

By submitting your application, you agree that Normal Computing may collect, use, and store your personal information for employment-related purposes in accordance with our Applicant Privacy Notice.